Customer Reviews

The Amityville Horror [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(38)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

As a fan of the original movie that brought the terror filled true tale of the Lutz's to the big screen, I have to say I went into this remake of that now classic film with some reservations. After having read the book I was always convinced that something big was missing from the original movie, yet I could never figure out what. Then I saw the new remake with Ryan Reynolds and I figured out the missing elenent: George Lutz's descent into insanity from the spirits of the house. It is without a doubt the greatest asset the new movie can offer. Sure it's effects are far superior and the look of the movie is crisp and modern but what truly stands out is Reynolds as Lutz, careening mentally out of control for all to see. What drives him to that point are the visions and the dreams, and before too long, George is left wondering what is reality and what is just going on in his head that's been planted there by the sick main demon spirit Ketcham, a psychologically wrecked man who took up residence at the property long before it was a house to be lived in. The tale of Ketcham in all his gory glory is another inspiring piece of this movie which has it all: modern effects that transform the original story into a hellish nightmare ride that will have you leaving all the lights on in your own house at night long after having watched it, excellent acting, the feeling that this could really happen, and of course, the house, which actually is not the original house but bears such an uncanny resemblance to it, aside from the extended porch, you would never suspect they are not one in the same. More like this, please Hollywood, take note.

I went to go see this movie in the theaters with my three best friends. I can say this is the only scary movie that scared the living crap out of me. I even cried at one part along with one of my other friends. The part where George Lutz kills the family dog in the boat house. Being an animal lover, I couldn't stand to see an animal being killed, even my friend. I remember coming out of the theater shaking and looking pale. But I could still not get this movie out of my head, IT ROCKED! I cant wait till it comes out on DVD.

There's alot of bad reviews for this movie, and I'm not too sure why. Yes it isn't original, quit complaining, it's a remake and it isn't trying to be original. It's better than the original in my opinion, this is one of the most disturbing horror movies to come out in a long time. The atmosphere is extremely dark and terrifying, the visuals are INCREDIBLE, the images are some of the most disturbing you will see in a long time. It's new, and that shouldn't take anything away from the movie itself, the creativity and imagination of the people who created the set is beyond belief. The use of blood in the film is really great and the acting couldn't have been better. This is one of the best horror film remakes ever, and if you're going to watch it, do so with an open mind and ignore any review good or bad and judge the film for yourself. It isn't exactly based on a true story, the people were murdered in the house but no paranormal events occured, if you don't believe me do some research on the internet, but still it makes for a good movie.

With all the bad reviews, I wasn't too hopeful for it, so maybe my low expectations made the movie a little better for me, but I thought it was better than average. (Average being something like "the grudge"). The movie played out more like the remake of "the Shining" than Amityville. They guy kept dragging around an axe like Nicholson. Unlike others, I like the idea that people are revamping these old classic horror films (I'm waiting for someone to redo the original Hellraiser, It's alive, the original exorcist, clockwork orange, or maybe even bloodsucking Freaks!!!) Anyway, I thought it was better than I anticipated, but I must mention the audio. Just like all other newer horror movie (the ring, the grudge, and boogeyman) this movie relies heavily on deafening volumes for its scare tactics. When will these directors and producers realize that this is more annoying than anything else. It doesn't scare anyone (other than your teenyboppers) excluding the annoying noises, your left with a decent horror movie. It had some decent gore in it as well. I should also mention, I do not understand why anyone would go to this movie expecting it to be "real" or a documentary based off the real killing that happened in Rhode island. It's a horror movie folks, take it for what it is. BUT if you must have them, here is the REAL FATCS:

The house was built on an Indian burial site in Rhode Island, it is still there to this day. Many strange things have happened at the house. Defeo was a real person who murdered his family. He was sent to jail for life and he claimed he didn't remember any of it. The family that moved into the house after the Defeo's (the Lutz) claimed to have seen chairs move, things being thrown, and hooded spirits. They also claimed to have been levitated while sleeping, and seen red eyes in the house. There has been no further reports of Paranormal activity to this day. Some skeptics say the Ghost story was fabricated by the owners to increase the sale value of the house, and to promote tourist. The house also looks nothing like it does in the movie (of course it has been modified by the owners)

wow...i have really been disappointed with the horror movies hollywood has put out recenlty...basically they have all kind of sucked...and u cant disagree with me...im so glad for this movie...

i never really saw the origional..i saw about the first 5 minutes of it and that scared the crap out of me as it was, and i watched all the biographies on TV, and ive wanted to see it for a while and the remake looked very good by its trailor and it took me a while to see it, but me and some friends went to the 11 showing, and we came in a little late (when the guy was walkin around the house shooting everyone at night) nice visuals..and then the movie went a little slow up until when they moved into the house, and the 1st night, when the kid went into the bathroom...ive NEVER screamed in the theatres during a horror movie but i sure as hell did during that scene! and i watched the rest of the movie thru my fingers, and towards the end i swear to u i almost cried! i saw it with 4 other people, the 2 on my left were crying, the 2 on my right were clinging onto eachother like there was no tomorrow...

the movie basically revolves around a house that was built over an ancient indian burrial ground and it makes some of the people in the house go crazy, and we see 1st it made a brother go crazy and kill his entire family, then when the new family moves in, the husband gets possessed and decides he wants to kill everyone too.

If you want a good horror movie, you will DEFINATLY not go home unhappy about this! its so suspenceful, and will have u jumping the entire time, and yes granted some of the scares are cheap, but its will get you!

Packed more than a scare or two, interesting special effects, filled with all the cliches of horror movies, yet somehow it seemed to work itself out into something likeable. After sitting through the ridiculous and unnecessary "Ring 2" and with year-old memories of the horrific (not in a good way) "House of the Dead" still ringing a bell in my head, though, my expectations were low, so keep that in mind.

If you're out to have a good time at the movies with your friends, this is the perfect movie. But you need to not take this seriously in order to enjoy it, and that's what people too often forget about movies. Though this movie recieved awful reviews, it's best not to listen to the critics, for their tastes won't always match yours.

Moving forth, I must say I find horror movies hard to review. The point of them is to scare, and I got shaky more than once, I actually felt uncomfortable at one point, and I consider myself pretty strong in horror movies (I see every horror movie released). The makeup and visual work is just so well-done that it's hard not to get scared when...

...well, you'll have to see the movie, then, won't you?

As far as horror movies go: B+

4 Stars

This movie made me cringe in several places. I couldn't take it when the little girl was balancing herself on the top of the roof. The camera angles really got me. And when George made the kid hold the log wile he swung the axe to chop it was a reeal nail biter.

If you over analize it, you'll be disappointed. But if you approach this fast moving film as a joyride through terror...hop on!

At least rent it if you don't buy it.

First, I'd like to claim that I've been a fan of the original 1979, "The Amityville Horror". It is truly one of the most terrifying [and scariest] ghost stories you will ever see! Despite the obvious limitations to low budget filming, it does surprisingly deliver that nightmarish atmosphere that keeps you scared all the way to the unforgettable climatic ending! Hoax or not, it proved to be quite popular with the public upon release, considering the fact that it's actually based off the bestselling novel by Jay Anson. Additionally, a fair amount of it even stays true to Anson's version of the Lutz family and the shocking 28 days, which they experienced in the old Long Island estate.

If you asked me, I'd tell you that I must've watched it more than five times by now and it still never fails to scare the absolute crap out of me! What's more, I WAS truly looking forward to the remake like many and my hopes were set high! After all, I enjoyed "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake and I love it just as much as the original. Unfortunately, this wasn't the same for 'Amityville'! Directed by Andrew Douglas and produced by Michael Bay (who also took part in the TCM remake), this is one of those remakes that leave you wondering, "Why did they have to do that? It was fine just the way it was!"

The storyline has been changed drastically (aside from the Lutz family moving into the house and experiencing strange events taking place) and the acting is nothing more but cardboard. Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George simply cannot replace James Brolin and Margot Kidder as Kathy and George Lutz. In the 1979 version, we were given powerful and dramatic performances that actually had us feel sympathy for the characters. Sadly, this isn't so the second time through and you really couldn't care either way whether the characters live or die. Also, why spoil all the fun by revealing Jodie's character? In the original, we never get to see what Jodie looks like, but this method proves to be A LOT more effective and suspenseful than the ghost of some dead little girl.

Furthermore, we hardly even get to know THIS Lutz family due to the fact that the 28 days shift by so quick through the VERY short 90 minutes! For example, we only get to see maybe one or two days that they go through until the film skips all the way to Day 28! So where's the character development? Not quite there. Again, you can't really feel much sympathy for the characters here. Finally, the, usage of CGI effects were just terrible! Personally, I believe that CGI should NOT belong in a horror movie because it takes away the scary atmosphere and ruins the realism! (Can anybody say, "White Noise" or "Ring Two"?) It may not be as overdone, but it is still noticeable and it shouldn't be there PERIOD!

Luckily, I didn't have to pay a dime when I went to go see the premiere of this in Seattle, considering the fact that a fellow classmate of mine had offered a bunch of us free spare tickets that she'd gotten in order for everyone to go. I'm most thankful and I know for a fact now that I'm sticking with the original 1979 version, which is the BEST and ONLY version that you should look into! Hollywood has been known to take other great classics (e.g. George A. Romero's, "Dawn of the Dead") and hack 'em up to shreds! They'd better stay away from Tobe Hooper's and Steven Spielberg's, "Poltergeist" because it's one of those genuine horror masterpieces that do NOT need a remake! If they want to restore, some deleted scenes fine. Otherwise, LEAVE IT ALONE! Bottom line: go rent the original, "The Amityville Horror", but avoid the horror-ible 2005 remake!

I saw this movie the 2nd week it came out with three of my best buddys. I saw the trailer for it on tv and it looked awsome because I loved scary movies. So one night me and my friends decided we were going to see a movie cause we were bored and we decided to see the amittyville horror. I can say that this movie was a creepy fest of gore and shock factors and it was awsome!! I have never been so scared in all my life, it even scared the crap out of all my friends. Even if it was R rated, we were allowed to go to see it--even if we were all under 17 (15 (me) 14, 14 and 13) when i left the theatures, I was pale and shaking. I know that alot of people on here thought this movie sucked and was crap, I completly dissagree. This is the best horror movie ever!

Okay, before I begin, I would simply like to know what it was about this film that was allegedly so bad. I missed this one in theaters and have since read every manner of unfair dissertation you can possibly imagine. Do people these days go to movies solely for the purpose of picking them apart? Apparently, aside from myself and most of my immediate friends and family, they do. What gives? A great many who post here and on the many different message boards I frequent seem so vehemently against the existence of remakes. That leads me to wonder why they bother dedicating their time to watching them in the first place. These people have already convinced themselves of the presumptous notion that the movie will automatically bomb, so why do they put themselves through such unnecessary torture? I guess that is a mystery destined to remain unsolved.

I own the first two original "Amityville" films and, personally, I have to say I was very impressed with what I saw in this remake. Andrew Douglas comes across very competent in his directing skills, and Scott Kosar's screenplay got everything right. This was an updating that upped the intensity level several welcome notches, and the pacing was through the roof. I applaud these improvements because the original movie, while still a fairly decent film in its own right, has not aged very well. It was long overdue for a remake and, for my money, it was well worth the blind buy I made. Nobody will ever really know what happened in that house. Did Ronald De Feo hear voices that compelled him to slaughter his entire family? Were evil spirits or ghosts the real reason behind the Lutz family's departure? Who can say? This remake scored points with me because it gave me everything I wanted out of the original. I went into this looking for a fun, fast-paced thrill ride--which is exactly what all the promotional information promised it would be--and that is precisely what I got. I don't regret the time I invested while sitting through it and I still, for the life of me, do not understand why so many others continue to slam it into oblivion.

The DVD is nicely packaged, the transfer crisp and clear. I would recommend this to anybody who feels the same way about the originals as I do. It is not a classic, nor does it try to be. This is a horror movie, plain and simple, one that was done in very much the manner I would like other films to follow. Nice work, Mr. Douglas. Very nice, indeed.