Amityville - Face of Terror

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.

'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.

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.

It's certainly about time that this series had a hit, and with Amityville 1992: Its About Time, we have one!

This sixth entry ignores whatever The Amityville Curse was doing and continues the theme of the fourth film which involves cursed items from the infamous house being sold off to new owners. Here we have a possessed clock which has been purchased by the head of the family named Jacob . Once Jacob brings the clock into his house, we start to see the Amityville evil take over him and other members of his family.

Jacob gets bitten by a rabid neighbourhood dog which is when he starts to become possessed and physically dangerous to everyone around him.. After the clock kills a few people and possesses family members, it's up to Jacob's girlfriend Andrea to try and figure out what is happening and how the clock plays into how everything around her and the family is falling apart.

The acting is very well done by all. Stephen Macht and Shawn Weatherly are absolutely terrific as the dysfunctional couple. Macht has the job of playing the possessed abusive male lead and he certainly is terrifying! Shawn Weatherly as Andrea is a wonderful heroine which I rooted for to survive the entire time. Jonathan Penner provides comic relief in the later half as Andrea's side piece, trying to adapt to the craziness happening around him.

This film also gives us some really effective special effects, including a very realistic dog bite and a melting face to name a few stand out moments. It provides scares in a very fun way, some predictable stuff but entertaining nonetheless. The director likes to trick the audience numerous times in thinking that one horrific thing is happening when in fact it is not.

Amityville 1992: It's About Time is for sure my favourite sequel of the series. It provides scares, pretty decent special effects, and a story that connects this film to the original two while also making viewers entertained throughout.The evil clock has the ability to move time forward and backwards at a rapid pace which I found really well done, and it starts to control time in the home. I definitely recommend this one to any horror fan. It's a fun sequel that doesn't disappoint on the fun and cheesiness meter.

7/10

I'm binge watching the Amityville titles I haven't seen before and am being reminded that all in all this is a poor franchise.

It's About Time otherwise known as Amityville 1992 begs the question what would happen if an item from the infamous house was relocated to another? The answer is a pretty bad movie will happen.

A man buys an antique clock that came from the Amityville house, before you know it strange things are happening and himself and other family members seem to have been possessed by something evil.

This did at least feel like an Amityville movie and reminded me a lot of Amityville: Dollhouse (1996) A passable watch for fans but as a standalone movie it's really not great.

The Good:

Amityville vibe

The Bad:

Another cheating antagonist

Pets getting killed in every damn horror film is overkill

Flawed confusing story

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Amityville is a major contender for the most butchered franchise in movie history