Amityville II: The Possession

I must admit I was expecting the first one to be a good horror flick but in the end I was really disappointed by it. However, this film (although not a sequel but a prequel) was really. In fact, the best of all the Amityville movies ever made.

It didn't have any prologue or anything. The story immediately have the Montelli's family moved in to the house. Almost immediately the haunting began where as the mother (Rutanya Alda) turned on the tap and black liquid oozed out. Soon after, during the family dinner, as Dolores were saying grace the mirror cracked and fell. This was the scene that ignited the father's chain of abuse on his kids.

All in all, this was the best Amityville film so far. However, it's a pity they didn't make use of the actually DeFeo's name.

I liked "The Possession" more than the original. Part one was so phony that it was even comical in parts (not to mention the over-acting). Part two contains more real life horrors such as incest, child abuse, domestic violence and mental illness. Yes, it is loosely based on the DeFeo case. However, I believe the director avoided direct links to the incident because of possible lawsuits. One disagreement I have with William C. Uchtman is when he stated in his review that Ronald DeFeo Sr. was a swell guy. Well according to "City Confidential" on A&E, the father was very abusive and was reported to have beaten "Butch" to a bloody pulp one time for simply talking back at the dinner table. Wife beatings were also reported. So, the abuse scenes are quite valid. The part when "Sunny" points a shotgun at his father after he punched his wife is valid too except that, in the real case, Butch pulled the trigger with no shells inside. That was the only difference. The counterculture involved is also interesting. The Montelli's are no typical American family, you see this from the start when Sunny returns from buying a pack of cigarettes and has an arguement with his father who threatens to "kick his ass".

Yes, "Possession" did copy parts of The Exorcist, but it's still a good film with more gory scenes than the original.

If you like over-acted supernatural thrillers, you may enjoy the first. But if you want to see a movie based on a real murder case (though admittedly from a supernatural point of view), "Possession" is for you.

Man did this movie ever scare the crap out of me as a kid! staying up late watching this on cable along with the original. Returning to it these many years later I still find it fun and probably the best Amityville film. While the second half obviously can't hang with the first, as the movie pretty much turns into a full blown Exorcist ripoff. The spirits this time around are more vicious and there's a lot of uncomfortable moments and some great filmmaking with a lot of cool camera angles and the presence of baby Diane Franklin, and Burt Young (who is hardcore channeling his Rocky character here) make it a great view.

Amityville II The Possession was basically the same as the first, except with a bunch of twisted ideas thrown in. But I think the ideas "thrown in" add a sense of kraziness into the whole story. The movie was definitely better than the first story and also gives the viewer an idea of why the house is haunted. Another part that separates this from the previous film is the music. The music provides a sense of anxiety and is perfectly matched to the film from beginning to end. The ideas of possession and incest are really great touches also. Anyways, the movie was decent and worth seeing at least once.

Effective chiller about a strange house located in Long Island that causes creepy goings-on in a family . This is the second version about the infamous Amityville house with lots of screams and weird deeds in which a troubled family falls into supernatural terror . The night of February 5 , 1976 , George and Kathleen Lutz and their three children fled their home in Amityville , New York . Their living nightmare shocked the audiences around the world , but before them , another family lived in this house and were caught by the original evil . They weren't so lucky , this is their story . The flick starts when a family formed by parents (Burt Young , Rutanya Alda) and children (Diane Franklyn , , Jack Magner) moves to Long Island where is purchased a notorious Victorian home , their house of dreams but they find only devilish horror and full of nightmares . A loathsome lout with his family (the Montelli family in this film were fictional characters and loosely based on the real life DeFeo family) and hell breaks loose . The new home, which proves to be evil, resulting in the demonic possession of the teenage son (Jack Magner, mercilessly hamming it up as upsetting possessed young , this is his debut theatrical feature film of actor Jack Magner whose only other screen acting credit after this movie was in Stephen King's Firestarter). The teenager begins experiencing frightening and vivid dreams of horror . And soon the poltergeists make their nasty appearance originating a lot of unusual rattles and creaks before deciding to utilize its powers to possess the son and attack the family . Only the local priest (James Olson) can save him . And now a possessed son is plunged by demonic forces into supernatural attitude driving him to mistreat and beat parents and brothers . Meantime ,the priest is attempting to find out the bottom of events by ways of the cellar . The priest tries praying to vanquish the malignant spirit , staggering from room to room with the doors mysteriously slam . There happens a grisly mass killing based on an allegedly real life occurrence in Amityville that turns out to be a haven for demonic forces .

The film contains restless terror and great loads of blood and usual poltergeists phenomenon caused by the curse and the ordinary ghastly shenanigans result to be the cracking pipelines , basement ooze ,icky stuff , and doors suddenly slam , among others . This is a throughly familiar retread of spirit-in-the-house formula with a father who buys the dreaded as well as haunted Amityville house and his possessed son ; being alternatively loathing and dull . It is produced with medium budget by Dino De Laurentiis and well recreated with high grade special effects that are frightening and horrifying to spectator . Based on Jay Anson's (suppposedly) non-fiction best-seller , though George Lutz wanted this sequel to be based on John G. Jones' book "The Amityville Horror Part II" ; however, producer Dino De Laurentiis, in conjunction with American International Pictures, made this sequel based on Hans Holzer's book 'Murder in Amityville". It's actually halfway decent terror movie that achieved enough success at the box office and it will appeal to ghostly and eerie events fonds . Competence at every level keeps this from being rubbish . Acceptable FX , the explosion scene at the end of the film is real , a highly explosive chemical which produces flames that burn out instantly was used ; during filming the effect reportedly backfired and burned the side of the house . A highly explosive chemical which produces flames that burn out instantly was used. During filming the effect reportedly backfired and burned the side of the house. The movie's setting takes place in the same house as in the original Terror en Amityville movie .

The picture packs a colorful cinematography by Franco Di Giacomo and eerie musical score by Lalo Schifrin who also composed the original that will be used in the innumerable sequels . The motion picture was professionally shot , being American directorial debut of Italian director Damiano Damiani. The original ¨Exorcist¨ film (by Friedkin) spawned a wave of demonic possession movies that continues unabated today as ¨Changeling¨ (by Peter Medak), ¨Amytiville ¨(by Stuart Rosemberg with James Brolin , Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger) are two further examples of this sub-genre . Following a great number of clumsy , stupid sequels directed by Richard Fleischer titled ¨Amityville 3D¨ with Tony Roberts , Tess Harper , Lory Loughlin and Meg Ryan ; another directed by Sandor Stern (screenwriter of Amityville) titled ¨Amityville: The Evil Escapes¨ with Patty Duke and Jane Wyatt , ¨The Amityville Curse¨ or ¨Amityville 5¨ by Tom Berry with Kim Coates ¨Amityville: A New Generation¨ with David Naughton , Julia Nickson , ¨Amityville: Dollhouse¨ with Robin Thomas and other bad followings just go on and on attempting to cash in on the success of the first movie . However , recently is made a good new adaptation by Andrew Douglas with Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Philip Baker Hall . Rating : Acceptable and passable .