The Amityville Horror  

By Tom Keogh

Based on a bestselling, allegedly nonfiction book about haunted goings-on in a Long Island house (The Amityville Horror Conspiracy), this rather cheesy horror movie is more silly than unsettling. James Brolin and Margot Kidder star as newlyweds who move into the empty home and are gradually affected by the legacy of a murder committed on the premises. Rod Steiger is a priest who can tell what's up and gets dispatched in a rather ugly way. Director Stuart Rosenberg can't lift the action above a certain level of tawdriness, and the audience ends up watching the horror from a distance instead of feeling involved. In the wake of The Exorcist, this 1979 spooker seemed like a no-brainer knockoff--and still does.

Academy Awards

The Amityville Horror received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Original Score (Lalo Schrifrin).

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"I think a terrifying moment in this movie is when George looks up in his dughter's room and sees "Jodie" the demonic pig...Really Scary!" --Director2007