It's 1974, three weeks before the infamous murders. Ronnie DeFeo (Paul Ben-Victor) and Louise DeFeo (Diane Franklin) have five children; college-age Butch (John Robinson),Dawn (Chelsea Ricketts),Allison, Marc, and Jody. Butch and Dawn are calling upon the spirits in the red room. Ronnie has nefarious dealings and brutally beats his family. Butch has nightmarish visions and continues to deteriorate. Butch is sick and alone at home on Halloween. The house is ransacked and Ronnie's money is stolen from his safe.

This is based on true events. As always, one has to take it with a good helping of salt. It comes with the supernatural anyways so the pretense is pretty thin. At least, it's trying to fit the true story in and around the spirit world. The most compelling part may be the return of Diane Franklin. This really should be the story of Dawn. She's the 'normal' character and the story could be seen through her eyes. The supernatural part should be in question for the majority of the movie. The drama isn't there. As a horror, it could be much better. There is potential but it's concentrating on the wrong character.

Amityville - I don't even know how many movies have been made under the name/story. I also think that even if I had read up on the true story, I wouldn't or couldn't tell what really was or happened, because I've seen a bunch of these movies and they all add a bit or maybe even take a bit away. That being said, this is an "origin" story. With all the sequels apart from the reboots, you gotta sell it somehow don't you? That was a rhetorical question of course.

Having said that, I was quite surprised by the very stellar cast this assembled. Now it may not be the best horror movie out there, but it sets a mood and it is quite consistent throughout. Tension is high and even if you know where this is going (though even unfamiliar people will guess the outcome),it really is nicely told. The madness takes form and you can see why certain things are happening. Which is all a testament to the performance of the dad ... but also the others that are involved. I'm surprised this got so poorly rated, but you can't please everyone of course.

The Amityville Murders feels and looks much more like the first two did back in day. Part of what made Amityville Horror 1 and 2 so effective is that they allowed the story to build before bashing you in the face with all of the horror. I personally thought part 2 was scarier than the original (the original is a very fine film) and the reason for that is Sonny's possession and subsequent killing spree was really effective.

The Amityville Murders has a lot of the same feel as the original sequel and it even benefits from a little wink to the audience as Burt Young and Diane Franklin share the screen again for the first time since Amityville 2. They even play father and daughter again. I enjoyed seeing Burt Young on screen again.

Diane Franklin gives a really good performance here as Louise Defeo, in fact, she is the only reason I saw this film in the first place, as there have been many Amityville films over the years. Thankfully she was not the only good performance in the movie. John Robinson and Chelsea Rickets are both terrific as the two teenage Defeo kids. They are both bullied by their father, a mean, nasty SOB, played wonderfully by Paul Ben-Victor. But we didn't watch the Amityville Murders for good performances. The question is, is it scary and does it deliver. And the answer to both of these questions is yes.

By now you should know the story this is based on. Butch becomes possessed by the house and the demons that reside there. They go into a bit of an explanation as to why the house may be bad but the background info is secondary to how it is carried out. There is one part of the movie that gave me chills and it's the reason for why everyone in the family was killed face down. I won't ruin this part, but suffice to say, it's very chilling.

I enjoyed Amityville Murders. It was effective and it was scary when it needed to be. The last half hour is the best part of the movie but the buildup is also very well done. And it's great to see Diane Franklin go back to one of her earliest films and revisit it. All in all, if you liked the first two, then I think you'll like this one as well.