Amityville Horror
"Amityville Horror" is one more example of a pointless remake. When the original came out in 1979, we were all scared of an isolated house and the sense of being trapped without help and at the mercy of supernatural elements. Even today, the stories of the Amityville events are creepy in their own right. The fear invoked by the tragic events of 1974 was caused by the possibility that ghosts or a house could possess someone.
In today’s remake, the story focuses on the people and this is where it goes wrong from the start. We see within the first 10 minutes that the children resent their new stepfather, as does the family dog. There are struggles for control between the husband and the wife and no one in the family is likable. Nor do they become any more endearing as the movie progresses.
It takes nearly a third of the movie to get to the house and have the supernatural events start to unfold. The house itself is not creepy, merely dirty and unkept. The script wanders over elements of what happened without giving focus or clarity to the horror the family experienced. The stepfather comes off as violent and we begin to wonder where the child protection agency is.
Two-thirds of the way through we finally get an interesting character – the babysitter. A true pot-smoking, sexy, evil babysitter. You know what her fate will be. All too soon the movie returns to boring.
In the end, "Amityville Horror" is all set-up with little payoff. In today’s world it’s the perfect date movie for teens as there are plenty of hot bodies and several "jump" moments. It’s short and has a real ending with no chance of a sequel in sight. If you’re not on a date and you’re hoping for a great scary movie, then don’t bother. Keep small children away if they get easily frightened.
In today’s remake, the story focuses on the people and this is where it goes wrong from the start. We see within the first 10 minutes that the children resent their new stepfather, as does the family dog. There are struggles for control between the husband and the wife and no one in the family is likable. Nor do they become any more endearing as the movie progresses.
It takes nearly a third of the movie to get to the house and have the supernatural events start to unfold. The house itself is not creepy, merely dirty and unkept. The script wanders over elements of what happened without giving focus or clarity to the horror the family experienced. The stepfather comes off as violent and we begin to wonder where the child protection agency is.
Two-thirds of the way through we finally get an interesting character – the babysitter. A true pot-smoking, sexy, evil babysitter. You know what her fate will be. All too soon the movie returns to boring.
In the end, "Amityville Horror" is all set-up with little payoff. In today’s world it’s the perfect date movie for teens as there are plenty of hot bodies and several "jump" moments. It’s short and has a real ending with no chance of a sequel in sight. If you’re not on a date and you’re hoping for a great scary movie, then don’t bother. Keep small children away if they get easily frightened.
i saw this movie the other day and i have to admit, i kinda liked it. HOWEVER, i have not seen the original... all my friends who have seen it, say the remake sucks, but since i have nothing to base it on, i think that helped me enjoy it more... and i only went to be entertained anyway :)
ReplyDelete