Amityville: The Awakening (2017)

**They're trying to bring back the series!**

So the Amityville series continues. What this is like overall a tenth film. The last one was a decade ago. I'm okay with their idea of bringing it up. But there's nothing new in it. Only it was a different cast and timeline. So basically, you probably have seen this story in other flicks.

A family of a single mother with one child with a serious medical condition moves into the most popular haunted house, the Amityville. The other one, a teen girl discovers the rumours from her new schoolmates. But the mother won't heed to it, till unusual events begin to unfold. So how it all ends are the rest of the film.

The cast was good, and that's it, the film was average. If you are a big fan of horror, then this would be even a worse film, because you might have seen hundreds of similar flicks. I think Amityville franchise is dead, because of bad storied films. Otherwise with good filmmakers, particularly the writer, it could come back to the old glory. So now, it's not that worth. I would suggest to check it out other horrors released in this year.

_5/10_

Weak entry to an already played out franchise. You've seen it before, either in the previous instalments or in any other ghosty horror film. Jennifer Jason Leigh is turning up for a pay-cheque, Cameron Monaghan is as lifeless as the character he plays. Seen worse but definitely seen much much better.

5/10

**_Forty years after the DeFeo murders, a mother & her kids move in_**

It took 2½ years after principle shooting in Apr-May 2014 for this to finally be released in late Oct 2017. Poor test screenings concerning the climax led to reshoots of the ending in Feb 2016, which took so long because Cameron Monaghan (James) was hard to pin down. Also, R-rated material was edited out to secure a PG-13 rating.

Forgetting all of that, is it any good? It worked for me because the focus is on the teenager, Belle, played by the striking Bella Thorne, and her adjusting to a new home and school (which smacks of “Twilight”). As such, there’s a coming-of-age element as Belle makes new friends (Thomas Mann and Taylor Spreitler) with Terrence insisting they watch the original 1979 movie in the middle of the night when the DeFeo murders occurred. As such, the story takes place outside of the world of the first eight movies released from 1979-1997, as well as the 2005 remake.

The vegetable brother (Monaghan) and what happens to him are creative elements, not to mention the mother’s real motive for moving to the house (supposedly to be near James’ neurologist). Speaking of the mother, she’s played by Jennifer Jason Leigh with her sister played by Jennifer Morrison. I wish Jennifer’s part was bigger but, nevertheless, the cast is a highlight, with Kurtwood Smith also on hand as the doctor.

The story wisely sticks to these handful of characters and keeps things simple, refusing to go into overkill. Simplicity is the composer’s greatest tool, as they say.

It runs 1h 27m and was shot at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, which is southeast of Los Angeles and west of Anaheim.

GRADE: B