After watching The Omen III, I really thought things could only get better from there on. I was also very happy that there even was an Omen IV, for I didn't want to end the series with number 3 (a movie that will forever be remembered as "Religious Masturbation").
Well congratulation, directors and screenwriters who have done too lousy a job for me to even bother checking their names. You have truly managed to outdo yourselves, The Omen IV is by far worse than III, which makes it the worst part of the worst Horror film series I've ever had the dis- pleasure of watching. Nothing original, almost an exact remake of the first film, only this time Antichrist is a girl, how very feminist and modern! Instead of a priest trying to warn the family, there's a new-age healer! How very pluralistic and religiously-tolerant! The politician father is this time a senator, not an ambassador, how clever! And to top it all - instead of a nanny who's devoted to protect the Antichrist, we've got a nanny who's devoted to protect the Antichrist! I'm blown away!!! As usual, the child is not the least scary. Seriously, Children of the Corn is from a near time, so is Village of the Damned! How come the children there are so much creepier? If at the first film the child was actually cute, in the 2nd - a tragic hero almost likable, and in the third simply a child - in the fourth we get a brat. Nothing more than an annoying, spiteful princess-brat. The only value this film had was that it followed the "rules" set by the first one, therefore giving the audience a sense of familiarity with the events (a cheap consolation reward if you ask me).
I apologize for not being able to be more impartial, but I'm frustrated and disappointed. I've heard so much about "The Omen", so many recommendations and complements for it being groundbreaking when it comes to the Occult-Horror sub-genre. Well great! So it was groundbreaking back at 1976, bravo! Watching it today was still a very unrewarding experience. Sorry for not being born 30 years earlier!
However, as one of the classics, we who value ourselves as Horror fans should give it a try. I did, and it was an unrewarding experience for me personally. For you - it may be different, so don't judge according to this review. My recommendation? When it comes to classics - listen to no one and try them, you owe it to yourselves.
Well congratulation, directors and screenwriters who have done too lousy a job for me to even bother checking their names. You have truly managed to outdo yourselves, The Omen IV is by far worse than III, which makes it the worst part of the worst Horror film series I've ever had the dis- pleasure of watching. Nothing original, almost an exact remake of the first film, only this time Antichrist is a girl, how very feminist and modern! Instead of a priest trying to warn the family, there's a new-age healer! How very pluralistic and religiously-tolerant! The politician father is this time a senator, not an ambassador, how clever! And to top it all - instead of a nanny who's devoted to protect the Antichrist, we've got a nanny who's devoted to protect the Antichrist! I'm blown away!!! As usual, the child is not the least scary. Seriously, Children of the Corn is from a near time, so is Village of the Damned! How come the children there are so much creepier? If at the first film the child was actually cute, in the 2nd - a tragic hero almost likable, and in the third simply a child - in the fourth we get a brat. Nothing more than an annoying, spiteful princess-brat. The only value this film had was that it followed the "rules" set by the first one, therefore giving the audience a sense of familiarity with the events (a cheap consolation reward if you ask me).
I apologize for not being able to be more impartial, but I'm frustrated and disappointed. I've heard so much about "The Omen", so many recommendations and complements for it being groundbreaking when it comes to the Occult-Horror sub-genre. Well great! So it was groundbreaking back at 1976, bravo! Watching it today was still a very unrewarding experience. Sorry for not being born 30 years earlier!
However, as one of the classics, we who value ourselves as Horror fans should give it a try. I did, and it was an unrewarding experience for me personally. For you - it may be different, so don't judge according to this review. My recommendation? When it comes to classics - listen to no one and try them, you owe it to yourselves.