by Mark Murton

Also Known As: Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes

Directed by: Sandor Stern

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: In this made for TV entry, the demonic forces in the Amityville house transfer to an ugly ancient lamp which finds its way to the remote clifftop Californian mansion of Alice Leacock (Jane Wyatt). Here the evil manipulates the Alice’s granddaughter Jessica (Brandy Gold) by manifesting itself in the form of her dead father.

Featured Feline: The day the lamp is delivered, Alice’s daughter, Nancy Evans (Patty Duke), and her three children, Amanda (Geri Betzier), Brian (Aron Eisenberg), and Jessica, move in with her. While Alice unpacks the lamp, Amanda checks out her room. As she flops down onto the bed a tabby cat jumps up beside her.

Greeting the cat as “Pepper,” Amanda proceeds to cuddle her. The cat doesn’t seem terrifically thrilled with this, as her ears are pointed back during the scene.

Amanda carries Pepper downstairs. Clearly disturbed by the lamp’s presence (or possibly Brian’s over-enthusiastic greeting toward the cat), Pepper hisses and scratches Amanda in her desire to get away.

Later Pepper, alone in the room with the lamp apart from Alice’s other pet, “Fred” the parrot, reacts fearfully as the lamp powers itself up and starts to glow.

At breakfast the next morning Brian comes into the kitchen carrying Pepper.

A short time later his mother calls for him to open the preheated toaster oven and they are horrified by what they find inside.

Later, Brian is looking for Pepper and finds her in the cellar.

Brian’s attention is drawn to a chainsaw on the workbench and he puts Pepper down on the bench so he can pick up the saw. Pepper has clearly read the script and, knowing what’s coming, makes a hasty exit.

After black gunk starts pouring from all the faucets, a plumber (James Stern) is called to check the pipes under the house. As he negotiates his way into the confined space Pepper suddenly runs past him, making him jump in a classic but rather feeble spring-loaded cat moment.

Later in the film, Amanda is sitting in Jessica’s room watching over her while she sleeps. Hearing Pepper on the roof outside, Amanda tries to entice the cat to come inside.

As Amanda leans out of the window to call to Pepper the sash comes down and konks Amanda on the head.

In the final scene in the film, the children are calling for Pepper who is down on the rocky beach below the house near the remains of the exploded lamp.

Pepper moves across the rocks while the camera closes in and as Pepper looks directly into the lens the frame freezes and Pepper’s eyes glow a demonic red. Roll end credits. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, whichever way you look at it) Pepper the cat was not the focus of the fifth Amityville movie, although a tabby cat does appear in that entry.

The only thing scarier than the possessed lamp itself is the cat head lamp at the yard sale near the beginning of the film. A little hint as to what was to come perhaps?

Final Mewsings: Seriously, a haunted lamp? It’s enough to make a cat laugh.

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