DVD
Review | Amityville II: The Possession (Collector's Edition) Import
Written by: Kage
Alan
Okay, it’s one thing to be in the spirit of this
time of year (aka Halloween) and it’s quite another to watch a film
like this ALONE and just before bed. I’d watched the first movie and
not been particularly impressed. It was more like “The Amityville
Bore.” Beyond that, I’d seen “III” (itself hardly scary at all) and
then the direct-to-video cheesy sequels. In light of all those, it
was a safe assumption that “II” was going to be par for the course.
The assumption was wrong and I had a sleepless night thank you ever so
much.
Based VERY loosely on the actual murders that
occurred in the Amityville household (events prior to the first film),
the Montelli family moves into the neighborhood with the promise of a
fresh, new start. Unfortunately, gun-toting (probably an NRA member)
dad (Burt Young) is a total sphincter muscle and is prone to raising a
hand to his children and wife. The kids aren’t particularly happy about
it, but what can they do? Call Ghostbusters? Oh, hell no. The house
will take care of things. Mix in some evil spirits and one in
particular who slowly possesses young teenager Sonny (Jack Magner) and,
well, you’ve got a recipe for horror on your hands.
Rather than be satisfied with just another haunted
house story and relying on nasty voices telling the people to leave (do
they ever follow the advice???), walls that bleed and glowing eyes
outside the window, “The Possession” is a combination of “The Exorcist”
and many other films all rolled into one. A grisly looking Sonny takes
care of business 2/3 of the way through the film and the final 1/3 is
spent with a priest trying to get to the bottom of things. The finale
is…strange.
Realizing that there were a number of mistakes made
in the first feature, the producers upped the ante in “II” and went for
a definite horror movie. There are enough bladder effects and gore to
keep audiences watching and writer Tommy Lee Wallace does his best to
introduce as many odd plot points as he can, though the relationship
between the brother and sister carries things a bit far. While we’re
not exactly in original territory here, Director Damiano Damiani uses
his experience to create some elaborate camera set-ups and shots,
ultimately helping raise the bar. You may come away from “Amityville
II” feeling like you’ve seen it before, but you’ll still be haunted by
some of the images. With all the horror fodder currently on the shelves
these days, it’s definitely a compliment.
Sanctuary Video Entertainment has released
“Amityville II: The Possession” in its very own Collector’s Edition,
something we don’t have from a Region 1 studio. We get a wonderful
Widescreen transfer that boasts as solid a picture as I’ve seen from
films this age and a brand new 5.1 Surround Sound Mix. As for extras,
we’re first and foremost treated to an extremely entertaining commentary
with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman. They’re British, they point out some
amusing things about Americans and they know their film history. These
two are definitely on my “A” list of commentary tracks. We’re also
given an extended “Lost Souls” montage, some Cast and Crew profiles,
Photo Gallery and a 20-page booklet with information about the film and
the original crime that took place in the Amityville house. Not bad for
a film that barely gets any attention these days.
Horror collectors will find much to like with this
Collector’s Edition, but where can one find it? Well, instead of
ordering it overseas (like I have in the past), Region 1 viewers can put
their order in at
www.xploitedcinema.com. Aside from the service, which has been
exemplary so far, their prices are more than fair. I’ve dealt with a
number of companies that raise their prices whenever they can call a DVD
an “import,” but this company isn’t one of them. While “Amityville II:
The Possession” is a fun little flick to watch during this devilish
season, I sincerely suggest you not watch it alone lest you lose some
sleep.
Film Rating:
B
DVD Special Features: A-
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