So yeah, director Mark Polonia has now lent his name to a low budget horror pic with fake, CGI flies. His latest being Amityville Exorcism, qualifies as one of 2017's most amateur offerings. Polonia is anxious here. He's always cutting away from telling his story. He'd rather show random images of ghastly figures, he'd rather channel rock gods White Zombie, and he'd rather get his Nine Inch Nails video fix. It's all so confusing, atmospheric-free, and totally hackneyed.
Anyway, "Exorcism" (my latest review) is the 18th installment in the Amityville franchise. I haven't seen most of these films but I know for a fact that Amityville Exorcism is so far gone from being tied to 1979's original (titled The Amityville Horror). You don't even get a glimpse of "Horror's" famed house on 112 Ocean Lane (in Long Island, NY). I mean yeah it's featured on the movie poster but that's about it (I'm thinking the filmmakers and producers had no pull and no reliable permits).
Made with troupers who obviously won the Hollywood lottery, green- lit with the tone of blackmailing, featuring an implausible binge drinking scene, and giving off a whiff of a rejected student film, "Exorcism" has a plot element that's as old as dirt. A young woman gets possessed and a priest must thrust the demons out of her. There's horrid acting, an opening credits sequence that feels like an 80's porno, some over-stylized direction, and a vibe of unintentional buffoonery. As far as the scare factor goes, well you'd have to be under some serious narcotics to get that effect (for the record, I don't endorse this).
In terms of originality, man Amityville Exorcism copies off movies good and bad. It's like a slack version of The Evil Dead with its roving camera movement, its evil cheesy soundtrack, and its demonic speak. It's also like 1981's Saturday the 14th with its creatures looking like their donning tacky Halloween costumes. Finally, "Exorcism" kinda rips off the final scene in The Exorcist. That was an actual masterpiece with a sense of foreboding. This is clearly not.
All in all, some might say that there's always room for another Amityville flick. After witnessing "Exorcism" with its straight to DVD release, its director who might have fell asleep at film school, and its neophyte cast who may never see their SAG pensions, I say go for it... NOT! Rating: 1 and a half stars.
