Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Damiano Damiani

Writers:

Tommy Lee Wallace (screenplay)
Hans Holzer (book)
(more)

Release Date:

24 September 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

If these walls could talk...they would SHRIEK!

Plot:

A family moves into their new home, which proves to be evil, resulting in the demonic possession of the teenage son. Only the local priest can save him.

Plot Keywords:

House | Son | Priest | Evil | Possession

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Olson	...	Father Adamsky
Burt Young	...	Anthony Montelli
Rutanya Alda	...	Dolores Montelli
Jack Magner	...	Sonny Montelli
Andrew Prine	...	Father Tom
Diane Franklin	...	Patricia Montelli
Moses Gunn	...	Detective Turner
Ted Ross	...	Mr. Booth, the Lawyer
Erika Katz	...	Jan Montelli
Brent Katz	...	Mark Montelli
Leonardo Cimino	...	Chancellor
Danny Aiello III	...	Removal Man 1
Gilbert Stafford	...	Removal Man 2
Petra Lea	...	Mrs. Greer
Alan Dellay	...	Judge (as Allan Dellay)
Martin Donegan	...	Detective Cortez
John Ring	...	Police Chief
Peter Radon	...	Assistant Chancellor
Lawrence Bolen	...	Funeral Director
Tony Boschetti	...	Elderly Man in Church
John Clohessy	...	Police Officer 1
Hollis Granville	...	Police Officer 2
Frank Patton	...	Police Officer 3
Kim H. Ornitz	...	Police Officer 4 (as Kim Ornitz)
Lindsay Hill	...	Police Officer 5
Rudy Jones	...	Gardener
Todd Jamie	...	Guest at Birthday Party
Ken Smith	...	Prison Doctor
Anita Keal	...	Demons (voice)
Sondra Lee	...	Demons (voice)
Alice Playten	...	Demons' Voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Devon	...	The Coroner (uncredited)

Directed by
Damiano Damiani

Writing credits
Tommy Lee Wallace		(screenplay)
Hans Holzer		(book "Murder in Amityville")
Dardano Sacchetti		uncredited

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	producer
Stephen R. Greenwald	....	producer
José López Rodero	....	associate producer
Ira N. Smith	....	producer
Bernard Williams	....	executive producer (as Bernie Williams)

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Franco Di Giacomo

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen

Production Design by
Pier Luigi Basile

Art Direction by
Ray Recht

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Jr.

Costume Design by
William Kellard

Makeup Department
Joe Cuervo	....	makeup artist
Stephan Dupuis	....	special makeup assistant
Ed French	....	makeup lab assistant
Werner Sherer	....	hair stylist

Production Management
G. Mac Brown	....	production manager
Michael Dryhurst	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Aaron Barsky	....	second assistant director
David Ticotin	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Richard Adee	....	property master
Wally Adee	....	property master
Richard Hughes	....	scenic chargeman
Arne Olsen	....	construction grip
Michael Kauffman	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stan Bochner	....	supervising sound editor
Neil Fallon	....	sound recordist
Harriet Fidlow	....	dialogue loop editor
Thomas A. Gulino	....	sound editor
Robert Hein	....	sound editor
Hal Levinsohn	....	sound editor
Dan Lieberstein	....	sound editor
Kevin Meehan	....	boom operator
Kim H. Ornitz	....	sound mixer
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
John Caglione Jr.	....	special effects makeup
Glen Robinson	....	special effects supervisor
Gary Zeller	....	special effects assistant
Wayne Rose	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Stunts
Victor Magnotta	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Burke	....	gaffer
Stefano Coletta	....	assistant camera
Francesco Damiani	....	second assistant camera
Ken Finlay	....	best boy
Dennis Gamiello	....	key grip
John Mazzoni	....	dolly grip
Daniele Nannuzzi	....	camera operator
Crescenzo Notarile	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rose Trimarco	....	wardrobe mistress
Mark Burchard	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lori Blounstein	....	assistant editor
Nicholas C. Smith	....	supervising assistant editor

Music Department
Norman Hollyn	....	music editor
Gilbert Marouani	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Michael Hourihan	....	transportation captain
Arturo Curiel	....	driver (uncredited)
Alfonso Paredes	....	driver (uncredited)
Carlos Ponce de León	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Reverend Thomas Bermingham	....	religious consultant (as Father Thomas Bermingham)
Reverend Thomas Bermingham	....	religious supervisor
Sherri Taffel Brown	....	production coordinator
Martha De Laurentiis	....	production auditor (as Martha Schumacher)
Wendy G. Glickstein	....	production coordinator
Humberto Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Miguel Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Michael Menzies	....	production auditor
Sheila Paige	....	script supervisor
Jeffrey Silver	....	location manager
Ed Warren	....	demonology advisor
Lorraine Warren	....	demonology advisor

Production Companies

• Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
• Media Transactions

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1984) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1983) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (1982) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Astro Distribution (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Bridge Entertainment Group (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (198?) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Castle Home Video (19??) (UK) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Force Video (1998) (Australia) (VHS)
• Force Video (2003) (Australia) (DVD) (censored version)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Nelson Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Nelson Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Pulp Video (Italy) (VHS)
• Sultan Entertainment (video)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia (1985) (Australia) (VHS)

Other Companies

• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Evergreen Recording Studios  music recording facility
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• Navarro-Bertoni Casting  casting
• R/Greenberg Associates  titles
• Trans / Audio  recording facilities

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 (censored version) | France:-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #26777) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

A poster from the movie Rocky (1976) hangs on Sonny's wall. Burt Young, who plays Sonny's father, was a costar in the Rocky movies.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Sonny is being chased by something unseen, the camera rises above him, and someone from the crew can be seen standing behind the wall in the bottom left corner.

Quotes:

Mr. Booth, the Lawyer: [at the Montelli trial] ... Your Honor, it is my intention to prove that Sonny Montelli is a victim of demonic possession - that is, possession by the Devil - and therefore innocent of the charges placed against him.
Judge: Mr. Booth, I admire your originality. If I accept your plea, regardless of verdict, every courtroom in this country would be inundated with pleas of demonic possession. Nobody would be guilty of anything anymore. Quite literally, "The Devil made me do it." You have three days to submit another plea, Mr. Booth.

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

Soundtrack:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Unusual Horror

I liked "The Possession" more than the original. Part one was so phony that it was even comical in parts (not to mention the over-acting). Part two contains more real life horrors such as incest, child abuse, domestic violence and mental illness. Yes, it is loosely based on the DeFeo case. However, I believe the director avoided direct links to the incident because of possible lawsuits. One disagreement I have with William C. Uchtman is when he stated in his review that Ronald DeFeo Sr. was a swell guy. Well according to "City Confidential" on A&E, the father was very abusive and was reported to have beaten "Butch" to a bloody pulp one time for simply talking back at the dinner table. Wife beatings were also reported. So, the abuse scenes are quite valid. The part when "Sunny" points a shotgun at his father after he punched his wife is valid too except that, in the real case, Butch pulled the trigger with no shells inside. That was the only difference. The counterculture involved is also interesting. The Montelli's are no typical American family, you see this from the start when Sunny returns from buying a pack of cigarettes and has an arguement with his father who threatens to "kick his ass".

Yes, "Possession" did copy parts of The Exorcist, but it's still a good film with more gory scenes than the original.

If you like over-acted supernatural thrillers, you may enjoy the first. But if you want to see a movie based on a real murder case (though admittedly from a supernatural point of view), "Possession" is for you.