Amityville II: The Possession

 

 

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Amityville II: The Possession was far superior to the original Amityville Horror -- But the last chunk was a lot like The Exorcist. All in all this was one of the better installments in the Amityville series.

A framework for fright with no room for the timid. after a bit of a bore from the original, this one really steps up and can be a little bit scary at times. this review is based on the vhs edition, i have not purchased the dvd and will probably not. if you don't already have this in your collection, buy it right away.

If it wasn't for the recent marathon of the "Amityville" movies, well the first three anyways, on AMC the other night, I would never of bothered to check out any of these films besides the first one. After seeing this sequel, which is really a "prequel" to the original film, it's safe to say that you can stop after the first film because this one and the remaining films offer very little to watch or get excited about. This isn't saying much about the original either, because it too wasn't much of anything to begin with. This sequel, released in 1982, is more in touch, more or less, with the actual murders that took place in the infamous Long Island house on 112 Ocean Avenue on the early morning of November 13, 1974. It still exploits those tragic events into a supernatural haunted house story with it's facts turned around for entertainment value and a different family. Burt Young plays the overbearing and abusive matriarch of the family that consists of his wife and 4 kids. The oldest being Sonny(Jack Magner). It isn't long after the family moves into the house that strange things happen. In fact, they happen almost immediatley. Which was a problem with the first film. The James Brolin character got taken over so quickly, it was hard to connect with him because we didn't get enough time to know him. The same goes for Sonny, who is almost instantly changed once he moves in. The spirits and the voices drive Sonny over the edge, telling him to murder his family. His family are not very sympathetic and they don't earn your interest enough to care if they get wiped out or not. The family priest played by James Olson, gets in on the horror in the house and tries to help the family. The big action comes sooner than you would think, and the rest of the film turns into another Hollywood piece of mumbo jumbo that forgoes any kind of suspense or truthfulness that came in the film up to this point. It completely unravels and becomes a mess that seems as if it were just slapped together. It does have one harrowing scene when the son gets the dirty deed done on his family. That part was the only interesting and halfway creepy thing about this otherwise forgettable film. The acting isn't much better than the original, with the exception of Young as the brute father and Olson as the priest. The brother/sister action in the film is unsettling, but also a bit laughable. She has no problem with getting nude and posing and all this, instructed by her brother, but once she learns that he has some undergarments of hers, then hey!, she senses that something is odd. Really?!?!. The film is also kind of shocking in some ways because of some of the deaths that take place since it is unusual to see them in a horror movie. I won't say what it is though. The "Amityville" movies have been a questionable, and less than stellar affair right from the start. The original was not very good, and it didn't get any better with the unending amount of unneeded and uunwarranted sequels. Oh, and by the way, in case you were wondering, my title refers to an old Johnny Mathis tune. So, while this film has some things going for it that are a tad better than the original, like a faster pace, and a better priest, and that one harrowing set piece showcasing the murders, it still fails to come to the level of a film that was sub par to begin with. That kind of tells you everything right there.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Prequel to "The Amityville Horror"...
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. Read more

Published on Feb 2 2004 by Blade

3.0 out of 5 stars A sequel that is a prequel and which fails either way
"Amityville II: The Possession" is essentially a prequel to "The Amityville Horror" in that it tells why the home in the Long Island community was available... Read more

Published on Feb 2 2004 by Lawrance M. Bernabo

4.0 out of 5 stars TERRIFYING
Whether you believe in the Amityville story or not, there is no denying that this is a terrifying movie that will keep you awake for many nights. Read more

Published on Jan 25 2004 by MICHAEL RUMNEY

3.0 out of 5 stars Creey as hell
I have to admit I have not yet seen the whole of this movie, since I've only seen it on television. However, I have to admit that this movie creeped me out a *whole* lot more... Read more

Published on Jan 9 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Amityville II.. -Slow.. -Thick Plot. -Worth watching..
First of all. -This is a hole lot better then. -"The
Amityville Horror." -That Movie which starred. -Margrot
Kidder. -James Brolin. -First of all. Read more

Published on Jan 6 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars the best out of the amityville series!
i dont know why this got such bad reviews. this is alot better then the first snorefest with margot kidder. this movie really creeps you out. Read more

Published on Nov 28 2003 by Jeremy Boettcher

1.0 out of 5 stars Just say "NO"
This movie completely falls flat.......it's a prequel, based on "actual events" with names changed to protect the innocent..... Read more

Published on Oct 14 2003 by Leonard L. Riggs Jr.

1.0 out of 5 stars If I could go lower than 1, I would.
"Amityville 2: The Possession" is the worst horror film ever made, and the worst horror sequel. Only "Cujo" and "Leprechaun" come close. Read more

Published on Mar 27 2003 by Stewart

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY SCARY AND CREEPY!!!!
Of course, it was going to be hard to live up to the chills of the original Amityville movie. But any die-hard Amityville fan such as me, should without a doubt, between 2 a. Read more

Published on Mar 3 2003 by Adam Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars The only good one out of the rest of this sorry excuse !
Amityville 2 " the possession" is basicaly the only good and worth watching horror flick out of all the other sequels because quite frank they all are nothing but... Read more

Published on Jan 29 2003 by Epilepsy190

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