''Holocaust 2000'' (also released as ''The Chosen'' and ''Rain of Fire'') is a 1977

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

directed by

Alberto De Martino Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...

, written by De Martino, Michael Robson, and

Sergio Donati Sergio Donati (born 13 April 1933) is an Italian screenwriter. He has written for more than 70 films since 1952. He was born in Rome, Italy. He started as a writer and had some of his books optioned for film. He is well known for his collaborati ...

, and starring

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

, Simon Ward,

Agostina Belli Agostina Belli (born 13 April 1949) is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1968. Life and career Born in Milan as Agostina Maria Magnoni, Belli made her debut in 1968 with a minor part in '' Bandits in Milan'' ...

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...

Virginia McKenna Dame Virginia Anne McKenna, (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for the films ''A Town Like Alice'' (1956), ''Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958), ''Born Free'' (1966), and ...

, and

Alexander Knox Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor on stage, screen, and occasionally television. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Woodrow Wilson in the film '' Wilson'' (1944). ...

. The original musical score was composed by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classi ...

. The British-Italian co-production was produced by

Edmondo Amati Edmondo Amati (1920 – 2002) was an Italian film producer. He produced 55 films between 1964 and 1984, including '' Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist'' (2005), '' U-571'' (2000), ''Golden Balls'' (1993), ''Cannibals in the Streets'' (1980), ...

for

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

and Titanus, and is widely-considered a cash-in on the success of the similarly-themed ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...

'' released a year earlier. It received mixed reviews, but has become a

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

Plot

Despite doomsday warnings from throngs of locals, wealthy industrialist Robert Caine makes the controversial decision to build a

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces ...

near a sacred cave in the Middle East. But before Caine can reap the benefits of his latest bid for global domination, he discovers that his son, Angel, is the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

, who is planning to use his father's project to trigger the end of the world. As Caine digs deeper, a string of suspicious accidents occur that kill off prominent figures who criticized the project. He also notes similarities between the design of the plant and features of a biblically-prophesied beast that will herald the apocalypse. During a dream, Caine envisions the plant rising from the sea, then sees its circle of towers take on the form of a multiheaded monster. The film was released with 2 endings. The European general release version of the film features an open ending, with Kirk Douglas in exile with his newborn child, and his adult son now successfully developing the plant intended to cause

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

. In the shortened version released in U.S. theaters, home video, and network television, a new ending was added where Douglas returns to the company and enters a board meeting having explosives hidden on him. In the final scene, Angel's face is overlaid with an image of an explosion, showing that Robert has successfully thwarted the apocalypse. The U.S. DVD from

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

retains the original darker ending and the Blu-ray from Scream Factory contains both the European and American versions of the film.

Cast

as Robert Caine * Simon Ward as Angel Caine *

as Sara Golan *

as Professor Griffith *

as Eva Caine * Spiros Focás as Harbin *

Ivo Garrani Ivo Garrani (6 February 1924 – 25 March 2015) was an Italian actor and voice actor. In films since 1952, Garrani is possibly best known for his role as Prince Vajda in Mario Bava's '' Black Sunday'' (1960). Biography Born in Introdacqua, ...

as The Prime Minister *

as Professor Ernst Meyer *

Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...

as Dr. Kerouac *

Romolo Valli Romolo Valli (7 February 1925 – 1 February 1980) was an Italian actor. Valli was born in Reggio Emilia. He was one of the best known Italian actors from the 1950s to his death. He worked for both the stage and the silver screen. Among the ...

as Monsignor Charrier *

Geoffrey Keen Geoffrey Keen (21 August 1916 – 3 November 2005) was an English actor who appeared in supporting roles in many films. He is well known for playing British Defence Minister Sir Frederick Gray in the ''James Bond'' films. Biography Early lif ...

as Dr. Howard *

Massimo Foschi Massimo Quinto Foschi (born 2 January 1938) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Forlì, Foschi began his career as an actor at some point during the 1960s. He appeared in over 22 films since 1966 and also worked extensively as ...

as Arab Assassin * John Carlin as Robertson * Peter Cellier as Sheckley * Gerard Hely as Clarke *

Penelope Horner Penelope (Penny) Horner (born 20 June 1939 in London) is a British former film and television actress. Life and career Penelope Horner began her acting career in 1956 in the British film comedy '' A Touch of the Sun''. Other small roles followed ...

as Caine's Secretary *

Caroline Langrishe Caroline Langrishe (born 10 January 1958) is an English actress. Early life Born in London, Langrishe is the elder daughter of Patrick Nicholas Langrishe (1932–2022), of The Manor House, Sellindge, Kent, a Lieutenant in the 11th Hussars, late ...

as Carla *

Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of '' Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film '' Local Hero'', as Retired DI Steve McAndr ...

as Stevens *

Tony Clarkin Tony Clarkin (born Anthony Michael Clarkin, 24 November 1946) is an English musician and record producer, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Magnum. He has been the sole songwriter throughout Magnum's history, writing all of the mat ...

as Megaphone Man

Reception

In contemporary reviews, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with ...

'' referred to the film as "the wildest farrago yet to have come out of the demonology genre". The review found that "the religious allegory adds little weight to the confusion of the plot" In a retrospective review,

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...

described the film as a rip-off of ''

'' but still "offers some creepy fun for fans of Euro-horror." The review noted unique additions to the plot such as political and corporate intrigue and the fear of nuclear energy and civil unrest in the Middle East." The review also noted De Martino, who "gives the film a glossy touch during the non-horror moments but brings plenty of verve to the shocks: his best moment is a nightmare sequence in which Douglas hallucinates the nuclear plant he is working on rising from the sea and transforming into a multi-headed hydra."

References

External links

* {{Alberto De Martino 1977 films 1970s science fiction horror films British horror films Italian science fiction horror films English-language Italian films Films directed by Alberto De Martino Films scored by Ennio Morricone Films with screenplays by Sergio Donati Fictional depictions of the Antichrist 1970s English-language films 1970s British films 1970s Italian films