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The Amityville Moon
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Dumb werewolf movie has blood, gore, violence.
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The Amityville Moon
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What's the Story?
In THE AMITYVILLE MOON, Alyssa (Alex Rinehart) and Karla try to escape from a church halfway house where they've been living. While Alyssa manages to get out, Karla is attacked and killed by what appears to be a werewolf. Meanwhile, Detective Kimball (Trey McCurley) is back on the job after his maverick ways earned him a suspension, and his first assignment is to track down Alyssa and Karla, who are presumed to be runaways. Kimball meets with the priests and nuns who run the halfway house, and then meets Mandy, one of the women living there, and she warns Kimball that there's something terribly wrong inside the house. Soon, Kimball tracks down Alyssa, who has been hiding out in a biker bar, where she seems to be trading illicit favors in exchange for protection. Kimball gets Alyssa out of there, but not without a fight from the bikers. In the cop car, Alyssa tells Kimball the truth about what happened to Karla, and why she doesn't want to go back to the halfway house. As a hardnosed and cynical cop, Kimball is skeptical of Alyssa's story, but decides to check it out. By the time they arrive back at the church, Kimball discovers that Alyssa's story checks out, and as they learn why there's a werewolf inside the church halfway house, they must find a way to stop it.
Is It Any Good?
This is a dumb werewolf movie that's not really a sequel. The Amityville Moon does have the word "Amityville" in its title, and it's set in Amityville, New York, and that's where the similarities end between this movie and previous movies in a franchise that seems to get even worse with each new title. The characters -- stern nun, rebellious runaway, surly biker, maverick cop, etc. are like watching a Cliche Parade march down Fifth Avenue. The story isn't any better, with the added touch of extreme clunkiness. Some scenes are utterly pointless, the character development is an exercise in overdoing it, and the werewolf's guttural howling is probably the best dialogue in the entire movie.
While it's not for lack of trying, the emotional range required for some of the more dramatic scenes of the movie (the scenes that don't involve getting clawed in the face by a werewolf) is clearly beyond the skillset of most of the actors involved. Some are better than others, and while no one expects Meryl Streep levels of Oscar-winning star turns, this is below the already rock-bottom expectations of low-budget horror. It's just a really bad movie; there's nothing more to say about it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sequels that aren't really sequels, like The Amityville Moon. Why do you think Hollywood makes so-called "sequels" that have little, if anything, to do with the previous movies in the "series?"
How does the violence here compare to other horror movies you've seen?
How does the movie try to convey the challenges women face when living in halfway houses? Do you think the portrayal is realistic? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 5, 2021
- Cast: Tuesday Knight , Cody Renee Cameron , Augie Duke
- Director: Thomas J. Churchill
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 92 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: Bloody violence.
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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