As the world prepares for not one, but two (1/2) new mainstream/studio-released Amityville films, independent filmmakers continue to explore the wacky possibilities of the IP. The latest to throw their hats in the ring are co-writers and co-directors Paul Tucker and Jeff Van Gerwen with Amityvillenado (2026), a self-aware text that adheres to the tropes of other entries while also storming its own path.
Following a cold open featuring lesbian-coded Jessy Griffin (Jesse Anderson) and Becca Lipshits (Rebekah Cianci) ill-advisedly hanging out in the DeFeo house, the action pivots to friends Trey (Trey Ball) and Jib (Jib Haddan). The besties are spending the weekend in Amityville, largely because Trey is Jessy’s jokey brother who is housesitting her cat, but also because he plans to attend the Skull Crusher concert on Friday and throw a rager on Saturday. Jib, meanwhile, is less enthusiastic about…well, everything; all he wants to do is drink a few beers and relax.
The gentle tension between the friends helps to power at least 50% of Amityvillenado, which is reminiscent of ‘opposites attract’ buddy comedies, complete with plenty of fart and poop jokes (courtesy of Trey’s poor diet and reflective of a long, random tradition among Amityville titles). It’s not as if Trey and Jib dislike each other, though; they simply have different goals, and Jib is constantly dragged along on the more high-energy Trey’s escapades (this is code for: expect a falling out around the 2/3 mark of the film, which is typical of the subgenre).
The fractured friendship occurs at the same time as a spate of deaths kicks off around Amityville. Meteorologist June Weathers (Elizabeth McCoy) believes that there’s something supernatural occurring, though her efforts to inform the public about the connection between the suffocation deaths and a rash of seemingly sentient tornadoes draw the ire of her misogynist boss, Brent Baculum (Kyle Wigginton).
As the death toll climbs, the survivors, including June, Jib, Trey, Becca’s cop husband Richard (Clay Aleman), and priest-turned-paranormal investigator O’Haharan (Will Debeest), must band together to uncover the truth about the soul-sucking tornados before Amityville (and maybe the world?) is devoured.
Amityvillenado is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, there’s a clear reverence for other entries in the “franchise” as evidenced by mentions of the real-life DeFeo and Lutz family (who even have a lake named after them!), as well as other entries. Tucker and Van Gerwen also understand their budgetary limitations and how to work within them. Case in point: after destroying the Amityville house (offscreen) in the opening sequence, the remainder of the film features frequent on-the-nose expository dialogue confirming that something supernatural is behind the unassuming empty lot where the house once sat. As the friends observe, “I’m amazed at how quickly they cleaned up all of the debris.”
On the flip side, the film’s single greatest sin is its punishing 1:51-minute runtime. Sure, the film contains secret identity reveals and even a stellar shadow puppet flashback sequence, but there’s still no justification for dragging the narrative out this long. On top of this, the acting is (expectedly) a little amateurish*, with some performers faring better than others (McCoy and Haddan are decent, while Debeest tends to scream/yell all of his lines and Ball is too one-note).
*It’s helpful to have a single stand-alone scene featuring frequent Amityville writer/director/actor Shawn C. Phillips to remind us how, um, *challenging* the acting can be in these films.
All this to say that Amityvillenado is unlikely to change purists’ perspective about the inclusion of DTV entries in the “franchise”. For individuals who have seen some of the output from the last two decades, however, this entry is heads and tails above recent duds like Amityville Bigfoot and Amityville Backpack.
Amityvillenado at least tells a coherent story, with identifiable character arcs and the requisite self-awareness evident in the best contemporary entries.
Amityvillenado is out on VOD as of March 24.
The Amityville IP Awards go to…
- Tornado Warning: The storm FX are the most demanding effect of the film, so it’s wise of Tucker and Van Gerwen to mostly imply the tornadoes until the climax, which principally shifts the action into B/W and green screen. The rest of the time, characters simply look to the sky as their souls are sucked out like a black mist. The reality is that it doesn’t look half bad. If anything, it’s on par with your average genre cable TV show.
- Amityville Awareness: From Jib swiping at flies and acknowledging that “There’s like a million [Amityville] movies…” to his rant about the items that Trey expects to find in the Amityville wreckage (examples include: a mirror/painting, dollhouse, clock, and spooky toilet), it’s pretty clear that these filmmakers have done their homework. Which makes sense, considering they literally host an Amityville podcast called “For God’s Sake, Get Out: An Amityville Podcast.”
- Shadow Puppetry: It worked the charm in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman remake, and it works here, as well. The sad historical backstory about the tornadoes is depicted late in the film via a shadow puppet sequence, and it’s arguably the best/most gorgeous part of the film. Kudos to the team, which includes Puppet Maker Jacob Bursch and puppeteers Jeff Van Gerwen, Paul Tucker, Clay Aleman, and Bradley Greer. Let me tell you: none of the other Amityville films have displayed this level of creative experimentation, and I, for one, greatly appreciated it!
- Scream Homage: In addition to June’s hilarious meteorology name (we eventually learn she changed it from Brittany June Cummings, so…BJ Cummings), the news anchor June aspires to replace is named Gale Thunder, which is spelled the exact same way the Scream character spells it. This, in addition to a specific sound cue evoking Angelo Badalamenti’s score, is an obvious homage to Wes Craven’s slasher classic.
- June also drops “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” at one point, confirming Tucker and Van Gerwen’s media literacy.
- Queer Coding: Considering that the film more or less insinuates that Becca was cheating on her police officer husband, Richard, with Jessy, it’s interesting that the film never pulls the trigger on the queer chemistry between Jib and Richard. All of their interactions have an antagonistic/mocking tone that suggests a sexual attraction (Jib repeatedly – and deliberately – calls Richard “Dick Lips” throughout the film). Sure, Jib’s main storyline is about his strained friendship with Trey, but the climax seemingly goes out of its way to pair Richard and June as if they’re destined to be a couple, despite Aleman and Haddan’s stronger chemistry.
- Don’t even get me started on the poly implications of “Storm Chasers”, the band that the survivors propose in the film’s denouement.