Amityville II: The Possession

Did You Know?

• A follow-up film titled Amityville 3-D (1983) was released the following year, loosely based on the accounts of paranormal investigator Stephen Kaplan.
• The film's theatrical trailer shows a shot of Jan and Mark looking at the window and holding hands.

Plot

The Montelli family, an Italian American household headed by Anthony and his wife Dolores, moves into 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, with their four children: Sonny, Patricia, Mark, and Jan. An evil presence lurks within the house, causing paranormal events such as banging on doors at night and a demonic message painted on Jan's wall. Anthony blames and beats the children, then strikes Dolores when she intervenes, leading to a family fight. Dolores asks local priest Father Frank Adamsky to bless the house, but after another demonic incident damages the kitchen, Anthony hits Jan and orders Adamsky to leave. The priest finds his car door open and his Liturgy of the Hours torn to pieces. Anthony continues his abusive behavior, forcing his wife into sex against her will. The family attends church after Dolores threatens divorce, but Sonny stays home, claiming illness. He hears a noise, retrieves his father's gun, and follows demonic laughter to a basement tunnel. The presence pursues him to his room, and Sonny becomes possessed. He then approaches Patricia to play a game where he pretends to be a photographer and she a nude model; they end up having incestuous sex. Patricia later confesses partially to Adamsky, saying the act is done to "hurt God," but does not reveal her brother's involvement.

Production

This horror sequel was a co-production between the United States and Mexico. George Lutz wanted the follow-up to the 1979 film to adapt John G. Jones’s book, but producer Dino De Laurentiis instead struck a deal with American International Pictures for a movie based on Hans Holzer’s Murder in Amityville. Lutz sued De Laurentiis and lost, though he did manage to get theater posters that stated the film was not connected to him or his wife Kathy. The movie was later bought by Filmways, which was itself purchased by Orion Pictures just before release. Production was initially scheduled for September 1981 with a script by David Ambrose and John Hough directing, but both were replaced. Filming began on March 8, 1982 at the same house in Toms River, New Jersey used for the first movie. After two weeks there, studio work moved to Mexico City’s Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A. for eight or nine weeks. Director Damiano Damiani’s original cut was trimmed after test audiences reacted badly to two scenes: one where Anthony Montelli anally rapes Dolores, and another showing Sonny and Patricia engaged in incest. Damiani added the incest scene specifically to disturb viewers; it was originally far more explicit, but the final version cuts away almost as soon as Sonny kisses Patricia. Other deleted material, seen only in lobby cards and stills, included Anthony cleaning a gun outside, Jan pushing Mark’s head underwater in a bathtub, and a “Lost Souls” sequence near the end where spirits appear before Father Frank Adamsky. No footage of that scene has been released, though a UK special collector’s edition DVD includes stills from it.

Release

Amityville II: The Possession hit American theaters on September 24, 1982, courtesy of Orion Pictures. It pulled in $4,104,277 during its first weekend and ended its initial run with a total of $12,534,817. Critical reaction at the time was lukewarm at best. As of October 2024, Rotten Tomatoes reports a 27% approval rating from 22 reviews, averaging 4.3 out of 10. Dann Gire of the Chicago Daily Herald felt the movie leaned too heavily on special effects and that the plot could have been more compelling. Roger Ebert, who had panned the original Amityville Horror, gave this sequel 2 out of 4 stars, calling it "actually slightly better" and praising some technical work and performances. Still, both Ebert and Gene Siskel named it one of the year's worst on a 1982 episode of Sneak Previews. Variety described it as a mess containing two films: a second-rate family-in-peril horror flick and a weak Exorcist knockoff. Boxoffice labeled the cash-grab an "embarrassment." Richard F. Shepard of The New York Times noted decent acting but said the real stars were the camera and effects, with director Damiano Damiani creating a malevolent atmosphere through creeping camera shots and chaotic scenes. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times offered a mildly positive take, arguing the film stands on its own and blends elements from The Exorcist and Poltergeist in an original, spiritual way. Rutanya Alda earned a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actress, her second straight nod after Mommie Dearest.