The Amityville Horror

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“After moving into a house where a mass murder took place, a family witnesses increasingly disturbing phenomena.”

Maybe one of the most widely debated stories out there, the Amityville Horror is “based on a true story” of the Lutz family who move into a house where a brutal killing had taken place. But this killing? They say it was due to a paranormal influence. Stephen King popularly interpreted the film as a parable on the financial anxieties of homeownership.

If you want to view more on the true story, I suggest My Amityville Horror and Shock Doc’s Amityville Horror House.

But onto the film!

Give me some great actors! I love James Brolin and Margot Kidder (RIP). And they both give their best in this movie. The acting isn’t the main problem I have in this review. They’re actually pretty amazing.

The main problem I have with this movie (and the remake) is that I feel like this is a rushed film for what the families testified to going through. Maybe a trio of movies would do it justice. It would be nice to see a bit more of the family dynamic BEFORE the move. During interviews with some of the children, there were things that may have contributed to the storytelling.

What memories does a house hold? What entities decide to linger in walls rather than with people? Is there such a thing as a truly evil house? We ask these questions as we watch the slow deterioration of the Lutz family – most notable the father, George. Yes, the man has stresses, but you see those stressing elevate him more and more in his angry state.

What about the other people in the house? The priest with all the flies that bombarded him and the voice telling him to “get out?” And the heat thing is interesting. He’s always saying how cold it is. Always chopping that wood. Also, the dog makes it so I’m happy. Something I’ve realized about 70’s horror was they were REALLY big on the Catholic Church POV.

There are some decent jump scares, though! I was happy with that part. I just found this movie rather… meh. I don’t know. I have found many vintage horror movies of high caliber so I know that can’t be it.

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT

I feel so hard for Kathy in this film. All she’s trying to do is hold things together and make a life for her family. And I won’t lie, if my house was bleeding and all that crap was happening, I’d probably run out and leave as well.