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The Amityville Horror (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:155
Fresh:37
Rotten:118
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: A so-so remake of a so-so original.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence and terror, sexuality, language and brief drug use.
Runtime: 89 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:15-04-2005
Synopsis: This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a... This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a Long Island, New York home in the '70s. When George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) come across a beautiful river-front colonial home being sold for a steal, they suspect a catch. Once informed that the home was the site of a grisly mass murder, they decide to buy the house anyway and eagerly move in, bringing with them Kathy's three children from a previous marriage. While no one can deny that the house is rife with spooky sounds, the family members try to put their fears at bay. But over time, strange occurrences start happening, becoming more and more frequent, and these events start to have a transformative effect on several family members. Kathy's daughter starts to act bizarrely, ending up in a variety of life-threatening situations, led by her new, not-so-imaginary friend Jody (one of the children slaughtered in the house years before by her older brother). Likewise, something strange seems to be happening to George. His usually sweet demeanor is replaced with a hostile one, and he starts cruelly taking out his aggression on Kathy's children. Kathy's original assumption that a house cannot be evil is challenged as she watches her husband transform into the sort of man that just might be capable of murdering his family. Faster-paced than the original, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with quick editing, suspenseful music, and moderately graphic violence. The two leads give quality performances, and seem to inhabit the decade in which the story is set despite the film's slick, contemporary production. [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James, Chloe Grace Moretz, Philip Baker Hall
Director: Michael Bay
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Sandor Stern, Scott Kosar
Producer: Andrew Form, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller
Studio: MGM/UA
Reviews for The Amityville Horror
I can't escape the feeling that if you were to put me in a room with an editing machine, the raw footage, and a collection of sound effects, I could have made a better film.
Reynolds is well cast in the lead - it's genuinely upsetting as the house starts to chip away at his Nice Guy persona. He also spends a huge amount of the film either half-naked or dripping wet, if you like that sort of thing.
An efficient, schlocky remake from the guys who disinterred The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror is actually slightly better than its 1979 inspiration.
That it's based on true events makes it much more fascinating, even though the filmmakers have bent the story to fit the structure of a horror film.
You’d think that in 86 minutes of screen time that the makers of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR’s 2005 incarnation could come up with at least one genuinely scary moment
We've been to Amityville before. You have to give us a good reason to go back.
I have a small bit of admiration for a film that actually tries to be worse than Hide and Seek.
If star Ryan Reynolds wants to scare us, why not just lock us in a room and make us watch Van Wilder over and over? Or have girlfriend Alanis Morissette talk about her past relationships?
There's nothing this Amityville won't beg, borrow, steal from or fabricate in trying to make your neck hairs sit up and quiver.
It doesn't exactly just lie there -- it's too smash-edited and over-cameraworked for that -- but it does represent just how flavorless commercial horror product has gotten.
Why take an old. ugly lump of cheese and make it into a bigger, uglier, and smellier lump of cheese?
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