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Movies / On DVD / The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror

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The Amityville Horror (2005)

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Reviews Counted:32

Fresh:6

Rotten:26

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: A so-so remake of a so-so original.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence and terror, sexuality, language and brief drug use.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Apr 15, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $64,255,243

Synopsis: This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a... This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a Long Island, New York home in the '70s. When George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) come across a beautiful river-front colonial home being sold for a steal, they suspect a catch. Once informed that the home was the site of a grisly mass murder, they decide to buy the house anyway and eagerly move in, bringing with them Kathy's three children from a previous marriage. While no one can deny that the house is rife with spooky sounds, the family members try to put their fears at bay. But over time, strange occurrences start happening, becoming more and more frequent, and these events start to have a transformative effect on several family members. Kathy's daughter starts to act bizarrely, ending up in a variety of life-threatening situations, led by her new, not-so-imaginary friend Jody (one of the children slaughtered in the house years before by her older brother). Likewise, something strange seems to be happening to George. His usually sweet demeanor is replaced with a hostile one, and he starts cruelly taking out his aggression on Kathy's children. Kathy's original assumption that a house cannot be evil is challenged as she watches her husband transform into the sort of man that just might be capable of murdering his family. Faster-paced than the original, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with quick editing, suspenseful music, and moderately graphic violence. The two leads give quality performances, and seem to inhabit the decade in which the story is set despite the film's slick, contemporary production. [More]

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James, Chloe Grace Moretz, Philip Baker Hall

Director: Michael Bay

Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Sandor Stern, Scott Kosar
Producer: Andrew Form, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller
Studio: MGM/UA

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Sep 9, 2008

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Reviews for The Amityville Horror

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The problem with The Amityville Horror is that, in a very real sense, there's nothing there.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 3 Comments
09/30/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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A few lines get laughs, but the horror is standard fare, without a shred of innovation.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/21/05
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
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Nothing gets in the way of the rote staging, the ham-handed predictability, the feeling that you've been to this house, and yawned at these ghosts, once too often.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/20/05
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
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The Amityville Horror is a Xerox so tattered and faded that it's impossible to determine who's to blame for the overproduced mediocrity before our eyes.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/19/05
David Ng
David Ng
Village Voice
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You'll want to get out of Amityville long before the Lutzes do.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/15/05
Sean Daly
Sean Daly
Washington Post
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I wasn't shocked by The Amityville Horror, or outraged by it: I felt nothing but disdain.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
04/15/05
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
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Brevity is the single best thing about it.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
04/15/05
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
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It retains the cheesy look of the 1979 original, pure schlock not gussied up to appear to be anything else.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/15/05
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
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This house springs so many FX shocks it plays like a theme-park ride. Result? It's not scary, just busy.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
04/15/05
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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In a ghost story, the narrative doesn't have to be a model of originality or coherence, but it needs to support the scares. In The Amityville Horror, the writing is so bad that it detracts from the 'boo!' moments and creepy interludes.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
04/15/05
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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The startling thing about the remake is that it's one of the better horror films to hit screens in recent months, thanks to its refusal to take itself too seriously.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
04/15/05
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger
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Shoddily made, boring and, most shockingly, without a single decent scare.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/15/05
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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A cut-to-order MTV hack attack. Audiences will be stunned not because they have been frightened but by how obvious and safe the whole thing is.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
04/15/05
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
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Like good drive-in fare from the '70s, this is all about sensation.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
04/15/05
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
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Shorter and punchier but nearly as hokey as the original.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/15/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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A sustained if wildly unco-ordinated assault on our senses (our emotions are clearly not on his battle map), complementing those feverish jump cuts with a cliché of equally stunning proportions.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/15/05
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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Completely cheesy and mildly enjoyable.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
04/15/05
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
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The latest in a long line of cheap horror film remakes that combine familiar names and stories with slash-cut editing and computer-generated effects.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
04/15/05
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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The filmmakers have managed to take a mediocre movie and make it worse.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
04/15/05
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Since Scream poured irony into the mix, it has become mighty hard to write a line of dialogue that doesn't elicit winks and nods. We all know where the mayhem's leading.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/15/05
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
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