Holocaust 2000 (1977) Online

There's no question about it: Italian film-makers used to make the most enjoyable crap – and this one is a prime example. Whenever a Hollywood movie became a runaway box office success, the Italians would waste no time in making their own carbon copy of it and, in this field, director Alberto De Martino was one of the top "go to" guys in the country; having recently made his own "pasta" versions of THE GODFATHER (1972) and THE EXORCIST (1973) – in THE COUNSELLOR (1973) and THE ANTICHRIST (1974) respectively – it was natural for him to be entrusted with concocting an Italianized clone of THE OMEN (1976). As it happens, this was an Italo-British co-production (as that impressively star-studded cast can attest) and the end result is, as I said, far more enjoyable than a half-arsed imitation has any right to be.

The film's ageing American star, Kirk Douglas (in the first of 4 horror/sci-fi outings he did in quick succession – the others being Brian De Palma's disappointing THE FURY [1978], the maligned-but-fair SATURN 3 [1980] and THE FINAL COUNTDOWN [1980], which I haven't watched in ages), does have one up on Gregory Peck from THE OMEN in that he gets to share a nude love scene with leading lady Agostina Belli! The rest of the cast, unsurprisingly, is a mix of established Brits and Italians: Geoffrey Keen, Alexander Knox (as the requisite professor who unravels the diabolical scheme and who's given a memorably subtle death scene), Virginia McKenna (like in the subsequent BLOOD LINK [1982], also from De Martino, she's killed off during the opening scenes!), Anthony Quayle, Simon Ward (effectively cast as a cold-blooded Antichrist), as well as Adolfo Celi and Romolo Valli (playing the equally indispensable and ill-fated priest).

The plot comes up with an ingenious modernization of the Apocalypse prophecies, illustrating a plausible analogy between mythical and modern monsters. Among the film's most notable sequences is Douglas' surreal nightmare (in which he's stranded stark naked in the desert, witnesses the demons rising from the sea and is haunted by the presence of a religious fanatic in a Diabolik-like outfit!) and one where a Middle Eastern political leader – opposed to industrial progress – gets the top of his head chopped off by a helicopter blade (thus anticipating the more celebrated moment in George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD [1978]). Once again, Ennio Morricone's score may sound overly-familiar (given that he composed THE ANTICHRIST and also EXORCIST II – THE HERETIC [1977])…but there's no denying that it serves the taut proceedings admirably.

Ultimately, though, the film results in not being at all scary: for one thing, the Antichrist has no direct relation to the 'accidental' deaths of those who stand in his way; also, he's left pretty much to his own devices (with no diabolical helpers as in THE OMEN), yet, nobody ever seems to question his decisions. Besides, there's no explanation as to just how Ward became "the chosen" (one of the titles by which the film's also known, as seen in an alternate opening sequence included on the DivX copy I watched) – in THE OMEN, at least, it was a case of babies exchanged at birth! Other narrative flaws: why is the Agostina Belli character afraid of entering a church – considering that the child she's carrying turns out not to be the Antichrist after all (as Douglas himself had feared)?; the second scene in the psycho ward (with the religious fanatic going berserk and inciting his fellow inmates to kill Douglas) is baffling and somewhat redundant – since the latter has, by this time, become aware of Ward's true intentions!

The film concludes rather abruptly with the fairly ludicrous – and pretentious – suggestion of a new 'Holy Family'; I much preferred the alternate ending also found on the (once again) problematic DivX copy I have, after missing out on this title more than I care to remember on Italian TV over the years: while admittedly conventional, at least, we're shown Douglas willing to keep up the fight the only way he knows how – through violence. Finally, I have to wonder what's holding up the film's release on DVD; it doesn't seem to be available in any region and, while no classic, it's eminently watchable – apart from being, definitely, a commercially viable item (especially for fans of "Euro-Cult")...

Italian filmmakers in the seventies weren't exactly slow when it came to ripping off successful films, and indeed it didn't take long for Alberto De Martino to deliver this obvious Omen rip-off just one year after the release of Richard Donner's successful film in 1976. The title suggests that the film will put something of a modern spin on the story, and indeed it has as in this tale of the Antichrist living among us humans, there is a nuclear power station at the centre. Kirk Douglas plays Robert Caine, an executive in charge of a Middle Eastern nuclear power plant. One of his main backers is his son, Angelo, but Angelo's reasons for wanting the power plant built are far more sinister than anything Robert would have expected. After a series of events, it becomes apparent to Robert that his son doesn't want the plant built to benefit mankind. In fact, he is the son of the Devil and his reasons for wanting the nuclear power plant completed is so he can carry out the Devil's work and use the plant to destroy all of mankind!

It has to be said that this really isn't a good film. It rips off The Omen so much it's almost painful, and the rest of the movie is a complete mess. However, I can't completely condemn this movie as aside from the numerous plot issues, it's a lot of fun to watch and there always plenty of stuff going on. The Omen became infamous for its gory and inventive death scenes, and while the ones here may not be all that inventive - they're plenty gory and serve in adding to the fun. The only big actor in the film is Kirk Douglas. This can hardly be considered the classic actor's best work (not that I'm a big fan of most of his stuff), but somehow he manages to stay fairly credible despite the fact that the dialogue in this film is choppy at best, and it cant be easy to act well when you're working with actors that are less than brilliant. There's not a lot in this movie that will make you think, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It all boils down to the sort of conclusion you can expect, but it's good fun getting there and overall I'd give this Omen rip off a thumbs up.

great film. about the apocalypse and done very well, bringing the apocalypse into reality before your eyes. Kirk Douglas took on a different role for this film and one that works. the apocalypse was firmly & skilfully brought into the twentieth century in this film and it was so realistic it was frightening. saw this film some years ago and wanted it ever since but cannot get hold of it. it was on TV in 1992 or 1993 and i missed it but a friend of mine down the street came knocking on my door in early hours as she was terrified having just watched it that night! i am not a person who cares for 'horror' films and this is far from being one of those. it sure is scary but that's because it is based on things that could be so real.don't knock it! watch it. also, if anyone can tell me how i can get this film on video or DVD i would be very grateful, but it doesn't seem to be available according to HMV stores.

Undoubtedly one of the most ambitious Italian exploitation/rip-off efforts of the 1970's, "Holocaust 2000" shows the courage (or stupidity?) to amalgamate TWO contemporary popular themes of Sci-Fi horror. Back in the glorious decade of the 70's, the end of the world could either be inflicted by humanity's own damn fault (ecological disasters or scientific revolutions) or biblical prophecies (the birth of the Antichrist, etc). This film, directed by the tremendously underrated Alberto De Martino; king of Italian rip-offs, features a mixture of both themes and the script really isn't as imbecile as it sounds! Superficially, this film looks like a straight imitation of "The Omen" in which a prominent American industrialist replaces the position of the prominent American ambassador, but the difference is that the industrialist's work is also relevant – crucial, even – to the development of the plot. Unfortunately, but almost inevitably, the film's strength is also its main weakness… Blending religious & ecological themes quickly results in a lot of complexity, confusion and especially a whole lot of skepticism. Even though the script is surprisingly well elaborated and quite intelligent, you can't help thinking it's overly grotesque and far-fetched. Kirk Douglas, charismatic and reliable as ever, stars as the millionaire industrialist Robert Caine, whose lifework involves the large-scaled construction of a thermo-nuclear power plant in the Middle Eastern region. This gigantic project, with its seven turbines and its ten-headed output-system could provide powerful energy for the entire Third World; only the safety precautions are unstable and questionable. Caine and his lovely young girlfriend Sara also discover that the plant's design suspiciously bears a lot of resemblance with the biblical beast that is believed to unleash an apocalyptic fire that burns down the entire planet. The more reluctant Robert gets to carry on with his project, the more his adult son Angel insists on continuing and he even takes control. Meanwhile, Sara is pregnant and Robert is overcome with fear of his unborn baby being the Antichrist whose birth would complete the apocalypse.

"Holocaust 2000" is wrongfully accused of simply being another uninspired Italian clone of "The Omen", but I certainly beg to differ! Admittedly some of the basic aspects are blatantly copied from Richard Donner's milestone, like the social setting and particularly the circumstances surrounding the death sequences, but Alberto De Martino's film contains a lot more ingeniousness and originality than everybody thinks! Multiple sub plots are even downright marvelous and suspenseful, most notably the scenes inside the psychiatric clinic and Caine's nightmare visions. The first hour is terrific, with a constant spitfire of clever dialogs and an overall macabre ambiance, but I do admit the last 45 minutes are a little tedious and repetitive. Particularly the ineffective "mystery" of the Antichrist's identity is quite foolish, because it's more than obvious since the start of the film already. De Martino had a decent budget to work with for a change, and this is clearly illustrated through the convincing set pieces and professional photography. The music is courtesy of Ennio Morricone, so you can blindly accept it is brilliant, and Kirk Douglas' performance is more than impeccable to guide you through the mediocre moments. Vastly underrated film, ripe for re-discovery! And even if you don't care for this type of storyline, at least you got to love the awesome helicopter-decapitation moment! I rewind that scene each and every time!

As a fan of European horror and cult cinema in general, I can tell that this in one of THE very best produced movies coming from Italy in the seventies. An incredible cast (Kirk Douglas, Agostina Belli, Simon Ward etc, Anthony Quayle; Massimo Foschi etc) doing their all. I've always been a fan of Kirk Douglas, and this is definitely one of his finest (and odd) roles. A wonderful and scary Italian horror classic that has to be seen. Far too underrated I'd say! Also - check for Massimo Foschi, who does an incredible job in this movie. Easily one of the best Italian actors from this period.

Thanks for bringing us a masterpiece, Alberto!

Having already ripped off The Exorcist with his pretty dreadful 1974 movie The Antichrist, director Alberto De Martino has a bash at copying one of the other major horror successes of the '70s, The Omen—and he does a slightly better job this time around.

The decent cast certainly helps: Kirk Douglas stars as industrialist Robert Caine, who slowly comes to realise that his plans for a nuclear power plant in the third world might lead to the Apocalypse, as prophecised in the Bible; Simon Ward is his son Angel, who is determined to see the project to completion at whatever the cost; the lovely Agostina Belli plays Sara Golan, Robert's love interest, whose unborn child may or may not be The Antichrist; and Anthony Quayle appears as scientist Dr. Griffith, who unravels the truth but pays for his discovery with his life.

With such solid performers at his disposal, De Martino is able to deliver an entertaining slice of horror hokum despite the script's somewhat talky nature, its preachy anti-nuclear message and more than a few implausible plot turns, with the film's highlights being the juicy decapitation of a political leader by helicopter blade, beautiful Belli getting nekkid for a raunchy romp with ageing Kirk (such a coupling might sound unlikely, but if Michael can get it on with Zeta Jones in real life, then why not?), Caine's trippy dream sequence (which delivers the truly horrific sight of a naked Kirk Douglas), and a chilling scene where a room full of newborn babies are accidentally poisoned by a negligent nurse.

6.5 rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Amiable and determined wealthy agnostic industrialist Robert Caine (an excellent performance by Kirk Douglas) and his shrewd and ambitious son Angel (well played by Simon Ward) plan on building a nuclear power plant in the Holy Land. When various people associated with the project start meeting gruesome untimely ends, Roger realizes that he might be involved in an ancient biblical prophecy about the Anti-Christ and the end of the world. Director Alberto De Martino, who also co-wrote the ingenious and intriguing script with Stan Donati, whips up a very clever and inspired supernatural horror chiller that brilliantly realizes Old Testament prophecies through modern technology. Moreover, De Martino maintains a steady pace throughout, does a sound job of creating a tense and ominous atmosphere which becomes more increasingly spooky and unsettling as the story unfolds, and stages the gory murder set pieces with tremendous fluid style and flair (a memorably grisly decapitation by helicopter blade rates as the definite splatter highlight). In addition, we also get a wonderfully trippy apocalyptic nightmare sequence with a naked Douglas running on a beach and being warned by a crazed fanatic (a superbly intense portrayal by Massimo Foschi) about Armegeddon. Douglas holds the whole film together with his strong and commanding presence; he receives sturdy support from the gorgeous Agostina Belli as sweet and helpful reporter Sara Golan, Romolo Valli as helpful priest Charrier, Anthony Quayle as the pragmatic Professor Griffith, Alexander Knox as the respected Professor Ernst Meyer, and Spiros Focas as formidable adversary Harbin. Popping up in nifty bit parts are Virginnia McKenna as Robert's disapproving wife Eva, Adolfo Celli as asylum head Dr. Kerouac, and Geoffrey Keen as a sinister gynecologist. Erico Menczer's slick cinematography gives the picture an impressively polished and expansive look. Ennio Morricone's lush, moody, and shuddery full-scale orchestral score hits the shivery shot. Well worth seeing.

Some will dismiss it as some parboiled cross between "the omen" and "Rosemary's baby";but Alberto De Martino had become an expert in the subject of ripoff:Sergio Leone ("Centomila Dollari Per Ringo"),Dario Argento (" L'Assassino è Al Telefono") American gangsters in Roma (John Cassavetes in "Roma Come Chicago!!),James Bond ("Missione Speciale Lady Chaplin" "OK Connery" (sic)) .He even made "L'Anti Cristo" (1974) BEFORE "the omen".

"Holocaust 2000" is an entertaining nay very entertaining ripoff.It even includes good ideas such as the nuclear power plant and the Apocalypse Beast or the mathematic riddle 2V231 (2 times square root of 231).Whereas the demon in "the omen" moved in the political field ,the new Antichrist wants to destroy man which has already invented his doom with his own weapons :the nukes .The anti-nukes demonstrations on the street were common in those years ;so the movie contains a 'message' of easily digestible proportions ;great care is taken with the screenplay and the actors CAN act ,which is not always true with this cheap cinema:Kirk Douglas is very professional,but the standout is unquestionably Simon Ward as Angel: he succeeds in being disturbing without losing his Buddah smile and his cold look gives the jitters ;he 's truly got an angel face.

Holocaust 2000 represents two things. It is the director's attempt to cash in on the huge success of The Omen. It is also Kirk Douglas's attempt to get a wider, younger audience back on his side by flirting with the horror genre.

The film is a mess, with Douglas playing the unsuspecting father whose business plans for a thermonuclear plant in the Middle East are enormously unpopular. His son, Simon Ward (a real Michael Caine lookalike in this film), is his closest ally when it comes to trying to build the plant, but what Douglas hasn't figured out is that his son is the embodiment of the AntiChrist, and that he only wants it built so that he can destroy mankind. Various people get killed (especially anyone who stands in the way of the plot) before Douglas figures it all out, but by then everyone thinks he is mad and he can't stop the completion of the plant. However, he does manage to escape and thus lives to fight another day.

The film never pushes the audience out of their comfort zone. It poses no thought provoking questions, no ominous atmosphere, and no originality. The performances are surprisingly good considering that the material is so poor. A couple of the killings are well filmed, especially the colonel who is beheaded by a helicopter rotor blade, but some of them are a bit unconvincing. The film's one sex scene is quite erotic (surprisingly so considering the age gap between Douglas and his co-star Agostina Belli) but that hardly makes it worth watching. All in all, this is a missed opportunity.

Holocaust 2000 is directed by Alberto De Martino and co-written by Martino and Sergio Donati. It stars Kirk Douglas, Simon Ward, Agostina Belli, Anthony Quayle and Virginia McKenna. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Erico Menczer.

Nuclear industrialist Robert Caine (Douglas) refuses to heed warnings that the Antichrist is closer to home than he ever could have imagined...

Caine and Angel

Casting aside the fact that it is a cash in on the success of the far superior The Omen, it simply isn't smart or good enough to make its own mark. Knowing what is going on in the first instance is not a great thing for the audience, it would be were the narrative strong enough to keep us on our toes, but it never is. The plot speeds along merrily following the same trajectory as expected; mysterious deaths, pregnancy, loads of ominous warnings, repeat sequence of doom and on to the unsubtle reveal in preparation for a less than satisfying ending.

The makers do try to add some salt to the satanic broth, such as having Douglas roam around naked in a feverish nightmare, and some moments are kinda fun in that tacky Italian/England production way, but the zip, the originality, is sorely lacking. Cast seem to be working off of a different screenplay to each other, though Douglas is at least working hard to make the duff regurgitation come alive. It looks nice on occasions, and it's fun for the wrong reasons, but its low standing reputation is fully justified and therefore near impossible to recommend to anyone but Kirk Douglas completists. 5/10

Acting is good, not great. Good music. Cinematography is good, not great. There were a few good scenes, the helicopter blade chopping the head off the leader, Kirk's nightmare. Besides that the killings were nothing special at all. The story was OK, but nothing too exciting. The ending sucked. I wouldn't call it an Omen ripoff, but it has similar themes. It had all the elements to be a good B movie. But everything just seemed to just go nowhere. Probably worth checking out once. I give this movie a C, or 6 starts for attempt at a B movie, but it's really a decent C movie.

Acting is good, not great. Good music. Cinematography is good, not great. There were a few good scenes, the helicopter blade chopping the head off the leader, Kirk's nightmare. Besides that the killings were nothing special at all. The story was OK, but nothing too exciting. The ending sucked. I wouldn't call it an Omen ripoff, but it has similar themes. It had all the elements to be a good B movie. But everything just seemed to just go nowhere. Probably worth checking out once. I give this movie a C, or 6 starts for attempt at a B movie, but it's really a decent C movie.

I'd only just heard of this one when it popped up on the Horror Channel, but knowing it was an Italian Omen rip-off I just had to watch it. It's got Kirk Douglas in it, and knowing how well he faired in the brilliant Master Touch, I had to see how things worked out for him in an Italian horror. After a title sequence full of real footage of starving and sick children (thanks, Alberto De Martino!), we find Kirk playing a businessman working on a project to build some sort of thermonuclear reactor in some unknown North African country. Before he starts blowing things up to level the ground, he finds a cave with the word IESUS written on it, but then blows it up anyway. So starts a change of events that manages to be slightly scary, daft, and hilarious all at the same time. Some guy turns up at a dinner party and tries to kill Kirk, but his son Angel grapples with the fella and his wife, who was against the project, gets a knife in the guts instead. You know how in the Omen folks who twigged what was going on ended up getting killed? Well, the happens here too. Kirk ends up visiting the stabby guy at an asylum which leads to a punch up between the inmates and the staff (brilliant), and then learns that the new Prime Minister of the country his project is in is against the project. Don't worry about him though, for he's about to lose the top of his head to a helicopter. Kirk has his own revelation between the image of a six-headed hydra and the six domes of his reactor which goes on for so long we were howling with laughter. Add to that the IESUS turning up as SUSEI and becoming a mathematical formula that relates to the medical records of a character and the film zooms off into ridiculous country. By this time folks are practically running up to Kirk and shouting "Stop the project! Antichrist! Six heads etc" while Kirk meets a priest who tells him that his second child is the antichrist, but is that his unborn child or his son Angel, who had a twin that died in the womb? Kirk eventually twigs after we see him have a dream where he's running around in the scud while the 'six heads – six reactors' thing starts again, which leads to another punch up in the loony bin (and someone getting their head caved in). Will evil win or will Kirk triumph? The film's cop out non-ending is a bit of a downer, but if you've seen any of Alberto De Martino's other films (like Blancheville Monster or Crime Boss) you'll know that Alberto is never in a hurry to get to the good stuff. This film was a good laugh, and beautiful to look at, but it was more funny than scary. You also get to see Kirk's arse, if that's your thing. Also - great Ennio Morricone soundtrack.

Holocaust 2000 is an Italian riff on The Omen but with late 70's fears of the dangers of nuclear power thrown into the mix for good measure. It's about a CEO of a multi-national corporation who wishes to build a new nuclear power plant in the Middle East. In some nearby caves he discovers ancient drawings of a demonic beast that resembles his projected power plant; an entity that is predicted in the Bible to signify the return of the Antichrist. A series of horrific accidents happen to people around him and it becomes evident that his son is the devil incarnate.

The debt owed to The Omen is pretty clear in this one. Its brand of religious horror and creative death sequences is taken from that earlier film. Needless to say, it's not anywhere near the same level as The Omen series but it does have its moments. Quite impressively for an Italian horror film it has at its disposal a pretty big league actor in Kirk Douglas and he gives a pretty spirited performance. He is ably supported by Simon Ward, who plays his son. Ward can do 'cold' really well and its utilised well here in his role as the Antichrist. There are also some well-conceived individual moments, in particular a dream sequence where the nuclear power plant turns into a fearsome ten-headed hydra and rises from the sea. The creative death scenes are nowhere near as inspired as the ones from The Omen series but there are some good ones nevertheless, such as the helicopter decapitation.

It does have to be said though that the film-makers are not above cheating the audience a little too much, such as the part where the mysterious girl who Douglas has an affair literally runs away from a Church in fear, leading us to think she must be in league with the devil. It turns out though that she is nothing of the kind so this whole scene is nothing more than a massive red herring that makes little sense. Overall the film isn't really plotted terribly well and that may account for the above silly audience manipulation but it also results in the film ending without a proper resolution. It almost feels like the end of the first part of a story as opposed to a proper finale; while the final scene itself was pretty ambiguous and I wasn't entirely sure what it meant to be honest.

But criticisms aside, Holocaust 2000 is still an entertaining enough horror flick. It has enough of a budget to ensure that its ideas are brought to the screen with some effectiveness. So even if it doesn't deliver all that it could, it does enough to keep things interesting.

Holocaust 2000 is not Kirk Douglas's way of cashing in on the market created for apocalypse films like The Omen. Watching it today it's more like one of those Christian end time films like The Omega Code. Still the film will both have biblical scholars gasping and Kirk's many fans shaking their heads.

Kirk's the CEO of a multi-national concern that is building a mega nuclear type plant in Israel close to the projected site of Armegeddon. In fact while exploring some nearby caves, Kirk finds some ancient drawings depicting a beast described in Revelations that looks like the projected power plant.

It's off to the ancient texts and it turns out that Mr. Scratch may have been diddling with Kirk's wife Virginia McKenna and their son Simon Ward may not be what he seems.

One part that was of interest to me is that Kirk Douglas has an affair with beautiful young photojournalist Agostina Belli and she gets pregnant. When he thinks that that child is the devil's spawn, he's quite ready, willing and eager for an abortion. To those who hold right to life beliefs, that would have been quite the conundrum.

Holocaust 2000 was 30 years ahead of its time, that's not necessarily a good thing, just that these kind of films were coming into vogue via the Christian film industry. This one's not as good as some of them. Still Kirk and the cast play it the best they can. Capable players like Anthony Quayle and Alexander Knox look like they'd rather be anywhere else.

The end is near! Citizens protest! Worldwide panic spreads across the globe! A nuclear holocaust threatens us all! The monstrous beast will rise from the ocean to consume all life! Earth will become a scorched wasteland!

Who ought to care about why the hell this movie punctuates so much on the Apocalypse? The Italians certainly had been ashamed of making this film in the first place! Even our priests who run the churches would be in for a mass uproar about the falsity this delivers. But heck, this is the movies!

Words cannot describe this sordid, terrible drama, acting more of a drunken Shakespearean play about nuclear fear than anything else. A poor planning in developing a good story and lousy writing makes this the perfect glass of sour milk. One of our best well-known movie stars, Kirk Douglas, has a few embarrassing performances, one of which is when he stands out naked in front of visions of rising monsters from the ocean. Also, it makes a failed attempt at showing off any suspenseful magic about the supernatural. Either it is Douglas who thinks the Great Flood has come, or just a coincidence of Mother Nature rising the ocean tide.

The movie actually gets a further beating on trying to be a meaningless horror / splatter film, which wants to show off uselessly. HOLOCAUST 2000 is good if you want to see Kirk Douglas star in a movie so horrifying in its pitiful execution and directing skills. What does this movie want to be when it fouls up? A DOOMSDAY BOMB!

From the director of "Pumaman" and "Dirty Heroes" comes another ripoff film, this time a knockoff of "The Omen," complete with Hollywood golden age star Kirk Douglas having to face down the anti-Christ. Douglas plays an energy executive about to build a nuclear power plant in the middle east when he begins to suspect his son is actually the son of Satan and might use the nuke plants to wipe out humankind. Douglas brings sincerity to a ridiculous film and a fine score by Ennio Morricone make this dull and derivative horror film watchable, but certainly don't go out of your way to watch this one.

A couple of Italian left-wingers saw "The Omen", wet their pants, and then did a re-hash with their own uniquely moronic political twist to it.

35 years later, and there's still no "nuclear holocaust". Those Marxists and their prophecies. The movie even mention "going back to nature (i.e. caves)", so the moronic influence of the hippie "culture" is to be seen in this 1977 horror flick as a sort of added bonus (for filmic anthropologists). The makers of this little turd must be feeling rather silly now, all those years later. Their prophecies of doom and gloom relating to nuclear power having not quite materialized the way they'd "predicted" and - of course above all else – as they had hoped.

It is easy to tell, without even knowing the year, that this silly Italian flick was made in the late 70s, at the height of the left-wing's anti-nuclear-power rabble-rousing panic-inducing propagandist paranoia. The first 15 minutes or so are far more concerned with establishing the producers' political agenda (with an idealistic anti-power-plant speech being dished out every 3 minutes) than to get on with all manner of things horroric. Though once they do, it's just as much claptrap as you'd expect from an Italian horror film.

Kirk Douglas, playing an intelligent, enterprising, hard-working Capitalist who recognizes the large potential that nuclear energy has, is swiftly equalized to Satan. After all, aren't all scientific-minded, reasonable entrepreneurs demons? The right-wing is merely the tool of the Devil, as we all know – and this coming from the atheistic Left. (Marxists using the apocalypse even to make their dogma felt, they will stop at nothing, the hypocrites). A little later it's his son who assumes the role of Satan while Kirk tries to save the world.

Speaking of fathers and sons, could this be the movie that inspired Michael Douglas to do his own idiotic anti-nuclear-power propaganda movie ("The China Syndrome")? Like father like son. Michael isn't blond but Kirk's son here, Angel, is. Angel? Couldn't they have made it more obvious?

Even sillier, they try to cheat the viewer into believing that the unborn infant is the Devil. Agostina Belli (looking amazing) appears out of nowhere, disappears just as easily, and inexplicably refuses to stroll toward a church with her boyfriend Granpa Douglas, suddenly starting to get all panicky. You'd think that more than qualifies her as a demon's right-hand-woman? Nope. You are allowed to mislead the viewers, but you can't just blatantly lie to them. Although to be fair, this movie had shot itself in the foot so often by the time she gets pregnant that one more piece of utter nonsense made no difference at that point. This dumb film had lost me already in the first few minutes.

Plenty of hogwash there is in that mind-blowingly dumb finale and the legendarily goofy last scene. Kirk, presumed dead, moves into the desert with his trophy wife and newborn child, while memories of the idealistic chants of rabid, dimwitted left-wing protesters swerve about in his head. So why the desert? Is his plan to avoid the nuclear catastrophe because sand makes for effective cover against radiation? Or perhaps he intended to use all those kids playing around in the dunes to attack Satan and his 21 disciples once the building of the plant started, only a few miles away? The less said about all that malarkey going on in the loony bin, the better. Kirk wrestling insane people, that's just about as cheesy as it gets.

Douglas keeps telling politicians that his soon-to-be-built nuclear power plant "will bring prosperity to the whole Third World". Must be a mighty magical power plant that will feed, clothe, employ and solve all the problems of over a billion people all over the world. Bombastic promises in a dimwitted script. You can tell an uneducated, uninformed putz wrote it.

Douglas loses his power-plant contract because of an unfavourable election result in a mid-East country. What country from that region had free elections in the 70s, that's what I'd like to know. And what do Douglas and the sexy mysterious woman do right after they'd witnessed a helicopterish decapitation of a military dictator (sorry, a democratically elected Gaddafi impersonator)? They do what any other couple would do after such a bloody traumatic experience: cheerfully drive to the woods for a little picnic where they pat a cute deer and have a few sandwiches. This movie has to be seen to be believed.

Douglas gets involved with a complete stranger in spite of her bizarrely appearing at the oddest of moments. Does he ever question her? No. And when she needs to get her demon seed aborted (which it turns out isn't a demon seen coz the director blatantly lied to his audience), guess who comes in to the rescue? The Catholic Church. Yes, the Vatican is sanctioning abortions: a comical little detail which I'm sure must have eluded the writer of this amazingly dumb turkey.

This must rank among Kirk Douglas's top 3 filmic embarrassments.

No, I can't think of any dumber movie he's ever done. This one proudly claims the top spot.