Horror Movie Review: Omen IV: The Awakening (1991)

They just can’t leave well alone, can they?

After the disappointing Omen III: The Final Conflict, a flawed movie that at least wrapped up the Damien storyline, there was a short-lived attempt to restart the franchise. Hilariously though the movie in question was still titled Omen IV. Hardly a franchise restart.

(You can read our reviews of the original 1976 film here, the 1978 sequel here and the 1981 third film here).

To make matters even worse this new film had a super low-budget & was made for TV. It was almost doomed from the start. Still, you have to have hope, right? Hope that what we might get is a fresh & modern take on the Omen, one that can proudly stand alongside the classic original.

Omen IV: The Awakening is not that film.

In fact it retreads the exact same plot as the original with its big changes being that the villain is a young girl, named Delia (Asia Vieira). She is adopted as a baby by attorney Karen York (Faye Grant) and her congressman husband, Gene (Michael Woods).

Everything seems happy in the family, that is until Delia begins to have problems at school & her mother notices that she doesn’t many friends. After a routine checkup it’s discovered that Delia is hitting puberty at the very young age of 8.

Then the problems really begin as those around her, those that have upset her or wronged her begin to die. A school bully’s father, a New Age nanny, a private investigator…

It’s all enough to make Karen wonder about Delia’s biological parents so she starts digging around. The truth that she finds is something she could never have expected.

Or us as viewers really, seeing as their is a plot twist that might be considered one of the dumbest seen in any Omen movie to date.

Omen IV is a rough watch, a really rough watch. It’s boring & lacks so much originality it’s embarrassing. Even up to certain deaths, all of which come with a family friendly vibe. Well, maybe not that tame but certainly obvious that they were trying to avoid a hard rating. This means we get a lot of slow motion & cutaways at the point of impact. So boring.

The acting is extremely mixed, Faye Grant being the standout. She brings some much needed emotional weight to her role, especially as there is so little to connect you to anyone else. Characters come and characters go, often later winding up dead for us to supposedly be shocked.

Those hoping for a memorable turn by Asia Vieira will be sorely disappointed. As Delia she lacks screen presence, an innocent look & her attempts to look sinister always come across as though she’s about to break into a smile & start laughing. This would be fine if that’s what they were going for, an aloof villain that is amused by the devastation she causes. However it becomes painfully obvious that’s not what was on the cards.

After a whole lot of nothing happens. The film suddenly decides it’s running out of time & throws some wacky & silly plot points out. These ‘twists’ are poor & would be utterly forgettable if they weren’t so hilarious.

If you’re not a fan of the spooky ‘dominus’ music then you’re in real trouble as Omen IV loves it. Up to the point where a goth-choir even comes out singing it.

Add these absurd moments to the general look of cheapness & it’s no wonder Omen IV actually does look to be it for the franchise now!

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