Director(s) – Derek Braasch (Torture the Flesh, Christmas Revenge), Marcelo Fabani (I Slay on Christmas, Doomsday Stories), and James Panetta (Phil Herman’s Unearthed, Death in the Dark)
Starring – Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Weird Science), Jeremy London (Mallrats, Perversions of Science), and Sandy Johnson (Halloween, The Farmhouse Murder)
Release Date – 2026
Rating – 1/5
I love when the horror genre finds a trend that almost everyone fully embraces. The Amityville Horror has always been considered a classic among genre fans and I can see why. I enjoy the film and several of it’s official sequels but I don’t consider it one of my favorite films. My favorite part about this film’s legacy is all the unofficial sequels and random movies that had Amityville added to the name by distributors at the last minute. Seriously, just take a moment and go to Tubi.
Just do a little search for Amityville and you will see dozens of films that have absolutely nothing to do with Amityville or it’s original story that had the name added to it by a distribution company just to sell a few extra films. Sometime ago, I’m talking months back, I was asked to review the horror anthology Amityville: Descendants of Darkness by producer Phil Herman. I wasn’t able to get to it right away but made sure to add it to my review list to check out as soon as I could. I want to thank Phil for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film features four stories centered around the sinister Amityville house as told by a young woman. The first tale follows some thieves that try their luck at finding some hidden fortunes in the shed on the Amityville property only to find that they are apart of something far more sinister. The second tale follows a family that finds themselves in possession of an item from the home where something evil has attached itself to it. The third story follows a cop tormented by someone he couldn’t save. The last segment follows a family that movies into a new home. The husband begins to start to slip and they soon learn that their new home was built on the same ground of the original Amityville house. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one kind of excited to check it out. I recently watched Amityvillnado and really enjoyed it for what it was which made me really look forward to this one. Sadly, that excitement quickly faded as the film progressed. I really wanted to like it but it just wasn’t for me.
The acting in this one is very uneven and not very consistent. The segment that bookends the film is probably the best acted short in the film. The young lady delivering her dialogue is very natural in front of the camera and does a solid job in her role. the remaining segments are solid for the most part but we have some cast with a lot of experience and some with barely any. Some of the dialogue in these are forced which did create awkward scenes while others were a bit more natural.
The stories for these segments vary in originality but none really deliver something that pulls you in like the original film and it’s official sequels. In fact, every segment borrows heavily from previously released Amityville films. The first segment borrows from the 2017 film Amityville Clownhouse where a group of thieves steal from the infamous home. The second story is much like Amityville: 4: The Evil Escapes and Amityville Vibrator where something from the house, like a lamp from part 4 and a vibrator from AV, found it’s way into someone’s home bringing the curse with them. The final segment is basically a retelling of the original film while the third segment doesn’t really have anything involved with Amityville aside from it being a ghost tale. We have a lot to dissect in this anthology but none of the segments really stuck with me aside from the last portion of the first segment. I liked the ending of this one but it didn’t do a lot to hold my attention until then. They were all pretty bland for the most part and extremely difficult to finish.
Finally, the film has some blood in the first segment and some visual effects scattered throughout the rest but it doesn’t really offer up much in regards to fun blood and guts. Overall, Amityville: Descendants of Darkness has some interesting ideas but doesn’t come together to offer up anything enjoyable. Maybe if some of the segments were explored further but it’s difficult to finish as is. Skip it.
