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Amityville Exorcism (2017) movie poster

Plot Summary

Amityville Exorcism (2017) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 77 mins · English
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Directed by
Mark Polonia
Starring
Steve Diasparra, Ken Van Sant, James Carolus, Marie DeLorenzo, Jeff Kirkendall, Titus Himmelberger

A family must put faith in a mysterious priest when an demonic force, connected to a decades-old murders in their home, possesses their daughter.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Amityville Exorcism: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Amityville Exorcism (2017) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

In Amityville, New York, a general contractor named Charles Humes, Ken Van Sant, is facing execution after killing his wife and two daughters with a hammer. The day before the sentence is carried out, he meets with Father Benna, Jeff Kirkendall, and opens up about a disturbing belief: the killings were driven by demons he claims reside within lumber he took from 112 Ocean Avenue, a house that had been haunted until an exorcism performed by Benna’s brother, Father Jonas, ended with Father Jonas’s death. The traumatic memory of Jonas’s death continues to haunt Benna. Charles reveals that the tainted wood was later used in his own home and in other properties, and he hands Benna a list of those affected.

Among the properties on that list is a house inhabited by Amy Dukane, Marie DeLorenzo, and her abusive alcoholic father, Jeremy. Jeremy is described as a widower after his wife Bonnie, Bonnie Dukane Kathryn Sue Young, dies in a drunk-driving crash caused by Jeremy. As the story unfolds, both Amy and Benna begin to experience terror from a demon that seems to corrupt the house’s wood, and that demon drives a burglar to a grisly fate, disemboweling him before infusing Amy with a cluster of demons known as Legion.

Amy’s affliction intensifies during a night walk in the woods, where she and the demon are implied to be responsible for the death of a photographer, who is killed under the demon’s influence. Meanwhile, Jeremy becomes a target of the haunting as Benna visits him at his home, and Jeremy remains skeptical about the claimed haunting until Amy torments him with visions of Bonnie. The tension escalates when Amy murders her boyfriend, Robby, while Benna is blessing the residence. After this, Amy’s strength wanes, and Benna and Jeremy restrain her to a bed, hoping the exorcism can take effect.

As the exorcism begins in earnest, Amy’s restraints are tested when she summons the demon that implanted her with Legion. The demon taunts Father Benna, who responds by drawing a bloody cross on the demon—a cross that is created from a wound Benna bears. The dramatic moment culminates as the cross seems to banish the demon and Legion back to Hell, freeing Amy from their hold.

With Amy freed from the possession, she and Jeremy begin to repair their fractured relationship, while Father Benna prepares to confront the wider problem: the remaining properties that were tainted by 112 Ocean Avenue’s cursed wood, now scattered across the area. The fates of the other houses and their occupants linger as Benna heads out to continue the work of countering the lingering curse.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:06

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Plot questions answered

Amityville Exorcism Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Amityville Exorcism (2017): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Charles Humes kill his wife and daughters?

Charles Humes claims he was possessed by demons that lived in the cursed lumber he took from 112 Ocean Avenue. He used that tainted wood to build his home and other properties, and he says the demons drove him to kill his own family with a hammer. Whether his claim was true possession or a disturbed justification remains ambiguous, but the demonic influence is presented as the driving force behind the murders.

Foreshadowing: Charles mentions taking lumber from 112 Ocean Avenue before the murders occurred, establishing the supernatural origin of his actions.

  • charles humes
  • family murders
  • demon possession
  • 112 ocean avenue
  • cursed lumber
Q2

What is Legion and how did it get inside Amy?

Legion is a cluster of multiple demons that was implanted into Amy Dukane by a single demon entity. After terrorizing the house and disemboweling a burglar, the demon entered Amy and planted Legion inside her, beginning her possession. The demon later used Amy's body to commit further violence, including killing her boyfriend Robby.

Foreshadowing: The demon's attack on the burglar, which involved disembowelment, foreshadows the invasive nature of how it would later embed Legion into Amy.

  • legion
  • demon possession
  • amy dukane
  • cluster demons
Q3

What is the connection between 112 Ocean Avenue and the cursed lumber?

The cursed lumber originally came from 112 Ocean Avenue, the famous Amityville house that was previously haunted. Father Jonas performed an exorcism there that ended with his death. Charles Humes, a general contractor, took wood from that house and used it in his own home and other properties. The demonic entities from 112 Ocean Avenue then spread through this lumber, infecting multiple houses and the people living in them.

Foreshadowing: Charles reveals that he added the tainted wood to his own home and other properties, setting up the widespread haunting that Father Benna must later address.

  • 112 ocean avenue
  • cursed lumber
  • amityville house
  • demon spread
Q4

What happened to Father Jonas during the original exorcism?

Father Jonas, Father Benna's brother, performed the exorcism on 112 Ocean Avenue that ended with his death. The demon killed him during the attempt to cleanse the house. This traumatic event haunts Father Benna throughout the film, making his current exorcism of Amy emotionally fraught as he fears the same outcome.

Foreshadowing: Benna's lingering guilt over Jonas's death is established early, foreshadowing the danger he faces during Amy's exorcism.

  • father jonas
  • father benna
  • brother death
  • exorcism failure
Q5

How did the demon kill the photographer in the woods?

While Amy was walking in the woods, the demon possessing her took control and attacked a photographer who was in the area. Under the demon's influence, Amy was responsible for the photographer's death. This event demonstrates how the demonic possession extended beyond the house, allowing the entity to harm people nearby.

Foreshadowing: The demon's earlier attack on the burglar showed its ability to act through Amy outside the home, foreshadowing the photographer's murder.

  • photographer death
  • woods killing
  • amy murder
  • demon attack
Q6

Why was Jeremy seeing visions of his dead wife Bonnie?

Jeremy Dukane, Amy's abusive alcoholic father, became a target of the demonic haunting after initially remaining skeptical about the supernatural activity. The demon tormented him with visions of his deceased wife Bonnie, who died in a drunk-driving crash that Jeremy himself caused. These terrifying visions were meant to break his resistance and deepen his psychological suffering.

Foreshadowing: Jeremy's backstory establishes that he caused Bonnie's death, which the demon uses against him during the haunting.

  • jeremy dukane
  • bonnie dukane
  • visions
  • haunting
Q7

How did the blood cross banish the demon from Amy?

During the exorcism, the demon that implanted Legion in Amy taunted Father Benna. In response, Benna drew a cross in his own blood, blood from a wound Amy had inflicted on him. The bloody cross was able to banish both the individual demon and Legion back to Hell, freeing Amy from possession. This desperate act became the turning point that defeated the demonic force.

Foreshadowing: Benna's willingness to sacrifice himself echoes his brother's earlier sacrifice, completing the thematic arc of religious redemption.

  • blood cross
  • exorcism
  • banishment
  • father benna
  • legion
Q8

What happened to the other houses affected by the cursed lumber?

After successfully exorcising Amy, Father Benna learns from Charles's list that multiple other properties were built with the cursed lumber from 112 Ocean Avenue. The film ends with Benna heading out to confront these other haunted houses and continue countering the widespread curse. The fate of those other families remains uncertain as Benna takes on this larger mission.

Foreshadowing: Charles's revelation that he added tainted wood to his own home and other properties establishes the scope of the problem Benna must address.

  • other houses
  • cursed wood
  • father benna
  • cleansing
  • amityville curse

Movie threads

More Movies Like Amityville Exorcism, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Amityville Exorcism tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about demonic possession and exorcism like Amityville Exorcism

Stories where religious faith is the last line of defense against demonic forces. If you liked the intense exorcism scenes and religious conflict in Amityville Exorcism, explore these movies. This list features similar horror stories where faith is tested against ancient evil, focusing on the dramatic rituals of expelling demons from the afflicted.

  • demonic
  • religious
  • intense
  • desperate
  • ritualistic
  • oppressive
  • Tone: dark, intense
  • Pacing: steady, climactic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a clear progression: an inexplicable evil manifests, traditional methods fail, and a religious expert is called in to perform a dangerous rite. The climax is the exorcism itself, a brutal battle of wills where faith and ritual are weaponized against a corrupting entity.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the archetypal conflict of holy versus unholy, the specific trope of the exorcism ritual, and the high intensity derived from a life-or-death spiritual struggle.

Horror movies about haunted houses and inherited curses like Amityville Exorcism

Horror stories where a house's dark history infects a new family's life. Fans of Amityville Exorcism, which links a family's terror to a house's gruesome history, will find more chilling tales here. These movies explore the theme of a dwelling's evil legacy, where past sins violently resurface to haunt new residents, creating a sense of inescapable doom.

  • haunting
  • inherited evil
  • family trauma
  • oppressive
  • grisly history
  • uncovering secrets
  • Tone: dark, haunting
  • Pacing: steady, unfolding
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The story begins with a family moving into or already living in a property with an unsavory history. The supernatural menace is directly tied to past events—often murders—that have left a spiritual stain. The narrative involves uncovering this history while the family fights a force that sees them as part of a continuing cycle of violence.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their core premise: the setting itself is the catalyst for horror. They share a focus on uncovering a dark past, the theme of inherited evil, and the oppressive atmosphere of a home turning against its occupants.

Every angle

Amityville Exorcism (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Amityville Exorcism in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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