El regreso

Here we go again, another mediocre entry to the Amityville franchise that seems to get less interesting the further along it goes. I don't know, but I do miss the ominous house itself which featured prominently in the first three films. Sure it has connections and even the image of it appears in the haunted antique mirror which came from infamous Long Island house, but it's just not the same. The straight-to-video fare "A New Generation" is the seventh film, where the terror scraps suburbia for an urban apartment building filled with budding artists who one-by- one fall to the evil entity.

An antique mirror is given to a photographer by a homeless man. Soon after accepting the gift, the man starts having haunting visions of a killing spree which might just have some relevance to him. But he's not the only one who's been affected by the demonic force within the mirror, but those living in his studio building begin to find themselves possessed/or infatuated by these dark forces.

The plot tries to tie in a little more to the history of the Long House island, especially with the main character's (an affable Ross Partridge) connection to what's actually happening. So most of the time is spent with Partridge's character trying to uncover the truth and dealing with flashbacks. Didn't make it any more interesting though. Predictable and interchangeable. The imitating special effects do have its moments, but there's a real lack of atmosphere and thrills. Sure it's slickly directed, but feels vapid and flat. There's a good supporting cast featuring Terry O'Quinn, Richard Roundtree. Julia Nickson-Soul and a very twitchy David Naughton that do enliven things.

Hardly terrible, but rather uninspired.

'A New Generation' is the third Amityville entry to base its plot around writer John G. Jones's premise of an item taken from the Long Island house that causes spectral misery and death for its new owners. First a lamp, then a clock, and now a mirror. However, this is also the first Amityville since 'The Possession' to directly tie in to the real- life events that started the whole series. This time around, Keyes Terry (Robert Partridge), an artist, is given a macabre-looking mirror by a homeless man one day. Soon enough, people around him start to die, eventually leading to his discovery that the mirror once hung in the Amityville house - indeed on the very night a man named Franklin Bronner (Sonny Montelli in 'Amityville II') murdered his entire family. Unfortunately for Terry, his discovery of the mirror isn't entirely coincidental, and he soon learns the truth about his past a truth he's kept buried since childhood.

This 7th installment in the often worn-out franchise is something of a disappointment for me. Things were starting to pick up with the silly and uneven, yet entertaining 'It's About Time', and given how much this film tries to draw upon its roots - not the first episode, but the source material itself - it should have been better than it was.

However, three trips to the same well with yet another evil artifact from the Amityville house with yet another explanation for the malign paranormal visitations is wearing on me, to say the least. One of the biggest weaknesses of the Amityville franchise is the steadfast determination by each set of producers to completely ignore every other episode in the series. On the one hand, it's perfectly reasonable that they don't want to be tied to someone else's continuity, but at the very least, they could maybe acknowledge story lines that have already been done and just possibly *not repeat them over and over again*.

There's also something rather plodding about the way in which the story unfolds, doubtless due to the inevitability this repetition-fest brings. Since you already know what's going to happen, the carefully-paced build-up is simply slow and tedious. Or maybe it's just tedious anyway. Director John Murlowski probably could have done more to heighten the tense atmosphere associated with the mirror rather than simply having it flash red and emit chattering 'evil' voices, which lacks any kind of subtlety. There were times when characters seemed fairly unfazed by its otherworldly qualities. If they don't take it too seriously, why should we?

Which is a shame, because 'A New Generation' has a more-than-capable cast. I was going to hold off on watching this until I saw the name 'Julia Nickson' in the credits. She captivated my attention just as she always does, and if anything, I was annoyed her part wasn't more extensive. Terry O'Quinn was equally charismatic and again, underused. Partridge himself in the lead role clearly fits the early 90s over-coiffed lumberjack-shirted square-jawed hero type, and while I'm not sure he really gave it the gravitas needed, it's not as if anyone here is performing Ibsen.

The sets are also worthy of note, from the dramatic artwork filling Suki's room, to the claustrophobic corridors featured in flashback/supernatural sequences. Getting the look of these right is especially important given how certain sequences are repeated throughout the film to simulated fragmented memories. Clearly, Murlowski is more of a visual director rather than either an actor's director or one of horror. Unfortunately, it is meant to be a horror film, after all.

'A New Generation' sees the same race being run for the third time in 4 years. Add to this the lack of direction where it was really needed and the whole effort fails to stand as tall as it should. However, it should be acknowledged for its strong ties with the source material and some good actors in not necessarily their finest hours. Honestly, the ideal person for this is someone who hasn't seen any of the sequels past 'The Possession', for whom the story won't be such a massive deja-vu trip.

An L.A. photographer gets an antique mirror from a homeless man which triggers memories of his mysterious past and also allows a demons to rampage the lofts where he lives and terrorize the residents.

Amityville: A New Generation has a few memorable moments, but a lot of the horror scenes read more goofy than scary, especially any time the demon manifests. It does function as a fascinating 90's time capsule, though, and the cast is much more staked than other entries in the franchise with several horror regulars showing up for supporting roles.

After a very good sixth sequel released a year before this, the series takes a slight step back in the 7th film - Amityville: A New Generation. We continue the theme of possessed items from the original house being evil and having the power to kill people. This one is an evil mirror which has the power to show a person how they'll die - and then makes it happen!

The film begins with a young photographer named Keyes who is given a seemingly innocent antique mirror by a homeless man. We quickly learn that the mirror is cursed and was an item in the infamous house on Long Island. Once Keyes puts the mirror up in his loft, many of his roommates and friends start dying off in pretty creative ways by staring into the mirror. There is also a bit of a backstory with Keyes as we learn that he once lived in the Amityville house as a child and that his family murdered by his possessed father, connecting this sequel to the first two very nicely.

I really liked that they took us back to the original story and tried to integrate Keyes into that plot of the possessed man killing his family. The movie itself though isn't all that scary. The mirror's power to kill people was creative, but not all that terrifying. That is the core problem with the series at this point with the theme of possessed items. No one is scared of lamps or mirrors or dollhouses.

In the acting department, Amityville 7 gives us horror heavy hitters David Naughton and Terry O'Quinn. Both of which are known for 'An American Werewolf in London' and 'The Stepfather' respectively. In addition, Ross Partridge does well as the lead male character. Everyone else is pretty much background to the overall story.

Amityville: A New Generation, like its predecessor, manages to at least be an entertaining watch. It isn't a terrifying film, and the second half falls apart, but if you are a fan of the series it does tie in to the original story of the DeFeo's and their deaths at the infamous Amityville house. It isn't nearly as fun as Amityville 1992, and drags on way too much, but manages to be a competent entry. I'd check it out at least once.

5/10

Ignore the ridiculous 1 star reviews from people who can't even get the plot points right, this is a decent enough movie with a cast of professional actors who can all act.

Not really a true Amityville movie, a cynic might suggest that they tacked on the name Amityville...shame on you! Haha. This is worth a watch, just don't expect too much.