MGM DVD release The Amityville Horror, Stuart Rosenberg, USA, 1979, 117 mins, American International Pictures/MGM, Region 2
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The Amityville Horror tells the story of a newly wed couple who just bought a new house and moved in with their three kids. Ten years before, a whole family was murdered there by the husband, but the two can't resist the cheap price. Unfortunately for them, the house seems haunted by something, and strange things begin to happen, with increasing intensity. The male lead, James Brolin (George Lutz), is acting more and more reclused and mysteriously dark, with an ill temper and general unpredictable behaviour. As a priest visits, he gets scared of the occult presence in the house, runs off, pukes, and goes directly to the local church overheads to explain what happened; of course they don't believe his words, resting his experience on that of illusions. This makes the family live through this on it's own, as the darkness of the house slowly subbumbs everything. This sinister film spawned a lot of sequels, 8 I believe, initially theatrical releases (first three), and later direct-to-video TV-movies. The 2nd part is by far the darkest sequel, and is a personal favourite of mine. Also, a 2005 re-make was made, copying quite an amount of the original film, which makes it predictable and not the least interesting (the The Omen 2006 re-make was a similar result). The Amityville Horror is very effective in slowly building up tension with the feeling of evil lurking in the house, waiting to do something - but exactly what that something is, keeps the viewer guessing until the end. A classic tool, but here it's done in an engaging way - some claim the movie to be dated, but a consequently non-physical evil presense isn't something that's seen often in film. Male lead George Lutz does it well as the husband in a role somehow similar to that of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. His acting isn't as eccentric, but instead his passivity, mental reclusion, and increasing resemblance to the look of a homeless, worn-out man, makes you wonder what's going on inside his head. Unfortunately, without revealing too much, the climax felt insuffecient compared to the mood built up (watch part 2 if you want something dreadful and surprising). Amityville still stands out as an important 70's representation in the haunted house subgenre, one that I really love, and the film comes recommended. 4 out of 6 - Reviewed by Media Cult |