Taken from the Jay Anson tome, Sandor Stern’s script deals faithfully with the supposedly true (but since challenged) story of the Lutz family who move into a home in Amityville, NY, at a knocked-down price because of its bloody history. The Lutz fled 28 days later in terror.
Stepfather James Brolin, mother Margot Kidder and moppets Natasha Ryan, Meeno Peluce and K.C. Martel sympathetically play the happy innocent family and director Stuart Rosenberg – ably aided by efex specialists William Cruse and Delwyn Rheaume – have the house all ready for them.
Flies swarm where they shouldn’t; pipes and walls ooze ick; doors fly open; and priests and psychic sensitives cringe and flee in panic. It’s definitely a house that audiences will enjoy visiting, especially if unfamiliar with the ending.
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1979: Nomination: Best Original Score
