Australia seems to be one of the
first places in the world to see THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS, the new film by Daniel
Farrands that has been released locally (on DVD only) by Defiant Entertainment.
Subtitled “A Haunting on Long Island” to give it a bit of marketing tie-in to
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT (2009) from the same studios, THE AMITYVILLE
MURDERS is of course yet another film to be based on the infamous events which
took place in the early-seventies in the now-iconic Dutch Colonial house on
Long Island with the sinister window eyes. Though the slaughter by Ronald DeFeo
Jr. of six members of his family made headlines in New York and other parts of
the US when it occurred on November 13, 1974, it was the subsequent claims of
hauntings by the next tenants of the property, George and Kathy Lutz and their
three kids, that the story became a worldwide phenomenon. The publication of
Jay Anson’s sensational best-seller THE AMITYVILLE HORROR in 1977, followed by the
film adaptation in 1979, helped embed the case in the psyche of the public at
the time. The 70s were a time when the mainstream were embracing and
experimenting with ESP, UFO hysteria, Bigfoot sightings and paranormal events,
making the events of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR all the more palpable and believable
to the target audience of its day. Of course, one of the angles which makes THE
AMITYVILLE HORROR so fascinating is that a very vital part of it is absolutely
true. Ron DeFeo DID kill his family in a mass-murder rampage through that house
in 1974. So regardless of the validity of everything that came afterwards, the
Amityville legend was born from bloody, violent fact.
So far there have been around
twenty (!) films based on the Amityville events and its legacy. Not to mention
countless documentaries. But really, all most people need to see are the
original 1979 film with Margot Kidder and James Brolin, Damiano Damiani’s remarkably
sleazy sequel AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (1982) and perhaps the 2005 remake
with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. AMITYVILLE 3-D (1983) also provided some
moments of fun in that format. THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS attempts to dramatize the
events leading up to the DeFeo murders, with the apparitions and voices which
the killer later claimed had driven him to commit the massacre (his insanity
plea failed and was sentenced to life in prison, where he remains).
The problem at this point is that
events have really become so familiar that it’s hard for a film like THE
AMITYVILLE MURDERS to add anything new. AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION depicted
the same events (though with a fictionalized family) with much more tension and
frisson, and with some genuinely impressive physical make-up effects by John
Caglioni, Jr. The low-budget of THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS unfortunately shows in
its very cheap and unconvincing computer effects, and there’s always something
off about a movie with an early-seventies setting that’s filmed on HD digital,
something that stops you from being able to get fully immersed and involved.
It’s like watching a re-enactment of a famous crime on an episode of FORENSIC
FILES.
The biggest positive which THE
AMITYVILLE MURDERS has going for it is the performance from Diane Franklin in
the female lead. As a twenty-year-old, Franklin played Patricia Montelli,
teenaged daughter to Burt Young and Rutanya Alder in AMITYVILLE II: THE
POSSESSION. After indulging in an incestuous relationship with her possessed
older brother Sonny (Jack Magner) who later kills her during his rampage,
Franklin comes full-circle in THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS, playing Louise DeFeo, the
matriarch of the DeFeo clan, who with her family live in fear under the angry,
ruling hand (and leather belt) of husband Ronnie (Paul Ben-Victor). With her
big hair and period clothing, Franklin is the most assured of the cast, and
brings a genuine sense of a devoted wife and mother trying her best to convince
herself that all is right in her world when in reality her entire family is
clearly crumbling around her. It’s nice
to see her graduate to the next generation with her role in AMITYVILLE II: THE
POSSESSION, and her father in that film, Burt Young, also shows up in THE
AMITYVILLE MURDERS playing the generous grandfather to the DeFeo clan. The
appearances of Franklin and Young certainly make THE AMITYVILL MURDERS required
viewing for those die-hard fans of AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION.
Writer/director Daniel Farrands
has given horror fans some wonderful documentary films over the past several
years, including NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY (2010) and CRYSTAL
LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13th (2013), as
well as writing the screenplay for HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS (1995).
He is clearly a genuine fan of the genre and certainly shows some talent and
potential as a feature director, but THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS sadly does not demonstrate
enough skill or, more importantly, contain enough tension or scares to make it
a worthwhile viewing experience or even a passable fright flick. Here’s hoping
his upcoming THE HAUNTING OF SHARON TATE, a fictionalized account of the terrifying
visions which the young actress had in the lead-up to her death at the hands of
the Charles Manson Family, at least tries to add something different and unique
to another infamous crime case which has also been covered from just about
every conceivable angle in the fifty years since it occurred.
