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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If you're gonna move the graves, move the Bodies!, October 26, 2004
"Amityville II: Possession" is actually one impressively repulsive little flick, trafficking as it does in a massively dysfunctional family, incest, bloody murder, demonic possession, priests neglecting needy parishioners to go romping off on a hunting expedition, heads exploding like rotten melons, and lots of nasty creepy slimy things factory designed to go bump in the night.
And yet for all this slick, heavy, oily coating of sleaze, Italian director Damiano Damiani (who had directed absolutely nothing outside of Italy until he took the helm of this "Amityville Horror" sequel---and would never director another English feature again) has served up a bracingly disturbing little ode to the noxious, infectious power of evil and the strength of the Dark. Bravo, Maestro Damiani, Bravo!
Let's sprinkle our Holy Water over the plot quickly: Amityville 2 is a prequel to the horrific events of "The Amityville Horror", in which the hapless Montellis play surrogates for the real-life DeFeos, snuffed out via high-powered rifle by their loving son "Butch" in 1974 in their idyllic 18th century manor on the Amityville river---complete with boathouse!
I wasn't expecting anything at all from Amityville 2, so imagine my surprise when I found a full-bore, absolutely relentless, tastily atmospheric little horror flick that practically exuded evil through its pores: "Amityville 2: Possession" is certainly not for the fainthearted. And let's have full disclosure up-front: whereas 1979's "Amityville Horror" was a fairly original take on the classic haunted house, #2 is a fairly obvious rip-off of "The Exorcist", whereas #3 (The Demon---in 3-D!) is a rip-off of Poultergeist.
With that in mind, "Amityville 2" comes across as "The Exorcist" if that film had been written by a serial killer. The House, funky evil-window eyes and all, gets right down to business, aided and abetted by Franco Da Giacomo's dark and stylish camera-work. Walls bleed, floor ooze black goop, closets stink, windows slam shut---the usual. A workman summoned to the cellar says "there's dirt and gunk and slime and all kinds of stuff under there---I advise you guys to just leave it alone". Funny how in horror movies the second most common mistake---second only to shouting "hello? Hello, anyone there?"---is ignoring sound advice.
Second, unlike the relatively happy Lutzes, the Montelli clan is deranged and dysfunctional from the beginning: from shouting, oafish, leering patriarch Tony Montelli (the oafish, leering veteran character actor Burt Young, actually in his early forties at the time but looking all of a road-worn 59), the alternately shrieking and bawling wife Dolores (Rutanya Alda)who convincingly freaked me out; and the glowering Sonny Montelli (played with amazing presence and poise by the young Jack Magner, and who looked for all the world like Luke Skywalker), who wants to spend far too much quality time with lovely, innocent sister Patrica (Diane Franklin, precocious, quirky, and horribly naive). Daddy Montelli starts out by glowering and threatening his son, even in a good mood, so it's obvious the Monelli family is putty in the Evil House's hands. Does it help matters to add that said House is built over an Indian burial ground?
I've said "Amityville 2" is a blatant rip-off of "The Exorcist", and it is: but it sets the stage elegantly. It is brutal, actually very scary, boasts some stylish camera angles and a masterful handling of light and darkness woefully absent from the first outing, and its eager leap into incest just heightens he film's sleaziness and evil. Sadly, the last third of the film spends its time with guilt-ridden Father Adamsky (James Olson, who has solid acting chops) battling fitfully to save poor Sonny, at which point we get the obligatory green pea-soup vomit and nasty repartee. Really, if you've got dishes to do, you can leave at this point---the serious fun is over.
When all is said and done, "Amityville 2" is a sick, wicked, twisted wreck of a film, tied up in ribbons and stylish bows and sincerely, honestly terrifying at points. Yes it drags, in the end; and yes, it ransacks Blatty's far more successful "Exorcist"---but I guarantee you it will give you nightmares. Isn't that what hauntings, and the movies that adore them, are all about?
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly creepy and spooky, October 2, 2002
I know that many horror fans hold this movie in low regard, but I found it gritty, disturbing, and genuinely scary. It's not perfect, but I think it deserves five stars. For me, the whole fact or fiction debate is unimportant; I am judging this movie solely on its own merits. The makers of the film may have had a limited budget, but they doggedly pulled out all of the stops; maybe they went overboard once or twice, but that is quite OK with me, given what they did achieve. Naturally, the house itself with its baleful eye-like windows, does much to set the table for a feast of fright, but the makers were not content to depend on the house alone. The point-of-view shots from the viewpoint of the evil essence work wonderfully; the use of unusual, oddly-angled perspectives was highly effective; and the supernatural manifestations were never allowed to overshadow the real story of the family's tragedy. The acting was not particularly accomplished in general, with the mother in particular guilty of overacting, but Jack Magner as Sonny and Diane Franklin as Patricia give outstanding performances in very different roles. Sonny's evolution from wholesome yet troubled young man to demonic mass murderer is a little rushed and was necessarily trying both physically and mentally on the young actor, but Magner keeps this movie from becoming wholly unbelievable and laughable. Franklin also deserves much credit for her portrayal of the wholesome yet haunted younger sister of Sonny; she alone invites sympathy from the viewer and makes the events of the fateful night of horror truly disturbing.Apparently, the makeup artists for this picture were told to just go crazy. For the most part, the special effects are very good, although the extent of physical transformations we witness in Sonny are probably somewhat excessive. This only becomes problematic toward the exorcism scenes at the end. The music is also an important and effective part of this movie experience, although at times it reminded me of Star Trek music. Much has been made of the incest storyline, but I feel it is important to note that there is no graphic exploitation of this controversial theme. In fact, that aspect of the movie makes the tragedy all the more dramatic and compelling. The key to this movie's winning me over was the concentration on family issues; to call this family dysfunctional is perhaps an understatement. The gore is there at times, but it is not the focus of the storyline-if anything, it takes away from rather than adds to the impact of the film on the viewer. It is also unfortunate but perfectly understandable that this film is compared so closely to The Exorcist. Certainly, the latter parts of the movie are weaker than the first half, and it is pretty obvious that the whole exorcism storyline reflected an attempt by the filmmakers to somewhat selfishly usurp the notoriety of The Exorcist. There are, however, many differences between this film and The Exorcist, and taken on its own merits I found the relevant scenes powerful and effective. I agree that the movie goes downhill somewhat after the pivotal murders actually take place, but I can honestly say that the first hour of this movie represents some of the most creepiest, spine-tingling moments in the annals of cinematic horror.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prequel to "The Amityville Horror"..., February 2, 2004
When I first saw this movie back in the 8th Grade, I was quite impressed with the scary atmosphere and the special effects that it delivers for a low-budget film. The story concerns an Italian family from New York who buys the old estate and once they move in, the horror begins... A father mysteriously turns abusive and starts beating the kids, a brother who ends up sharing a sexual relationship with his sister, and the terrifying supernatural which soon eventually drives him to the edge and causes him to kill off his entire family! Very bloody and gruesome storytelling no doubt! Sure the acting drags at some points (just SOME points) but it's a very good and original homemade horror "B" movie that's guaranteed to give you nightmares! You'll be wanting to watch with the lights on late at night! This is also a very rare and hard to find lost gem, so pick one up today and give it a try! I only wish they'd put this on DVD together with the ORIGINAL "Amityville Horror" (already out on DVD now) but maybe in some kind of Special Edition DOUBLE FEATURE pack! That would be most splendid for all horror fans out there!
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