Log In


Film Reviews

The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror

  • Rating: The Amityville Horror rated 2
  • Director: Andrew Douglas
  • Starring: Chloe Morentz
  • Details: US/ 90 mins/ (15A)

The fact that the anti-Christ of intelligent filmmaking, Michael Bay, produced this remake of The Amityville Horror should tell you all you need know. Really. Set in a rather glossy 1979, The Amityville Horror sees George Lutz (Ryan Reynolds), Kathy Lutz (Melissa George) and her kids move into a spacious home in Amityville, Long Island. Although the family are aware that a heinous crime was committed within the home (murder, no less), the Lutzs believe that their wholesome ways will ensure that all the bad vibes left with the previous occupants. Have a guess as to what happens next...
Much like Bay's recent production (rough translation: hatchet job) of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror is all surface and no depth. Content to use the likes of The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and The Shining as the basic conceptual templates without utilising any of their atmosphere or air of menace, The Amityville Horror neglects to do anything remotely unpredictable with its shaggy premise. When it runs out of ideas on the standardised scares front, there's an ill-judged attempt to place the material in a social context, but this - like virtually everything else in this unsatisfying affair - feels unconvincing.

Review by Garreth Murphy

Your Comments

No Comments have been posted for this article yet - be the first

Write Your Own Comment!

Search

Or search alphabetically:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

DVD Reviews

More DVD

The Descendants
FILM TITLE rated 4

 When a film, especially a low key drama, is hyped up then there can be a certain level of disappointment in some quarters. Thankfully, Alexander Payne's first feature since the superb... [more]

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
FILM TITLE rated 4

 Full disclosure: I have never read the books that this American-financed remake is based upon, nor have I seen the hugely successful Swedish productions that followed it. A classy production... [more]

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
FILM TITLE rated 3

Pixar stalwart Brad Bird makes his live-action feature debut with a franchise that has just had its most underrated installment. JJ Abrams' first film is almost vintage Cameron, and was a much... [more]

Shame
FILM TITLE rated 4

 An unrelenting examination of a fascinating but bleak character, Shame is a dramatical, dense and remarkable film that will astound and disturb in equal measure. While Steve McQueen's sombre... [more]

Your Cinema Listings

Competitions

No competitons currently running