Catching up with... Amityville: The Awakening

Amitville: The Awakening is one of many films that suffered at the hands of the Weinsteins, first from re-shoots and re-edits, then from the scandal. It was supposed to come out in 2012, then finally appeared in 2017 as a limited theatrical release. I caught it with it on Netflix this past weekend.

The film's storied history, which is almost as storied as that house in Amityville, is a black mark against an otherwise harmless film; one that is better than of most The Amityville Horror's sequels and remakes.

Here we get a good, female-focused horror movie that relies on atmosphere and The Amityville Horror legend for it's suspense and scares. Yup, this movie takes place in a world where Jay Anson's book and the series of films exists. This adds an interesting and fun layer to the movie, especially a sequence where some of the characters watch Stuart Rosenberg's movie in the Amityville house at 3:15 a.m.

Novel approach aside, there isn't much going on here in the way of scares or shock value. The PG-13 rating prevents that, which is too bad. In the end, the film's greatest effect is star Bella Thorne, who brings a level of vulnerability and intensity to the role.

Yes, the 12-year-old boy in my acknowledges she looks simply stunning in every shot, and spends a good chunk of the running time walking around in skimpy nightclothes. I'm OK with that.

Amityville: The Awakening is a watchable and entertaining enough film, but it's not one to be enjoyed over and over, so I'm giving it a Bad. At least they tried this time around...

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