I was fully expecting this made for TV sequel to suck, and in that respect, I was not disappointed: this cheaply made, badly written, poorly acted piece of excrement is tantamount to blasphemy for fans of the Omen series, being devoid of the foreboding atmosphere of the other films, totally bereft of creative kills, and completely lacking in scares. Instead, we get silly shenanigans with new age mystics, an ugly kid sorely in need of a good orthodontist, a score that sounds like it should be accompanying a troupe of circus clowns, as-subtle-as-a-brick images of inverted crosses ad nauseum, and, worst of all, Satanic carol singers.

I have seen it suggested that The Awakening might be an intentionally awful film in an attempt to parody the solemnity of the original trilogy; I highly doubt this, but if this should somehow prove to be be true, then shame on everyone involved for treating the franchise and its fans with such disrespect.

If there is a Hell, then the makers of this rot will certainly have a special place reserved for them somewhere between the eighth and ninth circles (where the fraudulent and treacherous are punished): a sulphuric screening room in which they will be forced to watch their own abomination for all eternity (whilst having broken copies of the DVD roughly inserted up their rectum). Yes.... Omen IV: The Awakening really is that bad.

Sure, the hidden secret of the story was far-fetched, but little Asia Viera as Delia was magnificent. Such expressive, spiteful eyes. She didn't say anything as she wreaked havoc on detractors. Her venom was justly spent on some wretched characters. I felt sorry for her - she didn't ask to be born that way. Unlike Damien (Omen II and III) she didn't attract a following of flatterers who choose to side with evil. A little coven of "Delians" would have been tasty. There is a strange attraction to evil that few films successfully exploit. When Delia came to enjoy her powers, the film missed out on fully illuminating them. I'd like to see a grown-up Delia taking care of her little brother the Antichrist. Maybe some juicy sibling rivalry...

As with many other pop-culture franchise series, this line just didn't know when to quit. Instead of leaving things as they were perfectly ended, they went on to generate this; the first installment of this franchise to fall sorely short of the mark.

This movie should never have happened. It was not intended for there to have been a fourth movie in this line, and it sure shows. The premise is idiotic and the portrayals were the same.

After the wonderful experience which was The Omen, this was a major disappointment which stank of 70's cheese and horrible acting. It was reminiscent of the Amityville Horror in those aspects, and left a terrible, lingering stench long after it was over.

It rates a 1.4/10 from...

the Fiend :.