WAMG Interview – Diane Franklin: Star of AMITYVILLE II THE POSSESSION and THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS

Diane Franklin is an iconic 80s film actress, known for her dark curly hair and winning smile. Diane started with modeling, theater, commercials, and soap opera work. She then won the lead role as the dream girl, Karen, in cult classic THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN (1982) and soon after played the daughter, Patricia Montelli in AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION. Her break-out film role was the spirited French-exchange student, Monique Junot, opposite John Cusack in the off-beat comedy BETTER OFF DEAD. She also played the medieval Princess-babe, Joanna in the iconic comedy, BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.

Diane Franklin in AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION

AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION was a 1982 prequel to the hit film THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979). It told of the true story of Ron Defeo Jr., who had massacred his family in 1974 in the house that subsequently sold to the Lutz family, who claimed it was haunted. Diane Franklin played Defeo’s younger sister. The Lutz family’s story became the book, and then the movie THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. Now director/writer Daniel Farrands has re-told the story of the Defeo family in THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS,  which is out in theaters, on demand and digital now. Diane Franklin is back in the new film, this time playing the mother of the daughter she played in 1982.

Diane Franklin took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks about her career and about starring in both versions of this same story.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman January 30th, 2019

Tom Stockman: Hi Diane. It’s so nice to talk to you. You and I are about the same age, so I have been watching your films for a long time. I saw them when they were new. I’d like to talk about two of your movies. One is THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS, which I know you are out promoting. I watched it the other day and then when it was over I immediately watched AMITYVILLE II THE POSSESSION from 1982. 

Diane Franklin: That must be interesting for you to have watched those back to back I’d like to know what you think.

TS: I was surprised how much THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS was a remake of AMITYVILLE  II. The new film ends with the murders, but the 1982 film goes into this whole weird second half with the priest and the exorcism and all of the monsters.

Diane Franklin with  John Robinson in THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS

DF: I’ll tell you why. It’s because Dino DeLaurentis produced the film and didn’t have the rights to make it just another AMITYVILLE HORROR. He didn’t want it to be too similar so he decided to get it out of the house. So he made the first half about the home and the family, and then the second half about possession.

TS: Yes, they are very similar. I’d say there are even some identical scenes. I will also say that the AMITYVILLE  II THE POSSESSION has aged well. It really holds up.

DF: Well, that’s good to hear.

TS: There are other differences in the films as well. For example, the incest angle from the 1982 film is absent in the new one.

DF: I was curious about that as well. When I first read the script, I was wondering what director/writer Daniel Farrands was doing. I think he wanted to make more of a gentle reference to the incenst instead of making it something that was the focus of the story. Everybody remembers the incest scene from AMITYVILLE  II, but the second film is more about the abuse and the family relationships. Because Daniel had made a documentary about Amityville, I think he wanted to stay true to the facts of what he knew. It was stated but never proven that there was an incestual relationship between these siblings, so it was really the directors call. I don’t know if including an incest scene in the new one would’ve helped or hurt it. What I like about the new film it is based more on fact. This new one is more real to me.

TS: I think it’s neat that you made this film that is a remake where you were playing the mother of a character that you had played in a movie over 35 years ago. I can’t think of that even happening in a remake of a film before.

DF: Yes, I am the only actress that has ever played the mother and the daughter in two versions of the same story so I get those two different perspectives. That was what was so amazing. When I got the role I wondered how I was so lucky to get this experience. When I played the daughter in 1982, I allowed myself to be completely innocent,, and not give off any negative energy. I wanted that character to be pure and upbeat and free. And when I played the mother in the new film, I had to let that negative energy in and show that I know that there are problems and feel them. As a mother you know everything and you feel it the most, so it was a very different experience doing it this time. And I was more spooked this time that I was the first time.

Diane Franklin in AMITYVILLE  II THE POSSESSION

TS: In the 1982 film, the family name was Mantelli. The real name of the family was The Defeos, and in the new movie they are called that. Was that another thing that DeLaurentis was trying to save money on back in 1982.

DF: Probably. I think back in the 1980s, they rarely used real names which probably had something to do with lawsuits or something.  Since Daniel had made the documentary about the murders, he looked at this film as more of a docudrama.

TS: Well of course in this one you were able to use that great Walter Cronkite clip where he talks about the Defeo family.

DF: Yes Daniel did a great job of putting things in that made it really feel like the 70s. There are so many levels in which to like this film. On a historic level, kids don’t know what it was like during that time. Also I think people will look at the abuse by Mr. Defeo and understand what that was like. People can watch it with a lot of different perspectives.

TS: Do you know much about the real Ron Defeo Jr.? I believe he is still in prison.

DF: Yes he is still locked up. I believe Daniel tried to get an interview with him but he couldn’t. I don’t know what happened.  His story about the murders changed so many times and I think that was a real problem.

TS: Yes, at first he said some mobsters did it, and then he said his sister did it. He’s where he belongs. Have you ever been to the actual Amityville house?

DF: I can’t believe that I have not ever been to the real Amityville house because I grew up just a couple of towns away, in Plainview Long Island. But my dream is to go to that house with Ghost Adventures program and do some kind of show there. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

TS: That would be great. I assume that for both films then, they rebuilt the exterior of the house as a set.

DF: Yes, they did it at different locations. In 1982 we filmed in Toms River New Jersey, and the new film was made here in Los Angeles.

TS: Burt young shows up in the first scene of THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS, and he had played your father back in 1982. Talk about Burt Young.

DF: I loved working with him. We have a beautiful scene together in the new film. Yes, he plays my dad in this film and he played my dad in the first film so he’s the grandfather in this new one. I saw a Burt at a convention a couple of years ago and we both got teary-eyed and I’m so glad I was able to work with him again.

Diane Franklin and Jack Magner in AMITYVILLE II THE POSSESSION

TS: The actor who played your older brother in the original film was a guy named Jack Magner. I can’t place him in a single other film. What happened to him?

DF:  I know he lives on the East Coast and stopped acting soon after that. He was talented but not everybody chooses life of an actor. I think it’s great that people remember him from that film and I really liked him.

TS: Yes, he was quite good in the film. You’ve done some of these autograph shows and horror movie conventions. Do you enjoy doing that?

DF: I love it. I’ve gone to comic-cons and horror cons, The Hollywood show, and celebrity shows and everybody I meet is so nice. Especially at the horror convention, where they love the make-believe and dressing up. It’s like Halloween all the time at those conventions. It’s like they have never lost their sense of fun or creativity. I make sure everyone who comes and sees me he has a great time. I will bring the coat that I wore in BETTER OFF DEAD and let them try it on. I’m coming out with a new book. I have written two books about my career so far. The new book will be focusing on BETTER OFF DEAD so anyone who wore my coat can be in that book. Just send the pictures to me.

TS: I hope someday you’ll come to one of the conventions close to me so I can meet you.

DF: We’ve been talking about doing a convention with John Cusack in Chicago.

Chelsea Ricketts in  THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS

TS:  I’ll look for that. There’s an actress who plays your daughter Dawn in the new film. Her name is Chelsea Ricketts. I thought she looked remarkably like you, and that that was good casting.

DF: Yes, Dan told me about her and said that she was a really good actress. I was so happy when I met Chelsea. She is a lovely girl and a great actress and we got along wonderfully. I had these amazing flashbacks while watching her play the character I had played. It was very gratifying to do this film with her.

Diane Franklin with Paul Ben-Victor and John Robinson in THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS

 TS: You have an actress daughter of your own named Olivia who is right around that age. Did they ever consider casting her?

DF: For about one minute, we were considering having Olivia audition. But my daughters specialty is comedy, and I wanted her to do her thing. Recently a film that she wrote and will be directing got optioned, so I will soon be acting in a movie with her. She is shooting that sometime this year.

TS: Tell me about that movie.

DF: It’s called THIS GET ROUGH. Kimberly Tate, who played the other princess in BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, is producing the film. She loves Olivia‘s work. If you are interested. In Olivia‘s work, Go to Barely Legal Comedy on YouTube and you will find my daughter and her comedy sketches there. This is her year. She just got a Snapchat series picked up and she’s working on another series for a production company at Warner Bros. She’s 22 years old and this is all so exciting.

TS: Good luck to her and to you and I hope everybody reading this interview checks out  THE AMITYVILLE MURDERS.

DF: Thank you