The Amityville name, like ‘Crystal Lake‘, has become one of horror’s most overused brands. Filmmakers have attached Amityville to everything from haunted washing machines to killer toys, often with little or no connection to the infamous house on Ocean Avenue. As a result, horror fans have learned to approach new entries with caution. Often, the name promises far more than the film delivers.
Phil Herman’s Amityville: Descendants of Darkness is a recent effort. Rather than attempting another retelling of the haunted house story, Herman wisely expands the mythology by suggesting that the evil born in Amityville has spread across the country, infecting people, places, and objects like a big conspiracy theory or fluoridated water. It provides an excuse for an anthology, allowing four different filmmakers to explore from different perspectives while remaining loosely connected to the original legend.
Before the film even begins, audiences must sit through what feels like an endless parade of production company logos. Independent productions often involve numerous companies and executive producers, but here the opening credits seem to last about the same as a commercial break. A leaner presentation would have made for a much stronger opening. There is an intro and voice clips with a male figure expounding on evil, etc., spreading around the world, but it also highlights another recurring trait of ultra-low-budget filmmaking: characters delivering exposition while visibly reading dialogue from cue cards or teleprompters
The wraparound story featuring Tiffany Sinclair as paranormal investigator Dr. Evelyn Marsh, which establishes the mythology well enough, has become something of a hallmark of many independent horror productions. Whether this is intended as part of the film’s charm or simply a consequence of limited shooting schedules is making the most of what they have or simply having committed good fun at something. Unfortunately, rather than feeling natural, several performances come across as stiff and overly rehearsed, pulling the viewer out of the illusion.
Fortunately, once the anthology reaches its individual stories, the quality improves considerably.
Todd Sheets opens with The Shed, an entertaining segment. Criminals searching for hidden treasure unleash demonic mayhem, resulting in generous amounts of practical gore, energetic camera work, and knowingly outrageous humor. The arrival of Father Anson, battling demons with martial arts and religious conviction, is precisely the sort of gleefully over-the-top moment that independent horror fans appreciate. It is ridiculous, but it knows exactly what it is.
“The evil born in Amityville has spread across the country, infecting people, places, and objects…”
The Possessed Relic, directed by Marcelo Fabani, offers a welcome change of pace. Set in South America, it tells the story of a cursed chair that gradually destroys its owner’s sanity. The atmosphere is genuinely unsettling, even if the payoff never quite matches the slow-building tension.
Derek Braasch’s Blood Moon Over Amityville may be the anthology’s most cinematic entry. Following a detective haunted by ghosts connected to a failed investigation, it features strong location photography and some genuinely creepy imagery. Its biggest weakness is its abrupt conclusion, which feels as though an additional scene or two might have delivered a more satisfying ending.
The final chapter, Echoes of the Damned, feels closest in spirit to a traditional Amityville film. A couple moves into a house built upon cursed ground, only to discover that the evil has survived long after the original house disappeared. Veteran genre favourite Vernon Wells brings welcome authority to the cast, while Deanne Marie appears to be having enormous fun with her eccentric performance, injecting personality into every scene.
Technically, the film is bright and shiny with practical gore effects that get downright syrupy visually. The locations help prevent the production from feeling visually repetitive. The musical score also contributes nicely to the atmosphere without overwhelming the action.
Like many anthology films, not every segment reaches the same standard, and the uneven acting during the wraparound sequences occasionally reminds viewers of the production’s limitations. Yet there is genuine enthusiasm behind the camera. Phil Herman clearly loves exploitation horror cinema like Roger Corman and others, and has fun with it sometimes, too much.
Amityville: Descendants of Darkness will not convince skeptics that every film carrying the Amityville title deserves attention, but it demonstrates that the name of Amityville still has a draw for some people As it stands, it is an enjoyable anthology that delivers exactly what many horror “Popcorn and beer’ fans seek: creepy atmosphere, practical gore, a few memorable performances, and four tales that from of one of horror’s most overworked names. Park your brain in a jar outside the door for this one, you might just end up in the film.
"…Phil Herman clearly loves exploitation horror cinema like Roger Corman..."
