Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.
Asked to name an Amityville remake, the natural response is the “all abs, all the time” Ryan Reynolds 2005 remake. What folks may not know is that there is *technically* another option: director Éric Tessier’s Tubi original, The Amityville Curse (2023) which is a Canadian remake of another Canadian Amityville film of the same name from 1990.
You can revisit my editorial on the OG film from <gulp> two years ago, but the premise of both films is nearly identical. Each follows a group of College students who purchase a house for dirt cheap under the pretense of fixing it up. At the time, I wasn’t super enthusiastic about Tom Berry’s 1990 cash grab sequel, if only because it was one of the first films to jettison the basic premise of the other films and only casually mention “Amityville” (ah, if I only knew what I know now!)
Tessier’s film uses the same jumping off point: following the suicide of the current homeowner, Mrs. Moriarty (Felicia Shulman), six College friends swoop in to purchase the house and flip it into three separate condos. The renovations are being coordinated by contractor Abigail (Tommie-Amber Price), our default protagonist, who has a conspiratorial friendship with lawyer Frank (Dillon Casey) and a romantic past with teacher Marv (Michael Xavier). The latter pair continue to flirt throughout the film, despite the fact that Marv is now dating Debbie (Vanessa Smythe), the most high strung and jealous member of the friend group.
Rounding out the group are lesbian couple Billie (Mercedes Morris) and Lucy (Jenny Raven), who own a local restaurant but are feeling the pressure of spreading themselves too thin financially in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Naturally, since it’s an Amityville film, the group barely moves in before the group begins hearing voices and the lights flicker with poltergeist activity. Considering the house’s DeFeo-inspired family shooting history, as well as the deaths of several former owners, this makes sense. The group dynamics, however, pit the housemates against each other: Marv is adamant that nothing is happening, Debbie wants to sell immediately, while Abigail and Billie butt heads over a charm that could protect them.
Then the murder/suicides begin…
The single greatest issue with Dennis Heaton’s screenplay is its uneven pacing. The six friends have barely been introduced when one of them is killed off, which requires Heaton’s screenplay to bend over backwards to justify reasons why the others don’t move out. This is a common issue for many films with this premise (including the original 1979 film), so the idea that the remaining five are too cash-strapped to risk selling at a loss initially makes sense.
The longer the film goes on, however, the more hoops the narrative is required to jump through to justify anyone staying in the house. The result, unfortunately, doesn’t entirely satisfy. Even when new characters are introduced, including Reverend Marion (Ennis Esmer) and Marv’s workplace nemesis, parapsychologist Dr. Cole (Brendan Fehr), Heaton can’t convincingly convey why anyone would set foot in the haunted house.
The new characters add a spark of life, but their introductions tend to result in pacing hiccups as the story gently resets to accommodate exposition and backstories. The Amityville Curse has energy challenges, in part because it sometimes plays like a collection of likeminded narratives stitched together. As a result, at times it feels much longer than its runtime.
Despite this, it’s a nice change of pace to see an Amityville movie with a decent budget. The Amityville Curse is on par aesthetically with other Tubi originals, and Tessier shoots the action competently. The sound design, which often involves malicious whispers that play on characters’ worst fears and insecurities, is particularly effective. Overall the film benefits from looking more well-made and well-put together than many of the films in the back half of the “franchise.” At this point in the editorial run, that’s a big plus!
The Amityville IP Awards go to…
- Nightmares: One unique visual component that sets the film apart from others in the “series” is the way nightmares are represented. Here the dead characters return to physically attack their living roommates in staticky distorted, see-through video-like footage. I’m not sure it always works, but it *is* distinct.
- Late Additions: While the late arrival of both Father Marion and Dr. Cole (Marion at 40 minutes; Cole at 53 minutes) do upend the story, the film would have benefitted from both Esmer and Fehr having more screen time. Esmer, in particular, barely appears before suffering an injury and fleeing, while Fehr’s Doctor character feels like he should be integral to the climax, but isn’t.
- Meh Ending: Speaking of the ending, Heaton’s screenplay gets particularly messy and unsatisfying in the climax. The last fifteen minutes take a sharp turn into possession and action (par for the course for Amityville films), but none of it carries a great deal of weight. This is, in large part, because the film has never made it clear how the rules of possession work. Without any sense of rules or internal logic, the finale has a strong air of narrative convenience that doesn’t fully land.
- Good Acting: One enjoyable aspect of a larger budget and a reputable outlet is that the acting is solid across the board! Amber Price, in particular, has solid chemistry with all of her co-stars (though arguably better romantic chemistry with Casey over Xavier). Special shout-out to Kenny Wong who makes an impression in only a few minutes as horror podcaster Ben Holloway. Again, he’s another character that could have stuck around longer.
Next time: we’re back in low budget, silly territory with the first of two back-to-back 2023 titles from Will Colazzo Jr, starting with Amityville Shark House (2023).
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