Amityville II The Possession

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. It may have a "II" in the title, but this is actually a prequel to the original film. Who says the Lutzes should have all the fun?
2. George and Kathy Lutz, that's who. When the studio decided Amityville II should focus on an earlier (and therefore Lutz-free) tale, the Lutzes filed a lawsuit. They weren't able to stop the picture, but they did succeed in having posters placed in theaters stating "This film has no affiliation with George and Kathy Lutz." That's called sticking it to the man.
3. The story is loosely based on the DeFeo family, who lived in the infamous house before the Lutzes. Sadly, the DeFeos did not get a piece of the Amityville pie - watch the movie to see why.
4. Despite the fact that the story takes place in 1974, several 1980s cars show up in the film. Lax production values or a house so haunted it has the ability to transport vehicles from the future? You decide.
5. Another anachronism: Sonny listens to his Walkman personal cassette player, which wouldn't be introduced to the public for several years. Maybe he interned at Sony over the summer?
6. One more: Sonny has a poster for the 1976 film Rocky hanging in his room. This one gets a pass, though, as an inside joke for actor Burt Young - who played both Sonny's father and Rocky Balboa's best bud.
7. Roger Ebert called the film "actually slightly better than The Amityville Horror." Effusive praise like that is what ignites a marketing campaign.
8. Not all responses were so lukewarm - actress Rutanya Alda was nominated for her second Razzie in a row as Worst Supporting Actress. She'd been nominated the year before for her performance in Mommie Dearest. Adding insult to injury, she's not even related to Alan Alda!
9. The explosion scene at the end allegedly backfired during filming - scorching the side of the house. Seems like a pretty effective way to get rid of a demon, actually.
10. El Horror del Amityville: unlike the first film, this one was mostly shot at a studio in Mexico. Wonder if James Brolin was bitter that he missed out on carnitas at the craft service table?

Cast

Crew