American International Pictures
The Amityville Collection
The Amityville Horror
For God's sake, get out!
George Lutz, his wife Kathy, and their three children have just moved into a beautiful, and improbably cheap, Victorian mansion nestled in the sleepy coastal town of Amityville, Long Island. However, their dream home is concealing a horrific past and soon each member of the Lutz family is plagued with increasingly strange and violent visions and impulses.
- Original title
- The Amityville Horror
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $4,700,000
- Revenue
- $86,432,488
Sierbahnn
May 1, 2026 · via TMDB
This movie set a lot of ground for other horror movies and did a lot of heavy lifting. The overt religious themes might have aged poorly. But the character work and the effective use of the flashbacks and dream sequences make this movie still work as a vehicle for tension. It is a very good horror movie with a great cast and lovely direction and a legacy that you really can't deny.
Wuchak
May 15, 2021 · via TMDB
_**That iconic creepy house on Long Island**_ A newlywed couple moves into a shoreline house on Long Island with their three little kids. The house was the scene of a mass killing a year earlier but the parents (James Brolin & Margot Kidder) didn’t think it mattered and, besides, it enabled them to purchase the homestead at a much reduced price. Then strange things start happening. "The Amityville Horror" (1979) was arguably the best haunted house movie up to that point in time and was hugely successful at the box office, inspiring a gazillion sequels, remakes and documentaries. There are similarities to "The Shining" (1980): Both movies were based on books published in 1977, but the film version of "The Amityville Horror" was released a year prior to “The Shining” and was based on the supposedly true story of what happened to the Lutz family whereas Stephen King’s novel was purely fictional. The 2005 remake with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George deviates even further from the book and is a brisker, more modern version of the story. Yet this classic version still works as a moody and mysterious drama with horrific touches. Unlike the remake, the movie takes its time to establish and develop the characters and I appreciated this; for instance, Mr. Lutz's employee (Michael Sacks) and his spiritually curious girlfriend (Helen Shaver), as well as the two priests (Rod Steiger and Don Stroud). Gene Siskel criticized it on the grounds that it wasn’t enjoyable. Seriously? Since when are horror flicks supposed to be enjoyable? This is a realistic drama with some creepy paranormal things thrown on top, based on an allegedly true account. I don’t think the filmmakers were shooting for “enjoyable.” That said, underneath the darkness the picture has a good, warm heart. Was the actual Lutz’s account true or not? They seemed to have experienced some troubling things at the house during their month-long stay and passed a Polygraph by two top polygraph experts but, assuming their story wasn’t concocted for profit (which many believe was the case), the events were certainly amped-up for the book & movie for the purpose of an entertaining tale. By the way, the large Dutch Colonial house still stands in Amityville, albeit the exterior was remodeled and hence the two distinctive windows appear standard. The film runs 1 hour, 57 minutes and was mostly shot in New Jersey as follows: Toms River (house), Point Pleasant (church), Georgian Court University in Lakewood (meeting with the hooded priest), Ocean County and Scotch Plains; as well as indoor scenes done at MGM Studios in Culver City, California; plus some shots done in Long Island, Connecticut and Glendale, California. GRADE: B
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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James Brolin
George Lutz
Margot Kidder
Kathy Lutz
Rod Steiger
Father Delaney
Don Stroud
Father Richard Bolen
Murray Hamilton
Father Ryan
John Larch
Father Nuncio
Natasha Ryan
Amy
K.C. Martel
Greg
Meeno Peluce
Matt
Michael Sacks
Jeff
Irene Dailey
Aunt Helena
Helen Shaver
Carolyn
Amy Wright
Jackie
Marc Vahanian
Jimmy
Elsa Raven
Mrs. Townsend
Eddie Barth
Agucci
Hank Garrett
Bartender
James Tolkan
Coroner
Val Avery
Sgt. Gionfriddo
Peter Maloney
Newspaper Clerk
Michael Hawkins
New York State Trooper
Harry
Harry (dog - uncredited)
Fred J. Koenekamp
Director of Photography
Bruce Paul Barbour
Stunt Driver
Conrad E. Palmisano
Stunt Driver
Stuart Rosenberg
Director
Mike Fenton
Casting
Samuel Z. Arkoff
Executive Producer
Ronald Saland
Producer
Lalo Schifrin
Original Music Composer
Jay Anson
Novel
Sandor Stern
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Jul 24, 1979
Museum of Modern Art
Jul 27, 1979
