Horror Movie Review: Amityville VR (2024)

Marginally better than some of the worst films in the Amityville ‘franchise’, Matt Jaissle’s Amityville VR is a torturous experience and follows on from 2024’s Amityville AI, an equally terrible film.

AI programmer Stuart Birdsall (Chris Heikka) is having a rough time, having survived the events of Amityville AI (barely) that killed so many of his loved ones, he’s ended up in an institution where he will live out the rest of his damaged days. Except the FBI aren’t done with him, it’s time to go back into the hell world he created, but this time through a virtual reality program.

It’s an exceptionally dumb idea, so dumb that it does kind of work. I actually like the idea, it’s unique, and it feels logical when we consider this is a sequel to Amityville AI. However, the execution leaves much to be desired and the story, which is really slow to begin with, never really reaches an exciting place. Nor does it really use VR in an interesting way. By time things do finally heat up, albeit tepid none the less, the film is almost over.

Mercifully, it’s quite short, but even then, it feels a lot longer.

The biggest problem with Amityville VR is that it embodies cheapness and fails to elect any kind of feeling from the viewer outside of a shrug. It’s not the worst thing to come from this franchise, but when you consider the low bar, that’s not saying much. It might be a passion project for Jaissle, but it doesn’t come across as such. Some of which isn’t his fault, after all, it is a no-budget flick, but some of it definitely is, such as the slow and uninteresting story.

Most the cast are terrible, and some of the line readings needed a few more takes (such as the awkward interrogation that happens early on), but credit must be given to Chris Heikka. The lead actor, who puts some effort in, even if most of the film he’s wrapped up in bandages and then stuck with a VR headset on. He stands out by trying, and in a film like this, that is notable and welcome.

Going out with a whimper, Amityville VR ends up being a wholly forgettable and lacklustre effort that fits the Amityville trend of having nothing to do with the true horror of the house, but jamming the name in gracelessly, regardless. Don’t bother with this one.