The Amityville Horror (1979)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

Sandor Stern (screenplay)
Jay Anson (book)

Release Date:

27 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

"For God's Sake, Get Out!"

Plot:

Newlyweds move into a house where a murder was committed, and experience strange manifestations which drive them away.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Evil | Real Estate Agent | Murder | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

James Brolin	...	George Lutz
Margot Kidder	...	Kathy Lutz
Rod Steiger	...	Father Delaney
Don Stroud	...	Father Bolen
Murray Hamilton	...	Father Ryan
John Larch	...	Father Nuncio
Natasha Ryan	...	Amy
K.C. Martel	...	Greg
Meeno Peluce	...	Matt
Michael Sacks	...	Jeff
Helen Shaver	...	Carolyn
Amy Wright	...	Jackie
Val Avery	...	Sgt. Gionfriddo
Irene Dailey	...	Aunt Helena
Marc Vahanian	...	Jimmy

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | USA:R (No. 25653) | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Iceland:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

The outdoor scenes of the movie were not filmed in Amityville, Long Island, but rather Toms River, New Jersey. Local police and ambulance workers played extras.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When George's friend, Jeff, arrives at the house, he is driving a Jeep Cherokee with square headlights. The headlights on Jeep Cherokees were round until 1979/1980, therefore this type of vehicle could not have been available in 1975, when the story is set.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cop at the House: Jesus Christ, it gets worse all the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Source of Evil (2005) (V)

Looks good...that's about it.

A family (James Brolin is the dad...Margot Kidder is the mom) move into a beautiful house in Long Island NY. Naturally it turns out to be haunted.

This is a (bad) adaptation of a very good book. Supposedly the book was accepted as being true...we all know now that it's totally fictional. The book was a quick, scary read. The movie takes the book, jettisons almost all of the scary material, and ends up being a VERY dull mess. What was the studio thinking? Why take a good book and totally destroy it?

The acting doesn't really help. Brolin appears drugged out during the entire movie and Rod Steiger REALLY overacts as a priest. Margot Kidder is very good--she gives this movie a much better performance than it deserves. And it IS kind of fun to see Murray Hamilton and Don Stroud as priests.

The film does have a few good moments: there's an opening multiple murder scene which jolts you and a certain dream Kidder has is nice and gory (and not in the book). Also the film looks beautiful--especially the house. This was AIP's (American International Pictures) last film--it was also their biggest hit. THAT'S scarier than anything in this movie.

Basically a dull, big-budget horror movie. Let's hope the remake is better. This is a 1 all the way.