The Amityville Horror (1979)
George Lutz, his wife Kathy, and their three children have just moved into a beautiful, and improbably cheap, Victorian 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
$4,700,000
Rating
6/10 (934 votes)
Status
Released
Production Companies
American International Pictures
About The Amityville Horror
Released in 1979, "The Amityville Horror" is a horror film centered on a family's experiences in a house with a disturbing history. The story follows George and Kathy Lutz and their three children after they move into a Victorian mansion in Amityville, Long Island. The low price of the home is a direct result of a mass killing that occurred there a year prior, a detail the family initially dismisses. However, they soon face increasingly strange and violent occurrences, including visions and impulses.
The film explores themes of paranormal activity, possession, and haunted houses, drawing on elements of religious horror. It uses keywords like 'haunted house,' 'possession,' and 'paranormal' to describe the unsettling events. The narrative builds tension as the family grapples with the escalating supernatural phenomena within their new home.
While the film achieved significant box office success and spawned numerous follow-ups, critical reception was mixed upon its release. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is 33% and Metacritic gives it 28/100, though its IMDb rating is 6.2/10. Despite varying critical opinions, the movie's portrayal of a seemingly idyllic home turning sinister has resonated with audiences over time.
Why you might be searching for The Amityville Horror
People often search for "The Amityville Horror" due to its iconic status as a haunted house film, particularly its connection to a supposedly true story. The memorable details include the house's distinctive look, the unsettling transformations of the family members, and the overall atmosphere of creeping dread. Specific scenes, like those involving mysterious red rooms or the father's descent into madness, are often topics of discussion and recall.
What reviewers are saying
A reviewer notes that the 1979 film was a highly successful haunted house movie for its time and influenced many subsequent films, distinguishing itself from "The Shining" by being based on a supposedly true story.
Read the full reviewOne reviewer suggests the film established many conventions for later horror movies, and while its overt religious themes might feel dated, its character development and use of flashbacks still create effective tension.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about finding and identifying movies
You can watch the 1979 film, The Amityville Horror, on HBO. It is a horror movie that runs for 1 hour and 59 minutes.
The 1979 film The Amityville Horror is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family. They lived in a house in Amityville, New York, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered his family in 1974.
During the final night in the house, George Lutz, seemingly possessed, tries to kill his stepchildren with an axe but is stopped by his wife, Kathy. The house then unleashes a barrage of paranormal activity, including blood oozing from walls and a pig-like creature appearing. The family escapes, with George almost dying in a black sludge pit while rescuing their dog. A closing message states the Lutzes never returned for their belongings and moved to another state.
While critical reception at its release was mixed, with Rotten Tomatoes showing only 33% positive reviews, some later assessments have been more favorable. For example, film historian James F. Broderick called it an "effective horror movie" and the British Film Institute included it in a 2013 list of great haunted house films.