Production Year: 2005 - Horror - Director: Andrew Douglas - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James, Chloe Grace Moretz, Philip Baker Hall more
This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that... more
Production Year: 2002 - Horror - Director: Danny Boyle - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Cillian Murphy, Megan Burns, Noah Huntley, Christopher Eccleston, Marvin Campbell, Brendan Gleeson
A review by LostWitness on The Amityville Horror (DVD) October 25th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
Exicting, jumpy, effects - laden spectacular, Ryan Reynolds
Disadvantages:
Not very subtle
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
When Kathy Lutz's young husband dies unexpectedly, she is lucky enough to find happiness with another man. George runs a modest business as a builder and is a willing father to Kathy's three young children, even if they aren't quite so keen. The family lives in a small apartment in the city, but Kathy dreams of bigger and better things. One afternoon, the couple takes a drive out to the suburbs where a house is advertised for sale. As soon as Kathy sees the house she is absolutely smitten. It's enormous and has a beautiful outlook onto the water. There are plenty of rooms for the children to run around in and she can hardly believe her luck when the twitchy estate agent confirms that the advertised price is correct. Although it will still stretch their finances, George finally agrees to the sale, much to the delights of his young partner.
As they leave the premises, George cannot help asking the estate agent the burning question as to why the house is so cheap. Somewhat nervously, the woman advises them that there was a tragedy in the house. Just over a year ago, the Dafeo family (the house's previous occupants) where murdered in the house by the eldest son, Ronnie. Claiming that he was possessed by the devil, the young man took a shotgun and walked from room to room blasting the life from his parents and siblings whilst they slept in their beds. Understandably shaken by the information, George and Kathy consider their decision. "Houses aren't evil", says George, "People are evil." And with that, they decide to put the house's past behind them and move into their new family home.
But their newfound bliss doesn't last very long. They hear strange noises in the night and George begins to see ghoulish figures watching over him. Unable to get warm anywhere in the house, George begins to spend more and more time in the basement, where strange visions haunt him. As the couple begins to drift farther and farther apart, George starts to hear ghostly voices calling, "Catch them" and "Kill them" wherever he goes. As George's character becomes more and more violent, Kathy is compelled to research the secrets of their new home. And what she finds is more terrible than she could ever have imagined….
As the Hollywood remake machine trundles on and on, more and more "classics" are scooped up and reinvented in the eyes - and with the budget - of the 21st century director. Despite spawning several lacklustre sequels, the 1979 film version of The Amityville Horror remains a genre classic, due notably to the suggestion that the film is based on true events. The house did indeed exist, the Dafeo family was indeed murdered, and George and Kathy Lutz did indeed claim to experience the inexplicable in the short time that they lived in the house thereafter. Nonetheless, the original film version embellished the truth somewhat, going for more scares than the true story actually contained. But if the 1979 version embellished the truth, the 2005 version almost completely reinvents it.
Comparisons with the 1979 film version are almost completely pointless because the films are just too different. The 1979 original was a classic 1970s horror, full of cheap, yet atmospheric special effects and relying more on suspense and myth to entice the audience into its web of mystique. Strangely enough, there was still a certain subtlety to it, with the Lutz family's ordeal being at the centre of the story. The 2005 version remains true to the ordeal of the Lutz family but goes instead for the shocks and scares that a modern cinema audience virtually demands and what you therefore have is a film that has far greater visual impact.
The shocks and jumps are almost entirely relentless from the moment the film opens. The initial scenes are extremely effective, portraying the fateful night when the Dafeo family was murdered. In virtual darkness, Ronnie Dafeo stalks from room to room; his image illuminated only by the regular flash of lightning outside and the brutality of the horrific act is enhanced to the full. Pseudo-real news footage than quickly skips through the legal events thereafter whilst the title rolls so that by the time the Lutz family is introduced, we know the backdrop to which the story is about to play. The house is inherently creepy, bearing a resemblance to the original house, but moved onto a larger, leafier plot and given many more rooms and corridors for the camera to snake and wind around. Everything about the house is sinister, from the creaking, groaning wooden floorboards to the ventilation shaft running up the centre of the house from the basement. Is that the wind blowing around the walls or a demonic voice whispering and cursing the inhabitants?
The Lutz family may not always see what's going on around them, but director Andrew Douglas makes damn sure that we do. In a quiet moment of intimacy, George glances over his wife's body to see the spectral image of a young girl hanging from a noose. When one of the boys runs to the bathroom in the night, a ghoulish figure leers over his shoulder as he washes his hands in the sink. What is the secret of the rundown boathouse in the back yard and why will the doors simply not stay locked?
It's all very effective, if not slightly formulaic. Douglas draws you in before making your heart jump with another shock or scare. He makes much more use of special effects than the original version did (or could) and visually, the new version is much more exciting. The pace of the film is pretty much spot on too, with George's descent from mild-mannerism to maniac running its course progressively and convincingly. Surprisingly, Douglas steers away from some of the most famous scenes in the original film - there are no torrents of blood running down the wall in this version, although the swarm of flies still shows up. The background story to the Amityville house, prior to the daFeo murders is changed quite considerably, and largely far more satisfyingly to provide a more convincing origin to the evil homestead. In the process, however, it has to be said that Douglas rather tramples over the subtlety of the original version, bringing out a full gore-infested sequence towards the climax to really hammer things home.
And in a nutshell, this is really where the film has changed the most. The 2005 version is an aggressive, even more violent interpretation of the infamous story that takes a good old-fashioned ghost story and drives a bloody stake through its heart. Although still fairly atmospheric, this is not a film that relies on creepy scares - it revolves around shock tactics. Fans of the original version will therefore find this version rather disloyal to the original. Personally, I thought it was pretty good and will admit to jumping out of my skin once or twice.
Melissa George (formerly Angel in Home and Away) is good enough as the disturbed mother, Kathy Lutz, although her initial inaction and seeming inability to protect her children quickly grates. Star of the show is (the incredibly sexy) Ryan Reynolds whose cocky swagger quickly, and shockingly, gives way to a disturbing violence and he is very convincing. As he struggles with his inner demons, you never really know whether to feel pity or revulsion - and I suspect that this was the director's intent. Perverts like me will, however, struggle to concentrate on much of the film after the buff actor runs around for a couple of minutes in nothing but a pair of pyjama bottoms….
The Amityville Horror is a satisfying, modern horror film. There is nothing sophisticated or clever about it. It sets about what it wants to be very quickly and then plays along with things very consistently. The 15-certificate is, at times, surprising as there are some violent / gory moments that were borderline 18 as far as I could see. The Amityville Horror is probably this year's best Hallowe'en movie. It's a killer.
Advantages: Interesting story & a great set Disadvantages: Not very scary
...phone call is received by the Long Island police informing them of a multiple shooting. The date is November 13 1974 and the shooting has occurred at the DeFeo residence on Ocean Drive, Amityville. Arriving at the house the police are confronted with a grisly scene: six members of the DeFeo family have been murdered, most are found in their beds but chillingly the body of the youngest girl, Jodie, is discovered curled up in her cupboard. The only ... ...the murder of his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters only 28 days after the family had moved in. Labelled at his trial as a psychotic killer, Joseph claims that voices had told him to "Katch 'em and Kill 'em"...
A year later newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz are looking for a residence to start a new life with her three children Billy, Michael and Chelsea. When the somewhat nervy realtor shows them around the former residence of the DeFeo's, ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Ryan Reynolds Disadvantages: Story not explained
...seeing and being scared by the original years ago I decided that I would give the 2005 remake a go. Now I am going to try a different approach to writing my film reviews so let me know if the other way was better.
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What is it about?
(Reading from the back of the box)
From Michael Bay, the producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comes the true story of Amityville. In November 1974, a family of six was brutally murdered. Now a year later, ... ...children move into the house that was the site of the horrific event and is now haunted by a murderous presence.
What follows is 28 days of unimaginable horror.
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Verdict on the story;
Now as always the fact that the film is based on true events makes it that more intriguing to watch. I did some research on the internet about the actual murders and the story behind them before I watched the remake and if you expect the film to follow the ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Some warm central perfomances Disadvantages: An overwhelming lack of imagination or real scares
...entire family, claiming voices in the house drove him to it. A year later newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz move in with her three children. Shortly after George's mind begins to unravel as the house takes hold of him.
The random remake roundabout spins into action once more and spits out this bloody lump of recycled 70s schlock horror. Unsurprisingly it comes from Michael Bay's horror remake conveyor belt. This version of the 70s schlocker is unlikely ... ...Director Andrew Douglas sticks to the Bay template; so we get photogenic leads in peril with plenty of cheap shocks, nosebleed editing and visual gimmickry. Sadly this makes for a very predictable film that lacks suspense and is a little too clear on the reasons for George's mental instability - the house really is evil. That's fine if all you're looking for is a haunted house story, but a little "Turn of the Screw" ambiguity (is it supernatural ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Enjoyable Scary Disadvantages: True Story - How awful
I am reviewing the movie The Amityville Horror
I watched this movie last night on television and I have to admit I was a little creeped out. And apparently it is a true story. So I had the hebbi geebies throughout. The Story
A family decide to buy a house in the country, which is a great bargain, only to find out after that the previous family had been murdered in the house. That's the reason for the cheap sale.
They decided to keep the house ... ...People. All goes ok in the house until the husband starts acting weird and the daughter is seeing things. What now follows is 28 days of sheer terror for the family.
The Cast: Ryan Reynolds plays George, the new man of the house after he married a widow with three children. The children are only getting used to him as the father didn't pass away that long ago.
Ryan played the husband who started acting very strange and creepy, and he was sensational. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Passes the time Disadvantages: Not really scary, nothing new
...films have always essentially followed the same template. You have a main character in peril and a nasty creature chasing them, bodies pile up along the way. But it's now getting quite hard to keep that method going with refreshing new ideas. So instead Hollywood is taking it's old movies and blowing the dust off them.
We've already seen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre given a re-make, Dawn of the Dead was given a polish and next year sees films such ... ...getting a revamp.
The Amityville Horror is another to get a bit of spit and polish to bring it to a newer generation. I have to confess I've never seen the original so I can't really compare the two. Needless to say this version has had some changes. The film is based on a true story where a young man murdered the rest of his family after believing them to be demons. A young family move into the house where the murders occurred and look forward ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Interesting story, lots of extras Disadvantages: Not that gripping, average performances
...never seen The AmityvilleHorror before, either the original, made back in 1979, or this re-make, made in 2005. It is certainly a very appealing story, and is supposedly based on fact - certainly it is true that six people from the Defeo family were murdered by another member of their family, who claimed to have committed the crime because voices told him to do so. It would therefore seem almost certain that a film based on that was going to do well. Unfortunately, that is not the case, with this version at least; I hope that the original is much better than this one, otherwise I cannot really understand why it is so well known.
Ryan Reynolds plays George Lutz, an actor who is relatively unknown to me, although fans of Van Wilder and/or Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place may recognise him. I thought he was probably the best part...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Makes you jump now and again Disadvantages: That little annoying child
...So it is coming it the season of Hallowe'en were we all try and scare ourselves and more especially younger relatives into a coma. In keeping with this line of thinking I bought I few horror DVDs the other day and last night decided to start with watching this one. It seemed to be the meekest I'd seen the 2005 remake and I've also reviewed one of its crappy sequels so I wasn't expecting too much.
STORY
The story involves the Lutz family. George Lutz has recently married Kathy a widow with 3 kids and moves into the Amityville home with her as it is cheep due to the fact a young man went mad there before and ended up killing his whole family because the voice in the houses told him too.
Anyway, the first sign things aren't so sweet and shiny come about when Rod Steiger appears as a priest to bless the house. The family are all out...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
....Then george lutz starts acting weird and stops looking after himself and at the end they try to flee the house and there is blood and ooz coming out of the walls .They eventualy get away they only lived there for 28 days and they never went back.Scarey stuff dont you think.
main dvd facts
actors
james brolin
margot kidder
rod steiger
murray hamilton
don stroud
john larch
DIRECTOR
stuart rosenberg
GENRE
horror
CLASSIFICATION
15 yrs and over
PRODUCTION YR
1979
RUNNING TIME
1hr 53 mins
DVD REGION 2
LANGUAGES
english
SPECIAL FEATURES
original theatrical trailer
interactive menuscreens
chapter selection...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Special Features: Making Of Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Commentary With Ryan Reynolds And Producers, Supernatural Homicide Scene Deconstruction, Photo Gallery, Multi Angel On Set Peeks
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
DVD Description
This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a Long Island, New York home in the '70s. When George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) come across a beautiful river-front colonial home being sold for a steal, they suspect a catch. Once informed that the home was the site of a grisly mass murder, they decide to buy the house anyway and eagerly move in, bringing with them Kathy's three children from a previous marriage. While no one can deny that the house is rife with spooky sounds, the family members try to put their fears at bay. But over time, strange occurrences start happening, becoming more and more frequent, and these events start to have a transformative effect on several family members. Kathy's daughter starts to act bizarrely, ending up in a variety of life-threatening situations, led by her new, not-so-imaginary friend Jody (one of the children slaughtered in the house years before by her older brother). Likewise, something strange seems to be happening to George. His usually sweet demeanour is replaced with a hostile one, and he starts cruelly taking out his aggression on Kathy's children. Kathy's original assumption that a house cannot be evil is challenged as she watches her husband transform into the sort of man that just might be capable of murdering his family. Faster-paced than the original, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with quick editing, suspenseful music, and moderately graphic violence. The two leads give quality performances, and seem to inhabit the decade in which the story is set despite the film's slick, contemporary production.
Professional reviews
Review: The new AMITYVILLE stars an effective Ryan Reynolds (Los Angeles Times, )
Packed full of heart stopping moments and spne chilling effects (The Sun, )
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