Amityville Horror

[Les Diaboliques]

I watched Amityville for the first time a couple of days ago and was just wondering; Is this actually supposed to be based on a true story? Or are they just pretending that it is??

I actually thought it was quite boring and the whole 'priest' 'portal to hell' 'toilet full of goop' thing had been done before and far better!

[!MorganOnyx!]

I totally agree. If it IS actually based on a true story (I heard the actual filming was cursed and spooky shit happened on the set) then I believe it. Because, like you said, it was fucking boring. I couldn't believe how non scary and non atmospheric it was!!!

The only bit that stands out is when the evil voice says "GET OUT!!" I think it's when the priest is in the room and there are minging flies and shit. Apart from that, this movie is so forgettable.

For an atmosphere filled with dread, and cruel plot twists AMITYVILLE 2 is the one to get. That movie is one cold hearted evil son of a bitch!!

[chinton]

Its based on a book by the same name by Jay Anson which is a true account of what happened. The r eason why it wasnt scary is becuase they decided to leave all the good stuff out. This is really one of the overrated horror films with no atmosphere no scares and no nothing. Many times its just unintentionally funny especially the babysitter getting locked in the closet or the really silly scene with the flys.

[Inglorious]

Originally posted by chinton
Its based on a book by the same name by Jay Anson which is a true account of what happened. The r eason why it wasnt scary is becuase they decided to leave all the good stuff out. This is really one of the overrated horror films with no atmosphere no scares and no nothing. Many times its just unintentionally funny especially the babysitter getting locked in the closet or the really silly scene with the flys.

For the first time in about 7 years I watched The Amityville Horror. I read the book (msot of it) around age nine. On Oct. 17th, 2003 is the first time I watched it in those 7 years though, and I was utterly disappointed. I loved it around age 8, and at 15 I thought it was worthy of a 4/10. It just lost it's flavor over the years I suppose.

[CamaroMatt1996]

I thought it was pretty good. A little boring and long, but still decent. 5/10. I prefered 'Amityville 2: The Posession.' It was the prequel to the original, and was far superior.

Word
Matt

[Les Diaboliques]

It was just boring I thought at one point that James Brolin was going to turn into Jack Nicholson in the Shining when he's sharpening his axe.

And I think it would have been wicked if the dog became some sort of hell demon and did some real damage...

[Cushing]

It has'nt aged well . On it's initial release it was considered quite creepy ( I certainly thought so at the time ) but nowadays it does come over as corny and boring . The only thing that still remains scary is Lalo Schifrins excellent score .

[The Troll Man]

Originally posted by Les Diaboliques
It was just boring I thought at one point that James Brolin was going to turn into Jack Nicholson in the Shining when he's sharpening his axe.

Interesting comparison there, inspiration for Kubrick maybe? (The Shining was released a year after The Amityville Horror)

Where I think the aging has affected it most is in its emphasis on the realistic element of the "true story" - the supernatural events weren't constant, it was a case of sporadic things, many of which being minor, over a period of time... Poltergeist has a similar scenario in some respects but has aged better because the family was more comic (so more entertaining when nothing was happening) and the events were more closely packed and bigger in terms of effect. Had the film deviated from the book and blown events up, it would have aged better and appear less boring now but in my opinion have been a worse film...

[miceland1]

It was on TV and my TIVO must have remembered how much I love Amityville I. Which is to say, not at all. This sequel though surprisingly was much more scary than its predecessor. It stole elements from the Shining, The Exorcist, and I'm sure others that I didn't know about. Instead of the Dad the demons picked on the eldest son. And instead of making him look like and old warlock, they used some basic special effects to make him look possessed. It looked like a lot of pneumatic implants in his hands and face. The effects were much better all around; making it a much more enjoyable movie to watch.

There was an element in this movie that I did not expect. No it wasn't the poor acting. I expected that. There is a spoiler in the next section so read on if you dare.






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spoliers ahead.
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Ugh, the possessed did it with his own sister! Yuck. That was the grossest part. Its not something one usually sees in a horror movie.

Anyway. I was genuinely scared when the possessed was hunting his family with a sniper rifle. What
the family was doing with a sniper rifle with a silencer is beyond me. The dad mad it a point of chancing off a phantom with a shotgun early on in the movie, but the difference between those two guns is huge. Continuity, people, continuity!

[SweetEnLow]

I saw it last week on tv, not as scary as it seemed when it first came out. I've read it is based on a true story. During the first half of the movie all I kept thinking was how much Margot Kidder looked liked a young Courtney Cox. Anyone else see the resemblance?

[!MorganOnyx!]

YES I did!! It was bugging me who I thought she looked like!! Now I know! Thanks. I was watching BLACK CHRISTMAS the other day you see and just kept thinking who the bloody hell MARGOT KIDDER reminded me of!!! MRS DAVID ARQUETTE!

[IamNoOne666]

From what i have read this is based on a true story they just made it alittle more interesting when they made the movie, I think that the story with the preist was true and alot of wierd stuff happening in the house was true but nothing to the extent that it went to in the movie.

[PapaJupe2k]

Originally posted by IamNoOne666
From what i have read this is based on a true story they just made it alittle more interesting when they made the movie, I think that the story with the preist was true and alot of wierd stuff happening in the house was true but nothing to the extent that it went to in the movie. Here are some intereting facts I found about the Amityville Horror story. Take this with a grain of salt, but it pretty interesting.

http://www.amityvillerecord.com/News/2000/0824/Front_page/19.html

[IamNoOne666]

wow thanks for the link Papajupe2k, thats a great read. I like the movie alot but that made it that much more entertaining and interesting.

[ERIN_LoJ]

I really enjoyed this movie. They did a great job with paranoia and a creepy mood

[Heavenley]

I've always thought Amityville 1 and 2 were both generally creepy films, the fact that they are based on a true story makes it even creepier. The music in the movie is also quite terrifying.

[miceland1]

I just saw Amityville III on TV. This was the one that was 3D. Whoo noy. This is a truly horrible one. I realize that watching a 3D movie not in 3D is sortof futile. Anyway this one is pretty bad. Not recommended. Not nearly as scary as #2. Even worse than #1 as if that was possible.

I would tell you what happens except that nothing really does happen. No spoilers are possible. Nothing can spoil this movie. It's already as bad as it can get.

[socalled]

Originally posted by Cushing
It has'nt aged well . On it's initial release it was considered quite creepy ( I certainly thought so at the time ) but nowadays it does come over as corny and boring . The only thing that still remains scary is Lalo Schifrins excellent score .

Agreeing here. On initial release it sold out consistantly and freaked people out. Though they could have subtitled this one "the horror of the shrinking bank account".

Perhaps in the best hype before the Blair Witch Project discovered marketing via the web, it was traded as based on a true story. And if you believe that l have a harbour bridge for sale:D

[Dark_One79]

Originally posted by Les Diaboliques
I watched Amityville for the first time a couple of days ago and was just wondering; Is this actually supposed to be based on a true story? Or are they just pretending that it is??

Fake. All fake. It made a good story, and it was a wonderful way to sell a book, that became so popular that a movie was inevitable.

I know it is much more intriguing if the story is true, but sadly, even the Lutz's themselves have admitted as much in recent years. There are many sites dedicated to the story. For an accurate account of the real-life murders that were the catalyst for the Lutz's greed-fueled charade, check out:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/amityville/1.html?sect=12

[miceland1]

This is a great article. Thanks for posting it.

-mice

[Elgyn]

I actually kinda liked the first "Amityville".
Some of it is slow, but some scenes IMO were great, like the babysitter locked in the closet, the eyes peering in the window, and the weird "animals" looking out the window at Brolin.
Agreed, some of it was silly, like the huge deal about the dude losing his money (give me a break, people lose shit all the time), and remember near the beginning the wife answers the door and there`s some scruffy-looking old guy with beer - then she comes back, and HE`S GONE! Ohhhhh, spooky!:rolleyes:
Oh, and the score by Lalo Schiffen (sp?) was great.

As for Part 2, I really didn`t like it. The actors all sucked, and he screwed his sister? Yeech.

[Dark_One79]

Originally posted by Elgyn

As for Part 2, I really didn`t like it. The actors all sucked, and he screwed his sister? Yeech.

Hey now, don't be so quick to jump off the inbreeding bandwagon. I mean, c'mon, you haven't seen my sister. I'm only human.

Just kidding.

I don't have a sister!

...anymore.

[miceland1]

Yuck! to the above.

The ariticle further above was interetsing especially in comaparison to the first two movies.

The first movie sounds like a repetition of the hoax.

The second seems a lot closer to what happened in the house to begin with.

#3 seemed to have nothing to do with ANYthing.

As for the other 6 movies. I don't know. I haven't seen 'em.

Yet.

[Cyclonus]

Has anyone read the book by Jay Anson? How does it compare to the film? Keeping in mind that I disliked the movie, is it worth the read?

[mugwart74]

yep i remember watching a documentry on the house on the history channel.not a single family has had a single event happen that has lived in the house and they believe the whole story is all made up.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Cyclonus
Has anyone read the book by Jay Anson? How does it compare to the film? Keeping in mind that I disliked the movie, is it worth the read?

Yes absolutely. The book has more creepy parts and there are many differences.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by mugwart74
yep i remember watching a documentry on the house on the history channel.not a single family has had a single event happen that has lived in the house and they believe the whole story is all made up.

I thought Ive read some families HAVE had problems? The DeFeos are the obvious ones but others, also?

[Klownzilla]

Originally posted by Cyclonus
Has anyone read the book by Jay Anson? How does it compare to the film? Keeping in mind that I disliked the movie, is it worth the read?

Very much so. I too hated the film upon seeing it and my cousin gave me her copy of the novel shortly after. It goes into detail about the little girl's pig-friend Jodie and even mentions a demonic figure seen in the house.

I'm happy since the remake slated for next year plans on being faithful to Anson's book. I just hope that the look of the house has that same look from the movies and it would rock if the eerie Lalo Schifrin music was used again.

[mugwart74]

Originally posted by ERIN_LoJ
I thought Ive read some families HAVE had problems? The DeFeos are the obvious ones but others, also?


i dont know what to say,im just going on what i saw in the documentry.is the story of the house true or false?i guess we'll never know.what is true is that amityville,ny is a small city that has been put on the map by this whole story.

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

Nope. No problems for any of the families after the Lutz's...cept for vandals and other thrill-seekers. And as far the DeFeo's go...well that's the extent of the reality of the story. And to be quite honest, even most of the oddness of that case has been pretty much explained away...so that leaves us with no demons, no gateways to hell, etc. If anything, I suspect that the Lutz's probably experienced some very minor phenomena (the kind we all experience: doors that won't stay shut, etc) and eventually they exaggerated their experiences to make them much worst. Cause when you read all the articles that came out prior to the novel, and then read the different editions of the novel, and all the subsequent novels...you realize that there story changes more than OJ Simpson's.

[Cyclonus]

Now that the whole Amityville story has pretty much been discredited...I have to wonder precisely why they'd make up such a story. What reason would they have to perpretuate that hoax?

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

Probably money. Have u seen how many Amityville books there are? And most of them copyrighted to George Lutz...

[Cyclonus]

I'm working on the book--it seems that Lutz was having a lot of financial problems. It's not that hard to imagine that he'd pull some sort of stunt as a way out, and the legend of the Amityville house provided a convenient excuse to disregard his responsibilities.

[Gravedigger]

The first is a classic, in fact, I enjoy Amityville II even more so than the first film.

What do you creeps think of a Amityville DVD box set, at least of the first "3" films!?

[ERIN_LoJ]

Hey Im all for box sets....but I would only get an Amityville one if it was cheap.

What in the hell is with this bare bones disc of the current release? sigh

Ive read the first book AND the second..both very good. But I havent seen the second movie in so many years I cant remember it

Maybe the box set could be in the form of a creepy house. Damn, if only this board ruled the horror world

[ParileseMonster]

I love this movie and the whole concept of it and all but this morning I just about laughed my ass off. I do not know where the hell my husband got it but he played a cuckoo disco version of the theme song for me this morning, some funny sounding shit!

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

I have the disco version of the theme on LP! It's hillarious.