The Amityville Horror (1979)

★★★
I read the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson sometime in 1989, when I was in 7th grade. It wasn't an assignment. I picked it up off the shelf because I had seen the movie and wanted to compare it to the book. I don't remember the details of the novel anymore, but I do remember enjoying it as a good haunted house story. It purported to be based on the true story of the Lutz family, which fled its home twenty days after moving in. I'm not concerned with whether the book or film was based on fact or fiction.

After watching the film again recently, I admired the tension that it built up gradually over time. It employs few special effects. The soundtrack, atmosphere and acting all contribute to the film's effectiveness. Stuart Rosenberg, the director, is more interested in examining the psychological effects on the house's residents. He drops a few hints that something is wrong here, but he doesn't unleash a torrent of horrors upon the family until the climactic finale. Before then, he observes the family members' change in attitude, until they are ready to lose control and succumb to the powerful forces at work.

The house is among the most famous images in horror films. The three-level waterfront property has those two windows that resemble a pair of evil eyes, which stare ominously down at anyone walking up the path. Before the Lutz family moved in, a brutal murder had taken place there. Months later, George (James Brolin) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidder) buy the house, aware of its history but sweeping it aside. As George puts it, "Houses don't have memories."

Well, unfortunately this one does, and it slowly goes to work on the Lutz family. At first it's just little things, like money turning up missing. Later, the evil manifestations get more serious. A window slams down on a child's hand. Kathy sees something with red eyes outside. A cross is turned upside-down. When Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) comes to bless the house, he is met with a swarm of flies in a scene that was later parodied hilariously in Scary Movie 2.

We learn some of the house's history. Though it is not really explored a whole lot, it is enough information for us to have an idea of what exactly started this whole thing. Luckily, we don't get too much explanation, because too much explanation would rob the film of its mystery. Instead, we watch the family's emotional meltdown, particularly George's. He slowly turns from a happy husband to a tormented man. Something is eating away at him, and James Brolin delivers a performance with subtle mood changes. At times, he's a friendly person, but this eventually gives way to a violent personality.

The climax, involving the family's escape, is a fierce onslaught of nightmarish proportions. It doesn't last long, but it gives the Lutz family all the warning it needs to get out. A vicious thunderstorm and bleeding walls highlight the terrible things happening, but there's also the appearance of the house itself. Rosenberg's camera rushes in violently, throwing us up against those two windows that give us the impression that the house is alive in some way. It's thinking. When George gets his mindset reasserted, he defeats the house in a way.

The Amityville Horror has the misfortune of being parent to a multitude of sequels. None of them, with the exception of maybe Amityville III: The Demon, are worth your time. As far as haunted house movies go, this isn't one of the best. Poltergeist gets top honors in that department. However, it does work on its own terms. It's a skilled psychological horror film that is sure to provide a few thrills.

© 2004 Silver Screen Reviews