Movie Type: Haunted House Film, Supernatural Horror
Themes: Ghosts, Demonic Possession
Main Cast: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Murray Hamilton, Natasha Ryan
Release Year: 1979
Country: US
Run Time: 117 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
"For God's sake, GET OUT!" was the ad campaign for the 1979 shocker The Amityville Horror. The film was based on the allegedly true story of the luckless Lutz family, who move lock, stock, and barrel into a new home, only to find that it is possessed by the demonic spirits of its previous owners. Variations of the Seven Deadly Plagues emanate from virtually every household fixture, while other forms of otherworldly mischief are suffered by the Lutz children. Enter kindly Father Delaney (Rod Steiger), who does his utmost to exorcise the house. The Amityville Horror was frequently greeted with laughs from its first-run audiences, especially after it was discovered that the "actual" events depicted in the film (based on a book by Jay Anson) were complete fabrications. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
K.C. Martel - Greg; Helen Shaver - Carolyn; Meeno Peluce - Matt; Michael Sacks - Jeff; Val Avery - Sgt. Gionfriddo; Amy Wright - Jackie; John Larch - Father Nuncio; Irene Dailey - Aunt Helena; Eddie Barth - Agucci; Hank Garrett - Bartender; Baxter Harris - Cop #2 at the House; Michael Hawkins - New York State Trooper; Elsa Raven - Mrs. Townsend; Michael Stearns - Policeman; James Tolkan - Coroner; Marc Vahanian - Jimmy; Peter Maloney - Newspaper Clerk; Carmine Foresta - Cop at the House; Richard Hughes - 2nd New York State Trooper
Credit
Kim Edgar Swados - Art Director, Cynthia Bales - Costume Designer, Stuart Rosenberg - Director, Robert Brown - Editor, Samuel Z. Arkoff - Executive Producer, Lalo Schifrin - Composer (Music Score), Fred Koenekamp - Cinematographer, Elliott Geisinger - Producer, Ronald Saland - Producer, William Cruse - Special Effects, Dell Rheaume - Special Effects, Sandor Stern - Screenwriter, Jere Henshaw - Executive in Charge of Production, Jay Anson - Book Author
The story is based on the reported real-life experiences of the Lutz family who after purchasing and moving into their new home on 112 Ocean Avenue, a house where a mass murder had been committed the year before, experiences a series of frightening paranormal events, causing them to flee the house only 28 days after moving in. These events have been the subject of much controversy.
The on-location scenes of The Amityville Horror were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey, which had been converted to look like the 112 Ocean Avenue home after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for filming on the actual location. Exterior scenes were also filmed in Toms River and Point Pleasant Beach. Local police and ambulance workers would play extras in the film, while the Toms River Volunteer Fire Company was used to provide the rain during several scenes. Jay Anson's screenplay, based upon his bestselling novel, was rejected by the producers, who opted for a version written by Sandor Stern. Indoor shots were filmed in MGM studios in California.
Because promotional materials for the film showed the actual Ocean Avenue house, current owners Jim and Barbara Cromerty filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers.
James Brolin was hesitant when first offered the role of George Lutz. Told that there was no script, he obtained a copy of Anson's novel to read. Brolin started the book and read until two o'clock in the morning. He had hung up a pair of his pants in the room earlier and during an especially tense passage of the book, the pants fell to the floor. Brolin jumped from his chair in fright. It was then that Brolin decided to do the movie. Brolin became friendly with George Lutz and his family, though he was highly doubtful of their story. Brolin later said he couldn't get a job for two years because of his performance in this film, despite starring in both 1980's Night of the Juggler and 1981's High Risk.
Reception
The Amityville Horror was one of the most successful films produced by an independent studio at that time. It was a huge box office success, earning more than $86 million in the USA. [1][2][3] However, the film received poor reviews from critics such as Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, the latter describing it as "dreary and terminally depressing".[4]
