Noticias

On November 13, 1974, at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, New York, a young man named Ronald DeFeo woke up in the middle of the night, took up a shotgun, and went from room to room in his home, systematically murdering six members of his family. DeFeo was apprehended by the police. At first, DeFeo claimed the murders were mob-related, but he later confessed to committing the crimes himself. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for his crimes. DeFeo died in prison in 2021. 

DeFeo's murders became notorious with the publication of Jay Anson's nonfiction book "The Amityville Horror" in 1977. After the killings, the Lutz family moved into 112 Ocean Ave., and they claimed to experience a panoply of paranormal phenomena. Flies mobbed the building, and the entire Lutz family reported hearing eerie voices. George Lutz, the family patriarch, claimed to be possessed by a demonic presence that was driving him to kill his family.

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

For the 25th entry of this editorial series (!), we’re looking at the lone Amityville directed solo by a woman: Rebecca Matthews’ Witches of Amityville Academy (2020). Also known as Amityville Witches or Witches of Amityville, this British production is another “Amityville in name only.” That means the characters say the word, but it has no bearing to haunted objects and/or its DeFeo predecessors. In fact, the film is closer in tone and visual aesthetic to a soap opera than the preceding 26 titles.

Screenwriter Tom Joliffe opens the film with not one, but two cold opens. The first features witches being hanged in 1602, while the second jumps ahead to the present day as white magic sisters Sam (Kira Reed Lorsch), Lucy (Donna Spangler...

Stars: Nicola Wright, Chelsea Greenwood, Sofia Lacey, Chrissie Wunna, Richard Lovell, Rachel Roberts, Andrew Rolfe | Written by Scott Jeffrey, Rhys Wakefield | Directed by Scott Jeffrey

Dragon Fury, the third Scott Jeffrey production I’ve personally reviewed this week, is something of a departure for the prolific producer this time turning his hand to a monster movie rather than an all-out horror film – tapping into that great British tradition of dragons roaming the British Isles. Here Jeffrey directs from a script co-written with Rhys Wakefield… or is it Rhys Frake? IMDb says one thing, the films credits another – another case of “Is anyone real?” with a Scott Jeffrey production. I joke but I do feel like there’s some subterfuge at play here – as if to separate peoples mainstream work from genre filmmaking.

Dragon Fury sees a remote part of Wales abandoned for years due to radiation – no one knew why,...

Stars: Georgina Jane, Zuza Tehanu, Barbara Dabson, Faith Kiggundu, Nicole Nabi, Richard Harfst, Megan Purvis, Kate Sandison | Written by Scott Jeffrey | Directed by Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews

I’m going to sound like a broken record this week with not one but Four Scott Jeffrey film currently on the slate for review. This, Cannibal Troll, is the second of the week and harkens back to the more basic era of Scott Jeffrey’s filmmaking – insomuch that this film is essentially a basic slasher movie retread with a troll as its antagonist rather than a deranged maniac! There’s also, given the use of the word ‘cannibal’ in the title, a nod to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, with the troll seemingly building a “family” of victims, not killing them – or eating them as the title would suggest – but rather having them around his home, keeping them alive for some (not clearly explained) reason.

Stars: Sarah T. Cohen, Megan Purvis, Barbara Dabson, Bao Tieu, Nicola Wright, Stephanie Lodge, Sam Woodhams, Antonia Johnstone, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Jamie Robertson, Ryan Davies, May Brown, Ben Reid, Max Been, Kate Sandison | Written and Directed by Scott Jeffrey

UK horror uber-producer Scott Jeffrey is back behind the camera as writer and director of Conjuring the Genie, aka Evil Genie, aka Devil Djinn, the latest film from his Jagged Edge Productions. This time round we’re following a formula the Jeffrey started in last years Cupid and continued in the last Jagged Edge film I reviewed, Rise of the Mummy… A bunch of students get tangled up in the supernatural and pay the price. Cupid saw teenagers summon Cupid and get killed one by one; Rise of the Mummy had a student steal a mummy’s amulet awakening it and unleashing it on the rest of the students at a college,...

Stars: Sarah T. Cohen, Ryan Davies, Adrian Bouchet, Abi Casson Thompson, Frances Katz, Ricardo Freitas, Vaani K Sharma, Michael Hoad, Serhat Metin, Harvey McDonald | Written by Michele Pacitti | Directed by Scott Jeffery, Rebecca Matthews

We’ve covered quite a few films from UK production outfit Proportion Productions, who have become almost factory-like in their film output in recent years; and, once again, I’m going to sound like a broken record as I extol the virtues of the company… No, I don’t get paid to review their films and no, they don’t have any influence over what we say about their films her on Nerdly. But there’s something that has struck a a chord with me in each and every one of their films I’ve seen – from the Unhinged remake (a sequel to which is promised on the companies website), House on Elm Lake, Curse of the Scarecrow,...

Stars: Kira Reed Lorsch, Donna Spangler, Jake Francis, Nicola Wright, Georgina Jane, Jon Callaway, Sarah T. Cohen, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Toby Wynn-Davies, Barbara Dabson, Brittan Taylor, Jim Arnold, Lee Cutler, Sophie Jay, Venetia Cook | Written by Tom Jolliffe | Directed by Rebecca Matthews

With a title shortened from Witches of Amityville Academy (probably so as not to give anyone the wrong impression that this is a teen movie a la Sabrina), Witches of Amityville tells the story of Jessica who, when receives an invitation to attend an exclusive academy, jumps at the chance to go to a prestigious school. However, on her first night, when she sees another newcomer murdered in front of her, she realises something is very wrong. She discovers the academy is actually a cover for a coven of witches and she has hidden powers that might just help save her life and escape their evil clutches…

Ok, by...