The Amityville Horror (2005)

I was fortunate enough to see a sneak of the new "Amityville" earlier this evening. Not bad. Not bad at all. Ryan Reynolds was actually surprisingly good in the film. Yes, Van Wilder acted. The scares were just that, scares. I've seen more than my share of horror films and I always pinpoint the moment the cat jumps out. Not this time. No cat. That's all I'm gonna say. Enthralled as I was by the first hour or so (and I'm talking a five star movie at this point) the last half hour left me flat. But, I digress. I did think that first hour was amazing. Faster paced than original and it went for the more visceral scares which do work most of the time. I give this flick a 7 out of 10. I have voted it an 8 out of 10 simply because it was rated R. Kudos to the filmmakers for not appealing only to the in school crowd. We're adults, we can take it. Thank you guys for letting US make that decision.

Fmovies: I really loved this remake, it had all the elements of the original but contained equally creepy scenes. The pig eyes from the first flick would have been a nice touch. As far as acting, I think they did terrific. The fact that Ryan Reynolds was in it was enough for me. The man has amazing comedic timing even for a horror flick. I never would have thought the two guys and a girl star would be where he is now. Melissa George, has proved herself to be naturally talented, and matured from the alias bad-guy image. The storyline was well written along with dead on consistency, and beautiful cinematography. A break from the routine of LA and NY.

Forget, for a moment, that you ever saw the original. Forget the 'based on true events' tag-line - inevitably there to sell extra tickets. After all, a horror film based on true events is Hotel Rwanda, far scarier than this - though for different reasons.

Now that those little tidbits are out of your system, sit back and prepare for the best damn horror film of the year! The suspense is there, with the right blend of sharp cutting, solid pacing, slick cinematography and a musical accompaniment by someone who has obviously done his horror film homework (Clay Duncan's work on the Ring films' scores surely helped...). The editors did work on films like Face/Off, True Romance and MI:II, which certainly helped a novice director (Andrew Douglas), whose only other film was a Southern-Christian documentary entitled 'Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'.

The film is not perfect - there are a few moments of tedium - namely when the characters - particularly Ryan Reynold's ever-darkening George - get repetitive, especially with the dialogue. And the end drags a little as the family desperately try to escape the horror - no, I won't spoil it, but think to yourself when watching the film: why not just break the bloody window? And why run further UP the roof, instead of just jumping off the edge of the lower eave?

Still, great editing and a fantastic atmospheric setting move this film easily through any minor difficulties, and as a longtime horror fan, I did find myself startled on occasion - though that may have been due to the two *shrieking* girls directly behind me (and here I thought the film was 13 and over...? They may have looked older, but they could have fooled me...their behaviour certainly didn't)

All in all, I give this one high marks for excitement, pacing, and eeriness. It mixes the right amount of horror with dramatic flavour and tension. Not the best horror film ever, but a helluva lot of fun! 7.5/10.

The Amityville Horror fmovies. Okay, let me start out by saying that I only started watching scary movies with "Signs." I loved it, and it really scared me. Since I saw it, I've been watching lots of horror movies, and so far, haven't found one that scared me as badly as "Signs." I saw the movies that people said were the scariest ever, like The Excorsist, Saw, and Scream, but I really found none of them scary. Finally, I see Amittyville Horror, and let me say: I loved it. It came near scaring me as much as signs! There weren't many kills, which I hated about typical slasher, and generally, it was the mood and atmosphere that scared. I will admit, though, I never saw the original, but really, I loved this movie. I would highly recommend it to anyone that likes horror movies!

When it comes to making a film in Hollywood these days it would appear that they are running out of original material. Any film that is over 10 years old has the chance of being remade but the real question is which will be better. This is a film that breaks the normal mold of being awful compared to its predecessor. I actually really enjoyed this remake and found myself more scared in this one than the original. Was this film Better? No. But it holds its own on its own merits. Having read the book, this one is a little more true to the story and for that I applaud the film makers. The film was very good and I rate it in my Horror Hall of Fame.

In this particular version of the film it could be said that it was more accurate to the original book. And for those who consider this to be a hoax there has never been any proof either way. It is quite interesting to hear people who think they are authorities on the matter. Most people probably have not even read the book. There have been more than one book written about what happened in the house and the house the stood on the same location prior to the incident with the Lutz family. This film represents more than just the book the Amityville Horror. It takes its cues from the different novels that have been written about the event and the location.

This movie is very scary, and has lots of good jumps in it. The director of the film was obviously very interested in not making a film that came across as a remake but one that could stand on its own merits and not those of its previous incarnation. When I go to a film I judge it by several different criteria since I used to be a movie critic for a reputable newspaper. These criteria are the following. 1. How did the movie effect the audience in general? 2. Storyline cohesion. 3. Special Effects (ie. did they detract from the movie, overpower the movie, or just assist in the telling of the movie) 4. Can it stand on its own if its a Prequel, Sequel or Remake. 5. When I left the movie did I feel like I had been part of it (ie Suspension of Disbelief)

When I look at the Amityville Horror it scored highly in all of these categories, especially the last which in my opinion is the most important of the 5. When you walk out from a film and you were ready to leave because the movie was good enough to make you feel as if you were part of it, it was just a good movie. Most people have preconceived ideas about what a movie should be like when they go into it. I on the other hand go in as blank slate as possible so I can take the movie for its own worth and nothing else. It is a suggestion that I would give to all movie goers, don't go in prejudging a film because of the movies prequels, or predecessors. This movie is a prime example of trying to compare it to the original. The two movies were very different takes on the story and should be viewed as such.

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.