Amityville - Face of Terror

This one is probably one of the better sequels, and though it doesn't really live up to the classic standards, it sure packs a punch.

Unlike the fourth and seventh and eighth sequels, this one delivers far more suspense, though a lot of it is typical and expected, such as the declining sanity of the buyer of anything related to Amityville. But it's well-done/well-put-together, and the idea of an Amityville-possessed clock is far more ominous than a stupid lamp, mirror, or a doll-house, you've got to admit.

It even has some real gore thrown in there... what a surprise... Also, this is the first Amityville that really relies on lies, cons and deceits of people and how things like that can tear families and attachments into shreds.

It's a decent sequel, I suppose.

Amityville 1992: It's About Time (1992)

** (out of 4)

Jacob Sterling (Stephen Macht) returns from a business trip in NY and has an antique clock with him. It turns out that this clock has a bad history including being present in the infamous Amityville house. Soon all sorts of bad things are going on so Jacob's son (Damon Martin) and girlfriend (Shawn Weatherly) must try and destroy the clock. This here was the sixth film in THE AMITYVILLE HORROR series and it was one (of many) that went direct-to-VHS back in the day. I think what really hurts this film's reputation is the "Amityville" title because I'm sure there are fans of the original three movies (why I don't know) who come to this cheap horror film and are disappointed that it's really not connected. Like HALLOWEEN III, if this film was released on its own and not part of a series then perhaps it would be enjoyed more. With that said, no one should mistake this for a good movie because it's not. However, it's still better than your typical low-budget film. The story itself isn't the greatest in the world but I think there are enough interesting ideas to where you can stay entertained. The film also benefits from some pretty good special effects and you're going to be shocked at how good they are compared to most movies like this. We get a rather vicious dog attack that looks quite real and the leftover impact of the attack is on full display throughout the rest of the movie as the wounds continue to ooze blood and other stuff. There are also a few other creative death scenes but one is without question really bad and I'm not going to spoil it but it's something that happens after an almost death by car. You won't miss the scene. The performances are also better than normal with Weatherly really coming across good as the girlfriend. AMITYVILLE 1992: IT'S ABOUT TIME shouldn't be looked at as a masterpiece or any sort of good cinema but it's certainly much better than most films in the series.

Being number six in a long line of AMITYVILLE sequels, AMITYVILLE 1992 (well it seems like it could actually be!) was never really going to be any good. Supernatural horror sequels never really seem to work, no matter how much of a classic the originals were. Look how the OMEN series depleted rapidly in quality, gasp as Freddie Kreuger becomes less of the ultimate evil and more like that old geography teacher that everyone used to play up to - vomit as the EXORCIST franchise went from classic to jurassic... Number six just doesn't sound good!

And IT'S ABOUT TIME really doesn't do anything to argue this matter. Some nice ideas are here, don't get me wrong, but the film just lollops along with a pace that starts to feel like time is stopping altogether! The only gratification I got (and the only reason why I held out) was the wonderful scene where the lovely Megan Ward experiences her 'para-sexual' awakening. Great cinema - I can't really complain!

So make of this review what you will - AMITYVILLE is not nearly as bad as some from this genre, and it is not entirely unenjoyable. Just plan something else to do at the same time - this film requires only a fraction of your attention (about 10 minutes halfway through actually!), so your brain might start to drum its bio-rythmical thumbs...

A decent straight to video sequel to a "popular" franchise. "It's About Time" centers on a possessed clock that happens to be from the original Amytiville house. A family with intentions to renew their life, move to a beautiful mansion. Unfortunately for them, they buy the possessed clock and that's when things start to get horrible.

This is probably the second best sequel in the franchise, following "The Possession", a sinister sequel. "It's About Time" obviously centers on the possession topic and has the occasional poltergeist scenes provoked by the clock's evil glow.

This movie scared me when I first rented it (I was 8 or 9) because it has a dark, creepy atmosphere. The mansion is scary enough for a movie like this. The f/x are below average but it's normal for a direct to video sequel.

If you are a fan of haunted house or possession flicks, this is a very good option that exploits the greatness of direct to video.

'It's About Time' rehashes a concept last seen in 'Amityville IV: The Evil Escapes', in that an artifact from the infamous Long Island house is relocated into the home of another family, where it soon begins to take over their lives with its demonic intentions. Hardly surprising, given that John G. Jones was the scribe for both installments.

This, I have to say, is the better attempt, and it goes a long way towards rebuilding the damage done by the painful and indeed execrable 5th film, 'The Amityville Curse'. This time around, the artifact is a clock, and its hellish influence not only possesses both the house and its occupants (naturally), but plays around with time itself, breathing at long last some new ideas into the franchise. The tension is reasonably well-paced, allowing for a gradual build until all hell breaks loose.

At the same time however, 'Amityville 1992' still suffers from a fairly silly and uneven storyline, aggravated by sloppy editing choices that prevent the overall effort from meshing together seamlessly. Add to this some rather hammy acting from veteran performers Steven Macht and Nita Talbot, along with some just plain bloody awful acting from Jonathan Penner, and it becomes difficult to take the film seriously. Thankfully the principal lead is Shawn Weatherly, who avoids the obvious temptation the script offers to go over-the-top and gives a creditable performance under the circumstances, as does Damon Martin, in what looks to be his final film.

Nonetheless, 'It's About Time' makes a far better effort to remember its roots than its two predecessors. With minimal rewrites, IV and V could very easily just be standalone horror flicks, but the plot of VI rests upon the apparently again-destroyed Amityville house's past history. On the one hand, it has no conscious ties to the DeFeo murders, but in the universe of the film franchise, these were supposed to be influenced by the house's long-present demonic incumbents, and it is here where 'It's About Time' builds its story. In the process, it grafts yet another unnecessary centuries-old European explanation for its dark history which I didn't really buy into, but I can let it slide since new ground is being explored. After all, I also have to put aside the obvious fact that if this clock has been in the house all along, why does it only manifest its powers now? Yet this is the most interesting aspect of the film, and if anything, Jones should have really let fly with the time distortion element and tried harder to pull it together into what could have been an even better and possibly mind-bending tale.

At any rate, 'It's About Time' pulls the franchise out of the mire that the previous installment dumped it into. It's still fairly silly, but a great improvement nonetheless.