Amityville Playhouse (2015) User Reviews

not good

[hannahwebber · 2/10 · 19 April 2015]

I will rate this film a 2. That's me being generous as the acting was extremely poor and nothing whatsoever happens in this film. I usually watch films several times before I make a opinion but I won't be watching this film again. I was extremely disappointed as the DVD cover looked very impressive and spooky. Completely opposite to the film. No acting.looked very fake.and just generally disappointed me. When you hear the word 'amytiville' you expect something brilliant brilliant. Iv watched many films involving amytiville and they were definitely worth the watch. Could have been so much better. So all in all dissatisfied and don't recommend but each to there own some people may enjoy. I just won't be watching it again. I felt I should write a review as I have watched many films but this one left me speechless due to the acting.

Horrible plot made worse with horrible acting

[jess-64718 · 1/10 · 14 July 2015]

I'm sorry but this was one of the worst movies I've seen.

The main actress constantly rolls her eyes it is SO annoying. The plot was no good it wasn't scary at all since the acting from all involved ruined every scene. I'm not even sure how long it was but it was so bad it felt very long. The actors were so clueless about everything Going on and the make up was weird. By far the acting was the worst thing.

It was laughable.

The end was stupid.

I gotta stop renting these cheap independent horror films they always suck.

Amityville Theater

[Scarecrow-88 · 2/10 · 27 August 2015]

A high school girl inherits an abandoned theater that hasn't been in operation for five years after her parents die. Her friends come with her to take a look at the place. Once inside, some type of supernatural force traps them in by sealing the doors, and apparitions emerge to freak them out. The lead's geography teacher takes a look at the history behind the theater. The only tie to the Amityville brand is in the name. That is used for eyes to catch it and rent the movie. It is no great shakes. An uneventful script, suspect acting, a lack of real scares or atmosphere, and too much dialogue (and not even good dialogue which makes it even worse) damage a film that needed something of note in order to make the purpose of watching it worthwhile. It isn't *the worst movie ever made* even though I must admit that the acting is rather amateurish and/or uninspired. Either the performances are zombie-like or over-the-top; there's no middle ground.

Fawn (Monèle LeStrat) has a jerk boyfriend with an odious, antagonist attitude, Kyle (Linden Baker) tagging along. Kyle has an estranged brother, Jevan (Logan Russell) who brings along a pal, Matt (Kennie Benoit). Fawn's friend, Indy (Eva Kwok), also joins the group. Wendy (Hollie Kornick) is soon discovered by Jevan; she left home and has used the theater as a place to stay. They don't anticipate *something* inside the theater…

I wish this movie had something—anything—remotely interesting to share with those who are curious of whether or not this utilizes Amityville in a way that makes it worth a gander. Instead it takes Amityville and continues the trend of bad movies linked to the popular name. When you see "Amityville" anything, the film is typically lousy. That's a shame, but, at this point, no longer a surprise. The makeup effects at the end when missing characters return "changed" are excremental. Flashes of figures across the screen to scare the characters before the "possessions" take place don't generate a single chill. The explanation behind the evil in the theater, discovered by the teacher, is cliché (as is the town's "secret"). I don't think many will care less. Even worse is how the town's mayor goes on and on about the dark behavior of its inhabitants.

While nothing cool surfaces in the theater, teach (John Walker) investigates the history of the theater while encountering oddball locals (hotel proprietor, librarian). It is rare that an entire cast (well, Walker might be the exception) stinks, but this film has a lot of subpar performances that reek. Even the theater which should be a character in itself fails to creep us out…it is just a building, and it doesn't even look aged. The pub scenes with Walker and his adult friends (which include a paleontologist, vicar, and vicar's wife) serve as filler (Walker is leaving town for "the States"). But these scenes are no more pointless than the majority of the film inside the theater. You can ratchet up the score to unsettle the nerves but it is too little too late if your audience is damn near apathetic or asleep to care. The film should have just been called "The Bore Theatre", which would have been more apt.

I think its time to retire the name, Amityville. Maybe it is time to allow it to die in peace.

Disappointing

[scarletstains · 1/10 · 10 May 2015]

Was highly disappointed at the lack of acting. I genuinely felt the person doing casting went to the nearest mall, stood in the center of the food court, closed his/her eyes and span in a circle with their finger pointed out. I could hardly get past the first 15 minutes of the film. Asides from the acting, the plot itself was nothing special. Nothing really happened throughout, and when things did happen, the scene just made me cringe at how poorly it was done. This is a disgrace to the Amityville franchise and should never have been given the green light. I advise all horror fans to disregard this film at all costs and just wait for the legit one to release later this year.

The Should Have Included "Horror" in the Title

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 16 April 2015]

The Plot

Following the tragic death of her parents Fawn Harriman discovers she has inherited a theatre in the town of Amityville.

She, along with 3 friends, decides to spend the weekend there looking the place over.

Meanwhile one of her High School teachers begins an investigation into the village's past and makes a connection with something that goes back beyond recorded history.

Lovely.

If you like no production values.

If you like the worst acting ever.

If you like hollow sounding audio.

If you like poorly written and directed films, you might like this movie.

They should have included "horror" in the title because it's horrible.

Nothing -- and i mean nothing -- happens in this movie. It is a stinker

Ohhhh Boy.

[alicethegreat-59826 · 2/10 · 24 April 2015]

The acting (with the cringe-worthy, yet oddly humorous script playing an equal part) was sooo bad, I frequently burst out laughing. Yet, I couldn't turn it off. It was one of those "so bad, it's good" kind of movies. I imagined this would have possibly frightened me if I was a child, or perhaps an anxious teen...

Nothing at all significant happens and you may find yourself scratching your head in confusion as the credits roll, but it will give you something to laugh about if you can let go of any expectations and approach this movie light-heartedly. I would actually recommend this to those who can appreciate a really wonderfully awful movie. :)

garbage

[paulrawson82 · 1/10 · 20 April 2015]

So here's yet another person who thinks they can try their luck at writing and directing a 'horror' movie simply because they are a fan of horror movies and fresh out of college. The writer and director (I used those words loosely ) is sure a fan of the original Amityville the he decided to investigate and see if you could make a film using the Amityville name whilst having nothing at all to do with err... Amityville.

So first off what he did was insult many fans of the original movies.

The writer and director even admitted that only 3 people EVER went to see this movie on its short cinema release. Those 3 people being the writer himself and 2 producers. Says a lot right there.

Don't even read on.. Don't give this trash any more attention and it should go away.

Really?..........

[laughterspenser · 1/10 · 23 April 2015]

A true slap in the face to film. 15 minutes in I could not watch another minute.

There is no story line and the cover supposedly shows an image of the theater when in face it looks nothing like that. I agree to the fullest with the other reviews that when you use a word like Amityville in your title, you better be able to back it up.

High school film projects have less flaws. The main actress is a disgrace to acting, she must be the writer or directors daughter. All in all, I wouldn't wish this movie to be watched by my own worst enemy. I'm doing you all a favor with this review I'm sorry but it really is as bad as I'm portraying it Do yourself a favor and warn others as well. You have been warned....

A joke

[ricky-h · 1/10 · 7 September 2015]

Acting was the worst I have ever seen in my entire life. It was so bad I even had to threaten Virgin Media that if they did not refund me, I would leave them for another service provider.

Sir I am sorry, we can not give you a refund "A gaggle of thoroughly obnoxious college students decide to spend the weekend in an abandoned Amityville cinema that one of the kids inherited from her dead parents. Of course it's haunted and a bunch of bad stuff happens: bad special effects, deliciously lousy scriptwriting, cack- handed direction and, above all, truly atrocious acting, attaining a level of ineptitude and woodenness that would shame the cheapest amateur porn film.

In fact, it's so bad one starts to wonder if it's all not some kind of elaborate satanic joke that induces a kind of giddy, demonic hilarity."

Your refund will be credited to your next statement Sir.

Amityville What?

[destinyawest · 1/10 · 8 May 2016]

Amityville Playhouse has no association with the original Amityville films, lets say that right from the start. It is a very slow, dull film, with shaky camera and below par acting. I struggle to tell where the budget for this film was actually spent. Usually I would try and find something to redeem a film, but I am really struggling with this production. I do not think even decent acting could salvage this script. It had no real substance to the story line, I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever did. It is an absolute travesty that they used the name Amityville to try and lure people into watching this film.

Nope

[Flower71 · 5 November 2022]

There are fences that need painting.

Drains that need unblocking.

Bellybuttons to clean.

All of these things are more worthy of your time than this 'film'.

Just don't. Find anything else to do. Watch repeats of Only fools and horses if you absolutely must (that's more horror than this) but just don't give in to this, you'll be wondering how anyone would have got an equity card or the US equiv.

Why does this need me to write so many characters for a review when there are films that just aren't worthy of words?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My hometown film

[devils_neighbor_667 · 10/10 · 5 June 2020]

This movie was filmed just for fun in my hometown of Neepawa Manitoba. A bunch of high school kids volunteered and locals went to the ROXY theater to enjoy it. I was sitting in one of the very seats that it shows on film, which felt kind of cool! But if you were expecting a talented cast and elaborate story than you may be s little disappointed

Close these curtains

[kbtoys100 · 1/10 · 27 December 2020]

Chances are if you're watching a non-80s or even 90s amityville film you know you're in for bottom of the barrel stuff.

Amityville Theater is no exception. Extremely light on horror elements, this plays more like a mystery thriller and a bad one at that.

The camerawork is decent which is about the only positive thing I can say about this film.

Only for the Amityville completists, everyone else watch your community theater, they probably do a better job.

I want to go home

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 16 January 2018]

The film has the word "Amityville" in it so we know it has to be scary and somehow related to the 10,000 other films with its name in it. And we know this is the REAL Amityville because there is a car with a magnetic sign that says "Amityville" plus other cardboard signs. Pay no attention to the distinctive Manitoba license plate with "Friendly Manitoba" blurred out.

Fawn (Monèle LeStrat) inherits the threater from her recently deceased parents who died in a cabin fire by a Canadian lake. She wants to "check it out" with an overnight group of friends. The theater showed opera by day and adult films by night. The theater was shut down in 2010 while the last film on the marquee was "Valley of the Demon" a 2013/14 film.

The sound was uneven and the soundtrack consisted mostly of a piano with two keys. I initially laughed at Fawn's delivery of bad dialogue until I watched the rest of the cast, who were actually worse. Director John R. Walker carved himself out a role in a subplot in a confusing teacher's spot which includes an odd scene of Brits discussing American History. Other odd scenes include the motel room rental and the knock out and release scene.

The demonic voice enhancer is a dead low budget give away and is normally used in zero budget films. I wasn't sure why they whipped out a Ouija Board and have it play such a minor role other than Ouija boards are cheap. You don't have to use everything you learned the day you spent at film making school.

This borders on "so bad it is good."

Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Kyle makes numerous homophobic statements.

Congrats Mr. Walker on getting this into Walmart

The acting isnt good enough to be considered wooden..

[stuart-james · 2/10 · 2 February 2022]

And some of the characters are so irritating that you want them to die, so they do not say any more of the embarrassing script.

The only reason why this gets a 2 and not 1, is the goth chick is cute and not as cringeworthy when she spoke...

Lol, is this a joke?

[GINOOO85 · 1/10 · 4 April 2021]

What a movie, i stop watching after 10 minutes becease of the actors. Sorry not even one star worth.

Spoilers follow ...

[parry_na · 2/10 · 19 August 2017]

I wasn't expecting to like this. In my view, the original Amityville film was a distinctly average entry into the haunted house trend that seemed to be prevalent in 1979. Several sequels later, I wasn't hoping for much. Usually under such circumstances, I'm more predisposed to find merit, especially when the reviews seem particularly harsh. However, watching 'Amityville Playhouse' - and there's no getting away from this - is a chore.

As grieving Fawn Harriman, Monèle LeStrat injects her role with a consistent disinterest. The flatness of her every delivery is Gielgud-ian when compared to 'bad boy' boyfriend Kyle (Linden Baker) and the other three young people who accompany Fawn to investigate the abandoned playhouse she has been left by her recently deceased parents. As a plus, the wooden performances at least aren't assured enough to adopt the posturing swagger the script seems to want them to possess, and some of the put-downs between the alpha-males might, in more capable hands, be quite amusing.

Interestingly, this is filmed in Canada and the UK, giving at least a feel of variety in location. The conversations between all the characters we meet is purely to provide backstory for each other. With the preliminary scenes so clumsy and hackneyed (much conversation seems to concentrate on the peaks and troughs of being a 'douche'), one would hope when the scares begin – because there have to be scares don't there? – that things might improve.

Things don't improve. In addition, nothing of any note occurs. A spirit appears to be in possession of the playhouse and the kids meander throughout it all, listless and bored. Any sliver of atmosphere or creepiness is completely out of the question, but while the location is shot quite well, 'Amityville Playhouse' is guilty of the worst crime of any sub-par production – it is rather boring.

Unhappily for urine fans, about three quarters of the film elapses before someone has to inevitably 'take a pee' (although as it's butch Jevon (Logan Russell) who is caught short, he's taking a 'p**s'). You would hope this might sign-post as if often does, something creepy happening. You would hope. Meanwhile, Fawn's English geography teacher spends the entire running time haplessly researching Amityville's local history. By the time he makes any progress, sadly, I had long since lost interest.

Terrible acting!!!

[eeriechills · 1/10 · 28 March 2023]

If you're thinking that this Amityville instalment is on par with the previous instalments in this franchise you'll be sadly disappointed. The acting alone is just so amateur. You'd be forgiven for thinking these actors came straight out of a porn movie with the dialogue and acting. It's a shame as the previous movies were made quite well but this is just a rip off on the cheap. The music has been robbed from Halloween also. You just get the impression that a student has been given the green light to make this and they've just got the first actors out of stage school and overlaid it with horror stereotypes. This franchise should be left to the pros. All in all it was a bad decision to make this in it's current format.

Put me in Mind of Watching a School Play

[tazweasel · 1/10 · 23 April 2021]

The wooden acting was more of a killer than anything else in the film!! Hate to say it, but it's probably the worst film I've seen in a long time!

How further down the hill will it go?

[Realrockerhalloween · 31 August 2016]

Why do I put myself through these bad sequels one after another is even a mystery to me. It must be the completest and fanboy inside of me that wishes for one last good sequel to enjoy since the remake instead of leaving the series behind.

Fawn has inherited a production company from her parents who died mysteriously five years prior and her four friends are now trapped inside with the terrifying poltergeists. Her teacher now must find the links to the past and save them before time runs out.

I wanted to enjoy it, but the production value was terrible, the dialogue is uninspired and the acting was the worst I've ever seen.

Besides Lestrat (Fawn) the caste is for the most part unlikable from her moody boyfriend to the troubled brother Jevan and Kyle who annoy the audience with their constant bickering.

Instead of using the sets, props and imagery to their advantage it remains an uneventful script boring you to sleep and makes this entry forgettable.

At this point it nearly matches Friday the 13th for sequels and the well has been pumped dried. The show should not go on.

Recorded at a high school drama class?

[stardogg-583-817851 · 1/10 · 6 October 2021]

I'll be honest; I just put this movie on as background noise while doing other things. The acting, on all parts, is so far beyond bad that I suddenly realize that there actually does take a modicum of talent to act (aka "play pretend").

The audio is equally as bad.

In fact, it's all so bad that I don't plan on actually watching it at this point, to follow the plot. It must've taken quite an effort to round up this many atrocious actors in one place at one time. I didn't think it was possible until I saw this.

Great Sleeper Hit

[matthewobsniuk · 10/10 · 6 June 2015]

It was late at night and I was scared the whole way through. All the twists and turns really caught me off guard. It was like I was actually haunted by a ghost.

At one point I found myself freaking out because it felt like the ghost was right in front of me. The effects seemed almost too surreal to even exist in my opinion, I still can't get the ghost's image out of my head for better or for worse. If you've ever seen a ghost in real life then you will know the feeling of what this movie made me feel inside. It was a rather horrifying experience.

Then I woke up.

No good words!

[tomasstanger · 1/10 · 14 May 2016]

As 1 is the lowest I could possibly rate this film I have to say it doesn't even deserve that.

Being another cash-in from the Amityville name this one really is an insult to every 'horror' film ever made, it's even worse than Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows and that's saying A LOT!

The story (a generous description) is so clichéd that it bears no essence of even trying to be original, the 'acting' (I can't think of a word bad enough) has all the charisma of a block of bad cheese with the characters being totally unrelatable and you wonder why people this horrible would actually be friends. Maybe it's some sort of karma for each of them for things done in a previous life? To be honest I don't really care, it's just not good.

Not really sure what the purpose of this film is, it doesn't add anything, don't go anywhere and as films go quite pointless, I think it went straight to DVD as I can't imagine anyone actually going to the cinema to see this rubbish!

Oh yeah, special effects were crap too!

Come on guys lets be a little nicer..

[random_crap-34829 · 5/10 · 31 October 2016]

Alright. I realize that this movie is not the best out there. However, it is also not as awful as some of the other reviewers are making it out to be For something that was created presumably out of love, on likely no budget with presumably local volunteer actors, why not cut them some slack? I mean honestly. Watching this with some friends in the spirit of Halloween, we have genuinely seen worst acting at a higher level. For everything that they had to work with this honestly wasn't that bad. Does it live up to the AmityVille title? No. Does that really matter? Also no. Congrats to anyone who was a part of this, I imagine it was an exciting experience.

Another crappy sequel

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 4/10 · 18 October 2016]

This is the part twelve to The Amityville series. I is awful. The Amityville horror is so mush better. Amityville II the possession is better. Amityville 3 the demon is better. Amityville 4 the evil escapes is better. Amtiyville cures is better. Amityville It's about time is better. Amityville a new generation is also better. The Amityville dollhouse is better. The Amityville Asylum is also better and that is an awful movie. The Amityville death house is better and that is an awful movie. This movie is not scary. It has an awful story line. The acting is awful. And the ending is awful. Do not wast your money. Do not wast your time. Do not see this movie.