Amityville: The Awakening

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Amityville: The Awakening Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Not bad for Amityville, but still not great; violence.

R 2017 85 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 16+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Amityville: The Awakening is one of many movies in the Amityville horror franchise, though it ignores all the previous installments, instead following up where the 1979 original left off. There are flashbacks to the original murders, plus jump scares and other scary stuff, plus blood stains, guns and shooting, stabbing, crashing through a window, creepy bugs, and arguing. Language includes a use of "f--k," several uses of "s--t," and more. A teen girl is shown wearing tight clothes at school and very revealing underwear at home. Although the film starts off with some good ideas and is a little better than most of the others in the series, it's still not that good. Note: The movie was originally rated R but was edited to earn a PG-13 rating.

Community Reviews

Cloudy
Cloudy Adult
July 26, 2019
age 13+

Spooky, but may be too intense for little kids

It’s mostly spooky, not as scary or dark as the other Amityville movies. There isn’t any sex. A teenage girl walks around in a tiny underwear and you see half her butt cheeks. Also a weird scene where it appears that the mom is shirtless and bra less being touched on her shoulder and back by her son. There isn’t much gore, except for the corpse of a dog, which is only shown briefly. A couple of people die near the end by gunfire so it’s not gratuitous. It’s a good supernatural movie, not great, but good.
Fernando V.
Fernando V. Adult
May 8, 2018
age 13+

Amityville: The Awakening Review

Amityville: The Awaking is a sequel that is okay and worth the watch. But there is still no jump scares, well there are, but they didn’t affect me. This is also the first PG-13 installment in the popular franchise. I am going to admit this was a disappointing sequel but better then the 2005 remake. This was originally R rated but cutted to a PG-13 version. There is no sexual content, but however the main character in this film did see her mom and brother touching each other. The mom was naked with no bra, but no nudity was shown. There is violence but brief. The gun violence was very brief, however you didn’t see the killings happened, you heard them. Like I said before this film was a disappointing sequel, but better then the 2005 remake. I’m going to give Amityville: The Awakening a 5/10.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In AMITYVILLE: THE AWAKENING, the Walker family moves into the infamous Amityville house, home of so many brutal murders. Mother Joan (Jennifer Jason Leigh) hopes that the change will be good for her son, James (Cameron Monaghan), who's in a coma. But teen daughter Belle (Bella Thorne) is upset about having to move and feels that her mother loves her less than she does James. Belle meets Terrence (Thomas Mann) at school, and he introduces her to the Amityville Horror stories and movies, which she knew nothing about. Soon youngest daughter Juliet (Mckenna Grace) claims to have been "speaking" with James, and then James opens his eyes and appears to be recovering. But before long, the old horrors arise again.

Is It Any Good?

This umpteenth sequel in the Amityville franchise isn't that great, but it's surprisingly better than most of the other entries. Directed by Franck Khalfoun (P2, the remake of Maniac, etc.), Amityville: The Awakening -- which was postponed many times over nearly three years -- actually brings a couple of interesting ideas and characters to the table. There's poor James, lost in a coma, as well as all the stress and jealousy that his situation brings about in the family. It's a strong start, rather than some clueless family simply moving into a haunted house.

Moreover, the movie sets its story in a universe where the true story (the 1974 murders) actually occurred and became the basis for the fictional movies. (It jokingly points out how awful the 2005 Amityville Horror remake is.) And Khalfoun's camerawork and editing are a notch above the usual noisy jump scares in most horror movies. But at every point, Amityville: The Awakening drops the ball. It never follows up on any of its ideas, never takes anything very far. It ends up feeling disappointingly simplistic. By the time the third-act climax comes, it all seems fairly pointless.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Amityville: The Awakening's violence. How much is actually shown? Does the (relative) lack of gory stuff make the movie any less horrific? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of scary movies?

  • How does this movie compare with the original book? The original movie? The sequels?

  • What is the sibling relationship like in this story? Can you relate?

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