The Amityville Horror (2005)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Andrew Douglas

Writers (WGA):

Scott Kosar (screenplay)
Jay Anson (novel)

Release Date:

15 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Based on the true story.

Plot:

A family is terrorized by demonic forces after moving into a home that was the site of a grisly mass-murder.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Ghost | Haunted House | Nightmare | Priest

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

1:00 AM

OXYGEN

Cast

Ryan Reynolds	...	George Lutz
Melissa George	...	Kathy Lutz
Jesse James	...	Billy Lutz
Jimmy Bennett	...	Michael Lutz
Chloe Moretz	...	Chelsea Lutz (as Chloë Grace Moretz)
Rachel Nichols	...	Lisa
Philip Baker Hall	...	Father Callaway
Isabel Conner	...	Jodie Defeo
Brendan Donaldson	...	Ronald Defeo
Annabel Armour	...	Realtor
Rich Komenich	...	Chief of Police
David Gee	...	ER Doctor
Danny McCarthy	...	Officer Greguski
Nancy Lollar	...	Librarian
José Taitano	...	Stitch

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and drug use. (edited for re-rating)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Peru:14 | Argentina:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:16 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #41520) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

1500 Busch Pky., Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

In the original script, the poster on Billy's bedroom wall during the babysitter scene was of a different band. However, when the crew realized how long of a tongue actress Rachel Nichols (who played the babysitter) had, they decided to change it to a poster of the rock band Kiss, because of band member Gene Simmons' very long tongue.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: While the realtor is showing the Lutz's one of the bedrooms she looks back to see Jodie in the hallway. Only, when she looks over she's in the living room, then when she turns back around she's back in the bedroom with the Lutz's.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The House: Catch them! Kill them!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Scary Movie 4 (2006)

good fun horror

My advice: Don't see the 1979 version first, don't think about it too hard, pretend it's not based on the "true story", and just enjoy this great horror film. It may not be a timeless classic, but its fun. The thing I liked best about this one is that everything makes sense. There's no cliffhangers or overly complicated mystery that never gets explained. It's just 89 minutes of very frightening ghosts popping up and some surprisingly appropriate acting. In fact, I would say this movie has one of the most petrifying ghost scenes ever.(The boy in the bathroom!)The costumes/makeup were really good too. Also, I loved Ryan Reynolds in a scary movie. I thought his quirky style was a perfect complement to the cast. He makes a smooth transition from Van Wilder to Blade 3 to Amityville because he seems to just be himself.