Amityville: The Awakening

Amityville: The Awakening, is a 2017 supernatural horror film that is sharper than your average haunted house-themed movie. Directed by Franck Khalfoun and featuring a strong cast led by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bella Thorne, and Mckenna Grace, the story revolves around the iconic haunted house in Amityville, New York, thereby becoming the latest entry in the long-running franchise that began with the real-life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family in the mid-1970s. However, this film stands on its own and delivers a fresh perspective sure to captivate both long-time fans and newcomers to the series.

In this chapter, Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the role of Joan, a recently widowed mother of three who moves her family into the infamous Amityville house. Bella Thorne and Mckenna Grace portray her two teenage daughters, Belle and Juliet, respectively. Joan's reason for choosing the notorious dwelling is layered with complexity and pain, primarily due to her son, James' (portrayed by Cameron Monaghan) debilitating illness. The mother, driven by desperation and hope, believes the house might offer a sort of a fresh start to her ailing family. However, she is seemingly oblivious to the house's eerie history, which soon begins to unfold.

Bella Thorne playing Belle, the older daughter, skilfully embodies the role of the anguished and sardonic teen sister. She is the one that raises an eyebrow at her mother's decision after the family's arrival in Amityville and the subsequent relation to the infamous house's dark history; showing how the threads of their life quickly start to verge into the realm of the paranormal. The theoretic plot of the film, thereby providing the viewers with a thought-provoking angle to the ghost house genre and rigging the curious suspension of the true nature of happenings within the infamous house.

Meanwhile, Cameron Monaghan is sufficiently unnerving as the comatose James, who exhibits mysterious and chilling changes after their arrival in the house. The youngest sister, Juliet, played by the budding actress Mckenna Grace, creates an ideal counterbalance to her skeptic sister Belle. She naively embraces the idea of living in the notorious house, which serves to heighten the eeriness of the story.

Amityville: The Awakening is not just your stereotypical haunted house movie; it brings a fair amount of emotional depth into its narrative. As the mother-daughter relationship unfolds, it provides the story with a solid emotional core, establishing an investment in the characters, proving that the film is not just a throwaway jump-scare-laden horror flick. The interaction between Belle and Joan allows both actresses to show their depth and facility with the characters, creating a palpable tension which only intensifies as the house's supernatural elements begin to appear more frequently.

Director Franck Khalfoun does an excellent job pacing the film, blending a complex family drama with escalating supernatural terror. His command of the horror genre is evident in the deft manipulation of atmosphere and tension. Each corridor, each room of the house is laden with an uneasy anticipation. With smart editing, the film keeps us at the edge of our seats, adding another layer of anxiety beyond the immediate scares

What's more, Amityville: The Awakening does not shy away from addressing its place within the franchise. Belle, being the cynic she is, often alludes to the horror film's nature in which they exist, offering a meta-commentary on the series itself. The film embraces the past of the Amityville series but manages to take a well-worn narrative and give it a new spin.

Beginning with a fairly traditional haunted house premise but adding in elements of family strife and individual trauma, Amityville: The Awakening presents an atmospheric and emotionally charged horror experience. It's both a homage to the original Amityville Horror and its own unique tale of terror. The strong performances of the lead actresses, combined with a cleverly woven narrative, make this film an interesting stop in the series of Amityville movies. You’re in for a story that is as much about familial dynamics and the individual shades of emotion as it is about unpredictable twists and threatening specters.