Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Amityville II: The Possession is very loosely based on the DeFeo murders which famously happened in the Amityville Horror house. More specifically, it's based on a book by Hans Holzer about the murders called "Murder in Amityville." Some strange disturbances were apparently experienced even at that time (prior to the more famous events), and it's definite that their family wasn't the happiest in the world since the son massacred the rest of them. This movie pretty much goes from there, theorizing that Ronald DeFeo ("Ronnie" in real life, "Sonny" in this movie) was possessed by whatever evil spirits lurked on the land. The movie itself seems like one hour of the Amityville Horror plus about forty minutes of the Exorcist at the end. Although generally reviled, this movie does have some pretty creepy scenes, even though occasionally it gets a little wacky. The icky incest subplot provides a genuine sense of strange corruption, as does the rather violent father. The movie tries somewhat successfully to mix two movies in one, as the film shifts dramatically after the actual murders, but I think for most people it is a pretty jarring shift from one formula to another. Personally, I found the movie to be enjoyable and creepy, even though most of the last forty minutes was pretty stale and the characters did not always do what I thought they should have (namely, get the heck away from that house). The director, Damiano Damiani (A Bullet for the General), came from Italian filmmaking, and Dardano Sachetti (Demons, Demons 2) did some uncredited work on the script. Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III, Fright Night Part II, It) was the credited screenwriter.
Tagline: The night of February 5, 1976, George and Kathleen Lutz fled their home in Amityville, New York. They got out alive! Their living nightmare shocked audiences around the world in "The Amityville Horror." But before them, another family lived in this house and were caught by the original evil. They weren't so lucky... this is their story!
Highlights: Some pretty creepy imagery during the initial haunted house activity (especially Sonny's initial possession) and a little during the final exorcism. The demonic makeup effects, a good bit of the time. The shotgun killings of the family, including the little girl's leg twitching one last time from behind her bed. I was born two weeks before the Lutzes fled 112 Ocean Avenue, and I was brought home to my adoptive family on Friday the 13th (Feb. 1976). Creepy, huh?! :P
Tagline: The night of February 5, 1976, George and Kathleen Lutz fled their home in Amityville, New York. They got out alive! Their living nightmare shocked audiences around the world in "The Amityville Horror." But before them, another family lived in this house and were caught by the original evil. They weren't so lucky... this is their story!
Highlights: Some pretty creepy imagery during the initial haunted house activity (especially Sonny's initial possession) and a little during the final exorcism. The demonic makeup effects, a good bit of the time. The shotgun killings of the family, including the little girl's leg twitching one last time from behind her bed. I was born two weeks before the Lutzes fled 112 Ocean Avenue, and I was brought home to my adoptive family on Friday the 13th (Feb. 1976). Creepy, huh?! :P
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