The Amityville Horror (2005)
George Lutz, his wife Kathy, and their three children have just moved into a beautiful, and improbably cheap, Dutch colonial mansion nestled in the sleepy coastal town of Amityville, Long Island. However, their dream home is concealing a horrific past and soon each member of the Lutz family is plagued with increasingly strange and violent visions and impulses.
Details
Budget
$19,000,000
Rating
6/10 (2205 votes)
Status
Released
Production Companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Dimension Films, Platinum Dunes, Radar Pictures
About The Amityville Horror
The 2005 version of "The Amityville Horror" is a horror film centered on the Lutz family's move into a seemingly ideal, yet suspiciously inexpensive, Dutch colonial mansion. Set in Amityville, Long Island, the family soon discovers their new home has a violent history, leading to disturbing visions and behavior among its inhabitants. The film explores themes of paranormal activity, haunted houses, and familial danger, drawing from the well-known 'based on a true story' premise that underpins the Amityville legend.
With a runtime of 90 minutes, the movie leans into horror tropes such as holy water, murder, and the chilling concept of a family being tortured to death. It is categorized as a remake, with keywords like 'horror remake' and 'cliché' suggesting its adherence to established genre conventions. Despite a significant vote count of 2205 on TMDB, its critical reception was mixed, reflected in a 6 out of 10 average vote from audiences, a 23% Rotten Tomatoes score, and a 33/100 Metacritic rating.
Why you might be searching for The Amityville Horror
People often search for this film due to its memorable imagery, such as a townhouse with many doors, an old flickering lamp, or specific visual elements like a porcelain doll missing an eye. The premise of a family moving into a haunted house with a dark secret, potentially involving a basement or a hidden tunnel, also drives search interest. Specific plot points, like a mother getting taken into a mysterious door, also resonate with viewers looking to recall the movie.
What reviewers are saying
One reviewer found the film to be an effective haunted house movie, praising the serious tone it maintained and noting that it successfully generated interest in the Amityville Horror legend.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about finding and identifying movies
You can stream *The Amityville Horror* on MGM Plus or fuboTV. It is also available to rent or buy in HD on Prime Video. [primevideo.com](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Amityville-Horror/0GURXXCBE748JEJ63V7Q5ML54H)
*The Amityville Horror* (2005) is based on Jay Anson's novel, which claims to recount the real-life experiences of the Lutz family. The film centers on George and Kathy Lutz, who move into a house where the previous tenant murdered his family, supposedly due to demonic possession. [rottentomatoes.com](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/amityville_horror)
At the end of *The Amityville Horror*, Kathy incapacitates her possessed husband, George, and escapes the house with her children by boat. George is freed from the spirit's control, and the family leaves the house permanently after 28 days. The film concludes with the ghost of Jodie, one of the murdered DeFeo children, screaming in the now-empty house before being pulled beneath the floorboards. [whatsafterthemovie.com](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/movies/the-amityville_horror)
*The Amityville Horror* received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 23% and a Metacritic score of 33 out of 100. However, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a "B." While some viewers found it entertaining and enjoyed Ryan Reynolds' performance, others called it forgettable and not particularly scary, relying heavily on jump scares. [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horror_(2005_film))