n a dark night in November 1974, young Ronald DeFeo took a hunting rifle, ascended out of the basement and methodically shot his parents and four siblings to death while they slept in their rambling Dutch colonial house in Amityville, Long Island. Voices in the house told him to do it, he tells the police.
A year later, George (Reynolds) and Kathy Lutz (George) can't believe their luck: A massive Dutch colonial house has come on the market, priced far below market value. Though fearful of the cost and the possible strain on their finances, they agree to buy it. "This is the life we want," George tells Kathy.
Only afterward do they learn that the house was the scene of a tragedy. But, as George tells a reluctant Kathy, "Houses don't kill people. People kill people."
The happy family moves in: George, Kathy and the three children from her marriage to her first husband, who died unexpectedly. The youngest boy, Michael (Jimmy Bennett), has warmed up to George, but Billy (James) still harbors resentment. Daughter Chelsea (Moretz) quickly settles in. Mom finds her upstairs, talking to a mysterious new invisible friend named Jodie.
George, meanwhile, starts feeling poorly. The house seems too cold for him. And then there are those noises in the basement.
George and Kathy decide a night out is just the remedy. They hire a babysitter (Rachel Nichols). But the babysitter is more interested in telling the boys about the house's dark past. Chelsea warns her not to make Jodie mad. When the babysitter ignores her, things go badly.
George flies into a rage when he and Kathy return home. Michael warns his mom that the house is bad. Kathy begins to fear something isn't quite right. But George has his own plans. He moves into the basement, then spends a lot of time out back, chopping wood and making sure his ax stays sharp.
This house is updated but flimsy
The Amityville Horror is back, remodeled to restore its 1970s look but featuring the latest technological advancements, and it's ready to move in. The events, supposedly based on a true story, were first detailed in Anson's 1977 book and the subsequent 1979 movie, but current filmgoers are likely to remember little except for the image of the demonic house with its eyelike barn windows.
That's all good, as the original film was woefully pokey and cheeseball, even given the primitive state of visual effects in the late '70s. The new Amityville comes from commercial director Douglas in his feature debut, with a heavy assist from producer Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), and it is a vast improvement in production values, pacing, look, feel and visual effects.
The new script by Kosar, now a veteran of '70s horror remakes with Texas Chainsaw Massacre under his belt, starts off promisingly, casting Amityville as a metaphor for the heavy price Americans pay to achieve that particular dream, as well as the unraveling of a marriage and family under the stress of grief and loss.
Reynolds shows that he's more than simply Blade: Trinity's wisecracking hunk or Van Wilder's smarmy frat boy, with a nuanced and carefully calibrated performance that accurately tracks George's unraveling. At various points, viewers can see the conflicting emotions wash over George's face as he morphs from loving stepdad into abusive husband, and without Reynolds, Amityville would be just another generic horror movie.
George also rises to the occasion as the victimized but ultimately triumphant mom. And the kids are uniformly fresh and convincing.
Unfortunately, Amityville doesn't live up to its promise. Like a home with a good foundation but a flimsy structure, the movie falls apart at the end, devolving into Grand Guignol with gimmicky editing and a backstory that makes little sense.
