By Melissa Antoinette Garza
“Why didn’t you pull that trigger? Why didn’t you kill that pig?” – Demon voice
A prequel to AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (1982) tells the story of the Montelli family. The dysfunctional bunch moves into the notorious house. Immediately, odd things begin to occur. First, the matriarch Dolores (Rutanya Alda) runs the faucet and blood pours out. Soon, a new room is found with flies, mud and a horrible odor. Dolores decides the best mode of action is to ignore it and enjoy the new house. Later that night, a knocking is heard on the door. It doesn’t seize and the abusive and angry patriarch Anthony (Burt Young) goes out with a 12 gauge shot gun to take control.
When he finds no one and strange noises begin to emerge from their young children’s room they run upstairs. Paint brushes floated and drew an awful picture on the wall of a demon like creature with the words “Dishonor thy father. PIGS.” Anthony takes off his belt and despite the desperate protests from Dolores he smacks the small children. She jumps in, and he starts beating her. He hits her so hard that the eldest son Sonny (Jack Magner) grabs the gun and holds it on Anthony until he lets her go.
Later as Sonny is listening to music on the headphones a demonic voice comes through and taunts him. It asks him why he didn’t kill his father. Dolores feeling that something isn’t right enlists the help of Father Adamsky (James Olson) who comes to the house to bless it. When he shakes the hand of Sonny, the fridge springs open and all the food gets scattered. The young children once more are the only two there to witness it, and once again Anthony slaps this – this time in front of the priest. The priest protests the violence, and Anthony tells him to mind his business. The priest leaves without blessing the house. Slowly, things become worse for Sonny as he becomes possessed by whatever entity is controlling the house.
By far the shining star of the production is Burt Young. Young portrays the angry and abusive father marvelously. Possessed or not, it is easy to understand Sonny fighting the urge to kill him. Young is an actor that regardless of the role he portrays, he steals every scene he is in. It would be such a treat to see him once again in the lead of a horror production. He can just captivate an audience by his level of intensity. As much as the audience will hate Anthony, they’ll be glued to watch every moment he is on. Though his portrayal of Paulie in the Rocky series will always be my sentimental favorite of Young’s characters, his portrayal of Anthony is still something one has to see.
Rutanya Alda does excellent in her role, as well. From the beginning it is easy to see that Dolores is suffering from beaten wife syndrome and does everything she can to keep her family together regardless. Though the viewers may be clamoring for her to leave Anthony, deep down they know it will never happen. She’s too controlled and convinced of her love for him to actually part ways.
Jack Magner who portrays the possessed is also a great choice. On the surface, he looks like the all American kid. As the film progresses, (and it does so quickly) one can watch the transition into a more sinister and deadly individual. When watching, despite the less than stellar special effects, Magner makes the role a believable one and is fantastic in the lead.
This film is loosely based on the DeFeo case where the eldest son, Ronald Jr, murdered his family. Whether or not he was possessed and whether or not the real Amityville house was haunted is still a topic that is debated today.
Overall, AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION is an excellent addition to the series. It’s strange enough to be disturbing and the acting is fantastic. The characters have depth and the story is compelling.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10