Amityville II: The Possession
Encyclopedia
Amityville II: The Possession is a 1982 horror film
directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay by Tommy Lee Wallace
is based on the novel Murder in Amityville
by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer
. It is a prequel
to The Amityville Horror
, set at 112 Ocean Avenue and featuring the fictional Montelli family loosely based on the DeFeo family
. The cast includes Academy Award nominee Burt Young
who was finding fame in Rocky
at the time; there are a few references to the Rocky films within Amityville II. This film includes one of Young's rare darker roles as he plays an abusive and violent father in contrast to his more easy-going roles. It is the second movie in the Amityville Horror saga
.
Amityville II set the pattern for low-budget sequels with little reference to real life events in Amityville, and is the only other film in the series to feature music composed by Lalo Schifrin
.
by John G. Jones, but the producer Dino De Laurentiis
secured a deal with American International Pictures
for a sequel based on Murder in Amityville
by Hans Holzer
. Lutz sued De Laurentiis and ultimately lost, but succeeded in having posters placed in theaters stating "This film has no affiliation with George and Kathy Lutz."
Unlike the first "Amityville" film, Amityville II was filmed in a studio in Mexico. Filmmakers filmed at the same house in Toms River New Jersey that the previous film used. The explosion scene at the end of the film was real during filming. A highly explosive chemical which produces flames that burn out instantly was used. During filming of the explosion scene at the end of the movie the effect reportedly backfired and burned the side of the house.
Some of the family drama in the film did happen to the Defeos, but are exaggerated. The story introduces speculative and controversial themes, including an incest
uous relationship between Sonny Montelli and his teenaged sister, who are based loosely on Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
and his sister, Dawn.
Though supposedly set one year before the first Amityville Horror film, Amityville II is full of elements that are clearly from the 1980s, such as a miniature "Walkman
" radio/headphone set and the presence of 1982 cars, televisions, etc.
of the Chicago Sun-Times
, who gave the first film a negative review, claimed the film "is actually slightly better than The Amityville Horror" and mentioned some good technical credits and performances. Although actress Rutanya Alda was nominated as Worst Supporting Actress at the 1982 Golden Raspberry Awards, again
.
Despite most negative reviews, this film was a commercial success, ranking #1 at the box office.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay by Tommy Lee Wallace
Tommy Lee Wallace
Tommy Lee Wallace is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.He is best known for directing Halloween III: Season of the Witch and It.-Early life:...
is based on the novel Murder in Amityville
Murder in Amityville
Murder In Amityville is a book written by Hans Holzer and serves as a prequel to The Amityville Horror.The book has been turned into a film titled Amityville II: The Possession. It has since been re-released under the title Amityville: Fact or Fiction?...
by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer
Hans Holzer
Hans Holzer was an Austrian-born, American pioneering paranormal researcher and author. He wrote well over 100 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries, and hosted a television show, "Ghost Hunter".- Career...
. It is a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror (1979 film)
The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American horror film based on the bestselling 1977 novel of the same name by Jay Anson. It is the first movie in the Amityville Horror franchise....
, set at 112 Ocean Avenue and featuring the fictional Montelli family loosely based on the DeFeo family
Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
Ronald Joseph "Butch" DeFeo, Jr. is an American murderer. He was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers and two sisters...
. The cast includes Academy Award nominee Burt Young
Burt Young
Burt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
who was finding fame in Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
at the time; there are a few references to the Rocky films within Amityville II. This film includes one of Young's rare darker roles as he plays an abusive and violent father in contrast to his more easy-going roles. It is the second movie in the Amityville Horror saga
Amityville Horror saga
The Amityville Horror is a series of horror films that center around events in a haunted house in Amityville, New York.-Films:#The Amityville Horror #Amityville II: The Possession...
.
Amityville II set the pattern for low-budget sequels with little reference to real life events in Amityville, and is the only other film in the series to feature music composed by Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
.
Plot summary
The Montelli family moved into what they think would be the house of their dreams but there is an evil presence lurking within. Demons terrorize the family causing them to fall apart. The mother tries to get the local priest, Father Frank Adamsky (Olson), to bless the house but he is driven away by her abusive and sacrilegious husband before he can properly help. The Montelli's elder son, Sonny (Magner), falls victim to demonic possession. During his possession he gets his sister Patricia (Franklin) to play a game where he is a famous photographer and she is his model. She agrees and eventually ends up having sex with him. The evil spirits cause Sonny to tear the family apart and he is forced to murder his family. Father Adamsky realizes Sonny is possessed and asks the church for permission to perform an exorcism but this is refused when they do not believe him. He therefore takes it upon himself to free Sonny's soul, but after freeing him, he ends up possessed by the demon instead.Production
George Lutz wanted the sequel to the 1979 film to be based on the book The Amityville Horror Part IIThe Amityville Horror Part II
The Amityville Horror Part II is a book written by John G. Jones as the sequel to The Amityville Horror. The book was published in 1982, and recounts the aftermath of the original book and what happened to the Lutzes after they fled 112 Ocean Avenue. This was the final book in the series to be...
by John G. Jones, but the producer Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
secured a deal with American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
for a sequel based on Murder in Amityville
Murder in Amityville
Murder In Amityville is a book written by Hans Holzer and serves as a prequel to The Amityville Horror.The book has been turned into a film titled Amityville II: The Possession. It has since been re-released under the title Amityville: Fact or Fiction?...
by Hans Holzer
Hans Holzer
Hans Holzer was an Austrian-born, American pioneering paranormal researcher and author. He wrote well over 100 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries, and hosted a television show, "Ghost Hunter".- Career...
. Lutz sued De Laurentiis and ultimately lost, but succeeded in having posters placed in theaters stating "This film has no affiliation with George and Kathy Lutz."
Unlike the first "Amityville" film, Amityville II was filmed in a studio in Mexico. Filmmakers filmed at the same house in Toms River New Jersey that the previous film used. The explosion scene at the end of the film was real during filming. A highly explosive chemical which produces flames that burn out instantly was used. During filming of the explosion scene at the end of the movie the effect reportedly backfired and burned the side of the house.
Inconsistencies
While a prequel, Amityville II contradicts the opening of the 1979 film which shows the family massacre, and like the actual event they are all sleeping. The bodies are also removed from the house in the morning, but in the first film, it's in the middle of the night.Some of the family drama in the film did happen to the Defeos, but are exaggerated. The story introduces speculative and controversial themes, including an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous relationship between Sonny Montelli and his teenaged sister, who are based loosely on Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
Ronald Joseph "Butch" DeFeo, Jr. is an American murderer. He was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers and two sisters...
and his sister, Dawn.
Though supposedly set one year before the first Amityville Horror film, Amityville II is full of elements that are clearly from the 1980s, such as a miniature "Walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
" radio/headphone set and the presence of 1982 cars, televisions, etc.
Reception
Amityville II: The Possession received mixed reviews. Critics claimed this film went overboard with the effects and the storyline was not as interesting as expected to be. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, who gave the first film a negative review, claimed the film "is actually slightly better than The Amityville Horror" and mentioned some good technical credits and performances. Although actress Rutanya Alda was nominated as Worst Supporting Actress at the 1982 Golden Raspberry Awards, again
Mommie Dearest (film)
Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical drama film about Joan Crawford, starring Faye Dunaway. The film was directed by Frank Perry. The story was adapted for the screen by Robert Getchell, Tracy Hotchner, Frank Perry, and Frank Yablans, based on the 1978 autobiography of the same name by...
.
Despite most negative reviews, this film was a commercial success, ranking #1 at the box office.