In a genre that benefits from creepy kids doing creepy things, none of them compare to Damien Thorn, the literal son of the Dark Lord himself. Portrayed four times by four different people in four different movies, Damien’s never gotten the cinematic treatment he deserved. The one true great Damien is the original Damien, starring in the 1976 film The Omen directed by Richard Donner, who went on to direct a film about the purest soul in Earth’s existence (gotta savor that irony, no?).
The word “evil” can be applied to very few toddlers, but if anyone was deserving, it’d be Mr. Thorn. From pushing impregnated women off of balconies to using demonic dogs to hypnotize nannies into hanging themselves, Damien killed more people in diapers than Manson could ever dream of. What made Damien so terrifying in the original film was that his assumed innocence was proven wrong almost instantaneously by his actions, much to the surprise of his superiors. The ultimate form of retaliation from a child, progressive parenting was no match for Damien’s Satanic Powers that he inherited from daddy.
His relevance to Halloween has always been obvious. Satan is to God as water is to oil and Nickelback is to good music. It may not have always been like this, but Halloween has almost become synonymous with demons and devils. Damien is Satan’s only link to Earth, and having that little shit walking the streets is definitely not a good idea. If I were waiting this guy’s table, I really wouldn’t want to mess up his order of Deviled Eggs, black coffee, and a side of burnt wheat toast. I just do as I’m told, ya know?
As I mentioned before, Damien’s timeline has always been a little bit messed up. His birthday in the original film is June 6th, 1971. In the second it’s 1966, the third is 1950, and by the time the remake rolled around that little boy had been updated 2001. Then, let’s not even get into The Omen IV: The Awakening where the little guy’s daughter, Delia York, takes over as the protagonist. Papa Satan must have been so proud to see his little boy blossom into a full-fledged terror amongst men. *tear* THAT’S MY BOY!!!! SEE THAT!?! THOSE BUILDINGS GOING DOWN!! THOSE HUNGRY PEOPLE!! I MADE THAT!!!
So as I continue to digress, The Omen IV was almost worse than casting Mila Kunis in American Psycho II: All American Girl. Fun fact about that movie, it was directed by a guy named Morgan J. Freeman. Nope, God didn’t direct it, but they share the same name except this guy is white and has not an iota of talent in comparison. You learn something new everyday.
I love Damien because he’s such an unstoppable and yet miniature force of death that shows no mercy despite his young age. Of course, Liev Schrieber and Julia Stiles damn near ruined the legacy with the remake, but The Omen remains one of the true horror classics, a film that is scary, well-made, and socially relevant both then and now. And Damien will forever be the epitome of evil. And therefore Halloween.
Keep an eye out as another character on the Countdown will be revealed every night at 12:01 am for the rest of the month. You’ll also be able to find them HERE.
Grizzly Bomb 