Horror Movie Review: Amityville in the Hood (2021)

Is this it? Is this the film that finally sees Amityville related horror jump the shark? Oh, who are we kidding, that already happened around 20 movies ago. We know, we’ve been trying to keep up with them over the years.

Of course, just because these films have Amityville in the title doesn’t actually mean anything. Most, especially these days, just use the name of the township in the hope of tricking suckers into watching a trash movie that has nothing to do with the infamous house at 112 Ocean Avenue.

That being said, director Dustin Ferguson has tried to make his own mini-series of films with the Amityville title and with small but notable references to the house.

It started with The Amityville Legacy aka Amityville Toybox in 2016, continued with Amityville: Evil Never Dies aka Amityville Clownhouse in 2017 and continues with 2021’s Amityville in the Hood.

It’s been an… interesting series of movies with Ferguson proving that he has some skill and talent as none of his movies are particularly terrible. Well, up until now. Serving as director again, he co-wrote the story with Jerimiah Douglas and together they have created something that plays out more like a parody.

Don’t believe us? Just read this summation of the story.

An Eastside LA gang have been used the infamous Amityville house, now sitting empty, to grow weed. A rival gang gets wind of their crop, so steals it and lets it lose on the streets of Compton. Dubbed ‘Amityville Possession’, this strain has a buzz that might kill you.

If you’re currently stuck nose deep in maps, don’t worry, the house didn’t up sticks and move to LA. Although, considering where other films have placed it, it really wouldn’t be surprising. No, this nonsense suggests this gang drives over 2,700 miles to grow some weed.

How are you supposed to take this seriously?

A bumbling gang of forgettable characters, poor acting, very little horror, the ‘Amityville rap’ which might be a new low-point for the series, and a ton of footage taken from the two previous films. That is Amityville in the Hood in a nutshell.

If you’re expecting something akin to Evil Bong, prepare to be very disappointed. At least those movies showed us things happening instead of just telling us they happened. This is up there as one of the worst entries in the ‘franchise’ to date.