Amityville II: The Possession (1982) (USA/Mexico)

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Dropping any semblance of the unearned superiority the original outing wore like a high-quality perfume on a dead hooker, Damiano Damiani’s prequel is one down and dirty scuzz-fest which feels like it would be more at home as the bottom billing on an Italian horror double feature at a theater that specializes in after hours porno loops. Needles to say, it’s a superior sequel. Burt Young and Andrew Prine are there too, reminding you that any semblance of class has been cut with a razor and snorted up some sweaty producer’s nose. A dysfunctional family moves into a new home and eldest son… Sonny… starts acting strange. What starts off as stomach trouble and eerie voices eventually leads to incest and murder. There’s already some weird vibes going on between brother and sister before the house starts working its dark magic and the family patriarch (Burt Young at his scummiest) is one abusive piece of garbage who doesn’t need much of a push to go over the edge. A mover finds a hidden crawl space in the basement that’s full of flies and shit, witlessly unleashing the standard POV malevolence. Objects move, phantom knocks plague the night, walls are painted with the message “dishonor thy father” (yep, it leads to a Burt Young belt whippin’) and Sonny pulls a shotgun on dad during one of his smack-fests. The put-upon mother invites the local priest to come and bless the house (much to Burt Young’s chagrin). He doesn’t get to because shit gets thrown around in the kitchen, Burt Young slaps his children and kicks the priest out. Standard Sunday. Luckily, Father Adamsky figures there’s more going on than your standard domestic awfulness. Unluckily, he’s a little too late in saving the family from the oncoming massacre thanks to the church dragging their heels when it comes to sanctioning an exorcism. Everyone’s favorite Scary German Guy pops in to warn against a hasty exorcism and Sonny starts transforming into a discount Pazuzu with a shotgun (made all the more uncomfortable due to it being based on an actual crime… now that’s EXPLOITATION). Andrew Prine eventually comes into the picture as Father Adamsky’s buddy and fellow priest who doesn’t do much outside of showing up too late to help with anything. It definitely runs way longer than it needs to but there’s a lot of trashiness to keep you occupied and smiling… at least if you’re like me.