The Amityville Horror (remake)

This is a difficult movie to review because although it cites Jay Anson’s book and the screenplay of the 1979 original movie in the credits, this version of The Amityville Horror takes the bit in its teeth and runs at a full gallop as far from the source material as possible. They really put the “horror” back into The Amityville Horror!

Therefore, I have decided not to take the book or the first movie into account, and will review this film completely on its own merits.

Directed by feature first-timer Andrew Douglas and scripted by Scott Kosar (who also did The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake for the same producers), The Amityville Horror tells the story of a 1970s family who find their waterfront dream house in the town of Amityville, New York, complete with a wooden sign out front naming the home “High Hopes”.  It’s big, beautiful, historic… and haunted. When the realtor tells George (Ryan Reynolds) and Kathy (Melissa George) about the horrible murders that took place within the house’s grand walls just one year ago, they are hesitant but decide to move in anyway. “Houses don’t kill people,” George reasons.

So mom and dad move the kiddies — Chelsea (Chloe Moretz), Michael (Jimmy Bennett), and Billy (Jesse James) — and family dog in, and thus begins an escalating 28-day reign of supernatural terror. George is oddly affected as the ancient evil that’s resided in the house for hundreds of years gets its grip around his heart and mind, and turns him from a caring family man into someone obsessed with catching and killing Kathy and the children.  “Ketcham and kill’em” is the catchphrase here, referring to a former occupant of the house — a Satanic reverend, John “Jeremiah” Ketcham who reveled in the evil that dwelt on the property and in fact unleashed it. Another former occupant, this one from the 1974 crime, is a ghost-girl named Jodie (Isabel Conner) who befriends Chelsea. Little head-shot Jodie’s intentions are ambiguous — she seems to want to warn the rest of the family that George is losing his marbles, but then again, she delights in playing evil, terrifying tricks.

The casting and acting performances are excellent across the board. While genre fans will probably recognize Reynolds (Blade: Trinity) and George (TV’s Alias), it was a wise move to hire talented but not too-famous people who might otherwise take attention away from the absorbing horror story. With the exception of James (The Butterfly Effect), the kids are all brand new and their enthusiasm and freshness shows in a very natural, likable way. While the story does keep its focus on the family unit, periphery characters (Rachel Nichols as the babysitter, and Philip Baker Hall as the “Get Out!” priest) are standouts.

If you liked the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (I did), then you’re bound to enjoy The Amityville Horror — the same high production value and care taken with the cinematography, special effects, sound effects and music are very much in evidence here. There is also the fast pace, quick cuts and big-time scares that the horror fans of today have come to expect and demand. While there are, er, “homages” to several other scary movies here (think: The Ring, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Shining), The Amityville Horror still manages to carve out its own niche and stands on its two cinematic feet nicely.

The lightning-flash images of grisly murder, demonically distorted faces, shuddering doppelgangers, and the torn and bloodied apparitions that appear in mirrors and behind window glass are sure to keep less-than-stoic viewers awake for at least a few nights. Rightfully rated R, The Amityville Horror leaves nothing to the imagination — but in this case, the scares are so well-realized it feels fine to check your brain at the door and let the movie do its thing.

Towards the end The Amityville Horror teeters precariously over the top, and the viewer is given a 1-2 punch with too much last-minute information. Still, it’s a wild, white knuckle scare-ride with a good back story and just enough mystery to keep you spellbound and wondering what terrible thing is going to happen next — as a grand-scale horror and ghost movie, nothing so far this year beats The Amityville Horror.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson