The 1970's produced some great horror films. Classic horror staples like The Exorcist, Carrie, and Halloween came from this decade. However, the 1970's produced its fair share of cheap exploitation films that were a complete mockery to the genre which had such potential. Thankfully, The Amityville Horror is an example of the former. Coming in at the very end of the polarized decade, 1979 saw the disturbing and harrowing story of a family of five moving into an old country house, which they soon find out is possessed. One year before this family bought the house, the previous owners had been brutally murdered by a person with motives unknown. They seek the help of the church and their family priest, Father Delaney (Robert Steiger), but this only creates more problems as the horror grows into a creepy and exciting horror flick.
Now the overhanging question on the mind of anyone who watches this film will surely be... why didn't the family just move the hell away? I thought about it and, honestly, the best answer I can come up with is, because there wouldn't have been a movie if they did. It can be a frustrating question, but if you let yourself get too caught up in it, it distracts from everything else about this movie that is really good. Sure it would have been nice if they had just quickly written in an answer to this question, and for all I know maybe they did and I just missed it. Either way, if you avoid getting caught up in this issue, it makes the film a lot better. Trust me.
The Amityville Horror really does tell a great story, one which is allegedly based upon a true one. I'll take that tidbit of information with a hefty grain of salt (hooray for oxymorons) but I'm not here to speculate so... moving on. The story arc of this film stays plenty interesting the whole way through. It's got an ominously dark setup and quickly heads down a disturbing path to horror and insanity. All the characters are affected in one way or another by this house, and we get to see every moment of it. We get a great look into the spiraling insanity of this terrified family, as well as their friends, and especially Father Delaney, who must wage war against the possessed house as well as the church who won't believe a thing he tells them as he tries to save the family.
The Amityville Horror succeeds in being subtly creepy for the majority of the film. The house is essentially alive, as it is possessed by a demon, and it is very impressive how much is accomplished through one intelligent architectural decision. The two windows on the front of the house may look harmless, but used in the right context they are extremely foreboding. There are plenty of shots of these two ominous windows, which are practically the insignia for this movie. Kudos need to be given to whoever decided on this look for the film that is wonderfully effective, without being overdone.
A lot of what drives The Amityville Horror is the solid performances dished out by the lead actors. James Brolin (father of the very talented Josh Brolin) plays the father of the family alongside Margot Kidder, the mother. These two are great together and their chemistry moves perfectly throughout the film. At the beginning they are happy sunny newlyweds who are so eager to move into their own house to live the rest of their lives together in. Yet as the house takes hold of their psyches, we see them grow farther and farther apart as everyone begins to lose their mind and the true horror sets in. Rod Steiger, who could be considered a legend to some, plays his character of the family priest very well also. It is a slightly over-dramatic role, but Steiger captures it just right, so as to stay convincing the entire way through. Roles like these are often seen overplayed, but the cast of The Amityville Horror, play the parts at just the right level, making the film a much more convincing and exciting experience.
Unfortunately, the lowest point of this film is the ending. It's abrupt and overdoes what should have been a consistently subtle horror. When the credits rolled I felt somewhat cheated and disappointed that it didn't pack a more solid punch than the misconstrued mess I received. It didn't kill the film by any means, and it didn't make me reconsider my opinion of the film, I just couldn't help but wish for more. An ending that was better thought out could have turned this good film into a great film, but whats done is done, and I still enjoyed The Amityville Horror a lot. It is a fine example of horror done well and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the classics of the horror genre.
Now the overhanging question on the mind of anyone who watches this film will surely be... why didn't the family just move the hell away? I thought about it and, honestly, the best answer I can come up with is, because there wouldn't have been a movie if they did. It can be a frustrating question, but if you let yourself get too caught up in it, it distracts from everything else about this movie that is really good. Sure it would have been nice if they had just quickly written in an answer to this question, and for all I know maybe they did and I just missed it. Either way, if you avoid getting caught up in this issue, it makes the film a lot better. Trust me.
The Amityville Horror really does tell a great story, one which is allegedly based upon a true one. I'll take that tidbit of information with a hefty grain of salt (hooray for oxymorons) but I'm not here to speculate so... moving on. The story arc of this film stays plenty interesting the whole way through. It's got an ominously dark setup and quickly heads down a disturbing path to horror and insanity. All the characters are affected in one way or another by this house, and we get to see every moment of it. We get a great look into the spiraling insanity of this terrified family, as well as their friends, and especially Father Delaney, who must wage war against the possessed house as well as the church who won't believe a thing he tells them as he tries to save the family.
The Amityville Horror succeeds in being subtly creepy for the majority of the film. The house is essentially alive, as it is possessed by a demon, and it is very impressive how much is accomplished through one intelligent architectural decision. The two windows on the front of the house may look harmless, but used in the right context they are extremely foreboding. There are plenty of shots of these two ominous windows, which are practically the insignia for this movie. Kudos need to be given to whoever decided on this look for the film that is wonderfully effective, without being overdone.
A lot of what drives The Amityville Horror is the solid performances dished out by the lead actors. James Brolin (father of the very talented Josh Brolin) plays the father of the family alongside Margot Kidder, the mother. These two are great together and their chemistry moves perfectly throughout the film. At the beginning they are happy sunny newlyweds who are so eager to move into their own house to live the rest of their lives together in. Yet as the house takes hold of their psyches, we see them grow farther and farther apart as everyone begins to lose their mind and the true horror sets in. Rod Steiger, who could be considered a legend to some, plays his character of the family priest very well also. It is a slightly over-dramatic role, but Steiger captures it just right, so as to stay convincing the entire way through. Roles like these are often seen overplayed, but the cast of The Amityville Horror, play the parts at just the right level, making the film a much more convincing and exciting experience.
Unfortunately, the lowest point of this film is the ending. It's abrupt and overdoes what should have been a consistently subtle horror. When the credits rolled I felt somewhat cheated and disappointed that it didn't pack a more solid punch than the misconstrued mess I received. It didn't kill the film by any means, and it didn't make me reconsider my opinion of the film, I just couldn't help but wish for more. An ending that was better thought out could have turned this good film into a great film, but whats done is done, and I still enjoyed The Amityville Horror a lot. It is a fine example of horror done well and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the classics of the horror genre.