The film was well made and the acting was good.  There was a dark and oppressive atmosphere throughout.  Lots of graphic violence: a beheading, a hanging, and an impaling.

Evil reigns in this story and there is very few redeeming moments.  The priest tries to convince Robert Thorn, that his son Damien is actually a child of the Devil.  In the process, he urges the father to repent and turn to Christ, as his only hope.  Robert is an unbeliever and continues to be one until the very end.  His wife Kate, suffers at the hand of their supposed son Damien, and becomes afraid of him in the process.  Mia Farrow plays the devoted nanny who is really a servant of Satan, actually a well developed and interesting role.

The religious themes are all messed up in this movie, as one might expect.  The justification for the coming of the anti-Christ is presented as a combination of world events, starting with the return of Jews to Israel.  Actually that is the one possibly valid point. There are many major Bible teachers who believe that the anti-Christ is alive today somewhere and waiting to take over.  Then they list 9/11, war on terror, Katrina, and the coming of a major comet as signs that the time of the end and the anti-Christ is here.  Unfortunately, the religious folk in the movie, have no power and are totally at the mercy of the evil forces.

This movie was a remake.  I believe that the first version was far better.  Not as dark and dreary, but full of suspense and unfulfilled hope. There was never any expectation for the best nor any reason given to hope in this rendition–darkness and evil reigns throughout.

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