The Amityville Horror: A True Story is a book by Jay Anson, and was published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released between 1979 and 2005. The book is said to be based on the real life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family, but has led to controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness.
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, a suburban neighborhood located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Thirteen months before the Lutzes moved in, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. had shot and killed six members of his family at the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.
The Amityville Horror has been the subject of nine films:
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Amityville 3D (1983) (made in 3-D, and has also been released as Amityville III: The Demon)
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
The Amityville Curse (1990)
Amityville: It's About Time (1992)
Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
The Amityville Horror (2005 remake)
The 1979 film, based on Jay Anson's novel, is the most well-known in the series. James Brolin and Margot Kidder portray the couple George and Kathy Lutz. The part of the priest who blesses the house (renamed Father Delaney in the film) was played by Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger. The first three Amityville films received a theatrical release, while the fourth film was made for television by NBC. The sequels from the 1990s were released direct to video, and contain virtually no material relating to the Lutz family or the DeFeo murders. Instead, they concentrate on paranormal phenomena caused by cursed items supposedly linked to the house.
One of the famous features of the Amityville Horror films is the distinctive pumpkin head appearance of the house, which was created by two quarter round windows on the third floor attic level. The windows are often illuminated in the films, giving the appearance of malevolent eyes. The first three films were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey which had been converted to look like 112 Ocean Avenue after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for location filming. Although not all of the films in The Amityville Horror series are set at the former Lutz home on Ocean Avenue, the distinctive Dutch Colonial house is traditionally used as the main image in promotional material.
In 2005, a remake of the original Amityville Horror film was released, with the tagline Katch em and kill em, referring to the claimed link between the house in Ocean Avenue and John Ketcham, whose name has been linked to witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts but remains a controversial and elusive figure.[19] This version exaggerates the isolation of 112 Ocean Avenue by depicting it as a remote house similar to the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining. In reality, 112 Ocean Avenue was a suburban house within 50 feet (15 m) of other houses in the neighborhood. The house used in the 2005 version was in Silver Lake, Wisconsin, while other location work was shot in nearby Antioch, Illinois. The child character Jodie DeFeo, appearing in the film, is fictional and was not one of the victims of the shootings by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in November 1974. George Lutz described the 2005 remake as "drivel" and sued the makers for defamation, libel, and breach of contract.[20] He objected particularly to the scene in the film where the male lead – named as George Lutz and played by Ryan Reynolds – is shown killing the family dog with an axe. The film also shows the George Lutz character building coffins for members of his own family. The defamation claim was dismissed by a Los Angeles court in November 2005, while other issues related to the lawsuit remained unresolved at the time of George Lutz's death.[21]
Los Angeles independent filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach is currently working on a docudrama about the Amityville Horror case. The film, "Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders" will reportedly chronicle the DeFeo family and examine forensic evidence associated with the original 1974 murders while challenging the veracity of the "Amityville Horror" story. Edward Asner is narrating the film, which will reportedly be 4 hours long.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horror
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