The Amityville Collection

Horror

The Amityville Horror

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Dimension Films

Platinum Dunes

Radar Pictures

United States of America

English

Ryan Reynolds

Melissa George

Jesse James

Jimmy Bennett

Chloë Grace Moretz

Rachel Nichols

Philip Baker Hall

Isabel Conner

Brendan Donaldson

Annabel Armour

Rich Komenich

David Gee

Danny McCarthy

Nancy Lollar

José Taitano

Lenore Thomas

Marie Joelyn

Dorian Kingi

Alan Koeppen

Ryan Kross

Sam Raysby

Jenny Strubin

Daniel B. Clancy

Roger Barton

David C. Robinson

Steve Jablonsky

David Crockett

Andrew Douglas

Jennifer Williams

Andrew Form

Christian Wagner

Lisa Fields

Marco Rubeo

Michael Bay

Ted Field

Peter Lyons Collister

Brad Fuller

Jonathan Gesinski

Sandor Stern

Matt Miller

Jay Anson

Scott Kosar

Shauna Duggins

Patrick Cunningham

Paul Mason

Steve Whitney

Randall Emmett

Matthew Cohan

George Furla

Stefan Sonnenfeld

Ellen Ryba

Nathan Mack

Frank D. Dambra

Kurt Bryant

Christopher M. Collar Jr.

Cortland Boyd

Peter Iovino

Freddie Mikels

Harry Cohen

Kathleen Lynch

Sean Andrew Faden

Patrick Caulfield

Tom Trafalski

James Hogan

Timothy W. Tiedje

Hector C. Gika

Robert C. Carlson

Chris Hogan

Faires A. Sekiya

Blair Scheller

Jeff Dieter

Kosta Saric

Dominic Mango

Suzi Ostos

Tim Pedegana

Scott Troha

Jon Nicholson

Paul Flinchbaugh

Jim Stuebe

John D. Milinac

Chris Mulsoff

Dawn Copeland

Joe Carpita

Scott Litsinger

Trevor Ward

David Schmalz

Gina Panno

Helen Marchfield

Tyler Osman

Mitch Devane

Kelly Oxford

Dan Urbain

Craig A. Pinckes

Dru Anne Carlson

Joeseph H. Gilmartin

Steve Koch

Mark Castelaz

Ashley Eden Kessler

Kevin Cross

Miriam Hoffman-Durand

Chris Regan

P.J. Haines

Kimberly Adams

Peter Mercurio

Brady Breen

Senica Billingsley

Bob Myers

John M. Pisani

Carrie Goodman

Barbara Doherty

Laura Torrance

Armand Paoletti

Kamar Bitar

Leigh Folsom Boyd

Joseph Paoletti

Andy Barrios

Maurice Brunson

Robert Amico

Jim Dooley

Jeff Valeri

John J. Slove Jr.

_**Effective haunted house movie with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George**_

A young couple with three children buys an old, large house on Long Island in 1975. The house has a diabolic history, but they purchase it anyway because it's such a great deal. Will they make it out alive? 

I didn’t have high hopes for "The Amityville Horror" (2005) because I'm not a fan of haunted house movies and thus had not yet seen the original version. But I decided to give it a try due to Melissa George. The movie maintains a serious tone throughout and did not disappoint; it successfully piqued my interest in the whole Amityville Horror legend, which you can read about on the internet.

Some may accuse the film of ripping off aspects of "The Shining" (1980), but keep in mind that the original movie was released a year before "The Shining" while the books they were based on were both published in 1977. The difference is that “The Amityville Horror” was inspired by supposedly true events whereas Stephen King’s novel was purely fictional.

Of course this remake inspired me to see the classic version from 1979 with James Brolin and Margot Kidder. What I like about that one is that it takes its time to develop the characters in what is essentially a realistic drama topped off with creepy paranormal happenings. It addresses dark, ugly stuff but it actually has a warm heart (recall what George does in the final scene). This brisk 2005 remake is like the Reader’s Digest version, unsurprisingly upping the ante with the (clichéd) horror elements; it thankfully offers interesting details on the backstory of the house. I think they’re both worth checking out. If you prefer longer with more depth you’ll favor the original version whereas if you want something faster and more modern you’ll appreciate this one. 

Melissa George is a gorgeous woman and I enjoy watching her. Also on hand on the feminine front is Rachel Nichols, who played Tamara in the 2011 redo of "Conan the Barbarian." Rachel plays a hippie chick babysitter and she's perfect for the role. The babysitter is haughty and scoffs at the diabolic history of the house but let's just say she leaves as a true believer. This was a great sequence that perked my interest at a time it needed it (as I was starting to get bored by that point). In any event, I had to reassess my appraisal of Ms. Nichols after seeing her in this film as she won my appreciation. Meanwhile Chloë Grace Moretz plays the little girl; she was only 7 when the film was shot.

Ryan Reynolds as the husband is fine, but he seems TOO in-shape for the role. However, I'm sure the ladies appreciate it.

The film runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot at Silver Lake and Salem, Wisconsin, with other parts filmed in the Chicago area of Illinois.

GRADE: B

Best Movies

The Amityville Horror

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Ryan Reynolds

Melissa George

Jesse James

Jimmy Bennett

Chloë Grace Moretz

Rachel Nichols

Philip Baker Hall

Isabel Conner

Brendan Donaldson

Annabel Armour

Box office

More Like This

Psycho

Constantine

The Ring

Next Door

Frenzy

Jaws

Silent Hill

Poltergeist