MovieChat Forums > Damien: Omen II (1978) Discussion > Mark's death - One of the worst death sc...

Mark's death - One of the worst death scenes ever

posted 11 years ago by guardkid
28 replies | jump to latest

Damien Omen II has it flaws, and for me the death of Mark is one of the biggest.
IMO - it has to be one of the worst death scenes in cinema history. It makes me laugh out loud (but makes me cringe inside) every time I watch it.

Having Mark drop dead because his brain was sort of paranormally crushed by evil Damien was a massive anti-climax. But the death scene was so badly executed. The young actor Lucas Donat, bless him, did his best - gurgling and shrieking before he fell to the snow. It just came across so amateurish. The lack of music during the scene was probably an attempt to make it more powerful, but instead it emphasized just how awful the acting was.

I'm surprised that the scene wasn't re-shot. Surely they could have come up with something better than that?

[–] coreycitn63 8 years ago

Damien didn't want to kill Mark.

[–] bluedionysus 8 years ago

Hahaha. In a movie filled to the brim with ludicrous death scenes... the one being discussed here is actually one of the lesser offenders!

[–] againstglobalism 8 years ago

I thought the scene was actually kinda intense. It was a defining moment for Damien. He willingly decided to kill Mark, in order to maintain secrecy of his true identity. Keeping Mark alive was a liability for Damien, because Mark knew too much. He killed Mark for pretty much the same reason why he killed everyone else. To maintain secrecy. Though, him and Mark seemed like such good friends, that it was somewhat sad to see Mark get killed off so suddenly. At least Mark died in one of the least bloodiest ways possible. But seeing that Damien was so powerful and all, I'd figure that he'd give Mark a quick and painless death, like an instant heart attack or something. I don't understand why Mark's death had to be so painful. But then again, Damien is the Anti-Christ, so he's not exactly like a nice person to begin with. If only Mark wouldn't have found out about Damien's true self, maybe things could've been different.

[–] fiatlux-1 8 years ago

I agree, it was very sad indeed to see poor Mark die so painfully.
Besides the good point you make about Damien being the Antichrist so therefore 'not nice to begin with'....the novel expands on it very slightly.
Damien is actually in a rage, more to Mark because he refused his 'offer' than because he knew his identity.

But Mark was doomed anyway, basically. Being Thorn's son & Damien's cousin, he would have been an obstacle in Damien eventually inheriting the family fortune, power & political position.
Mark would have been eliminated eventually, by one of them.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] againstglobalism 8 years ago

Have you read the book? Cause I'm actually thinking about reading it. Does it differ any from the movie?

[–] fiatlux-1 8 years ago

I sure have read it. 😃 It has some *extras* in it, such as a few more insights into Damien's thoughts & those of most of the others too.

Its not a long novel but I've read it several times, its very enjoyable.
Amazon.com likely sells used copies, I found mine used, as its been out of print for some time.

EDIT: I just looked out of curiosity, and there are some new copies being sold on Amazon.com, by independent sellers now, as well.


I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] againstglobalism 8 years ago

I bought the book on Amazon a week ago. I'm waiting for it to arrive. I'm definitely interested to see what the book will be like, compared to the movie.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Lucas Donat is the son of Michael Learned, the Mom from The Waltons. Just a bit of side trivia to add to this 5 year old conversation.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I think GuardKid is a TROLL for posting this!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Pretty realistic to me. How is someone supposed to behave or 'act' when suffering a brain hemorrhage. To me, the actor portrayed the short term agony well.

[–] Drooch (5333) 2 years ago

Actually it’s the most effective death in the movie - it’s utterly tragic that Richard Thorn’s son dies, and it’s disturbingly cruel seeing Damien casually kill his effective brother with a brain haemorrhage. The brief scream and the slump to the ground is chilling in its efficiency and coldness. Finally, Damien’s subsequent anguish over the murder is an interesting emotional conflict.

Most of the other deaths are spectacular and gory, this one chills the blood.