Amityville 3-D

A new dimension in ultimate evil has been added to the story to what has probably become the world's most notorious haunted house in America.

A magazine writer's investigation into a séance turns to horror when an abandoned well beneath the basement floor turns out to be the gateway to hell.

This film starred: Tony Roberts, Tess Harper & Meg Ryan

In my opinion this wasn't one of best entries in the Amityville film series, not the worst but no where near the best. It had a bad plot about the gateway to hell being a well in the basement. 93 minutes wasted in my opinion, it had a couple of entertaining scenes but nothing special.

**/***** Poor.

Why would anyone want to live in the Amityville house? It's got a bilious basement with a bottomless pit, a lethal living room, and feral flies that swarm in the attic. The sinks don't work either. In fact, this house is going straight to Hell - literally!

Into this questionable piece of real estate moves Tony Roberts, a skeptical journalist who doesn't believe the horror stories concerning the house (or hasn't learned anything from the first two movies) and is determined not to let `superstition' get the better of him. But get the better of him it does…

This is in no way a great movie – but it keeps me entertained every time I watch it, the hallmark of good low-budget horror fun. And dig that neat poster – great horror movie graphics! There's also some amusement to be had due to the presence of a few future stars in the cast – such as Lori Loughlin as the daughter of the journalist, who would trade in her haunted house for a Full House. And then there's Meg Ryan, touring the Amityville residence and pondering the joys of sexual relations with ghosts. Whatever floats your boat, Meg!

Surprisingly, this second sequel to the supposedly fact based thriller "The Amityville Horror" is a worthy installment in the otherwise wretched series of shockers. Richard Fleischer, a Hollywood veteran whose directorial credits include such diverse fare as "The Vikings" and "The Boston Strangler," brings a skill to the proceedings that were conspicuously absent from the original film, which was more notable for the laughably bad performances of James Brolin and Rod Steiger than it was for inducing chills. The performances in "Amityville 3-D," or "Amityville: the Demon" as it is known on television, didn't deserve Oscar consideration, but they are professional and, in the case of Candy Clark's suspicious photographer, almost inspired.

The movie opens in typical haunted house fashion: a seance is being held in the notorious Long Island house where, in earlier films, toilets backed up (shudder!), marching bands played in the dead of night (shudder again!), and a giant red-eyed pig named Jody roamed the premises and engaged in small talk with children (Babe in an early role?). The seance produces mysterious apparitions and odd noises, all of which are exposed by two of the participants--a reporter and his photographer-- as a hoax. The realtor denies any involvement in the souped-up spookiness and explains to the reporter (Tony Roberts on holiday from Woody Allen's repertory company) that the house's infamous reputation is such that he's willing to sell it at a bargain rate. Roberts, newly divorced and eager for a peaceful environment in which to write his great American novel, buys it, all the while ignoring the warnings of his less courageous colleague, the delightful Miss Clark.

Roberts, a stubborn type who sneers at the supernatural, moves in and continues his sneering even as anyone who sets foot in the house experiences terror and, ultimately, death. But, dumbo that he is, he continues to pooh-pooh any notions that the house is cursed.

Some talented performers are on view in this film, and if not for their admirable abilities to keep a straight face, the movie would be a lot funnier than it's supposed to be and sometimes is. Roberts is his usual non-plussed self, refusing to accept any supernatural explanations for the bizarre circumstances taking place around him.

The special-effects are adequate, but they do the trick, and probably worked better in 3D, which is the way the film was presented theatrically. The process is evident in the use of so many scenes in which hands are extended toward the camera and, in one scene, a frisbee is tossed directly at the audience.

"Amityville 3D" will never take its place beside the greats of the horror genre, but neither will its two predecessors. However, unlike those failed shockers, number 3 succeeds on its own modest terms, providing, amid the occasional unintended chuckle, a few moments of genuine suspense and a thrill or two. It's a satisfying spook show on the same level as the William Castle flicks of the late 50s and early 60s ("The Tingler," "House on Haunted Hill," et al).

This is not like the horror movies that were coming out around the time this was released. Everyone says how bad it is, but if this were made in the sixties, it would be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It has awful special effects, but it contains ideas, like most good movies should. I suggest you rent, or even buy it if you stumble across a copy.

Journalist moves himself and his family into the infamous Amityville house after a fake senace thinking all the rumors about the house are fake. Well....when his family starts to die and weird things begin to happen, he discovers that the house may be haunted after all. Horror film may have had some merit on the big screen in 3-D, but on video it comes off as slow paced, dull, and boring. Only point of interest is some early appearances by Lori Loughlin & Meg Ryan.