I have seen the original, and some of the remakes, and the old version takes a better look at the actual events the Lutz family claims to have happened in the house. I always come to the same conclusion, I have to visit 112 Ocean Drive to know the truth(The ACTUAL address of the real amityville house.) This film is a good compliment to the old version. It starts with the fateful night that started a world known urban legend that is caught between the real and the surreal. We are introduced to Ronald "Butch" Defeo, sitting in his basement, hearing a voice telling him to "Katch 'em & Kill 'em". He gives in, grabs a rifle, loads up, and "goes hunting". He kills his parents, brothers, and his sisters, telling one that he loves her, before he pops one into her.
We are then taken one year into the future, where George and Kathy Lutz have bought the house. After they move in, they begin to see things that are beyond belief(I was scared s**tless from the first bathroom scene where the boy sees the Indian who was tortured to death.) After a while, strange things begin happening, in which the Lutz's oldest son, Billy, is blamed. The daughter claims to see the ghost of Jodie Defeo(Note: The original version said Jodie was a pig, and not a little girl.) George Lutz slowly slips into insanity, where he can never keep the windows shut, or the house warm. He migrates to the basement, and starts building things(An extra room, and COFFINS!) Kathy sees that all is not at peace in the house, and asks a priest to bless the house so the past spirits can move on. After only 5 minutes in the house, he is chased out. After 28 days, Kathy discovers the secrets of the house.
NOTE: This next part is a spoiler of some history, and may not be entirely accurate.
The house was built in the 1600's, being an Indian mission, where indians could be converted to Christianity. It was started be Reverend Jeremiah Katchem, who proceeded to torture and kill the indians. He killed himself, hoping to keep his soul on the ground forever. Katchem's spirit was joined by those of tormented indians. We fast-forward to the previous owners, the Defeo family. Ronald Defeo killed his family after 28 days in the house(coincidence?) He claimed to have seen horrible things, and heard voices, telling him to butcher his family. The weird feelings eventually caused him to migrate to the basement, where the horrible things and voices pestered him to the point where he killed his family. The soul of Jodie Defeo joins the house.
Kathy, with this new knowledge, rushes home to get her family out. She gets home to find her husband, ready to slaughter his family like Ronnie Defeo had done. They are chased through the house, which proceeds to lock them in, and they are forced to escape through the roof. Goerge is eventually subdued, as Kathy, and her children proceed to leave the house and everything in it.
This movie, as I stated earlier, was a great compliment to the original film, and had a lot of ground to cover. It is, of all things, inaccurate to the book the original was based off of. George Lutz is portrayed well, and the use of original Defeo investigation interviews is fabulous. 8/10.
We are then taken one year into the future, where George and Kathy Lutz have bought the house. After they move in, they begin to see things that are beyond belief(I was scared s**tless from the first bathroom scene where the boy sees the Indian who was tortured to death.) After a while, strange things begin happening, in which the Lutz's oldest son, Billy, is blamed. The daughter claims to see the ghost of Jodie Defeo(Note: The original version said Jodie was a pig, and not a little girl.) George Lutz slowly slips into insanity, where he can never keep the windows shut, or the house warm. He migrates to the basement, and starts building things(An extra room, and COFFINS!) Kathy sees that all is not at peace in the house, and asks a priest to bless the house so the past spirits can move on. After only 5 minutes in the house, he is chased out. After 28 days, Kathy discovers the secrets of the house.
NOTE: This next part is a spoiler of some history, and may not be entirely accurate.
The house was built in the 1600's, being an Indian mission, where indians could be converted to Christianity. It was started be Reverend Jeremiah Katchem, who proceeded to torture and kill the indians. He killed himself, hoping to keep his soul on the ground forever. Katchem's spirit was joined by those of tormented indians. We fast-forward to the previous owners, the Defeo family. Ronald Defeo killed his family after 28 days in the house(coincidence?) He claimed to have seen horrible things, and heard voices, telling him to butcher his family. The weird feelings eventually caused him to migrate to the basement, where the horrible things and voices pestered him to the point where he killed his family. The soul of Jodie Defeo joins the house.
Kathy, with this new knowledge, rushes home to get her family out. She gets home to find her husband, ready to slaughter his family like Ronnie Defeo had done. They are chased through the house, which proceeds to lock them in, and they are forced to escape through the roof. Goerge is eventually subdued, as Kathy, and her children proceed to leave the house and everything in it.
This movie, as I stated earlier, was a great compliment to the original film, and had a lot of ground to cover. It is, of all things, inaccurate to the book the original was based off of. George Lutz is portrayed well, and the use of original Defeo investigation interviews is fabulous. 8/10.