Ameen Zyan

38 Years after 1979's - The Amityville Horror, and 12 years after the 2005 remake; 2017's - Amityville 'The Awakening' brings us back to the ill fated house for another dose of supernatural horror. As this movie's only link with the original was the House and it's evil reputation, it was otherwise free to walk it's own path and tread wherever the Screenwriter and Director Franck Khalfoun, and the Cinematographer Steven Poster, wanted it to. For anyone puzzled by the legion of Amytiville 'Haunting' movies since the 1979 premier "The Amytiville Horror", there are good reasons why the November 2017's "Amytiville - The Awakening", brings the movie count to-date, up to 23. Studios, Directors, Producers, and Writers, are legally free to use the Amityville ghost story elements because Amytiville is a real town and the stories of the murderer, Ronald DeFeo Jr, who shot and killed six members of his family at the house, and the Lutz family that bought the property one year later, only to flee from it in terror after one month; are based on historical facts. This lack of any proprietory relationship between elements of the ghost story and the people involved, means there are no restrictions on the story which explains why most of the Amityville films have no continuity, were made by different companies, and tell different stories. Judging by the box office figures, the appeal of the Amityville Haunting Story may now be in decline. The original 1979's 'The Amityville Horror' grossed a staggering $86 Million against a budget of under $5 Million. 2005's 'The Amityville Horror' grossed a very respectable $105 Million against a budget of $20 Million. 2017's 'Amityville - The Awakening' grossed only $7.7 Million against an unspecified budget, which some may consider is an indication, it made an unspecified loss. Though, it received only a luke-warm reception by critics, this movie, whilst being somewhat flawed, may actually have deserved better than it got. It appears to borrow somewhat from the style, tone, pace, and themes of other horror movies, which is nothing new, and of itself does not present an issue here. Most significantly, there are shades reminiscent of the phenomenally successful 1973 Exorcist, which was a mix of pure psychological terror, and truly effective horror. Some elements in the plot could have confused and weakened the movie's core story, thereby reducing the psychological impact of some of the scenes. On a more positive note, the movie looks excellent throughout. There is a clear and conscious effort to craft the scenes, which look great, and the use of audio and visual effects do effectively build tension and sustain interest. The actors all look the part and sustain very consistent character delivery throughout, though the camera 's tendency to linger a little too long on Bella Thorne in various scenes was mildly distracting. In all, it is definately a competent piece of film-making, that entertains, and rewards the viewer's commitment. Though it may not set any standards in the horror genre at-large, this movie is of interest within the 'Amityville Haunting' Story-Making phenomenon, and attempts to re-ignite the magic of it's 1979 debut.