The Amityville Horror
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Movie Reviews of The Amityville Horror
Movie Review: The 1st Amityville movie is the best, but that's not saying much
Summary: 4 Stars
Seems like the mid 1970's and early 80's spawned a ton of horror/suspense films. Obviously some better than others, but so many of them necessary in a cheap thrills way. While my favorites include "The Shining", "The Omen" and "The Exercist", there are several others that deserve credit. On that 2nd tier right next to "The Thing", "Halloween", "Nightmare On Elm St" and "Poltergeist"... I must put "The Amittyville Horror" (1979). The acting by James Brolin as new homeowner George Lutz was average and stiff at best. His glazed look, his snappy remarks to the stepkids, and his wild shaggy hair were downright comical at times... not to mention his strutting around in his Fruit-Of-The Looms - didn't need to see that. Margot Kidder (prior to her talking to trees and living on park benches) was also average at best - a "B" movie actress if ever there was one (including "Superman"). Rod Steiger was good but over dramatic as the priest trying to bring some heart and soul into the house. This movie was not bloody in the sense of a "Friday The 13th" style of slasher flick. It was packed with style and suspense leading the viewer to believe there really was something hellacious going on in the house. Suspenseful moments include hundreds of flys gathering in one upstairs room; the house itself regurgitating the words "Get Out"; doors slamming shut by themselves, a brace-faced babysitter being locked in a closet, toilets vomiting black slime, blood dripping from the walls and staircase, loud rings of the phone at quiet inopportune times, and the family dog madly scratching at a cellar wall. "Amittyville" was more story than effects... showing the character(s) losing grips with reality by a haunted house. The scenery is typical Long Island (even though the outside town shots were in Toms River, NJ). The ending of the movie you can see again in 1982's "Poltergeist"... where the family runs out of the demon house yelling and screaming at night in a blinding rain storm never to return again. 7 sequels later it's still considered one of the horror classics. Many say the movie/book was a hoax... but, who is really to say? On a late night with the lights off, this movie serves up a nice clean scare. A generous 4 stars. Movie Review: Spiritual mumbo-jumbo a plus
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a very 70s horror flick based on the bestselling book of the 'true' story of a haunted Long Island home. It was debunked and proven to be a total sham, but the film spawned about ten sequels and even that necessary remake.
The Lutz family purchases their dream house only to find that it's haunted, and also helpfully contains the passageway to Hell in the basement. Yes, it is completely and utterly crushing to think that if such a passage existed into something called Hell, it would be in Amityville, Long Island.
James Brolin plays the husband, tough guy with a lot of hair. Margot Kidder is the wife, who gets to react with big, wide eyes whenever she witnesses a ghost, hallucination, atrocity, etc. Most of the scares are indeed opening doors or something, looking at something, and then the music gets really loud, and then we see the peoples' eyes, closer, and then, da-da! A cheesy special effect.
Good for nostalgia value. The appearance of Rod Steiger as a crazed priest is a major plus. Like a cheap Exorcist. If these types of films scare you, it might be worth it on a slow night. Good for some unintentional laughs, too.
Movie Review: The Evil House's movie has its moments.
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, the DVD of The Amityville Horror is pretty barebones. It's only "special feature" is the theatrical trailer. There's not even any English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
But, as for the movie, it's not bad. It takes a little while to get going, but once it's there, it can have a few gripping moments. James Brolin, as Charles Lutz, does a great job in the lead. You genuinely like the guy, and feel both creeped out and sympathetic when the house starts to drive him nuts. Margot Kidder isn't bad. Her big plus was always her likeable personality (not her looks), and as Cathy Lutz, she's a very sympathetic mother/wife here. You just feel awful when Cathy gets smacked in the face by George, who's going over the edge. Rod Steiger's role is the question mark. As Father Delaney, the priest who tries to warn the Lutz's of impending doom, Steiger exudes creepiness just from his WAY jacked-up performance. But there's a problem: it feels like the movie could do without Father Delaney's storyline, altogether. Anyway, there are a handful of genuinely eye-widening moments. I still love the red-eyes-looking-in-the-window moment, and the part where the babysitter gets locked in the closet is creepy. The main thing the movie lacks is a great payoff. If you're expecting to see George go mano-a-mano with Satan or the house explode or some kind of apocalypse, you'll be let down. Overall, you'll get a satisfying number of creepy moments, I think, but this isn't a classic.
Movie Review: More Detailed Story, Less Shock and Scary Visuals.
Summary: 3 Stars
Having just seen the Remake starring Ryan Reynolds, I had to check out the Original Amittyville Horror starring James Brolin(the current husband of Barbara Streisand), who is perfect for the role of George Lutz, because he's got the rough and macho look. Even though his performance is good, but it was Margot Kidder(Kathy) who was more striking with a performance that was filled with emotion and fear. Rod Steiger is very convincing as the priest with best intension to save the Lutz family from the evil force that lived in the old colonial house, but he gets defeated by the powerful demonic force.
The story is very detailed and slow-paced compared to the remake. It excels in providing a very gripping atmosphere to this movie while it had neglected to be visually stimulating like the remake. The sound effect and music are kind of cheessy when it always tried to accompanied the reactions of the characters. Theire are more characters in this film, even Helen Shaver had a bit part here.
There really is not enough scary moments in this film compared to the remake. The scene where the blood was leeking out from the wall and floor was the best visual, but everything else was just too low-key. It's done a better job at being more psychologically scary, but it's too long and boring at times. I prefer the remake more than this one.
Movie Review: LOOKING AT IT WITH NOSTALGIC EYES
Summary: 3 Stars
I've always been a bit torn on this film. On one hand, when I read the book when it first came out it was the scariest thing I had ever read. It may still be the scariest thing I ever read. Of course, my feeling on that now is somewhat tempered by the revelations that the whole Lutz story may have been a hoax. FAct or fiction, it was still darn scary. The movie was widely lampooned then and now but I still think it generates more scares than many films, certainly many low-budget offerings to be sure.
The Lutz's and their children move into a beautiful home on Long Island and get it for such a deal. Well of course we come to find out that the a member of the previous family that lived there had shot and killed a number of his famlily members with a shotgun in a real-life incident. Things at first are subtle and passed off. Strange sounds, flies about the windows, missing wallets, etc. But as director Stuart Rosenberg gradually builds the tension, things get worse. George Lutz (James Brolin) becomes more distant from his family and acting strange. He constantly goes out to check the boathouse and is always buidling a raging fire because he is cold. Is this scary? Maybe not, but I think it does a nice job of building up the insanity of the character. Meanwhile daughter Amy is seeing imaginary people who aren't there, culminating in George and Kathy seeing a disembodied pair of red eyes in the sewing room window.
Kathy asks her Priest Father Delaney (Rod Steiger to bless the house. He soon becomes violently ill and hears a voice telling him to "Get Out!" This all leads to a climax where all hell breaks loose with doors slamming, toilets spewing black ooze and blood dripping from the walls as the Lutz's flee the home, and all their belongings.
As a pure haunted house film Amityvilles is fairly effective. It has some definite chills and builds the tension slowly, maybe too slowly, but surely. Were talking 1979 so were not going to get much in the way of special effects and it will be interesting to see how the remake handles this. I hope they don't go overboard with CGI effects. I guess the weakest part of the movie would be the cast. Margot Kidder was somewhat of a big name back then thanks to being in Superman but she's just not a very good actress and Brolin is so wooden in his role that he seems positively bored to death. Only Steiger really shines as Father Delany.
Amityville Horror gets a bit of a bad rap in large part due to the fact that the story is now being questioned as a hoax and the film doesn't hold up well 25 years later, but it's still a moderately effective horror film.