Have been away for ages, but am off travelling soon so I should have plenty of inspiration for new r...
Have been away for ages, but am off travelling soon so I should have plenty of inspiration for new reviews! Triciax
Member since:30.07.2003
Reviews:67
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A frantic 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 surviving member of the family, Joseph DeFeo is arrested for 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, ironically named "High Hopes", the Lutz's can't believe their luck - the colonial era house is huge, backs right onto the lake and even has a boat shed for George's speed boat. Kathy is determined to buy the property, but George is more apprehensive, worrying about money and why this house seems too good to be true. Eventually he has to ask the realtor why High Hopes is so cheap and she admits the house's grisly history. However
the Lutz's aren't put off, as George says houses don't kill people, people kill people.
And so the Lutz family move into High Hopes. However their dream house soon turns into a nightmare when bizarre and spooky events begin to occur. Kathy's daughter Chloe finds an imaginary and mischievous friend - called Jodie. Shadowy figures fly past doorways, fridge magnets are re-arranged and a babysitter is carted away in an ambulance after a frightening encounter. Even more worryingly George starts to go mad, hearing voices and eventually becomes a threat to Kathy and her children. As their 28th day in the new house approaches, will the Lutz's be able to escape with their lives?
The Background
The 2005 Amityville Horror is a re-make of the original 1979 movie of the same name. The events told in the movie are based on a true story also told in a book by Jay Anson. The DeFeo family were murdered in their sleep by Joseph DeFeo, original newspaper cuttings and the death certificates can be found on the film's website. The Lutz family did move into High Hopes and did flee after 28 days, but apparently the story they told about demonic activities in the house was an elaborate hoax, the truth being they simply couldn't pay the mortgage. Whatever the case was, the Lutz family made a fortune from their story.
The Movie
I have never seen the 1979 movie, but the 2005 version is certainly not the best nor scariest horror movie I have ever seen. The scare factors themselves (all classic horror movie fare - windows flying open, blood dripping from walls, dead young girl popping up all over the shop, demonic faces etc) seem rather disjointed. Rather than being haunted by one entity, there are many different presences in the house, most of which are only there to provide sporadic shocks and jumps. Often too much happening, designed to show off the special effects rather than directly enhance the story. The movie could have done with being far more subtle at the outset with only hints dropped as to the evil within the house through clever cinematography and enhanced by a killer soundtrack (an important element in the horror movie which seems to have been entirely forgotten by the makers of this movie).
The movie seems to be made up of elements from other, classic horrors. As the house turns George mad and murderous the obvious comparison is with Jack Nicholson in the brilliant "The Shining", the latter being both more convincing and more scary. Jodie looks as though she's stepped straight out of "Sixth Sense" and the other apparitions from almost any haunted house movie. Of course the original Amityville Horror was made before any of these other movies (strangely only just before "The Shining" which was released in 1980 - spooky property turns man into mad killer - a theme of the time or was someone comparing notes?), but from a modern perspective there is nothing new.
The actors in the movie do a decent enough job. Ryan Reynolds is convincing as George but he seems to loose his sanity a little too quickly with the result that you forget he is supposed to be a good guy to begin with. Incidently there is a pleasing scene in which he runs around half naked looking buff in the middle of the night! Melissa George, who apparently won the role over a host of other actresses, also does a reasonable job as the linchpin of the family, Kathy. Considering the last time I saw Melissa George act it was in Home & Away, she has made good progress! As a character Kathy is irritatingly weak willed and slow to act even when her children are in mortal danger, but this seems to be a prerequisite of the horror movie heroine.
I have been racking my brains as to why this movie failed to leave me sleeping with the light on. The original story seems very scary (although I have not read the Anson book or any of the numerous literature surrounding the case), the actors are solid, the setting is perfect with a really creepy looking house and there are some terrific scenes, in particular the babysitter sequence and first rooftop adventure. I can only conclude that mediocre direction by newcomer Andrew Douglas and poor editing are to blame. The scenes fit uneasily together and the sense of suspense and foreboding is entirely missing after the first half of the movie. By what should be the scariest part, as Kathy discovers the terrible truth about her house (a theory unique to this remake with scenes that only just avoid crossing the line into the ridiculous) and rushes home to rescue her family, I had all but lost interest. And ultimately the climax of the movie, complete with compulsory thunder storm, is rushed and very unsatisfactory.
Conclusion
This movie is a classic, watch able horror with some truly jumpy moments. Obviously it isn't for the faint hearted, but for horror movie fans it will probably prove a disappointment. At the end of the day the film made me jump a couple of times but it did not really scare me.
You also spend the beginning of the movie waiting for George or Kathy to say to each other:
"I keep seeing people who are dead, dismembered bodies that sort of thing. Do you think there's something up with our house?"
Perhaps they are a bit dim.
n.b. We watched this movie on Sky Box Office so this review is movie only, not DVD.
Thanks for reading & I look forward to hearing your comments. Triciax
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Horror - Director: M. Night Shyamalan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson
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
To be honest I thought this and the original version were both no good; I thought they proved this story to be a hoax, but oh well. Terrific review there!! Chris xxx
octavio.teixeira 17.04.2007 13:05
Nice review, well done.
pinkelephantuk 21.06.2006 12:35
I agree, the film was slightly disappointing for lack of content and continuity of the script.
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Feb 20th, 2006
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
