Apparently, the makeup artists for this picture were told to just go crazy. For the most part, the special effects are very good, although the extent of physical transformations we witness in Sonny are probably somewhat excessive. This only becomes problematic toward the exorcism scenes at the end. The music is also an important and effective part of this movie experience, although at times it reminded me of Star Trek music.

Much has been made of the incest storyline, but I feel it is important to note that there is no graphic exploitation of this controversial theme. In fact, that aspect of the movie makes the tragedy all the more dramatic and compelling. The key to this movie's winning me over was the concentration on family issues; to call this family dysfunctional is perhaps an understatement. The gore is there at times, but it is not the focus of the storyline-if anything, it takes away from rather than adds to the impact of the film on the viewer. It is also unfortunate but perfectly understandable that this film is compared so closely to The Exorcist. Certainly, the latter parts of the movie are weaker than the first half, and it is pretty obvious that the whole exorcism storyline reflected an attempt by the filmmakers to somewhat selfishly usurp the notoriety of The Exorcist. There are, however, many differences between this film and The Exorcist, and taken on its own merits I found the relevant scenes powerful and effective. I agree that the movie goes downhill somewhat after the pivotal murders actually take place, but I can honestly say that the first hour of this movie represents some of the most creepiest, spine-tingling moments in the annals of cinematic horror.


Prequel to "The Amityville Horror"...   February 3, 2004
Blade (WA, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

When I first saw this movie back in the 8th Grade, I was quite impressed with the scary atmosphere and the special effects that it delivers for a low-budget film. The story concerns an Italian family from New York who buys the old estate and once they move in, the horror begins... A father mysteriously turns abusive and starts beating the kids, a brother who ends up sharing a sexual relationship with his sister, and the terrifying supernatural which soon eventually drives him to the edge and causes him to kill off his entire family! Very bloody and gruesome storytelling no doubt! Sure the acting drags at some points (just SOME points) but it's a very good and original homemade horror "B" movie that's guaranteed to give you nightmares! You'll be wanting to watch with the lights on late at night! This is also a very rare and hard to find lost gem, so pick one up today and give it a try! I only wish they'd put this on DVD together with the ORIGINAL "Amityville Horror" (already out on DVD now) but maybe in some kind of Special Edition DOUBLE FEATURE pack! That would be most splendid for all horror fans out there!


A trash horror classic   June 13, 2003
Paul Dracon (United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Is this a great film? Hell no (pun intended). But I enjoyed it a whole lot more than its predecessor. Amityville II embodies the kind of over-the-top horror that thousands of lousy drive-in flicks have tried unsuccessfully to achieve.

This time around, there's no beating around the bush (burning or otherwise). The house is haunted-- VERY haunted. A tiny door in the kitchen leads down to the cellar, where evil spirits squirm in the cold, dripping muck. The DeFeo family-- consisting of an abusive father, frigid mother, two perfect young kids and two horny teenagers-- moves into the house, expecting to find a new stress-and-devil free lifestyle out in this homey small town community. Instead, they encounter an invisible evil that doesn't stop until the entire family has been defiled and murdered.

This film has tons of fun stuff, including the "I'll be the famous photographer" incest seduction scene, the devil-gets-the-kids-in-trouble scene, the devil-jumps-on-Ronnie's-stomach scene, and my personal favorite, the 'you know you want it, priest!' scene in which the demons pose as the sultry teenaged daughter and try to seduce the priest with flickering tongue and [a lot] makeup. Even if you don't respect this film, you have to love it, if you love horror.

It's my understanding that the soundtrack was originally written for 'The Exorcist,' but was rejected because it was too over the top. I guarantee that if you watch this film, you'll find yourself humming the theme music at all kinds of inappropriate times.

By the way, if you believe this was a true story, Email me; I have an Iraqi oil well I want to sell you.


A horror- masterpiece!   March 6, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This film has a very special and original horror-plot even if its a cind of classical story. A big old house with deep and horrible secrets shows its anger by filling a families minds with pure madness and evil. The attic,where some children were killed and the basement widh a secret room where satanistic rituales were hold many years ago really gived the movie some intensive,deep, hair-rising and psychological scenes that you only can compare with your most scary nightmares. This film,unlike from some other horrormovies,is really creapy! Its suspense at its best! Better then The amityville horror 1. A masterpiece. See it!