The October 10 of 13

How is a film that is so well-known and iconic this bad?

The Amityville Horror was made in 1979 based on a “true” story. It is one of the most famous haunted house movies of all time. Yet, this was not a good movie.

It was so silly at many times that it undercut whatever tension and anxiety it tried to build into the mood.

I would give credit to James Brolin and Margot Kidder, who played George and Kathy Lutz- the newly married couple who moved into the house where a brutal murder of a family took place. Brolin and Kidder did what they could and they certainly committed to the story. They were not the problem and they may be the reason why this stinker has passed the test of time.

Of course, Brolin’s axe into the bathroom door came a year before Jack Nicholson’s far superior axe job in The Shining. Brolin snapped out of his trans fairly quickly so maybe Jack needs to take some notes from him.

The same could not be said for Rod Steiger, whose performance as Father Delaney was so far beyond over-the-top that his entire screaming monologues become laughable.

The ending was both sudden and ridiculous. George Lutz was a much better person than I am because I would be going dog shopping for a new dog instead of running back into that insanity. And why did he fall into that huge pool of blood? Where did that come from?

It felt as if the film had a bunch of subplots that never really came together in the movie.

It may be iconic, but that does not make it something you should watch again. Bad movie.