Based on reputedly true events which materialised in Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same title, 'The Amityville Horror' was quite a shock to the system back in the '70s with other movies such as 'The Exorcist' and
'The Omen' making big bucks. Although heavily flawed, 'The Amityville...' is still a great haunted house movie and concerns a couple who move into their new home only to be plagued by a series of uncanny events - including a horrid black goo oozing down the walls, flies infesting the place, red eyes appearing and other occult influences - driving the family to distraction. The couple find out that the house was once the setting for a murder and that it may also sit on an ancient burial ground - but whereas 'Poltergeist' is more flashy with its effects, 'The Amityville...' over time hasn't dated well, but one must remember that for it's time this was quitter a spooky movie that had audiences going home terrified. The cast is strong with appearances from Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger and James Brolin, and yet despite being a huge success at the cinema it was panned by critics.
Whatever your thoughts on these type of '70s and early '80s occult movies, one thing is for sure, they embedded themselves into our psyche which is more than can be said for a majority of modern horror films which are hyped to the rafters only to fail in all departments. Certain scenes and that big white house will always exist in our minds, and 'The Amityville...' just like 'The Omen' etc, were the kind of film you watched, but didn't want to return back to just in case those evil influences visited your home too! Such a film spawned a million imitators but this is one of those movies where you have to keep asking yourself, "Did it really happen?"
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