The remake of The Amityville Horror is being released in theatres this week, hope it will be scarier that the original, speaking of which, has anyone here seen the original The Amityville Horror at all?

What's it about?

isn't an actor in it, in the Rocky Movies too?

What's it about?

isn't an actor in it, in the Rocky Movies too?




I hear it's based mostly on the book and the movie.

Ryan Reynolds is playing James Brolin's part, Melissa George (she was on Alias once) is playing Margot Kidder's part, and Philip Baker Hall is playing Rod Steiger's part. As for the actor from the  Rocky Movies, Burt Young, he's in Amityville Horror 2.

Yeah, I've seen it. It was okay, but I personally think they could have chosen somebody much better then Margot Kidder to play Kathy Lutz. The girl in the remake, Melissa George, seems much more realistic to me, more scared. I think James Brolin made a much better George Lutz then Ryan Reynolds will though but oh well. This movie should be better made then the original.

There was a documentary or such on about that house last October (as it is every October) and the people who live in the house now report nothing out of the ordinary has happened there.

That would be an interesting house to move in to  ???

There was a documentary or such on about that house last October (as it is every October) and the people who live in the house now report nothing out of the ordinary has happened there.

That would be an interesting house to move in to  ???




If that stuff really did happen there, I am not buy or moving into that house.  ::)

I thought they declared this a hoax after the first film came out.  I was surprised to see a remake.  Either a true accounting or for pure entertainment, I wont be seeing this flick at all.  (Ryan Reynolds' acting is scarier than anything some old house could throw at you  ;D)

There's no need for a remake. I don't understand why remakes of classic horror films are being made anyway. Is it to satisfy the younger generation that can't sit through the originals?

Tanya

I thought they declared this a hoax after the first film came out.  I was surprised to see a remake.  Either a true accounting or for pure entertainment, I wont be seeing this flick at all.  (Ryan Reynolds' acting is scarier than anything some old house could throw at you  ;D)


Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the impression I got is that the couple couldn't afford the house, and thus since it was going to forclose anyway, they figured out a story they might be able to make money from, from selling as a book and/or movie rights.

Otherwise, other then the history of well...having a few movies and now the remake about it, no that isn't a dangerous house.  I've been in outhouses that were more dangerous.  ;)

To be honest, the remake doesn't interest me at all, at least not seeing in a first run theatre.  I may rent it on DVD or wait for HBO, but then it will be so I can heckle it if it is bad....I like doing that, making a "MST3K" night out of bad films. 

Hi...

Although it says I am new here, Im not...Ive not been here for a long time and cant for the life of me remember my old nicname and password....anyway....

The Amityville Horror remake looks pretty good. Ive been interested in the story since my Mum first had the book back in 1979 (although the book came out in 1978). Below is a list of books released to do with the Amityvill Horror which I own:

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
(about the Lutz family's stay in the house)

The Amityville Horror movie tie in by Jay Anson

Murder In Amityville by Hanz Holzer
(an in depth look at the court case of Ronald Defeo who murdered his entire family in the house in 1974, about 18 months before the Lutzes moved in. This book also goes into detail about supposed psychics who have entered the house and had readings in there)

The Amityville Curse by Hans Holzer
(The first of many novels to try to cash in on the Amityville Horror craze)

Murder In Amityville movie tie in with Amityville 2: The Possession by Hanz Holzer
(This book is exactly like the original novel, except that it comes with many many photos of the Defeos, the house and others)

The Amityville Horror 2 by John G. Jones
(Based upon what supposedly occured to the Lutzes after the fled the house)

The Amityvill Horror 2 re-release by John G. Jones
(same as original Amityville Horror 2, but with a new cover)

Amityville 3D by Gordon McGill
(This book is a movie tie in for the film of the same name)

The Amityville Horror 3 by John G. Jones
(More of what happened after the Lutzes fled 112 Ocean Avenue)

The Amityville Horror Part 3 by John G. Jones
(a re-release of the 3rd installment of the Lutzes 'adventures' after fleeing the house with different cover and the word 'part' inserted into the title)

The Amityville Horror: The Untold Stories by John G. Jones
(A collection of short stories of what happened to people who bought items the Lutzes sold after fleeing the house which were supposedly possessed with the evil from the house at 112 Ocean Avenue Amityville)

The Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes by John G. Jones
(This book is exactly the same as The Untold Stories, except with a new title and cover. This is the movie tie in for the film with the same name)

Amityville: The Horror Returns by John G. Jones
(This is a supposedly real account of one major event which happened to the Lutzes in around 1987-88)

The Amityville Curse movie tie in by Hanz Holzer

Amityville: The Nightmare Continues by Robin Karl
(This book is supposedly a true story about what happened to a young boy and his family after he enteres the house at 112 Ocean Avenue to steal some items not sold in the Lutzes garage sale after the Lutzes fled)

There are numerous other books availaible dealing with the alleged hoax etc as well as with other people in the house.

The movies I own are:

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Amityville 2: The Possession

Amityville 3D

Amityville: The Evil Escapes

The Amityville Curse

Amityville: Its About Time

Amityville: The Next Generation

Amityville Dollhouse

Hollywood Ghost Stories
(a documentary about ghosts stories which have been circulating around Hollywood such as the Ghosts of George Reeve and the goings on around The Amityville Horror film set which includes a drive-by of the real house)

Now, this entire Amityville saga, I believe is based upon a hoax. It was concieved by the Lutzes with William Webber who was trying to get Ronald Defeo Jnr out of Jail after he murdered his family. Apparently the Lutzes wanted out of the house because they couldnt afford it, and Webber wanted to get his client out of prison. Defeo had pleaded insanity after being convicted of murdering 4 younger siblings and his parents cold bloodedly while they slept in October or November 1974. When the insanity plea didnt work, Webber wanted to find a way to get his client out of prison because he honestly believed that Ronald Defeo Jnr was innocent (the case for Ronald Defeo Jnr's innocence is in a book called The Night The Defeo's Died, though I cant remember who it is by, and I dont have a copy any more). Anyway, apparently the Lutzes and Webber concocted a plot to get Defeo Jnr out of prison and make themselves some money. This plot turned into The Amityville Horror novel and film.

Since then there have been many lawsuits. I believe that the Lutzes took Dino DeLaurentis to court for using the title Amityville in the movie Amityville 2: The Possession. Now, while this movie had nothing to do with the Lutzes experiences (it was based extremely loosely upon the murders of the Defeo family), the Lutzes took the producer to couurt, and lost because the name Amityville was in the public domain and so long as the word Horror didnt accompany the name Amityville, the producers were quite within their rights to make a movie with the name Amityville in the title.

Other cout cases came into being arouund the Lutzes, such as with the writers of the many books not based upon them.

Now, while I may not believe the story, I do think it makes for good reading as a novel of fiction, and is good viewing for those interested in watching the original and the remake. Personally, I think the remake looks a lot better than the original, and has more action. JMO


Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Just came back from seeing the remake, it's creepy.  ::)

Bron-Y-Aur, obviously you're a fan of the Amityville series.  ;)

Anyway, you confirm in much more detail then I had know what I'd heard, that the people couldn't afford the home, and thus concocted a story.  I didn't know that they knew the lawyer of the boy who killed his family a couple years before the Lutzes bought it though.

One question, was there a foreclosure on the home, and thus the Lutzes and the lawyer thought of the story to get money for everyone, or were they just struggling to afford it, but not at the time at risk of losing the home?  Also, who is the current resident...or at least did the Lutzes still live in it at the time of the book publishing and/or original film?  (Been much too long since I've seen the first film, I think I only saw the first sequel and remember even less of it, and have yet to see the remake)

Just curious, you seem to be someone who may know what happened to them. 

OH...and Ronald DeFoe, Jr...did his lawyer get him absolved of the charges, or did he stay in jail?

I saw the remake and it was actually pretty good, better then I thought it would be. However, I also recently watched the original 1979 movie and I have to say, the original was better. They put so much more stuff that was in the book, in the first movie. Plus, I don't know if anyone noticed but the remake was so much shorter then the original, which usually is a good thing but in this case is a bad thing. They should have made it longer and more detailed. The original was just shy of 2 hours, whereas the remake is exactly an hour and a half!!

Also, another thing I did not like about the remake was they turned Jodie into a little girl. Now anyone who has either read the book or watched the first movie knows damn well that Jodie was an enormous pig, not a little girl. THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER TURNED JODIE INTO A LITTLE GIRL!!

The acting was surprisngly good, especially from Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. Before seeing the movie, I commented that Ryan Reynolds would not make a good George Lutz. However, having seen the movie, I have changed my mind. He was a very good George, very convincing and creepy.

One question, was there a foreclosure on the home, and thus the Lutzes and the lawyer thought of the story to get money for everyone, or were they just struggling to afford it, but not at the time at risk of losing the home?  Also, who is the current resident...or at least did the Lutzes still live in it at the time of the book publishing and/or original film?  (Been much too long since I've seen the first film, I think I only saw the first sequel and remember even less of it, and have yet to see the remake)

Just curious, you seem to be someone who may know what happened to them. 

OH...and Ronald DeFoe, Jr...did his lawyer get him absolved of the charges, or did he stay in jail?




Hi...

Okay...firstly, Ronald Defeo Jnr was still in Danemora (sp?) state prison I think up to 2001. I think he applied for parol then, but it was denied. He is still serving his 6 consecutive 25 year sentances for murdering 6 members of his family.

It is believed that the Lutzes were seen with William Webber in a New York cafe a month before they agreed to buy the house. It is believed that they met to concoct the story which would give something to all people involved. Cash for the Lutzes and Webber, and freedom for Defeo Jnr.

The Lutzes, according to them at least, never returned to the house after they fled, although this has been contested by a number of people such as neighbours who have claimed that they saw the Lutzes there after the events they claimed occured early in 1976. They were not, at that time, in danger of losing the house, but knew that they couldnt really afford it. I believe the house was taken over by the bank to whome they still owed payments.

The house was sold in 1979 to the Cromarty family. They were the people who took an early 1980's TV show (such as Thats Incredible or Great Mysteries of the World etc) through the house in 1980 to prove that the home was simply a nice, ordinary house. In 1981 or 1982 their eldest son died in one of the attic bedrooms (the rooms with the quarter moon windows).

I am not sure who lives in the house right now, though Ive been led to believe that its a divorced middle aged man whos older children and grandchildren often come to stay. He has taken out the most recognisable part of the house, the quarter moon windows, and replaced them with ordinary rectangle windows which slide up to open in 1999.

Kathleen Lutz suffers from emphasema (sp?) and needs the help of a machine to breathe (as of 2003).



I hope this helps.


Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Hi...

Okay...firstly, Ronald Defeo Jnr was still in Danemora (sp?) state prison I think up to 2001. I think he applied for parol then, but it was denied. He is still serving his 6 consecutive 25 year sentances for murdering 6 members of his family.

It is believed that the Lutzes were seen with William Webber in a New York cafe a month before they agreed to buy the house. It is believed that they met to concoct the story which would give something to all people involved. Cash for the Lutzes and Webber, and freedom for Defeo Jnr.

The Lutzes, according to them at least, never returned to the house after they fled, although this has been contested by a number of people such as neighbours who have claimed that they saw the Lutzes there after the events they claimed occured early in 1976. They were not, at that time, in danger of losing the house, but knew that they couldnt really afford it. I believe the house was taken over by the bank to whome they still owed payments.

The house was sold in 1979 to the Cromarty family. They were the people who took an early 1980's TV show (such as Thats Incredible or Great Mysteries of the World etc) through the house in 1980 to prove that the home was simply a nice, ordinary house. In 1981 or 1982 their eldest son died in one of the attic bedrooms (the rooms with the quarter moon windows).

I am not sure who lives in the house right now, though Ive been led to believe that its a divorced middle aged man whos older children and grandchildren often come to stay. He has taken out the most recognisable part of the house, the quarter moon windows, and replaced them with ordinary rectangle windows which slide up to open in 1999.

Kathleen Lutz suffers from emphasema (sp?) and needs the help of a machine to breathe (as of 2003).



I hope this helps.


Bron-Y-Aur Stomp


It does, really cool to see your reply.  :)

Does make me wonder if the current owner replaced the windows in the attic just because he needed to and/or wanted to remodel, or if he wanted to make the house a bit less recognizable to wandering tourists, I'd assume that he'd get people driving by all the time to see the "infamous Amityville" house.  If I was him, I could see myself remodeling it just a bit to make it a bit less blatantly "that house" and hopefully confuse tourists, I'd value my privacy too much.  ;)

But then again, I also know of people who bought historic houses intentionally so they could play amateur tour guide, so it could be he just needed or wanted to remodel.

Here's a pic of the house now...you wont catch me ever living in that house!

http://www.findadeath.com/funstuff/Amityville/house%20%20front%20from%20road.JPG

Here's a pic of the house now...you wont catch me ever living in that house!



Would you ever live in the house to the left? And what about the poor SOB that owns that house. Did that house's property value go down after all that's been said and written about the other one?

;D

Even if it is all a hoax, which I am inclined to believe, I wouldn't set foot in that house.  Too creepy for words, thanyouverymuch.

Even if it is all a hoax, which I am inclined to believe, I wouldn't set foot in that house.  Too creepy for words, thanyouverymuch.


I wouldnt set foot in there either, even if the hauntings are a hoax...the fact that people were killed there is the creepy part.
I read somewhere that the guy that lives next door gets really mad cause people are always coming up to his door asking if the other house is "the house".  That would be pretty annoying.  I dont think I could even live on the same street as that house.

Here's a pic of the house now...you wont catch me ever living in that house!

http://www.findadeath.com/funstuff/Amityville/house%20%20front%20from%20road.JPG


Maybe I'm weird, but what would stop me from living in it would be everyone and their second cousin playing tourist and driving by/walking up to it and so forth.  But I wouldn't buy a house on a "Christmas Tree Lane", official or otherwise, since around Christmas, even if I did want to be "Scrooge" and not put up lights there would be cars driving by to look at my neighbors who did.  I value my privacy too much, when I want to be boisterous I can be very boisterous, but when I want to be alone, I really want to be alone.  ;)

But ignoring the house attracting tourists...figure there's going to be some history, known or unknown assoicated with any plot of land.  For all I know, the land under me could have been some ancient Indian burial ground or sacred site, and dozens of them wander about my place without my knowledge.  (Good thing I don't believe in ghosts, else I'd go looking now.  ;)  ).  Anyway, I guess the house's history wouldn't bother me.  That and I think it's a cute house, and the square windows in a way an improvement.

Is there a lake or river behind the house?  Can't see it in the photo.

And yes...it's a hoax.  ;)  Seen plenty of reports online that stated that the family did make up the story, now that I've researched it a bit.  Only debatable part I've seen is some claim they were in foreclosure, I get the impression they were struggling to but still affording the house, but did want out from under the mortgage, thus the story in an attempt to get a book or movie deal.

Why is everyone focusing on it being a hoax or not?  People WERE murdered there right?  THATS the scary part, who cares if it isnt haunted!

Why is everyone focusing on it being a hoax or not?  People WERE murdered there right?  THATS the scary part, who cares if it isnt haunted!




Well...I guess it isn't scary for me, that was part of my point with my last post when I said "..figure there's going to be some history, known or unknown assoicated with any plot of land.".  Not saying that it's wrong if you wouldn't live in a house where a fairly recent murder happened, but I guess such wouldn't worry me at all.  How many houses are on former battlegrounds, where dozens, hundreds or even thousands of people died all in the length of a day or two?  Or burial grounds?  For that matter, do you have any relatives in an old age home?  If you do, what are the chances that the previous tenant, the one before your relative moved into the facility, died in his or her room of natural causes?  I'd assume fairly high.  Maybe a somewhat ghoulish thought...but I guess my home is what I make of it now to me, not what happened in the past.  Now if my house had an interesting past, infamous or otherwise I might study it, I do like history.  But I wouldn't find it ghoulish personally.

But to answer your probably rhetorical question, yes people were murdered there.  And for me it matters if it's a hoax or not since, as I stated before, I like history.  And, although yes history gets "blurred" as time goes on, I'd like history to be accurate as possible.  History in and of itself is much too interesting and precious to be muddied and tarnished by hoaxes.

The Lutz' divorced in the late 80's.
Kathy Lutz died in 2004.
George Lutz died in 2006.


I liked the remake...very surprising for Me.....
There were a lot of little touches from the books on the house that were in the Film.
I expected a lot from the '79 version.After reading about Kathy levitating....I thought, after the effects in 1971 {The Exorcist},it would be pretty wild in this one.....No such scene....
James Brolin,,,and even Margot Kidder are not exactly known for their Acting range.....
{I met Margot at a Horror Convention...She was sitting at Her table and no one was on line to meet Her....I thought this was odd....I went up to the table.I was looking at the Photos She had for sale{that She would sign}.I couldn't decide between a photo from Amityville or Sisters...I'm standing there and She never looks up !!I picked up a photo from Sisters & say "Miss Kidder?" She looks up..No hello..She says That's twenty dollars You want it signed?"
I say "Yes.It's a pleasure to meet You.I saw Sisters again last week.I bought the DVD." .....She says...."It's a good movie.You should watch it".........Huh ?....Signed it & looked back down & back to work on Her crossword puzzle.......I just walked away......}