Halloween Special: The Amityville Horror (1979)

Director: Stuart Rosenberg; Screenplay: Sandor Stern; Cinematography: Fred Koenekamp

Cast: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger

based on the book by Jay Anson and story of the Lutzes

    Based on true events...well at least it is alleged that it actually happened, The Amityville Horror tells the story of a newly wedded couple George and Kathy who move into their dream home with their three little rascals. So they unpack their stuff and are sure that the dream of a happy life they always wanted will come true. But considering someone has made a movie about it and it has the word "horror" in the title, it's rather obvious than things didn't go all that smoothly. A bunch of weird things occur and the Lutz family is in for a wacky ride. The priest who enters the house to do some blessing feels that something ain't right. That's because it isn't ... But you have to watch it for yourself to know what happened next.

    As I started watching the movie, it soon became clear to me that The Amityville Horror isn't about gore and nasty looking monsters. It was rather built on suspense and it was made to keep you on the edge of your seat. It resembled a documentary on the Discovery channel which deals with haunted houses and evil entities, but only with actors and some so-called special effects. One of the things I liked, was the development of the story and the fact that the creepy stuff didn't just happen all at once. It was beautifully laid throughout the movie. You could argue that the movie was slow paced and dull, but I personally liked it that way. I really hate thrillers where the thrill takes place in the first 15 minutes and then the gun powder just runs out and you are left to watch the eventless end. 

    But some things just annoyed me and I watched the screen with a "what the hell" face. First of all I found it to be a little odd that random people, who had really no connection to the house or with the family, felt that something wasn't quite as it should be. Funny how the people living there didn't notice that. And another thing was that on several occasions the Lutz family was warned...But what does a priest know, right! Usually the demonic presence picks on the kids and pets, but I actually liked how in The Amityville Horror it went straight to the parents and therefore it didn't fell into a cliché trap where no one believes the kids until it's too late. But the biggest mystery for me was what actually caused the haunting. For all I know it could have been the little green men or the f*cking Santa Claus leaving the doors open and messing with the toilet...But before I get too carried away I should say that it didn't really matter in the end because even without that knowledge I was still freaked out. George Lutz, played by James Brolin, added half of the horrorish feeling to the movie. The character was well written and well carried out by Brolin. In my view, he was the only one who went through some kind of change and I got to see different sides of George. To me the other family members were just uninteresting and they simply didn't cut it. For instance Kathy, who was played by Margot Kidder, left me pretty cold.                               

    I always love how horror movies offer great tips and lessons on life. The dream house that the Lutz family buys looks like a freaking haunted house and when there is a "I think there is someone in my closet" moment, then probably there is someone in there. And maybe the freaky voice that screams GET OUT should make you a little suspicious. But anyhow, the overall storyline didn't trail off and it gave you that nagging feeling in the back of your head. At the end I was all bothered and maybe a little bit afraid of my own house. The Amityville Horror is definitely scary, but in its own way. If you're into haunted houses and you don't mind the lack of blood and flesh eating zombies, than The Amityville Horror should be on your Halloween movie list.           

Written by Frank 

links: IMDb