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entertainme Damien transparent; deaths 'predictable' By Larry Hudson Gamecock Staff Writer "Damien-Omen II" is the second of a planned four-film package dealing with the rise of the Antichrist, the "beast" discussed throughout the book of Revelations. "Damien" opened Friday (Spring Valley One: $3.50) and it seems producer Harvey Bernhard has another big moneymaker on his hands. The action begins seven years after the death of Damien's father (Gregory Peck in "The Omen"). Damien, played by Jonathan ScottTaylor, has been adopted by his uncle, the powerful Chicago industrialist Richard Thorn (William Holdman), and his wife Ann (Lee Grant). No one realizes that Damien is not a normal boy, not even Damien himself, until an archeological dig in Israel uncovers a mural painted by a thirteenth century exorcist, portraying his vision of the Antichrist. The mural displays Damien surrounded by serpents and supporting a crow on his left hand; the crow's significance becomes obvious later in the film. The two men who discover the painting are killed, buried in a mysterious cave-in. MEANWHILE, DAMIEN and his cousin Mark are sent to a military academy in Chicago and come under the leadership of Sergent Daniel Moff K.. T *? it ?v... Fiajcu uy L<ciiiue nenriKsen, is a stern individual who knows Damien's secret for he, too, is one of the Devil's children. It is Neff who tells Damien to search Revelations for his true identity. The search leads Damien to find the number 666 under his hairline; he now knows his destiny and awaits his inevitable rise to power. Damien's adopted father is harassed by Joan Hart, a reporter who comes to Chicago after the rediscovery of the buried mural. She was a friend of the photographer beheaded in "The Omen" and tries to warn Richard Thorn of his peril. Thorn ignores her, and she is removed by one of a series of strange "accidents." The artifacts finally arrive in New York and the curator of the Thorn Museum. CharlPS Warron cooc 1 1 ** , .....v.., ovvo uic inuiai tiuu lmus me aaggers Richard Thorn tried to use on Damien. Warren manages to show the mural to Damien's father before he, too, fails victim to a gruesome "accident." Damien and some of his academy friends visit the Thorn plant and are exposed to poisonous gas, with only Damien escaping unscathed. A doctor examining Damien discovers Damien's blood is not human blood and tries to report his findings, however he dies in a grisly elevator scene that utilizes the same slow motion techniques found in the beheading scene of the first film. The action climaxes with Richard and his wife in the museum. antieinaHncr namion'c ?i -- , _r .D v.uiivii ? ui11>ui. luuiaru is finally convinced that Damien is the Antichrist and plans to carry out his dead brother's plan. In the end, a very much alive Damien, dressed in military attire, stands smiling before the museum, smiling the same demonic smile that ended "Hie Omen." THE GLARING weakness of "Damien-Omen II" is that the plot is lost in Bernhard's effort to present a number of vivid, violent and predictable deaths. The film is little more than a series of bizzare accidents, with the tension and power of "The Omen" almost totally absent. Jonathan Scott-Taylor, a young English actor, does a fine iob in the role oi me young Antichrist. In fact, the acting throughout the film is quite good. One really bright spot in the film is Jerry Goldsmith's brooding musical score; it provides the power in some scenes where the story itself is too weak to do so. The camera work is fair, with only two or three shots standing out as exceptional. see DAMIEN, pg. 7 on camous r? nfflk HaHUwrarav M H flf f u '! ?nt; I Midnight Mc By Skot Garrick Entertainment Editor Late shows are always a popular form of entertainment during the summer months; there's just something fun about watching bizarre movies until those wee, unhealthy hours of the morning. Late shows usually cater to the somewhat strange tvDe of mnvi#? as is evident by the increasing popularity of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," which has been playing to nearly capacity crowds since it opened a month ago at the Bush River Cinemas. THE MIDNIGHT MOVIES. a l -4- 7 U gj| 6uiief t ?- 14.JL V sponsored by WNOK radio and being shown weekends at the Bush River Cinemas, are the best late show deal Columbia has had in quite a while. Running from two to four movies a weekend, all are ?? - (jiiv,cu di ^ a person. "We've had pretty good success with the midnight movies up to this point," said assistant manager Sid Winstead. "We'll keep running them through the end of July probably, and maybe beyond that if the crowds keep coming, and if things don't get too rowdy." Rowdiness, although not a problem at this moment, is something that manager Cajel Norp is Irwtlfino niif f"" c? " - .uu...,.6 uuv iui . ou iar, me ? [>neymoor> pB H \r\j^ e'?. - - here 21 H Q jF^ ^npft^ # |J 1 summer fun only real rowdy show has been "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," easily the most popular and the most frequently shown of the Midnight Movies. "We've tried to let it go several times," says Winstead, "but it's been too rvnrviilo** '' pV[/UiOI Manager Nore said despite the popularity, this will be the final weekend for "Rocky Horror." "I just can't take it any longer," he said. The age group attending the late shows is between 17 and 25. There have been some audiences in the 30 through 35 age bracket, such as when the theatre ran "The Way We Were," but mostly the crowds have see MOVIES, pg. 7 ,978 BYGLem RhWK