"The Amityville Horror"

Reviewed by Chris Cappola
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Phillip Baker Hall. Directed by Andrew Douglas. (2005, MGM/Dimension)

The real-life story behind 'The Amityville Horror' is one of America's most bizarre and controversial murders. Nearly three decades after the grizzly murder of a suburban family, it still is a fascinating and highly debatable story. Were their demonic forces in the house? Is it truth or fiction? Of course, it proved to be a vehicle for Hollywood to exploit and dozens of films have been made, many that were sent straight-to-video. Now, the idea has resurfaced for the latest reincarnation of 'The Amityville Horror'.

The 2005 version of the horror classic doesn't stray from the premise but adds many differences that stray away from the overly-popular novel and the original film. A young family, The Lutz's (Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George) and their three children move into a beautiful suburban house by the ocean, the former house of a grizzly murder that took place the year before. Slowly, they become terrorised by demonic forces that threaten to destroy their lives. The family survived 28 days before leaving the house never to return to it again. It's based on a true story about the Lutz family who claimed they were possessed by forces after moving into the house. Their story has never been proven or convincingly unproven.

Anyone who has read the book or have read into the stories behind the murders may be a little disappointed with the handling of the film under director Andrew Douglas. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job, it's just gorier and bloodier than one expects focusing more on the "scare factor" than on the idea. It's very similarly made like 2003's remake of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', which not surprisingly was also produced by Michael Bay. It is horror at it's fullest with loud, quick camera shots and an emphasis on shocking rather than tell the story, which is quite a fascinating one to explore. The 1978 original version of the film didn't have nifty effects and a big-budget to work with resulting in it relying on building tension to its characters. This remake is more about scaring than tension.

Director Andrew Douglas does a very good job with the film and has a polished crew. For a horror film, 'Amityville' is first-rate and like 'Texas Chainsaw' and 'Dawn of the Dead', they are pioneering a new standard for films of its genre. 'Amityville' is polished and strongly executed with terrific cinematography, well-timed editing and a crew that understand what audiences want from their horror films today. Although several sections are unnecessarily violent (the poor family dog's death scene is hard to watch) and a whole subplot involving the reasoning behind the demonic forces involving an underground chamber don't make sense and are not related to the book, it is at all times frightening and above all effective.

The film itself rests on the performances of its two leads who must convince us of their plight and self-destruction. Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George make a good couple and it's their first leading dramatic roles and they have a lot to prove. Ryan Reynolds comes from a comedy background and is one of the underrated actors of his generation. In comedy, he is as good as Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller but has never been given the material that he deserves. It was a surprise to see him dabble in drama and it's a hard role but he does a good job echoing Jack Nicholson's 'Shining' performance but giving it an edge of his own. To watch his self-destruction from family man to menacing psychopath is eerie and very real. Melissa George as the long-suffering wife is also good displaying a warmth and gentility that most actresses don't have and can't act. As the children, Jesse James, Jimmy Bennett and Chloe Moretz are all good and Phillip Baker Hall as a crusty priest who becomes involved is effective.

'The Amityville Horror' has its share of flaws and perhaps could have faithful to the original story, which here is just a blueprint. Perhaps the story is just so universally known that it's like tinkering with a sacred story. For a horror film, 'Amityville' is well above the cut of the norm and is effective, terrifying and supported with a terrific production and likable leads. Like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' before it, it's an update of a timeless tale moulded for the requirements of today's horror audiences and it couldn't have been better done. It hasn't ruined a great idea - it has given rebirth to it for a whole new audience.
out of 10
- Chris Cappola's Reviews

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