How a supernatural horror trilogy concluded with an ambitious, yet divisive, apocalyptic showdown

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Final Conflict, the 1981 conclusion to The Omen series, follows an adult Damien Thorn as he maneuvers for global power while attempting to prevent the Second Coming of Christ. Despite its grand premise, the film faced mixed critical reception for its scale, pacing, and shift in tone.

Directed by Graham Baker and written by Andrew Birkin, the film features Sam Neill as the adult Damien Thorn, who has spent seven years running his international conglomerate. The plot centers on Damien’s efforts to thwart the Second Coming, a mission that pits him against a group of priests led by Father DeCarlo, who possess the Seven Daggers of Megiddo. The narrative culminates in a confrontation at Fountains Abbey, where Damien is ultimately defeated by Kate Reynolds, a journalist who had been drawn into his orbit.

The film’s production was marked by creative choices that diverged from its predecessors. Composer Jerry Goldsmith, who scored the previous two entries, opted for a new theme for Damien that emphasized tragedy over the horror-focused sound of earlier films. Production logistics were equally varied; the crew reused footage from the first film for monastery scenes and incorporated shots from Superman II for White House sequences. Stuntman Vic Armstrong performed a notable one-hundred-foot fall, which he later cited in the 2005 Guinness World Records as the most frightening stunt of his career.

Critical reaction was largely polarized. While some reviewers, such as Sheila Benson, praised the film’s visual style and intelligence, others found the apocalyptic stakes underwhelming. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel criticized the film for being boring and small-scale, while others, like Richard Combs, noted that the film occasionally resembled a farce. Despite these critiques, the film remains a significant entry in the horror genre, representing the final theatrical installment of the original Omen trilogy before the 2006 remake.

The legacy of the series continued in various forms after 1981. Plans for a 1984 sequel were abandoned following the death of director Horace D. Burton, and a 1991 television film, Omen IV: The Awakening, attempted to revive the franchise. The Final Conflict itself saw varied international branding, including the title Barbara's Baby in Germany and Hungary, and its official title was later adjusted to Omen III: The Final Conflict for home media releases to better align with the rest of the series.

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