AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE - Blu-ray review

James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger headline the 1979 horror film "The Amityville Horror" as it arrives on Blu-ray. The film is based upon the purportedly true events that were detailed in the novel "The Amityville Horror" by Jay Anson and happened to George and Kathy Lutz during their short lived residence at a house in Amityville, New York. The actual truth to the events have been broiled in controversy for decades and whether or not you believe in supernatural events, the stories and inconsistencies behind the possession in Amityville make this story a little hard to swallow. The film itself spawned a number of sequels and a 2005 remake and while the film is hardly scary, it does have its creepy moments and a campy charm that makes "The Amityville Horror" worth sitting down with.

George Lutz (James Brolin) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidder) move into a large house that was sold at a bargain price and included a boat house and plenty of space for George, his wife and her children. The house was sold cheaply because a family was brutally murdered in the house and many of their furniture and belongings were still in the house at the time that the Lutz purchased the home. The young couple is very upbeat about fixing up the place and enjoying their time along the river with their three young children. The Lutz's knew about the sad tale surrounding the home, but it did not sway their decision. They quickly move in and begin to paint and repair the house, but from the time they move in there are things that just do not seem right.

When they begin to believe the house is haunted or possessed, the Lutz's turn to Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) to visit the house and exorcise the demons. He walks into an upstairs room and is horrified when the window and door slams shut and traps him into the room. Flies quickly gather and Delaney finds himself choking on the evil that seemingly surrounds him. A voice can be heard telling to get out of the house and Father Delaney leaves in terror. This is just the first of many elevated occurrences. Soon George becomes gravely ill and his demeanor starts to become uneasy and unfriendly. He is told by the townsfolk that he looked just like the man that had killed his family in the house. Then one night Kathy witnesses a pair of glowing red eyes outside the window that is believed to be an evil flying pig. From then on the Lutz's fear for their lives as they must get out of the house.

"The Amityville Horror" doesn't pack too many thrills and there are hardly any chills. This is a campy classic that shied away from expensive special effects and tried to use mood and creepiness to incite frights. The Lutz family spent less than a month of time living in the Amityville house and they apparently had a lot of scary things happen to them, but during the 119 minutes length of "The Amityville Horror," there isn't much to put you at the edge of your seat unless you are creeped out by flies. This isn't a movie you watch if you intend on being scared stiff or want to have a horror filled fun time on Halloween. It is based on what is said to be a true story, but so many inconsistencies have been uncovered that the truthfulness of "The Amityville Horror" is unlikely. The truth is that you don't watch "The Amityville Horror" as you would "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th." You watch "The Amityville Horror" if you've grown tired of "The Evil Dead."

James Brolin and Margot Kidder are a convincing couple in the film and Brolin successfully conveys a sense of pathetic illness that has the audience feel bad enough for the character. It isn't the strength of acting that delivers performance, but the campy acting by Brolin. Kidder is a far cry from portraying Lois Lane, but I had never liked her in that role and feel she is more fitting in this picture as a B-Grade scream queen. Neither actor puts forth a performance that is anything close to be award worthy, but the manner in which they go about their business adds to the campy nature of "The Amityville Horror." Rod Steiger has precious little time on-screen in this film, but his over-the-top delivery steals the show and it is easy to remember why Steiger is so loved as a horror actor.

"The Amityville Horror" doesn't succeed in much of anything. It lacks any great sense of terror and emotion. You have a young couple who is very much in love and strapped by the cost of their new house, but they are afraid of the house and seem reluctant to leave. Eventually, they face death and that is the great thrilling climax of the picture. It never gets exciting, but there is no denying that "The Amityville Horror" has a certain campy charm to it that keeps the viewer entertained during the entire length of the film. The revealing red eyes, the swarming flies, the demonic voice of the house and the familiar curved windows are things you won't easily forget after watching this film. It comes from a time when audiences didn't require as much to be captivated by a film and the minimalistic approach of "The Amityville Horror" makes this a beloved underdog that doesn't have the big name of the larger horror films of its era, but many people love this and I can understand why.

Video:

The iconic curved windows and swarming flies look pretty good in high definition and the 2.35:1 film is nicely presented in AVC encoding in 1080p resolution. I was pleased with how nice this classic picture looked and while it isn't the most detailed catalog title, it has some very nice moments where I knew I was watching a Blu-ray title. The hues used in the film feel washed out and "The Amityville Horror" is not overly colorful. The palette is natural looking and works well with the campy feel of the picture. Source materials used for this film were quite clean and while film grain is abundantly present, it provides a film-like look that should please those that don't feel they are watching a movie unless there is a little grain. "The Amityville Horror" is a camp classic and looks every bit the part on Blu-ray. It isn't anything flashy and looks dated, but I was pleased.

Audio:

"The Amityville Horror" comes fully equipped with three English soundtracks. The DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio soundtrack is the heavy hitter, but it is a minor upgrade over the English 5.1 Dolby Surround track that is also included. The problem lies in the fact that "The Amityville Horror" is culled from a mono source and doesn't easily upgrade to a full multi-channel surround mix. The mono mix is the third English track on the disc. French and Spanish Dolby Digital tracks are also included. Most of the audio in this film are confined to the front channels and "The Amityville Horror" sounds just like a mono film that was expanded to the front three speakers. I found the mix was a little harsh on the higher frequencies and didn't have a lot of depth down low. Dialogue is clean and the musical score by Lalo Schifrin is technically sound, but doesn't expand the mix.

Extras:

No extras are included on the Blu-ray release of "The Amityville Horror." This seems almost inexcusable and I would have loved to have seen some of the documentaries that were produced to argue the truthfulness of the purported true-life events in the film.

Closing:

I always enjoy watching "The Amityville Horror," but the title is about the only place you'll find horror in this film. It isn't scary and borders on humor instead of horror. This is a camp classic and while I've probably used the word ‘camp' a little too much in this review, it is the best way of describing this classic picture. The red eyes just aren't scary in 2008 and neither are loads of flies. However, there is no denying that an indescribable charm exists in "The Amityville Horror." This is a fun picture, although it was intended to be scary. The Blu-ray release is limited by the age and limited nature of the original source materials and the video and sound are both good, but far from great. The only real sad thing about this Blu-ray release is the complete lack of supplements. The film deserves a little something more. If you love the film, this is the best it will ever look and sound and that may be reason enough to pick up a copy.