2008 Woodie Awards
Amityville Horror Returns in Frightening Remake
Jenna Gray Staff Reporter
Issue date: 4/21/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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The movie opens in 1975 on the night of the original murders. We see a young man walk from room to room with a shotgun, slaying his entire family because he supposedly heard voices in the house telling him to.
A year later, George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) are in search of a new home for their family. In the paper they stumble upon an ad for a house in Amityville with a bargain price. When they visit the home they are wary that there is a catch to this deal.
They find out about the murders yet still choose to buy the house. George insists buying the house is a good idea by saying, "there are no bad houses -- only bad people."
Shortly after moving in, members of the family begin to encounter unexplainable images and sounds in the home. Kathy's young daughter Chelsea (Chloe Mortez) has made friends with a girl named Jody. She happens to be Jody Defao who was killed in the house a year earlier. This troubles Kathy because Chelsea insists that Jody is real because she can see and talk to her. This is just one of the many encounters the Lutz family has with "ghosts" in their new home.
George becomes possessed by the demons of the house which makes him think the rest of his family is crazy. The voices in the house seem to be telling him to kill his family, just like what happened with the Defaos a year earlier. Kathy then begins to fight against the spirts of the house of the souls of her family.
"The Amityville Horror" may not be the scariest movie to date but the fact that it is based on a true story makes it downright chilling. If you're curious and in the mood for a scare, "The Amityville Horror" should do the trick.