Holocaust 2000

John Chard

1/28/2014

5.0

I'm not counting on God. I put my faith in Nuclear Energy. 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

"Holocaust 2000" ends at the point where the climatic action should actually be beginning: the plot details are all well established and now it is time for Robert to take decisive action to defeat Angel. But alas, no. This film is instead left in a position where nothing really works the way it ought to, especially in light of the more high profile horror films from the 1970's. These films, primarily "The Exorcist" (1973) and "The Omen" (1976), have an intensity about them which makes for compulsive and exciting viewing and the action set piece sequences will undoubtedly continue to retain a high shock value well into the future, but sadly that isn't the case here. What the filmmakers have managed to produce in this instance is an incredibly well paced film that lacks impact and isn't even particularly engaging or memorable and surely that is something of a regrettable and disappointing feat in itself.