Horror movies are definitely not my expertise, so I'm not sure if my opinion is valid on this one. Also, this might be considered a spoiler, even if the details are vague. Now that I've said that, I will also let you know that this is the first (and hopefully last) horror film I've seen in theaters. It seems to have a plot that is often reused; involving the devil and his son, Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick). In this movie, Robert (Liev Schreiber) and Katherine Thorn (Julia Stiles) are going to have a baby, but something goes wrong, the baby dies during birth, and Katherine damages the womb, rendering her sterile. Robert, not wanting to break Katherine's heart, secretly adopts a baby from the hospital. Five years later, Robert gets a promotion to work as an ambassador in England. During this time, Damien's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, as he becomes an outcast from other kids and creeps out his mother by giving her nightmares. Robert doesn't understand why Katherine is so scared of Damien, and is surprised when priests including Father Brennan (Pete Postlethwaite) try to convince him that his son must be killed. However, after numerous predictions come true, Robert goes on a mission to discover Damien's relatives and their past. What he will find will shock you. Also, the Vatican has become upset by recent events that have completed an ancient prophecy. The World Trade Center, the tsunamis, and the recent terrorism were all part of this prophecy, so it really connects. Five years ago, there was the last sign of the prophecy, a trio of comets (stars like with the birth of Jesus; this phenomenon's made up, though), signaling the birth of the anti-Christ, Satan's son. Could Damien really be the Devil's son? Wait and rent this film; it's not that great. It has a lot of violence and swearing, as well as a couple of big scares. I do have complaints about Julia Stiles, she wasn't a very good actor, especially when she wasn't acting frightened. For the most part, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick was very good at his freaky role, and I didn't like his character (meaning, he did a good job). Overall, this is pretty gruesome and intense, but not soil-your-pants scary. Even so, I don't think I'll see horror films in theaters again.
