The Amityville Horror [Blu-ray]

Director: Stuart Rosenberg Stuart Rosenberg

Overview

"For God's sake, GET OUT!" was the ad campaign for the 1979 shocker The Amityville Horror. The film was based on the allegedly true story of the luckless Lutz family, who move lock, stock, and barrel into a new home, only to find that it is possessed by the demonic spirits of its previous owners. Variations of the Seven Deadly Plagues emanate from virtually every household fixture, while other forms of otherworldly mischief are suffered by the Lutz children. Enter kindly Father Delaney (Rod Steiger), who does his utmost to exorcise the house. The Amityville Horror was frequently greeted with laughs from its first-run audiences, especially after it was discovered that the "actual" events depicted in the film (based on a book by Jay Anson) were complete fabrications.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2008
UPC:	0027616092090
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	R
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00
Sales rank:	12,974

Special Features

Closed Caption

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Brolin	George Lutz
Margot Kidder	Kathy Lutz
Rod Steiger	Father Delaney
Murray Hamilton	Father Ryan
John Larch	Father Nuncio
Natasha Ryan	Amy
K.C. Martel	Greg
Meeno Peluce	Matt
Michael Sacks	Jeff
Helen Shaver	Carolyn
Amy Wright	Jackie
Val Avery	Sgt. Gionfriddo
Irene Dailey	Aunt Helena
Marc Vahanian	Jimmy
Elsa Raven	Mrs. Townsend
Ellen Saland	Bride
Eddie Barth	Agucci
Don Stroud	Father Bolen
Carmine Foresta	Cop at the House
Peter Maloney	Newspaper Clerk
J.R. Miller	Boy
Michael Hawkins	New York State Trooper
Richard Hughes	2nd New York State Trooper
Baxter Harris	Cop #2 at the House
Michael Stearns	Policeman

Technical Credits

Stuart Rosenberg	Director
Samuel Z. Arkoff	Executive Producer
Elliot Geisinger	Producer
Ronald Saland	Producer

Editorial Reviews

There is a nice house on a shady lane in the Long Island village of Amityville; and in the middle of the night in late 1974, a disturbed young man who lived there with his parents, two brothers, and two sisters went on a killing spree, shooting everyone in his family. Nasty stuff indeed. Soon after, Jay Anson moved in with his own family, and their one-month stay in the house became the experiential source for his bestselling book, The Amityville Horror, which in turn became the source of Stuart Rosenberg's over-the-top 1979 haunted house flick of the same name. James Brolin and Margot Kidder portray George and Kathy Lutz, a couple with three kids who move into a beautiful suburban home with a terrible legacy, perhaps presuming that the murder of the previous occupants has drained any bad karma from the house and oblivious to the possibility that there might be a portal to hell in its basement. Among the oddities the Lutzes immediately encounter are strange breezes, unpleasant odors, oozing goo, and demonic voices bidding them to leave. And when patriarch Brolin's personality inexplicably darkens, the family calls in a priest (Rod Steiger) to assess the unnerving situation. Amityville's preference for manipulative chills as opposed to flat-out shocks may seem dated to audiences raised on slasher flicks, but its disquieting imagery preys on genuine fears. (Plus, the actual house's creepy background is enough to make you think, maybe...) The movie spawned a number of sequels, including Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and TV's Amityville 2000, but the original remains the true spooker.

Barnes & Noble - Patricia Kim O'Cone