Miami Herald, The (FL) - September 28, 1982
Author: TERRY KELLEHER Herald Arts Writer
They picked the wrong man from Rocky to appear in Amityville II: The Possession.
Burt Young, who plays Sylvester Stallone’s boorish brother- in-law in the Rocky films, is a wife-beating, child-abusing ogre in Amityville II, the "prequel" to The Amityville Horror . But Young isn’t nearly mean enough to face down the demons that scared James Brolin out of that notorious Long Island house. Maybe Stallone himself, or the fearsome "Mr. T." from Rocky III, could have been hired to pound the devil into submission. As it is, the champion of good is another priest brandishing a crucifix. The spirit is willing, but the firepower is insufficient.
If this sounds blasphemous, blame the cynicism of Hollywood, which has turned hell into a profit center with three Omens, two Exorcists and two Amityvilles. The devil’s weapons are more sophisticated than ever in Amityville II, thanks to special effects that are as much sickening as terrifying. Flesh bursts and peels, blood flows all over the screen. The priestly incantations, on the other hand, seem increasingly feeble. Poor Father Adamski (capable James Olson) can’t even secure diocesan authorization for a formal exorcism, as the evil one tauntingly reminds him. The wonder of it all is that Olson, the head of the family in Ragtime, manages not to be ludicrous.
The devil, as we know, can assume many forms. In Amityville II, the devil is the camera, chasing the cast through the house in swooping point-of-view shots. One might suspect that director Damiano Damiani wanted the audience to identify with Satan. Hmm, this calls for an exorcist. Further evidence can be found in Young’s character, Anthony Montelli, certainly the foulest father of the year. When the devil -- speaking through Walkman earphones, yet -- advises the oldest of the four Montelli children to pull the trigger on Dad, the suggestion does not strike us as entirely out of line. Mr. Montelli, after all, is the type who hears his wife and daughter singing and snarls, "What are you, the Andrews Sisters?"
With their flair for wretched excess, Damiani and screenwriter Tommy Lee Wallace (who happens to be the distinguished director of Halloween III) make it hard to bear Amityville II in good humor. We don’t have to look inside the body bags after Sonny Montelli wipes out father, mother and three siblings. There is more than enough offensive material here without gratuitous incest. But count on Damiani and Wallace to walk that extra mile for exploitation.
Movie Review
Amityville II: The Possession (R) *
...
CAST
Burt Young, James Olson, Rutanya Alda, Diane Franklin, Jack Magner, Andrew Prine, Moses Gunn
CREDITS
Director: Damiano Damiani
Producers: Ira N. Smith, Stephen R. Greenwald
Screenwriter: Tommy Lee Wallace
Cinematographer: Franco Di Giacomo
Music: Lalo Schifrin
...
An Orion Pictures Release
...
Gore, violence, vulgar language, implicit sex
...
At Cutler Ridge, Dadeland, Miller Square, Palm Springs, Miracle, Omni, Byron-Carlyle, 163rd Street, Plaza, Campbell Square, Gateway, Southland, Thunderbird, Coral Springs, Lakes, Movies at Plantation
Burt Young, who plays Sylvester Stallone’s boorish brother- in-law in the Rocky films, is a wife-beating, child-abusing ogre in Amityville II, the "prequel" to The Amityville Horror . But Young isn’t nearly mean enough to face down the demons that scared James Brolin out of that notorious Long Island house. Maybe Stallone himself, or the fearsome "Mr. T." from Rocky III, could have been hired to pound the devil into submission. As it is, the champion of good is another priest brandishing a crucifix. The spirit is willing, but the firepower is insufficient.
If this sounds blasphemous, blame the cynicism of Hollywood, which has turned hell into a profit center with three Omens, two Exorcists and two Amityvilles. The devil’s weapons are more sophisticated than ever in Amityville II, thanks to special effects that are as much sickening as terrifying. Flesh bursts and peels, blood flows all over the screen. The priestly incantations, on the other hand, seem increasingly feeble. Poor Father Adamski (capable James Olson) can’t even secure diocesan authorization for a formal exorcism, as the evil one tauntingly reminds him. The wonder of it all is that Olson, the head of the family in Ragtime, manages not to be ludicrous.
The devil, as we know, can assume many forms. In Amityville II, the devil is the camera, chasing the cast through the house in swooping point-of-view shots. One might suspect that director Damiano Damiani wanted the audience to identify with Satan. Hmm, this calls for an exorcist. Further evidence can be found in Young’s character, Anthony Montelli, certainly the foulest father of the year. When the devil -- speaking through Walkman earphones, yet -- advises the oldest of the four Montelli children to pull the trigger on Dad, the suggestion does not strike us as entirely out of line. Mr. Montelli, after all, is the type who hears his wife and daughter singing and snarls, "What are you, the Andrews Sisters?"
With their flair for wretched excess, Damiani and screenwriter Tommy Lee Wallace (who happens to be the distinguished director of Halloween III) make it hard to bear Amityville II in good humor. We don’t have to look inside the body bags after Sonny Montelli wipes out father, mother and three siblings. There is more than enough offensive material here without gratuitous incest. But count on Damiani and Wallace to walk that extra mile for exploitation.
Movie Review
Amityville II: The Possession (R) *
...
CAST
Burt Young, James Olson, Rutanya Alda, Diane Franklin, Jack Magner, Andrew Prine, Moses Gunn
CREDITS
Director: Damiano Damiani
Producers: Ira N. Smith, Stephen R. Greenwald
Screenwriter: Tommy Lee Wallace
Cinematographer: Franco Di Giacomo
Music: Lalo Schifrin
...
An Orion Pictures Release
...
Gore, violence, vulgar language, implicit sex
...
At Cutler Ridge, Dadeland, Miller Square, Palm Springs, Miracle, Omni, Byron-Carlyle, 163rd Street, Plaza, Campbell Square, Gateway, Southland, Thunderbird, Coral Springs, Lakes, Movies at Plantation
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