Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”
For the 25th entry of this editorial series (!), we’re looking at the lone Amityville directed solo by a woman: Rebecca Matthews’ Witches of Amityville Academy (2020). Also known as Amityville Witches or Witches of Amityville, this British production is another “Amityville in name only.” That means the characters say the word, but it has no bearing to haunted objects and/or its DeFeo predecessors. In fact, the film is closer in tone and visual aesthetic to a soap opera than the preceding 26 titles.
Screenwriter Tom Joliffe opens the film with not one, but two cold opens. The first features witches being hanged in 1602, while the second jumps ahead to the present day as white magic sisters Sam (Kira Reed Lorsch), Lucy (Donna Spangler...
For the 25th entry of this editorial series (!), we’re looking at the lone Amityville directed solo by a woman: Rebecca Matthews’ Witches of Amityville Academy (2020). Also known as Amityville Witches or Witches of Amityville, this British production is another “Amityville in name only.” That means the characters say the word, but it has no bearing to haunted objects and/or its DeFeo predecessors. In fact, the film is closer in tone and visual aesthetic to a soap opera than the preceding 26 titles.
Screenwriter Tom Joliffe opens the film with not one, but two cold opens. The first features witches being hanged in 1602, while the second jumps ahead to the present day as white magic sisters Sam (Kira Reed Lorsch), Lucy (Donna Spangler...
- 10/10/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Stars: Sarah T. Cohen, May Kelly, Kelly Rian Sanson, Matthew Baunsgard, Gillian Broderick, Georgina Jane, Sara Maurelli, Sonja Quita Doubleday, Chris Cordell, Amanda Himsworth | Written by Sam Ashurst | Directed by Jack E. Bell
I was a Huge fan of last year’s The Curse of Humpty Dumpty from writer/director/producer Scott Jeffrey, so when a sequel was announced I was very excited to see it… Turns out I didn’t have to wait too long as distributors ITN Distribution have, like the last half-dozen or so films from Jeffrey’s Jagged Edge and Proportion Productions, dumped it’s sequel, The Cult of Humpty Dumpty (aka The Curse of Humpty Dumpty 2 or the miss-monikered The Cult of Humpty Dumpty 2 it’s also branded as online), to Amazon Prime with zero fan-fare, along with the Jack and Jill sequel. Good job I’ve got an alert set up for his films isn’t it?...
I was a Huge fan of last year’s The Curse of Humpty Dumpty from writer/director/producer Scott Jeffrey, so when a sequel was announced I was very excited to see it… Turns out I didn’t have to wait too long as distributors ITN Distribution have, like the last half-dozen or so films from Jeffrey’s Jagged Edge and Proportion Productions, dumped it’s sequel, The Cult of Humpty Dumpty (aka The Curse of Humpty Dumpty 2 or the miss-monikered The Cult of Humpty Dumpty 2 it’s also branded as online), to Amazon Prime with zero fan-fare, along with the Jack and Jill sequel. Good job I’ve got an alert set up for his films isn’t it?...
- 11/9/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Georgina Jane, Zuza Tehanu, Barbara Dabson, Faith Kiggundu, Nicole Nabi, Richard Harfst, Megan Purvis, Kate Sandison | Written by Scott Jeffrey | Directed by Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca Matthews
I’m going to sound like a broken record this week with not one but Four Scott Jeffrey film currently on the slate for review. This, Cannibal Troll, is the second of the week and harkens back to the more basic era of Scott Jeffrey’s filmmaking – insomuch that this film is essentially a basic slasher movie retread with a troll as its antagonist rather than a deranged maniac! There’s also, given the use of the word ‘cannibal’ in the title, a nod to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, with the troll seemingly building a “family” of victims, not killing them – or eating them as the title would suggest – but rather having them around his home, keeping them alive for some (not clearly explained) reason.
I’m going to sound like a broken record this week with not one but Four Scott Jeffrey film currently on the slate for review. This, Cannibal Troll, is the second of the week and harkens back to the more basic era of Scott Jeffrey’s filmmaking – insomuch that this film is essentially a basic slasher movie retread with a troll as its antagonist rather than a deranged maniac! There’s also, given the use of the word ‘cannibal’ in the title, a nod to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, with the troll seemingly building a “family” of victims, not killing them – or eating them as the title would suggest – but rather having them around his home, keeping them alive for some (not clearly explained) reason.
- 7/1/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Kira Reed Lorsch, Donna Spangler, Jake Francis, Nicola Wright, Georgina Jane, Jon Callaway, Sarah T. Cohen, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Toby Wynn-Davies, Barbara Dabson, Brittan Taylor, Jim Arnold, Lee Cutler, Sophie Jay, Venetia Cook | Written by Tom Jolliffe | Directed by Rebecca Matthews
With a title shortened from Witches of Amityville Academy (probably so as not to give anyone the wrong impression that this is a teen movie a la Sabrina), Witches of Amityville tells the story of Jessica who, when receives an invitation to attend an exclusive academy, jumps at the chance to go to a prestigious school. However, on her first night, when she sees another newcomer murdered in front of her, she realises something is very wrong. She discovers the academy is actually a cover for a coven of witches and she has hidden powers that might just help save her life and escape their evil clutches…
Ok, by...
With a title shortened from Witches of Amityville Academy (probably so as not to give anyone the wrong impression that this is a teen movie a la Sabrina), Witches of Amityville tells the story of Jessica who, when receives an invitation to attend an exclusive academy, jumps at the chance to go to a prestigious school. However, on her first night, when she sees another newcomer murdered in front of her, she realises something is very wrong. She discovers the academy is actually a cover for a coven of witches and she has hidden powers that might just help save her life and escape their evil clutches…
Ok, by...
- 10/19/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Stephanie Lodge, Ryan Davies, Jake Watkins, Will Stanton, Georgina Jane, Helen Minassian, Nicola Wright, Aj Blackwell | Written and Directed by Scott Jeffrey
Yet Another film from the ever-prolific UK genre outfit Proportion Productions, Don’t Speak sees the company, and in particular director Scott Jeffrey, on familiar ground. Now if I tell you that Don’t Speak follows in the footsteps of Pet Graveyard, The Mummy Reborn and Clowndoll; you might, just might, be able to figure out what I’m about to say.
For those that are still in the dark, the aforementioned films were somewhat pastiches of bigger budget Hollywood films and Don’t Speak is no different – in fact if I tell you that Don’t Speak‘s original title was Silent Place, you’ll know which film Jeffrey’s take its inspiration from. Of course, this slice of British-made horror is a riff on A Quiet Place, with...
Yet Another film from the ever-prolific UK genre outfit Proportion Productions, Don’t Speak sees the company, and in particular director Scott Jeffrey, on familiar ground. Now if I tell you that Don’t Speak follows in the footsteps of Pet Graveyard, The Mummy Reborn and Clowndoll; you might, just might, be able to figure out what I’m about to say.
For those that are still in the dark, the aforementioned films were somewhat pastiches of bigger budget Hollywood films and Don’t Speak is no different – in fact if I tell you that Don’t Speak‘s original title was Silent Place, you’ll know which film Jeffrey’s take its inspiration from. Of course, this slice of British-made horror is a riff on A Quiet Place, with...
- 3/9/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Georgina Jane, Michael Owusu, Abi Casson Thompson, Ali Barouti, Bao Tieu, Sarah T. Cohen, Georgie Banks, Kelly Jubilee, Jake Watkins, Adrian Bouchet | Written and Directed by Scott Jeffrey
Opening with brilliant, narrated, animation that re-tells that tale of cupid and thus setting up the films evil villain, Cupid is the latest film from ow-budget genre production company Proportion Productions – a company whose output we here at Nerdly have been big fans of over the years. Yes their budgets may be small but their ideas are big; and when the two meet you get some fantastic Dtv horror fare.
Like a lot of Proportion Productions films, Cupid keeps things very much “in the family”, with Scott Jeffrey – writer of the companies first film Fox Trap, co-writer of the remake of video nasty Unhinged, half fo the team that penned The Mummy Reborn and producer of a Ton of the comapnies...
Opening with brilliant, narrated, animation that re-tells that tale of cupid and thus setting up the films evil villain, Cupid is the latest film from ow-budget genre production company Proportion Productions – a company whose output we here at Nerdly have been big fans of over the years. Yes their budgets may be small but their ideas are big; and when the two meet you get some fantastic Dtv horror fare.
Like a lot of Proportion Productions films, Cupid keeps things very much “in the family”, with Scott Jeffrey – writer of the companies first film Fox Trap, co-writer of the remake of video nasty Unhinged, half fo the team that penned The Mummy Reborn and producer of a Ton of the comapnies...
- 2/13/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Tagline: "Everyone knows the legend of Cupid.. But do they know his dark side?" Cupid is a horror film from director Scott Jeffrey (The Final Scream) and Proportion Productions. In the film, a practicing witch summons an evil Cupid, after she is harassed at school. Now, the mean girls have something to contend with this Valentine's Day! Jeffrey's latest film stars: Georgina Jane (The 12), Bao Tieu (Operation Cobra), Michael Owusu, Abi Casson Thompson and Sarah T. Cohen. Now, a newly released trailer is available ahead of the film's February release date. The clip shows several young women at a private school. The cool kids pick on the wrong person. Soon, a hideous bird of love swoops in, to right several wrongs. When the bow and arrows come out, this graduating class is soon reduced to just a handful of students. Uncork'd Entertainment will release the film on several formats. To show on Digital and DVD,...
- 1/15/2020
- by noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Stars: Jessica O’Toole, David Cotter, Rita Siddiqui, Kate Lush, Andrew Hollingworth, Claire-Maria Fox, Mike Kelson, Kate Milner Evans, Heronimo Sehmi, Georgina Jane, Hattie Willow | Written by Suzy Spade | Directed by Rebecca Matthews
We’ve covered quite a few films from UK production outfit Proportion Productions, who have become almost factory-like in their film output in recent years, with films like the Unhinged remake, Fox Trap, House on Elm Lake, Darker Shade of Elise, Mother Krampus, Suicide Club, Curse of the Scarecrow and The Bad Nun to name a few… Pet Graveyard is the latest film in their ouevre and no, before you ask, this is Not a riff on Pet Sematary.
Going back to the title for a minute, it seems such a shame that the companies recent output has been lumbered with these “mockbuster”-like titles and marketing (I’m looking at you Mother Krampus and The Bad...
We’ve covered quite a few films from UK production outfit Proportion Productions, who have become almost factory-like in their film output in recent years, with films like the Unhinged remake, Fox Trap, House on Elm Lake, Darker Shade of Elise, Mother Krampus, Suicide Club, Curse of the Scarecrow and The Bad Nun to name a few… Pet Graveyard is the latest film in their ouevre and no, before you ask, this is Not a riff on Pet Sematary.
Going back to the title for a minute, it seems such a shame that the companies recent output has been lumbered with these “mockbuster”-like titles and marketing (I’m looking at you Mother Krampus and The Bad...
- 3/22/2019
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
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