By Lee Pfeiffer
Pundits and film critics always question why there are so many remakes of good movies. They generally ask the rhetorical question, "Why not remake bad movies?" The answer may be found in the fact that many bad movies have been remade into even worse productions. Case in point: the 1978 schlock scarefest The Amityville Horror was derided by all but made a ton money largely because naive members of the public actually believed the bestselling book that recounted "factual" hauntings in the New York home. The fact that there is more evidence of the Loch Ness Monster than these reputed happenings didn't deter Hollywood from churning out a seemingly endless string of Amity sequels and prequels. Now Miramax is getting on board with their own project. That's right, the prestigious company behind The King's Speech will be trawling for dollars by exhuming the oft-told tale. At least by this point, no one is pretending its based on fact. Not to be outdone, company called Hannibal Classics is launching their own Amityville pic. Is there an audience for this sludge? You bet. In fact, as I write this, there are thousands of Americans preparing for the end of the world, which apparently will come later today. They have based their actions on the divine word of a talk show host and religious zealot, so how could they possibly go wrong? With so many dummies running about, there is plenty of room for Amityville fllicks, many of whom believe they are watching documentaries. If I'm wrong and the world does end tonight, don't worry about hurrying up with your subscription renewals for Cinema Retro. For more click here