The Amityville Horror novel is still one of the scariest books I've ever read, and most would agree that the original film did little justice to the stellar prose. This sequel (or prequel, even though this is never indicated in the film, only in the trailer) doesn't have the stigma of the original haunting it (pun completely intended), since there wasn't a best-selling book to compare it to. This certainly helps along the enjoyment of Amityville deux, although the film itself offers plenty to satisfy fans who prefer mental horror over the visceral.
The subtleties here make the film, and rewatching it after several years of distance, I noted many minor elements that added new dimensions to a movie I had seen many times as a kid. The gradual change our possessee undergoes is very well realized and clips along at a natural pace, bringing about a slow-burn horror instead of a series of boo-s. The acting is very strong, and the ensemble's reactions to the happenings around them are more natural than hysterical, putting a distinct "this-could-happen-to-you" air on the proceedings since the characters ring true as normal people instead of horror movie archetypes. Burt Young is absolutely loathsome as the domineering father figure who rules his family with a quick-tempered fist, and his family's obvious fear of him hangs like a spectre in the air of the already-haunted abode. The dynamic between him and his soon-to-be-possessed son is perfectly essayed, and the subservience of the young man to his overbearing senior goes a long way toward explaining the weakness within him that would allow a spirit to enter and take control.
While the special effects are understated, this minimalist approach serves the realism of the story, and our possessed lead's performance is so startlingly precise, he sells the demon within him even without layers of latex on his face in every scene to drive the point home. Also effective are the rare moments when we see him overcome with his own humanity, writhing in despair as the reality of his deeds overtakes him. The balance of the two, and seeing him pull the former off without complex make-up effects, really sells the realism at the core of the story.
The house, itself, was the star of the original, and it doesn't lose its chilling magic upon the second visit. Perhaps it's the lore associated with the book, but the house actually looks like a place that evil spirits would run free, so simple shots of exterior windows carry an implied menace that are far more effective than the floating red eyes that served as scare tactics in the original.
Of course, any review of this film would be incomplete if it didn't mention the unsettling creepiness of the incest subplot, which is unfurled in a seedy way that will test even the most acclimated horror fan. From the brother and sister duo's first scene together, they come across more as a couple than as siblings, and when this unnatural pairing is consummated, the fine acting once again steals the show. The look on sis's face when brother makes his move is a complex combination of revulsion and lust, and her nuanced countenance as she cedes to his advances conveys a string of emotions that it would take most actresses a 30-minute monologue to get across. This scene is surely the most memorable in the film, but it is so because it's played out with the malicious toying nature of a cat stalking a mouse, instead of as a "look at her boobies" scene.
Though disturbing to watch, this subplot is given additional weight from the establishing scenes that portray these siblings as overtly flirtatious to begin with. The culmination of their sensual sparring offers the thinking viewer a great deal of context with which to further ponder the idea of possession and, indeed, evil itself. After all, since it's obvious he thought about sleeping with his sister before the big bad demon came along, did the devil really make him do it? Or did the spirit haunting him simply offer him some sort of excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway? Furthermore, what does it say about the forbidden nature of this particular act when the sister later seems to openly enjoy the scenario? Does enjoyment of sex with her brother indicate some sort of deviant evil within her, and since she's not the one possessed, does that point to an underlying theme of each of us harboring wickedness ripe for exploration? Certainly, no one in the family is truly innocent. Even the youngest children are hinted to have mischievous deeds in their past, as evidenced by Young's reaction following the incident with the paint brushes. Young himself is an aggressive alcoholic who abuses his children and wife, and his spouse allows him to do so, which fosters an environment in which these sins are accepted. Then you've got big brother boinking big sister... So, does the evil truly live within the house, or is the house merely a nexus where the evil within each of its occupants is allowed to flourish and take form? This is probably more thinking than the film-makers intended to produce (actually, I'm guessing this is definitely the case), but the cerebral response is another example of how many different levels this film works on.
On the downside, the film it a bit too lengthy (like this review. Ha! Beat you to it...). The running time is about 10 minutes longer than it needs to be, and the most effective parts occur in the first act, which climaxes with the familial executions. However, this is certainly the strongest of the original trilogy of Amityville films. Writing that, I'm keenly aware that distinction is a bit like being the best film the Witchboard series, but even without the Amityville moniker, this remains an intelligent, well-realized, and well above average haunting/possession tale.
