The Amityville Horror (1979)
- Cody Iden
- Oct 15, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
Release Date - July 27, 1979
Synopsis:
After moving into their new home, which was the site of a grisly mass murder, strange and inexplicable happenings begin to occur which have a strong effect on the new residents of the house.
Directed by - Stuart Rosenberg
Screenplay by - Sandor Stern
Produced by - Elliot Geisinger and Ronald Saland
Cinematography - Fred J. Koenekamp
Music by - Lalo Schifrin
Distribution Company - American International Pictures
Cast:
James Brolin - George Lutz
Margot Kidder - Kathleen 'Kathy' Lutz
Rod Steiger - Father Frank Delaney
Murray Hamilton - Father Ray
Don Stroud - Father Bolen
Michael Sacks - Jeff
Val Avery - Sergeant Gionfriddo
Helen Shaver - Carolyn
Irene Dailey - Aunt Helena
Amy Wright - Jackie (The Babysitter)
Marc Vahanian - Jimmy
Natasha Ryan - Amy Lutz
K.C. Martel - Greg Lutz
Meeno Peluce - Matt Lutz
Run Time - 1 hr. 58 min. Rated - R
Budget - $4.7 million Gross - $86.4 million
Review:
The Amityville Horror is based on events supposedly experienced by the Lutz family who moved into the infamous home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York which was the site of a grisly mass murder in 1974 in which a young man murdered his father, mother, two brothers and two sisters in the home, later claiming the voices in the house made him do so. With that true backstory in mind the film doesn't need to do a lot to establish a creepy and eerie atmosphere which it pulls it off extremely well, with much thanks to the haunting score from Lalo Schifrin, who would go on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his work on this film. The cast is comprised of just a handful of characters, mainly George and Kathy Lutz as played very well by James Brolin and Margot Kidder, fresh off her turn as Lois Lane in Superman (1978). Also along for the proceedings is Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger as a priest who makes several attempts to help the Lutz family only to be foiled by the demonic presence within the home time and time again, his performance was criticized by many critics who felt he was over-the-top in his performance and they aren't wrong, but it makes for some really great scenes that are highlights of the film. Other than these three characters, you have the Lutz children and a couple other priests played by Murray Hamilton and Don Stroud. The film is mostly a slow-burn horror film with lots of creepy things scattered around to keep the tension mounting, the finale raises the excitement tenfold as the Lutz family try to vacate the home as objects are flung around the house, doors slam shut and blood oozes from the walls and stairs. The film proved to be a big hit financially despite being critically reviled and went on to spawn an entire franchise of films based on the Amityville house. The film is now a classic horror film in my opinion and one that all horror fans need to see, while it doesn't feature anything super scary it does feature a whole ambience of dread that makes the film worth your time.
My Score: 82
Plot - 8 Cinematography - 8
Attraction - 9 Editing & Special Effects - 8
Theme - 8 Sound & Music - 9
Acting - 8 Directing - 8
Dialogue - 8 Enjoyability – 8
Trivia:
Harrison Ford, Burt Reynolds, James Caan and Christopher Reeve were all considered for the part of George Lutz before James Brolin was cast.
The town of Amityville, New York refused to allow the movie to be filmed on location at the real house. As a result the movie was mostly shot at a home in Toms River, New Jersey that was modified to look like the infamous home on 112 Ocean Avenue.
James Brolin and Margot Kidder visited the realy Amityville house as part of a press junket and both went on record as saying that they did not believe the story of the Lutzes. James Brolin later became friends with George Lutz but he never fully believed the man's claims.
To help with publicity the studio made up various stories about weird occurences that supposedly happened during filming. It was later confirmed by cast and crew that this was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
At the time of its release, The Amityville Horror became the highest grossing film released by American International Pictures.
This was the final film appearance of actress Irene Dailey who plays Aunt Helena in the film. Dailey was better known as a stage actress and she continued to act on television and on stage until the early 1990s. She died on September 24, 2008 at the age of 88 from colon cancer.
The real life Lutz family lived a relatively normal life after their escape from the home, though George and Kathy Lutz later divorced in the late 1980s. Kathy Lutz died from emphysema on August 17, 2004 in Scottsdale, Arizona while George Lutz died on May 8, 2006 in Clark County, Nevada due to complications from heart disease. Their three children remained out of the public eye and their names were changed in the film for privacy reasons.
The Amityville house still stands today though the ominous eye windows have been removed and replaced with more basic rectangular windows. The address has also been changed partly to try and deter tourists from coming to see the home after the many books and films released about the property.
Availability:
Blu-ray Boxset (contains the first 3 Amityville films)
Watched on October 13, 2021
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