The Amityville Curse (1990)

20% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(7,102 ratings)

This fifth installment in the tiresome horror series is so far removed from its creatively depleted source material that one wonders why the filmmakers bothered to use the "Amityville" reference in the title. In fact, there is some question as to whether the haunted house featured here is even… More This fifth installment in the tiresome horror series is so far removed from its creatively depleted source material that one wonders why the filmmakers bothered to use the "Amityville" reference in the title. In fact, there is some question as to whether the haunted house featured here is even supposed to be the same accursed residence as established in the four prior chapters. For openers, the house doesn't look remotely similar; in addition, the scenes establishing its bloody history -- involving the murder of the house's former owner, a local priest -- seem to have eschewed any continuity with the earlier films. Disassociating this cheap production from others in the franchise doesn't help much, as the story is completely incomprehensible, dusting off the usual haunted-house cliches to little effect. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Tom Berry
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: May 7, 1990 Wide
Studio: Trimark

Critic Reviews

Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
just when you thought it was ok to go back to the haunted house...
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Eye-gougingly scary. If you don't want nightmares, don't watch this film.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

The Amityville Curse indeed! Out of all 9 (so far) films in the cursed franchise, this one is the most cursed. It has very little to do with any of the other films or the source material, isn't very scary and has the worst acting/script/story I've seen for a Long time. Makes… More
The Amityville Curse indeed! Out of all 9 (so far) films in the cursed franchise, this one is the most cursed. It has very little to do with any of the other films or the source material, isn't very scary and has the worst acting/script/story I've seen for a Long time. Makes Amityville 3D look like a masterpiece!
Dr Blood

While I enjoyed the book by Hans Holzer, I can't say the same about this film. The special effects really aren't very special at all and it's just not scary. If you didn't know any better you would think it was a B movie. It went straight to video so it might as… More
While I enjoyed the book by Hans Holzer, I can't say the same about this film. The special effects really aren't very special at all and it's just not scary. If you didn't know any better you would think it was a B movie. It went straight to video so it might as well be anyway. There are much better versions of the same story so this is really one to miss.
Lafe F

This has nothing to do with any of the other Amityville movies. Yes, it does take place in the town of Amityville, but a totally different house with a completely different history. I guess there was no copyright on using "Amityville" in any haunted house movie title. They… More
This has nothing to do with any of the other Amityville movies. Yes, it does take place in the town of Amityville, but a totally different house with a completely different history. I guess there was no copyright on using "Amityville" in any haunted house movie title. They had music which sounded vaguely like the Amityville Horror theme. A group of five adults move into a house on impulse when they are driving past it; there isn't even a "For Sale" sign or a Real Estate Agent around, which I found funny. The house is totally furnished, but needs all sorts of renovations to get it functional again. I found it strange that they were walking around with candles, rather than using flashlights or getting the lights fixed. Some small creepy things happen, but they don't think much of it and decide to stay; I would've been gone in an instant! There's a hidden bunch of secrets on the property; I'm surprised the locals didn't tell them sooner; we get the backstory over one hour into the movie. The plot is a bit confusing, with a hung boy and his dog in the yard, and a priest shot in his confessional booth at the church around the corner 12 years ago. There are no devils or demons - or buried Indians for that matter - this is simply a ghostly affair. One of the women in the house has psychic visions and writes them in her journal; she has a few freakout moments, which were funny. The script is silly and has the characters doing things which don't make much sense. It's not directed or edited in a scary fashion; I found everything somewhat funny. They could've taken the same story, and made it quite freaky; if the actors and direction was inclined. The only scene which was slightly creepy was when the woman went for a stroll down in the basement and saw claws and a face coming out of the wood of the confessional booth. The spider in the bedroom, the goop in the bathtub, and the dog attack were all laugh-out moments. Most of the deaths are goreless and occur offscreen when they do happen. The end battle with the "monster" is pretty good, involving acid and carpentry tools; decent gore here. This film was made in Montreal, and shown direct-to-television, and it really shows. Watch it for the funny story and acting; you probably won't get scared.