BY TIM GREAVES
For the
benefit of those unfamiliar with the events that preceded The Amityville Horror’s arrival on screen, I'll start with a little
backstory. In November 1974 one Ronald DeFeo murdered six members of his family
in their home at 112 Ocean Avenue on Long Island, New York. 13 months later
George and Kathleen Lutz, along with her three children from a previous
marriage, moved in; unperturbed by the gruesome events of a year earlier, they
had purchased the property at a bargain price. The family fled the premises
just shy of a month later, claiming to have experienced a succession of
terrifying paranormal events. Their experiences soon became the subject of a
book by Jay Anson, published in 1977. Following extensive studies by a number
of parapsychology experts, many of the Lutzes stories would later be debunked,
but at the time the couple became something of a media sensation. Director
Stuart Rosenberg's film – which, as movies will, played a little economical
with the facts (at least as they were laid out in Anson's book) – was released
in 1979 and not only proved to be a major hit for American International
Pictures but was one of the highest grossing ever independents to that time.
So, did any of those paranormal incidents really take place, or was it all just
canny media manipulation? George and Kathleen are dead, both having passed away
prematurely in 2006 and 2004, respectively, so the true story will probably
never be known. But that house on Ocean Avenue has changed hands five times
since the Lutzes left – with the owners having modified the building's facade
and getting the address legally changed in a bid to dissuade tourists from
pestering them – and there has never been another report of an untoward
occurrence. One can make of that what one will. In any event, back in the 70s
George and Kathleen Lutz appeared to enjoy the attention their alleged
misfortune brought them and considerable monies were generated. And at the end
of the day the possibility that, actually, it wasn't all a hoax affords the whole business an enduring appeal.
Rosenberg's film spawned a dozen spin-offs and sequels and was itself remade in
2005. On a final historical note, in a 1980 episode of the British TV series Hammer House of Horror entitled The House That Bled to Death a family are
driven out of their new home in the wake of a number of paranormal events. They
sell their story for a substantial sum and the tale ends with them living a
life of luxury and the revelation that they fabricated everything for the
money, although there's one final devilish twist in which...well, I won't ruin
it here; those interested in the Amityville phenomenon, on which The House That Bled to Death was clearly
riffing, will find it well worth seeking out.
But back
to the 1979 film itself. I first saw The
Amityville Horror theatrically (twice) upon its initial UK release early in
1980 – six months after its US opening the previous summer. Although its
effervescence has diminished somewhat in the intervening years, back then the
belief that I was witnessing what were supposedly true events added a distinct
frisson to the proceedings.
Recently
married George and Kathy Lutz (James Brolin and Margot Kidder) move into a
large property on Long Island, the site of a familial massacre just a year
earlier. A succession of relatively minor incidents – inexplicable odours,
toilet bowls ejaculating viscous black gunge – begin to tarnish the happy
household, and George's health plummets. After priest and friend of the family
Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) is driven out by an unseen presence whilst he's in
the process of blessing the house, the abnormal occurrences intensify and it
becomes apparent that the residue of something evil is at work. When George's mood
darkens and his sanity begins to unravel, Kathy starts to fear for the lives of
her entire family.
The Amityville Horror
was co-produced by Elliot Geisinger and Ronald Saland, known primarily for a
number of behind-the-scenes shorts they directed and produced throughout the
60s and 70s. But the name that stands out here is that of executive producer
Samuel Z Arkoff, instantly recognisable to movie buffs from Vincent Price
horrors (Cry of the Banshee, The Abominable Dr Phibes and its sequel,
Dr Phibes Rises Again), through
blaxploitation classics (Coffy, Blacula, Slaughter) to clunky monster flicks (The People That Time Forgot, The
Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants);
if Arkoff's name was on it you always knew you were in for a fun ride. And The Amityville Horror is nothing if not
that.
Director
Stuart Rosenberg, working from a Sandor Stern screenplay, conjures up an
efficient little creepy embroidered with all the standard haunted house tropes;
bumps in the night, thunderstorms, blood-spattered dream sequences, bricked-up
cubbyholes, tormented babysitters, and at one point the hoariest of them all,
the sudden appearance of a howling cat. But there are also enough genuinely efficacious
jumps and starts throughout to keep viewers on their toes. The whole shebang
gets strong backing from a terrific Lalo Schifrin score, its haunting (no pun
intended) nursery rhyme theme – the sound of chanting children set against low
strings combining to invoke a crawling sense of ill-ease – surely ranking among
the composer's finest works. It was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Score of
1979 but lost out to George Delerue's A
Little Romance.
Rosenberg's most valuable asset, however, was the house in which all the mayhem takes place. An imposing edifice in the Dutch Colonial style, the upper level on one end homed a pair of quarter-round windows which, when lighted from within, gave the appearance of two unblinking demonic eyes. The house used in the film was not in fact the real structure in Long Island – permissions to film there were denied – it was a-modified to-match property in New Jersey. But it certainly performed its job.
Of the performances by the human contingent, it's largely a case of an over-egged pudding. James Brolin (who’d recently enjoyed moderate success with thriller Capricorn One) and Margot Kidder (riding high on the global success of Superman – listen out early on for the actress subtly humming John Williams' love theme from Donner's film) make for extremely likeable leads, but there are definitely moments when they take it a step too far, occasionally dousing a scene with an unintentional splash of the parodic. By far the biggest culprit on that score, though, is Rod Steiger. Seldom noted for underplaying anything, his overwrought performance here – spewing dialogue as if his very life depended on it (which to be fair, in context, it may well have) – makes his over-ripe turns in the likes of No Way to Treat a Lady and The Naked Face seem positively restrained by comparison. Nevertheless, it’s an absolute joy to watch him do his thing. Of the supporting cast, there's sterling work from Don Stroud, Helen Shaver, Irene Dailey and Val Avery. A word too for Murray Hamilton, reviving his sceptical Mayor from Jaws in the form of an equally sceptical member of the clergy.
Almost 40 years later, following the myriad of forgettable haunted house movies that have flooded the screen since – never mind that it wasn't perhaps true after all – it's quite difficult to put perspective on just how thrilling a movie experience The Amityville Horror once was. Regardless, despite the fact (as a product of its time) it now looks a shade dated, it still holds up as a decent chunk of exploitation cinema. I'd certainly not hesitate to cite it as one of the most enjoyable entries in the sub-genre.
The film makes its Blu-ray debut in the UK in the form of a spiffy steelbook release from Second Sight Films. The transfer of the feature is faultless and the supplements are bountiful and (mostly) a worthwhile investment of one's time. Alongside interviews with leads Brolin and Kidder (previously seen on DVD releases), there are new materials with Brolin, actor Meeno Peluce (who played the senior Lutz child in the film), screenwriter Sandor Stern and composer Lalo Schifrin. There's also an on-camera introduction and movie-accompanying commentary from the author of "Murder in Amityville", PhD in parapsychology Dr Hans Holzer, who offers up his analysis of the facts versus the fiction. The real gem however is Eric Walter's feature-length documentary My Amityville Horror, which – the two younger siblings having declined to be involved – points its lens at the eldest of Kathleen's three real-life offspring, Daniel Lutz. "Gem" in this instance shouldn't be misinterpreted to mean entertaining, however; the film, a valuable addition to the package purely in terms of what it is, makes for a compelling but distinctly uncomfortable watch. Whatever may or may not have occurred with regard the paranormal, four decades on Daniel Lutz – who doesn't suffer doubters gladly – still carries with him the psychological scars of some pretty awful childhood experiences. Rounding out the package is a selection of promotional material (the theatrical trailer plus some TV and radio spots). Issued as a limited edition steelbook bearing an image of the now iconic house, tucked within are postcard-size reproductions of four original lobby cards. Even though the film’s admirers will have already loyally purchased it through a variety of previous incarnations, it's unlikely they'll be able to resist the urge to add this new one to their collection.
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