The Amityville Horror

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The Amityville Horror

R

1979

1h 57m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Chiller about a family who is terrorized by supernatural forces when they move into a new house in New York State which was the scene of a recent mass killing and the home of an 18th-century satanist. When swarms of flies appear from nowhere and the pipes and walls begin to ooze slime and blood, they call on a local priest to exorcize the evil spirits.

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Critics Consensus

Dull and disappointing, the best that can be said for The Amityville Horror is that it set a low bar for its many sequels and remakes.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

03/20/2019

[The Amityville Horror] begins with the promising premise of a haunted house in the suburbs (poltergeists in the barbecue pit?) and quickly degenerates into a display of pretentious camera angles.

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K.C. Summers

Washington Post

03/20/2019

The Amityville Horror is a horror. What is supposed to be the true story of a young couple driven from their dream house by demons turns out to be nothing more than a rip-off, and a tedious one at that.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

06/26/2017

Its pacing is off, there are too many go-nowhere subplots, & it seems just to come to a clunking halt at the end [but] the film's lack of commitment to any single reading of its narrative architecture is precisely what makes it so uncanny.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Jan 28

6/10

Ignore the silly attempts at faking a true story, and Amityville is an effective and oftentimes scary haunted house thriller.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11

4/5

Some components feel dated all these decades later, but commanding lead performances and an effective embrace of the spookiest parts of the story still make it frightening.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

07/25/2025

5/10

The movie ends up being an example of the pitfall of having a lot of plot, and no story. The characters seem one dimensional, and the ending feels unsatisfying.

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B P

@Bradster69 14h

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Jody C

@JodyCazz Aug 4

A well enough written story with plenty of hidden themes mixed in. However it adds up to be just another dull haunted house movie on cursed land more or less. This came after the exorcist and still managed to learn nothing scary from it. At least it tries to give some sort of homage to the real incident I suppose. Scare Factor: 1/10.

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Eugene A.

@Asqarman May 16

Great movie, best soundtrack

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Patrick C

@RT84374237 Feb 6

A film that promised much but ultimately was a missed opportunity. For the first 40 minutes or so the atmosphere and tension built very well and there was a genuine sense of unease. But so many elements of the plot just seemed unconnected and / or underdeveloped. The missing $1500? Father Delaney's wounds, blindness and near catatonia? Amy's friend Jody? If it hadn't been so disjointed, 'The Amityville Horror' could have been a classic, but as it is it's enjoyable but flawed.

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PoorDearRichard .

@PoorDearRichard Jan 25

👻 The Amityville Horror is a chilling, slow-burn paranormal thriller based on the infamous "true story" of the Lutz family and their terrifying experiences inside a Long Island home with a violent past. James Brolin and Margot Kidder bring a grounded, believable presence that makes the haunting feel uncomfortably real. The creaking house, cold spots, and glowing red eyes build dread the old-fashioned way, relying more on atmosphere than flashy effects. I think it’s highly underrated. Maybe because it isn’t as technical or polished as modern horror, but it’s still scary as hell. That steady, creeping tension really gets under your skin, and the whole thing has that gritty ‘70s horror vibe that just sticks with you.

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Dallas H

@FozzieMcFly Jan 24

There is something truly special about watching a movie from American International Pictures (and its predecessor, American Releasing Corporation). The original Amityville Horror cannot be duplicated or remade without losing the weird charm that makes it one of the few movies based on authentic American folklore.

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Stuart Rosenberg

Director

James Brolin

George Lutz

Margot Kidder

Kathy Lutz

Rod Steiger

Father Delaney

Don Stroud

Father Bolen

Natasha Ryan

Amy

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Synopsis

Chiller about a family who is terrorized by supernatural forces when they move into a new house in New York State which was the scene of a recent mass killing and the home of an 18th-century satanist. When swarms of flies appear from nowhere and the pipes and walls begin to ooze slime and blood, they call on a local priest to exorcize the evil spirits.

Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Producer: Ronald Saland, Elliot Geisinger
Screenwriter: Sandor Stern
Distributor: American International Pictures
Production Co: American International Pictures (AIP)
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 27, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 31, 2017
Runtime: 1h 57m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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