Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
- Cody Iden
- Oct 18, 2021
- 4 min read
Release Date - September 24, 1982
Synopsis:
A dysfunctional family moves into the infamous Amityville home where the evil spirits within come to possess the family's teenage son.
Directed by - Damiano Damiani
Screenplay by - Tommy Lee Wallace and Dardano Sacchetti
Based on - Murder in Amityville by Hans Holzer
Produced by - Ira N. Smith, Stephen R. Greenwald and José López Rodero
Cinematography - Franco Di Giacomo
Music by - Lalo Schifrin
Distribution Company - Orion Pictures
Cast:
James Olson - Father Frank Adamsky
Burt Young - Anthony Montelli
Rutanya Alda - Dolores Montelli
Jack Magner - Sonny Montelli
Andrew Prine - Father Tom
Diane Franklin - Patricia Montelli
and Moses Gunn - Detective Turner
Run Time - 1 hr. 42 min. Rated - R
Budget - $5 million Gross - $12.5 million
Review:
Serving as a prequel to the successful The Amityville Horror (1979), this film is loosely based on the real-life murders of the DeFeo family in the Amityville house, however the names of all the family members, first and last have been changed. Much like the original film, this film exudes an ominous sense of dread, perhaps even more so as the the subject matter this time around is much darker, touching on subjects of familial abuse, rape and incest. The first half of the film really works as a dark and creepy film about an already troubled family that further descends into darkness because of the evil of this home, culminating in the already mentioned murders. Had the film ended here it would have been a really scary and effective movie, but the film instead plods along for another 40 minutes or so where it becomes a poor exorcism story with a priest attempting to save the possessed teenage son. This second story line is terribly boring and you as the audience were ready for the film to be over long before the credits finally roll.
The cast does a decent job, I think that Burt Young as the abusive patriarch is particularly memorable as is the unknown Jack Magner, whose only other credit was a bit role in Firestarter (1984), as the possessed teenage son who ultimately murders his family. The rest of the cast is competent including Rutanya Alda as the mother, Diane Franklin as the eldest sister and James Olson as the family's priest. However, Andrew Prine playing another priest, and Moses Gunn as a police detective are poorly utilized in the film as they are given very little to do. Lalo Schifrin is back as the film's composer but the haunting score of the first film is underplayed here leaving this score to be less than memorable. The cinematography and special effects are both pulled off very well and overall the direction is handled pretty well. In the end Amityville II: The Possession (1982) is a mixed bag. The first half of the film is a really well-made horror film, while the second half is unfortunately a bit of a slog to get through.
My Score: 73
Plot - 7 Cinematography - 7
Attraction - 7 Editing & Special Effects - 8
Theme - 8 Sound & Music - 7
Acting - 8 Directing - 7
Dialogue - 7 Enjoyability – 7
Trivia:
As with the original film, The Amityville Horror (1979), this movie was not filmed at the actual Amityville house at 112 Ocean Avenue. Both the original and this film's exteriors were shot at a similar, but modified home in Toms River, New Jersey. Interiors were shot on sets and the interior of this home is drastically different than the one depicted in the original film.
George Lutz, who was the homeowner of the Amityville home whose experiences led to Jay Anson's book The Amityville Horror which itself was the basis if the 1979 film, wanted this second movie to be based on the novel The Amityville Horror Part II by author John G. Jones. Dino De Laurentiis who was involved in the production of the second movie instead decide to base the film on the book Murders in Amityville by Hans Holzer, this book detailed the story of the family that had been murdered in the home in 1974. As a result George Lutz sued Dino De Laurentiis and ultimately lost, though he did succeed in forcing them to post disclaimers on some posters stating that this second film had no affiliation with George and Kathy Lutz.
The Montelli family depicted in this film is fictitious but were heavily based on the real-life DeFeo family who was murdered on November 13, 1974 in the 112 Ocean Avenue residence in Amityville.
This was the first film appearance of actor Jack Magner who plays Sonny Montelli in the film, he made only one additional film, Firestarter (1984) in which he played a small role as Young Serviceman.
One of the co-writers on the film, Tommy Lee Wallace, wrote and directed Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) the same year as Amityville II: The Possession (1982) was released.
The original cut of this film was longer including scenes of rape and further incest between Sonny and Patricia Montelli, but following several test screenings at which audiences were abhorred, these scenes were heavily trimmed or only referenced and hinted at.
Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, famed paranormal investigators, served as demonology advisors on this film. Their investigations inspired The Conjuring film series (2013-2021) and their most well-publicized case in real-life was their investigation of the Amityville house which was adapted as the opening of The Conjuring 2 (2016).
Despite being a supposed prequel to the original film there have been debates over the years as to whether or not this is true. In this film the Montelli family is seen moving into the abandoned Amityville house whereas in real-life the DeFeo family had lived at the home for years before their murder. The haunted paintbrushes that paint an image on the bedroom walls of the young children paint the picture of a pig referencing the demonic pig Jodie that was seen in the original film. The Sonny Montelli character also bears no resemblance to George Lutz as played by James Brolin in the original film, despite the fact that the original film mentioned several times that the son of the previous owners looked just like Lutz.
Availability:
Blu-ray Box Set - contains the first 3 Amityville films
Watched on October 15, 2021
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