As I write this it is October 2024 and this year the wife and I decided to go back and watch some of our favorite older horror movies and movies we had not seen in a while. Released in 1979 The Amityville Horror is a very important horror movie, an awesome haunted house movie and the fact it is based on some real murders just adds to the creepiness of it all.
How to Download The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror was released on July 27, 1979. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, or Apple TV. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
Review of The Amityville Horror: A Haunting Reimagined
I have watched so many documentaries about the Ronnie DeFeo Jr. murders that inspired the Amityville Horror series over the years. It is a truly fascinating story and while I am of the opinion, there was no supernatural stuff happening at all and he was just pure evil himself. It has certainly made for some very interesting horror movies. The “real” Amityville franchise has seven sequels and a remake to its name!
We have a great cast here with Josh Brolin playing the role of George Lutz and “Lois Lane”, Margot Kidder as his wife, Kathy. After the Ronnie DeFeo Jr murders, the famous house is put up for sale for a great price and George and Kathy purchase the home and see it as their dream forever family home. They move in with Kathy’s three kids, but right from the start something is off.
Kathy is quite religious and she ends up asking a Priest to come and bless the house. Father Delaney notices an evil presence and this presence tells him to get out of the house. I love the scene with the flies and the movie to be fair, does a great job of getting started right away as it does not take long for the evil in this house to start terrorizing the family.
The Haunting Begins: Jodie and the Madness
From a creepy and evil spirit called Jodie to a bunch of other weird stuff happening, this house is a bad place to be! Also, George starts to lose his mind and become more and more aggressive with his wife and the kids as the house takes hold of him. Father Delaney knows that there is something wrong with the house and he tries to warn the family and help.
An Intense and Timeless Horror Experience
The Amityville Horror lasts a little under two hours, but the movie never really stops. The pacing is what keeps you on the edge of your seat as this poor family seems like they never have a moment of piece from this evil. I can see why back in 1979 this was such a popular movie and why it had people freaking out. Also, The Amityville Horror came out just a few years after those well documented Ronnie DeFeo Jr murders so I am sure the case was still fresh in people’s minds.
Verdict: Classic Horror that Holds Up
Look, this is a classic, but I have to be honest and say that not only do I like some of the sequels better, but I also think that the 2005 remake with Ryan Reynolds is a much scarier and creepier movie than this. Hey, I respect the hell out of this and still think that it is a fun haunted house style of movie and a great watch if you are looking for something classic and spooky.
