The Amityville Legacy

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The Amityville Legacy
Amityville Legacy film poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Dustin Ferguson
Mike Johnson
Written byDustin Ferguson
Mike Johnson
Produced byDustin Ferguson
Matthew DiGirolamo
Jake Bockoven
StarringMark Popejoy
Julia Farrell
Jennii Caroline
Breana Mitchell
Colby Coash
CinematographyMark Thimijan
Edited byDustin Ferguson
Music byAidan Casserly
Production
company
42ND street films
Distributed bySinister Studios
Wild Eye Releasing
Release date
  • 7 June 2016 (2016-06-07)(United States)
Running time
66 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Amityville Legacy (also known as Amityville Toybox) is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by Dustin Ferguson and Mike Johnson. It was released direct-to-video, and is the fifteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror . [1] Mark Popejoy stars as Mark Janson, a father who begins murdering members of his own family after being gifted an evil cymbal-banging monkey toy that was taken from 112 Ocean Avenue, a haunted house in Amityville, New York. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

In 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. uses a rifle to kill his entire family at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. Four decades later, the Janson family comes together to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the family's widowed patriarch, Mark. Mark is a recovering alcoholic who lives in rural Nebraska with his dementia-addled mother, Jeanne, and pregnant daughter, Britany. Attending the reunion are Mark's other three daughters Julia, Jennii, and Breana, Breana's boyfriend, Daniel, Mark's son, Anthony, Anthony's boyfriend, Jade, Mark's sister in-law, Cheyenne, and Cheyenne's daughter, Schuylar. One of Mark's birthday gifts is a cymbal-banging monkey toy that was at some point taken from 112 Ocean Avenue. The monkey is inhabited by a demon, which takes on the form of Mark's abusive deceased father, Mr. Janson. The demon torments Mark (who is a devout Catholic) with visions of things like Breana and Daniel having premarital sex and Anthony and Jade engaging in S&M, with each of the hallucinations being punctuated by the phrase, "Stop me, daddy." The demon tells Mark that he must eliminate any and all threats to his family's unity, so Mark reluctantly kills Cheyenne, Daniel, and Jade.

After the triple homicide, the demon declares that just killing the "outsiders" was not enough; it informs Mark that his family members are all awash in sin, and that it is up to Mark to "save" them by killing them in order to send their souls to Heaven. Mark experiences a sexually explicit vision of himself and Julia, and afterward arms himself with a shotgun, which he uses to murder Jeanne, Schuylar, and all of his children except for Julia. Julia wounds Mark during a struggle, and escapes while Mark is distracted dealing with a pair of passing motorists; after killing the motorists, Mark collects the bodies of all of his loved ones and stacks them in a room in his house, where he proceeds to commit suicide.

A week later, a psychic paranormal investigator visits the Janson house, and encounters the demon, which has possessed a paperboy. The demon brags about making Mark kill his family and himself, implies that it is the spawn of Satan, and murders the psychic by making her vomit up her own innards.

Cast

Reception

Tex Hula of Ain't It Cool News responded positively to The Amityville Legacy, writing, "This movie pulls off some impressive things on its micro-budget. It's basically a fan film, but a competently made one. It also comes to an abrupt end. Unlike the last movie, this one clocks in at sixty-six minutes and could've used at least another fifteen for a better ending." [4] Dev Crowley ranked The Amityville Legacy as the eleventh best out of the fifteen Amityville films that she reviewed for FanSided, and called it "a whole lot sillier" than Amityville Dollhouse . [5]

Sequel

In 2017, Ferguson wrote and directed the sequel Amityville: Evil Never Dies , re-released in 2020 as Amityville Clownhouse.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Amityville Horror</i> 1977 book by Jay Anson

The Amityville Horror is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, but has led to controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald DeFeo Jr.</span> American mass murderer (1951–2021)

Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters in Amityville, New York. Sentenced to six counts of 25 years to life, DeFeo died in prison on March 12, 2021. The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror.

<i>The Amityville Horror</i> (2005 film) Film by Andrew Douglas

The Amityville Horror is a 2005 American supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Douglas, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, and Philip Baker Hall. It also featured the debut of actress Chloë Grace Moretz. Written by Scott Kosar, it is based on the novel The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, which was previously adapted into the 1979 film of the same name, while also serving as the ninth film in the Amityville Horror film series, and was also served as inspiration for The Conjuring 2, which documents the experiences of the Lutz family after they move into a house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island. In 1974, real-life mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family at the same house in Amityville, New York.

<i>Amityville II: The Possession</i> 1982 film by Damiano Damiani

Amityville II: The Possession is a 1982 supernatural horror film directed by Damiano Damiani and starring James Olson, Burt Young, Rutanya Alda, Jack Magner, and Diane Franklin. It’s an international co-production between Mexico and the United States. The screenplay by Tommy Lee Wallace is based on the novel Murder in Amityville by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer. It is the second film in the Amityville Horror film series and a loose prequel to The Amityville Horror (1979), set at 112 Ocean Avenue and featuring the fictional Montelli family, loosely based on the DeFeo family. It follows the Montelli family's decline under apparent demonic forces present in their home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed and Lorraine Warren</span> American paranormal investigators

Edward Warren Miney and Lorraine Rita Warren were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings. Edward was a self-taught and self-professed demonologist, author, and lecturer. Lorraine professed to be clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband.

<i>The Amityville Horror</i> (1979 film) Film by Stuart Rosenberg

The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American supernatural horror film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, and starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. It is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who briefly resided in the Amityville, New York home where Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his family in 1974. It is the first entry in the long-running Amityville Horror film series, and was remade in 2005.

<i>The Amityville Curse</i> 1990 film by Tom Berry

The Amityville Curse is a 1990 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Tom Berry and starring Kim Coates, Cassandra Gava and Jan Rubeš. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Hans Holzer. It is the fifth film in the Amityville Horror film series.

<i>Amityville: A New Generation</i> 1993 film by John Murlowski

Amityville: A New Generation is a 1993 American direct-to-video supernatural horror film directed by John Murlowski. It is the seventh film based on The Amityville Horror, and stars Ross Partridge, Julia Nickson-Soul, Lala Sloatman, David Naughton, Richard Roundtree, and Terry O'Quinn.

The Amityville haunting is a modern folk story based on the true crimes of Ronald DeFeo Jr. On November 13, 1974, DeFeo shot and killed six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island. He was convicted of second-degree murder in November 1975. In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there. The house became the subject of numerous investigations by paranormal researchers, journalists, and skeptics, including Ed and Lorraine Warren. These events served as the historical basis for Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror, which was followed by a number of sequels and was adapted into a film of the same name in 1979. Since then, many films have been produced that draw explicitly, to a greater or lesser extent, from these historical and literary sources. As Amityville is a real town and the stories of DeFeo and the Lutzes are historical, there can be no proprietary relationship to the underlying story elements associated with the Amityville haunting. As a result of this, there has been no restriction on the exploitation of the story by film producers, which is the reason that most of these films share no continuity, were produced by different companies, and tell widely varying stories.

Stephen Kaplan was an American paranormal investigator, vampirologist, and founder/director of the Vampire Research Center and the Parapsychology Institute of America, both of which were founded in Suffolk County, New York and subsequently relocated to Elmhurst, Queens. He was also an author and radio commentator, and a prominent skeptic of the alleged Amityville Horror hauntings. Kaplan lived in Suffolk County, New York and worked for the New York City Board of Education. His overview of the Amityville Horror became the basis for the film Amityville 3-D that chronicles his attempt to prove the story was a hoax.

<i>Amityville: The Awakening</i> 2017 film by Franck Khalfoun

Amityville: The Awakening is a 2017 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Franck Khalfoun and starring Bella Thorne, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Cameron Monaghan, Mckenna Grace, Thomas Mann, Taylor Spreitler, Jennifer Morrison, and Kurtwood Smith. It is the tenth installment of the Amityville film series and a direct sequel/metafilm taking place in the "real world" outside of the continuity of the series which establishes The Amityville Horror (1979), the sequels from 1982 to 1996, and the 2005 remake of the original film as fiction. Its plot follows a teenager who moves into 112 Ocean Avenue with her family, who shortly find themselves haunted by a demonic entity using her brain-dead twin brother's body as a vessel.

<i>The Amityville Asylum</i> 2013 British film

The Amityville Asylum is a 2013 British horror film written and directed by Andrew Jones. It is the eleventh film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. Sophia Del Pizzo stars as Lisa Templeton, a young woman who is hired to work as a custodian at High Hopes Psychiatric Hospital, an asylum that was built on the site of a haunted house in Amityville, New York.

<i>The Amityville Playhouse</i> 2015 Canadian film

Amityville Playhouse is a 2015 horror film written and directed by John R. Walker, and co-written by Steve Hardy. It is the thirteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. Monèle LeStrat stars as Fawn Harriman, a recently orphaned Dannemora high school student who inherits a mysterious abandoned theatre located in Amityville, New York.

<i>Amityville: Vanishing Point</i> 2016 American film

Amityville: Vanishing Point is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by Dylan Greenberg, and co-written by Selena Mars, Jurgen Azazel Munster, and Ezra Pailer. It premiered on video on demand before being released direct-to-video, and is the fourteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. Selena Mars, Amanda Flowers, and Sara Kaiser star as the residents of an Amityville, New York boarding house that is plagued by paranormal activity after the mysterious death of their friend Margaret East.

<i>The Amityville Terror</i> 2016 American film

The Amityville Terror is a 2016 American horror film directed by Michael Angelo, and written by Amanda Barton. It was released direct-to-video, and is the sixteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. Nicole Tompkins stars as Hailey Jacobson, the daughter of a dysfunctional family that is terrorized by both evil spirits and malicious townspeople after moving into a haunted house in Amityville, New York.

<i>Amityville: Evil Never Dies</i> 2017 American film

Amityville: Evil Never Dies is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Dustin Ferguson. It was released direct-to-video, and is the nineteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. A sequel to the 2016 film The Amityville Legacy, it continues the story of an evil cymbal banging monkey toy that was taken from 112 Ocean Avenue, a haunted house in Amityville, New York. The film stars Mark Patton, Helene Udy, Dawna Lee Heising, Ben Gothier, and Michelle Muir-Lewis.

Dustin Ferguson is an American underground filmmaker from Lincoln, Nebraska. He has directed numerous music videos and more than 100 horror films since 2007, including The Amityville Legacy. He writes, directs and edits his own films and is known for his prolific output, releasing several feature films each year as well as for making mockbusters and sequels.

<i>Amityville: No Escape</i> 2016 American film

Amityville: No Escape is a 2016 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Henrique Couto, and co-written by Ira Gansler. It is the seventeenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. A found footage film, it follows two storylines, one set in 1997 and the other in 2016, that both involve 112 Ocean Avenue, a haunted house in Amityville, New York.

<i>Amityville Exorcism</i> 2017 American film

Amityville Exorcism is a 2017 American horror film directed by Mark Polonia, and written by Billy D'Amato. It was released direct-to-video, and is the eighteenth film to be inspired by Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. The film stars Jeff Kirkendall as Father Benna, a Catholic priest who, with the help of a troubled father played by James Carolus, performs exorcism on the man's daughter after the girl is possessed by a demon that originates from 112 Ocean Avenue, a haunted house in Amityville, New York. It was followed by two sequels, Amityville Island in 2020 and Amityville in Space in 2022.

References

  1. Christopher Berry-Dee (2020). Serial Killers at the Movies: My Intimate Talks with Mass Murderers who Became Stars of the Big Screen. Ad Lib Publishers. ISBN   9781913543839. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  2. Barton, Steve (22 October 2015). "The Amityville Legacy Poster Comes Haunting". dreadcentral.com. Dread Central . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  3. Moore, Debi (31 March 2016). "The Amityville Legacy Leaves Behind an Official Trailer and Image Gallery". dreadcentral.com. Dread Central . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  4. Hula, Tex (4 February 2019). "AICN's Tex Hula Reviews Amityville Murders and ALL other Amityville Films! A Look into Madness!". aintitcool.com. Ain't It Cool News . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. Crowley, Dev (29 June 2019). "15 greatest Amityville Horror movies of all-time". 1428elm.com. FanSided . Retrieved 12 March 2021.