Amityville: Mt. Misery Road (Movie Review)

Known haunted places have a way of pulling interest from thrill seekers wanting to hunt for ghosts and the paranormal. Long Island, New York’s bayside village of Amityville has a long record of multiple hauntings and interest. That said, the stories have been recollected numerous times for film, and first time actors, writers, and, directors Chuck Morrogiello along with Karolina Morrongiello, attempt to add to the creepy legends of the area in Amityville: Mt. Misery Road. Billed as a Mystery Thriller, Amityville: Mt. Misery Road is already available on VOD and will be available on DVD on May 7, 2019 through ITN Distribution. So, what is it all about? 

Charlie (Morrogiello) along with his girlfriend Buzi (Morrongiello) are preparing to take a trip to visit Mt. Misery Road in New York, and it is said to be one of the most haunted places in America. In fact, even the Matneock Indians believed it to be cursed, which is why they sold the area to the pilgrims back in 1653. The couple are excited to attempt to find their own proof of ghostly presences, but they were warned off by everyone that hears they are planning the trip to the haunted woods. Although, excitement and curiosity will not deter them from their mission. What will they find once they get there? Will they come across any beings from the afterlife? Will anything happen at all?

In truth, Amityville: Mt. Misery Road is more of a vanity project than an actual film. There are several problematic issues and nothing that is truly redeeming. That in mind, the premise of the film is not the issue. There are several films that start off with the idea of ghost enthusiasts wanting to explore a famously haunted area for themselves to see if they can find any paranormal activity. The separation is in other films something actually happens. A story and plot exist, but this is not the case with Amityville: Mt. Misery Road. Even with a wealth of legends to focus on, none are truly utilized, just simply mentioned casually and thrown away.

In Amityville: Mt Misery Road, the viewer will simply be bombarded with being told how hot and sexy Buzi is and how lucky Chuck is to be with her. This is evidenced by the long several minutes scene of Buzi dancing at the bar and the several completely unnecessary scenes of the couple cuddling and making out. It is great they are into each other, but outside of a badly produced porno, these scenes do nothing to add to anything to what they claim is a ghost story.

Furthermore, chemistry does not exist here; even the real life couple of Buzi and Charlie comes across as forced and unnatural. Dialogue is sparse and delivered as though they are simply reading aloud. Even discussing possible ghost legends are simply read off a computer screen. There is no attempt to connect with the paper thin idea of a plot or the viewer, thus leading to little excitement or believability. 

If you can overlook a lack of story and interesting characters, then the camera work will surely be a deal breaker. Sadly, it jumps from feeling like a random YouTube video, to an old 1980s shaky camcorder, or a cheap porno flick. Additionally, the film editing is strange and random with cuts that make zero sense. It is possible the editing was an attempt to mimic a found tape film, but it lacked structure and reasoning. 

Making films is not an easy business and it is even more difficult to please every viewer. If anything is to be taken away from Amityville: Mt. Misery Road, it is how important at bare minimum a decent script and believable actors truly are. A film where literally nothing happens can work, but there needs to be something to pull the audience in and not make the task of watching feel like a waste of time. For these reasons, Cryptic Rock gives Amityville: Mt. Misery Road 1 out of 5 stars.