Going over the same ground as the original 1975 cult classic and its many derivative offspring, this "Amityville Horror" provides enough of a shiver for novice horror fans to guarantee an opening-weekend audience but, for more well-versed fans of the genre, will feel like a redundant round of recycling.
The script here differs slightly from the original but still has not figured out how to solve the ending. With the ominous (and highly suspect) intro "Based on a true story," this version cuts quickly to the premise. A young man living at home wakes one night and shoots his family one by one. When the police bring him in for questioning, he explains that his family was demonic and that the house told him to do it.
Flash forward a year to young married couple, George (Ryan Richardson) and Kathy Lutz (Melissa George), who are working together to build a good home for her three children, who are still dealing with their father's death.
George Street, Redfern
George Street, Sydney
George Street - forwards south end, Sydney (NSW)They come to the house, now for sale at a discount, and snap it up despite the visible nervousness of the realtor and her passing reference to the tragedy that took place there.
Within hours of moving in, everyone from the family pet to the young daughter have seen serious signs that this house needs a lot more than a Fab Five make-over. Ghosts, some chatty, some just ghastly, lurk in the shadows, the windows open and shut like eye-lids, and the vents have a habit of whispering. As the days pass and George begins to get testy and more than a little red in the eyes, Kathy realizes that she has a mystery to solve before she and her children fall victim to the house's new plaything.
The recent rash of...