Amityville: Dollhouse (1996) (V)

Director:

Steve White

Writer:

Joshua Michael Stern (writer)

Release Date:

18 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Home is where the Horror is...

Plot:

A children's doll house, which is a miniature of the infamous haunted Long Island house, is given to a young girl where the demonic evil soon comes out to cause more terror.

Plot Keywords:

Possession | Paranormal | Occult | Atmospheric | Long Island New York

Cast

Robin Thomas	...	Bill Martin
Starr Andreeff	...	Claire Martin (as Starr Adreeff)
Allen Cutler	...	Todd Martin
Rachel Duncan	...	Jessica Martin
Jarrett Lennon	...	Jimmy Martin
Clayton Murray	...	Jimmy's Father
Franc Ross	...	Tobias
Lenore Kasdorf	...	Aunt Marla
Lisa Robin Kelly	...	Dana

Also Known As:

Amityville Dollhouse: Evil Never Dies (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, sexuality, and some language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:All

Company:

Promark Entertainment Group

Trivia:

On the original poster art, and the UK cover art, the scene is more from Amityville: The Evil Escapes (1989). You can tell because the lamp from the fourth movie is in front of the girl on the floor, and it's clear that she's in the attic from the fourth movie. Also, the girl in the poster is not Rachel Duncan (Jessica), but instead Brandy Gold from the fourth movie.

Movie Connections:

Follows Amityville 1992: It's About Time (1992) (V)

Just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's not entertaining.

A perfect late-night sci-fi channel movie, and far more entertaining (for me) than the original Amityville.

The way the dollhouse creates different demons for each character, and the cheap but effective sfx, reminded me very much of the Creepshow or Graveyard Shift movies. Also, the 'fright' scenes skip along at a respectable pace and frequency, as opposed to other films which often plod through the middle.

Sure, the script contains some appalling lines and characterisation, and there are a few moments where more highly strung viewers would be screaming at the stupidity of the characters. I just smile.

With 15-20 years of further advances in sfx, and the cultural tendency of under 30's to confuse sarcasm with valid criticism, I can see why this film has such a low score on the IMDB. Individually, the elements don't stand up to a whole lot of scrutiny, but taken as a whole on its own merits (compared to similar films of the same period), I really enjoyed it. A few better lines, and better known actors, and there's no reason why people wouldn't look on this with the same sort of affection reserved for Poltergeist.

Don't miss if it's on TV.