RIP: Amityville II director Damiano Damiani dies at 90

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Damiano Damiani, the famed Italian director who helmed AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION, died yesteray at his home in Rome from respiratory failure. He was 90.

Described by poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini as “a bitter moralist hungry for old purity”, Damiani helmed 38 films and wrote 42 in his long and varied career, his most popular with readers of this site being the sequel AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION, which was a commercial success for both the director and the studio, opening at number one at the box office.

Film critic Paolo Mereghetti described Damiani as “the most American of Italian directors” in terms of style, which was evident in many of his Italian-made films and helped carry his unique vision to audiences worldwide. His last feature as director was KILLERS ON HOLIDAY (Assassini dei giorni di festa), shot in 2002.

AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION is one of those rare sequels that is as enjoyable as the original, thanks in no small part to Damiani’s directing.