6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
George and Kathy Lutz, a newly married couple with three children from Kathy's previous marriage, purchase a large house in Amityville, New York, where a multiple murder took place the year before. Strange things happen as soon as they move in. Father Delaney, Kathy's friend and priest, is stricken ill when he tries to bless the house, and he becomes convinced that Kathy and her family are in danger. The policeman who investigated the original murders notices an odd resemblance between George Lutz and the man convicted of those crimes. Based on a true story.
Starring: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud (I), Murray HamiltonHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 24% |
Supernatural | 22% |
Mystery | 12% |
Psychological thriller | 6% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When one recalls the cinematic successes of the 1979 film year, different titles come to mind. There’s “Alien,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Jerk,” and even “The Muppet Movie.” These were hit features that inspired big crowds at theaters, and many have stood the test of time, becoming classics. And then there’s “The Amityville Horror,” a tiny indie release with an apparently powerful marketing campaign, managing to topple most of the competition to become the second highest-grossing picture of the year, only bested by the Academy Award-winning “Kramer vs. Kramer.” The financial triumph of “The Amityville Horror” is shocking, definitely more so than the endeavor itself, which provides an unusually inert viewing experience, especially for a chiller. For two hours, the effort drags along, offering a mild haunted house tale that’s in no hurry to unnerve viewers.
Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.
Vinegar Syndrome brings the thrills(?) and chills(?) of "The Amityville Horror" to UHD, with the 4K presentation sourced from a 35mm original camera
negative. Detail is strong, exploring deep skin particulars on increasingly agitated characters, along with a range of costumes, including soiled
activewear and sheer bedroom outfits. House tours are wonderfully textured, exploring age and growing disrepair, and evil actions bring goopier muck
to the living space. Exteriors are dimensional. Colors are tastefully refreshed, bringing out bright primaries around the dwelling, and reds are defined on
brick and blood. Earth tones are equally appreciable, and blacks are deep, dealing with evening encounters and religious outfits. Greenery is alert.
Highlights are refined, with excellent brightness. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition.
Two mix options are presented for "The Amityville Horror," offering 5.1 DTS-HD MA and 2.0 DTS-HD MA tracks. This is purely a listener choice situation, as both mixes manage to come through with ideal clarity and power, though the 5.1 does provide a slightly warmer, deeper listening experience with obvious circular benefits for the fright film. Dialogue exchanges are clear, managing wild extremes of hushed concerns and bellowed pleas to God. Scoring supports with definition, delivering compelling instrumentation and delicate choir additions. Low-end offers some heft. Atmospherics are active, managing house and weather events.
"The Amityville Horror" occasionally gets worked up over small things, and there are a few jump scares to keep viewers engaged. The material isn't interested in crafting a shocker, trying to generate scares from gradually disturbed characters coming into contact with the spirit of the house. This includes friends, family, and Catholic Church officials (including Rod Steiger, offering operatic overacting that triggers laughs, not awe), but such a journey isn't chock full of incident. Instead, there are occasional disruptions and plenty of lengthy shots of unnerved people looking at things. Certainly this should've been a shorter picture with a more direct understanding of its own fear factor, but in 1979, it was everything to moviegoers, establishing a brand name with such copyright flexibility, it carries on to this day (there's another installment coming next year). Heck, I've personally reviewed six spin-offs on this very site. There's no stopping "The Amityville Horror," but it's interesting to note that the original endeavor was hardly a nerve- shredding event, going very soft and stale with its vision for a real estate nightmare.
1979
1979
1979
1979
1983
1982
2005
2019
2012
Unrated
2004
1973
Unrated Director's Cut
2010
Theatrical + Unrated Alternate Cut
2007
2019
R-rated Extended Cut
2002
1982
1963
Collector's Edition
1999
2012
1959
2009
2013
Limited Edition | After Dark Horrorfest
2006
2007