If you’ve ever fallen down a late-night rabbit hole of 80s horror, you’ve probably hit the weird, sticky wall that is Amityville II: The Possession. It isn't just another sequel. Honestly, it’s one of the most uncomfortable, mean-spirited, and strangely well-acted movies of its era.
Released in 1982, it served as a prequel to the 1979 original, aiming to tell the "true" story of the DeFeo family (renamed the Montellis in the script). But what really makes it stick in your brain isn't the jump scares. It’s the Amityville II: The Possession cast. They didn't just show up for a paycheck; they delivered performances so raw and dysfunctional that the movie feels more like a gritty kitchen-sink drama that accidentally got possessed by a demon.
The Montelli Family: Casting the Chaos
Most horror movies of that time followed the "Final Girl" trope or featured interchangeable teens. This film went a different route. It focused on a deeply broken family unit.
Burt Young played the patriarch, Anthony Montelli. Fresh off his success in the Rocky films, Young brought a terrifying, grounded energy to the role. He wasn't a supernatural monster—he was a domestic one. He spends half the movie screaming at his kids and the other half swinging a belt. It’s a brutal performance.
Then you have Rutanya Alda as Dolores Montelli. If you recognize her, it’s likely from Mommie Dearest or The Deer Hunter. She’s the heart of the family, trying to hold things together while her husband unravels and her eldest son starts acting... well, demonic.
The kids are where the movie gets really controversial. Jack Magner played Sonny Montelli, the stand-in for Ronald DeFeo Jr. Magner had this intense, gaunt look that worked perfectly for a guy losing his soul. Alongside him was Diane Franklin as Patricia Montelli.
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Franklin is basically 80s royalty (Better Off Dead, The Last American Virgin), but this role was something else entirely. The "possession" in this movie involves a very disturbing incest subplot between Sonny and Patricia that most modern studios wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.
The Religious Resistance
You can’t have an Amityville movie without a priest who gets in over his head.
James Olson stepped in as Father Adamsky. Olson was a veteran actor, known for The Andromeda Strain and later Commando. He plays Adamsky with a sort of weary, intellectual desperation. Unlike the priests in The Exorcist who feel like warriors of God, Olson’s character feels like a man trying to solve a puzzle that is actively eating him alive.
The chemistry—or lack thereof—between the cast members is what makes the house feel so oppressive. You actually believe these people are trapped together.
Why the Amityville II: The Possession Cast Felt Different
Most people expect a "haunted house" movie to be about ghosts jumping out of closets.
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In this film, the horror is largely psychological until the third act. The Amityville II: The Possession cast had to carry a lot of heavy lifting. Director Damiano Damiani was an Italian filmmaker known for political thrillers, not slashers. He treated the script like a tragedy.
- Burt Young's Method: Young reportedly stayed in character a lot, maintaining a gruff, intimidating presence on set.
- Rutanya Alda’s Struggle: Alda has been vocal in interviews about how difficult the shoot was. The atmosphere was tense, and the subject matter was draining.
- Diane Franklin’s Bravery: Playing Patricia required a level of vulnerability that most young actresses would have shied away from. She managed to make the character sympathetic despite the script's darkest turns.
It’s also worth noting the smaller roles. Andrew Prine shows up as Father Tom, and Moses Gunn plays Detective Turner. These are high-caliber character actors. When you put Moses Gunn in a horror movie, you’re signaling that you want the audience to take the stakes seriously.
Behind the Scenes: A Production in Two Worlds
The making of the film was as fractured as the family it portrayed.
They shot the exteriors in Toms River, New Jersey—using the same house from the first film. But the interiors? Those were mostly done in Mexico City.
This created a weird disconnect. The cast was working in a foreign environment, dealing with language barriers and a director who had a very specific, European vision for what "possession" looked like. It wasn't about pea soup; it was about the rot of the American family.
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Where is the cast now?
It’s been decades, and the careers of these actors took very different paths.
- Burt Young: Remained a beloved character actor until his passing in 2023. He never quite escaped the shadow of "Paulie" from Rocky, but horror fans always remember him as the terrifying Anthony Montelli.
- Diane Franklin: She became a cult icon. Interestingly, she returned to the franchise in 2018’s The Amityville Murders, but this time she played the mother, Louise DeFeo. Talk about full circle.
- Jack Magner: He largely stepped away from the spotlight. After a role in Firestarter, he moved on from the Hollywood grind.
- James Olson: He retired from acting in the 90s and lived a quiet life in California until he passed away in 2022.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Movie
A lot of critics at the time dismissed it as "trashy."
They weren't entirely wrong—it is trashy. But looking back, the Amityville II: The Possession cast elevated the material. If you compare it to the dozens of low-budget Amityville sequels that came out in the 90s and 2000s, the acting here is Shakespearean.
The movie tries to bridge the gap between the actual DeFeo murders and the supernatural mythology of the first film. It’s a messy bridge. However, the raw, uncomfortable energy brought by Young and Magner makes it the only sequel in the entire franchise that actually feels dangerous.
Actionable Insights for Horror Fans
If you're planning a rewatch or diving in for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the subtle stuff: Look at how Rutanya Alda reacts to Burt Young’s outbursts. It’s not "horror movie" acting; it’s the look of a woman who has lived with a bully for twenty years.
- Context matters: Remember that this was released just a few years after the real-life events. The wound was still fresh in the public consciousness.
- Focus on the score: Lalo Schifrin (who did Mission: Impossible) wrote the music. It’s dissonant and weirdly beautiful, matching the cast's erratic energy.
- Compare the portrayals: If you've seen The Amityville Murders (2018), compare how Diane Franklin plays the mother versus how she played the daughter in 1982. It’s a fascinating study in genre acting.
Basically, if you can get past the ick factor of the plot, the talent on screen is undeniable. It’s a snapshot of a time when horror was allowed to be genuinely mean and the actors were encouraged to go for the throat.
To dive deeper into the history of the production, you can check out Rutanya Alda’s memoirs or Diane Franklin’s various interviews on the convention circuit. They offer a much clearer picture of how a group of talented actors ended up in one of the most polarizing horror movies ever made.