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The Amityville Horror thing just sells. That's why it won't go away. But if you are reading this, you must be curious, so indulge me. Really, there are two stories going on here. Let's take a fresh look at all of this hoopla, and then we can decide if the films make much sense . . . or, for that matter, if the hoopla makes much sense. The horrific, true crime that frequently gets overshadowed by ghosts seems to be least remembered. The infamous Long Island, Dutch Colonial house was erected in 1925. After a succession of different owners, in June of 1965 a successful Brooklyn car service manager, Italian-American Ronald DeFeo Sr., purchased the property to raise the family of his wife Louise, three boys and two girls. Reportedly, the family was not without their share of heated domestic violence during the following years. Nine years later, things came to a head on November 13, 1974 at 3:15AM when the eldest son, 23-year old Ronald "Butch" Defeo, Jr. took a high-powered .35 Marlin rifle and methodically shot and killed his entire family as they slept. He was prosecuted, found guilty and sentenced to 6 life sentences despite his plea of being insane at the time of the killings. His claims that his 18-year-old sister, Dawn was involved were ignored. He is still in jail but awaiting a parole hearing in September of 2005.

Enter the second and higher profile story. Just a year later, on December 18, 1975, former Marine George Lutz and his new wife Kathy, having been looking for a home to raise her children from a previous marriage, purchased this house for $80,000 - a good deal at the time, though beyond the Lutz's limited budget. The house had been on the market since the DeFeo murders. In a macabre way, the house still contained much of the DeFeo's furniture - which the Lutz's used(!). Anyway, after 28 days the Lutz's literally fled the house, leaving all their belongings behind claiming supernatural forces drove them away. After seances and intense news media coverage, the Lutz's moved to California. But since then, subsequent owners claim the house is tranquil and they quickly grow tired of the public's gawking obsession, including annoying drive-bys. The first subsequent owners, the Crowmarty's (they've since moved out), even sued the Lutz's for falsifying their "haunting" story and "blighting our lives." The suit was settled out of court. Still, for some of us there remains an obsessive curiosity with The Amityville Horror.

The 1974 DeFeo crime remains shocking, because it's true. But a demonic possession claim? DeFeo Sr. had a substantial life insurance policy about which Butch inquired shortly after the murders. Butch was proven to be guilty and a clinical example of a sociopath-turned-killer according to the passionate prosecuting attorney Gerald Sullivan's outstanding account in his 1981 book, High Hopes: Amityville Murders. This is a must-read for Amityville fans; many facts, confessions, and trial evidence are explained. Still, all six family members were found in their bed, face down, not drugged, nor dragged according to Sullivan. The particular rifle was reported to be extremely loud, so why weren't the remaining people running around after the first shot, moreover, why didn't neighbors hear eight rounds? It remains peculiar and disturbing, and it is the only thing that Sullivan confesses he couldn't figure out. Regardless, was Butch's claim that he was possessed by an evil entity the impetus for the Lutz family to flee the house and capitalize on all the drama with a "ghost story?" George Lutz was reported not to have much work at his land surveyor business. And with the house's large mortgage payments, his new marriage to Kathy, the challenges of helping raise her kids, and other bills requiring payment, he was under an understandably mounting stress.

There are two sides to every coin. Yes, many have grilled the Lutz's to detail the timelines of supernatural events, which were evidently rife with more than a few inconsistencies. And some in the paranormal research world have been disgusted with the Lutz's contradictions (especially the notable, now-deceased Mr. Stephen Kaplan). They claim that the Lutz's embellished stories of this high profile case severely damaged the paranormal community and researchers striving for credibility and legitimacy. Still, for the Lutz's to literally run from relatively daunting financial obligations and to try to create a best selling book based on their 28-day experiences is an enormous, unheard-of gamble. Did they have experience doing this? Has anyone ever done this? No. If it didn't work, then what? Financial catastrophe and probably some personal meltdowns. Their personal risks were huge. One possibility is that a behind-the-scenes schemer - a silent partner - contacted them and encouraged them to concoct this story . . . to flee everything, notify media with the sensationalism, ride the wave of press attention, and simultaneously get a book deal going. But then, why didn't the schemer buy the house before the Lutz's? It was on the market for over a year.

In fact, Steven Kaplan reports that Butch DeFeo's attorney, William Webber (are you following this?) admitted on radio that after Butch's trial, he literally did meet with George and Kathy Lutz about concocting the haunting "hoax." There is concern that this would also provide new grounds for Webber to get a new trial for Butch. Yet, to this day, via the supplements, George and Kathy Lutz (now divorced) still publicly claim with great conviction that their experiences were true. If they've said the whole thing was a hoax as some have claimed, I haven't heard about it. One wonders what Kathy's now-grown children have to say? They experienced all this, too.

I find all of this very interesting, certainly distinctly ripe for a movie and a book, and of course there is so much more to all of this. I've read the Amityville Horror book a few times years ago and frankly had a good time reading it. Yes, sometimes it felt embellished, especially the spectacular events going on in the house near the end of the book. And Jay Anson, the now-deceased author, has reported that he didn't even believe in what he was writing. But still, with the rather fascinating diagram of the house, and the strange, random events, violent history, and mounting marital stress between George and Kathy, at times I found the book compelling, and sometimes chilling. Conversely, a number of years ago at Barnes and Noble, I stumbled across parapsychologist Stephen Kaplan's book, The Amityville Horror Conspiracy; he kept a detailed diary of interviews and reports during the Lutz's events in the late 1970s. He and his wife wrote this scathing book criticizing the Lutz's, chalking up most of the Lutz's motivation to money at the cost of damaging the paranormal society's struggling reputation.

Who knows what really happened in that house? But more than the Lutz's claims, I find the DeFeo murders far more compelling because there are more than a few loose ends that remain open. Did Butch kill everyone by himself, for which he was found guilty? Butch has long claimed that his sister Dawn was involved as was another friend. In May of 2000, in his own words, " . . . it was cold-blooded murder. Period. No ghosts. No demons. Just three people in which I was one." However, in the supplements of this DVD, Butch is clearly recorded (I think around the early 1980s) saying that he started and couldn't stop! Ric Osuna's 2002 book, The Night the DeFeo's Died actually finds Dawn's assistance to be most probable, given her reported hostility toward the parents, drug use (as with Butch), and wishing to move with her boyfriend to Florida against her parents' wishes.

Incidentally more bizarre, during the course of Osuna's investigation, he claims to have gone through crime scene photos and negatives (many pictures are on his site), from the Suffolk County Police Department. Included among the negatives shot at the crime scene, he finds another dead body face up in what appears to be the basement. The dead girl certainly resembles Dawn DeFeo, as seen on the website. However, the room and the body are in debate on other websites, despite Osuna's claim that these pictures came from the same film roll. Furthermore, Butch DeFeo has written a letter (undated) to the Lou Gentile radio show claiming that Osuna is a fraud. So did police or Butch move her corpse around? If so, why? This stuff gets weirder and weirder; questions remain. And did the Lutz's truly experience all, some, or none of the claimed supernatural events? Unfortunately, the movies certainly don't help with the myriad of questions that remain after some study of books, articles, and documentaries. But what the hell, imperfect as they are, some of the films certainly have their moments and they can be a hoot.

The Amityville Horror: This 1979 film is rated R. Leveraging the notorious press coverage, The Amityville Horror had a sizeable budget at the time and was a box office hit, banking over $80 million at the box office, under an independent film banner, American International. This is the story of George and Kathy Lutz moving into the house in 1975, though it only follows some of the book. Pete Bracke reviewed the previously released DVD and found the story a plodding, poor hoax and a film with a flat style and a terrible horror score. Pete certainly had some valid points; I agree that some parts of the film had a slow, meandering pace. But overall, I thought the film looked great, the score was very creepy, and overall, I liked the film more than he did despite some flaws. The house looked commanding. The original, worrisome score by Lalo Schifrin remains one of the best horror film scores (it was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe). And despite looking nothing like Kathy Lutz, I think Margo Kidder's performance was fresh, gutsy, and genuine. Rod Steiger received quite a bit of heat for his unintentional "over-the-top" role as the priest, and I have to admit it's hard to deny. But I thought Steiger's operatic passion was great and genuine.

(In 1989, James Brolin was filming Finish Line with his son, Josh Brolin, at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. I was an extra in the crowd. At one point, during one of my extremely few meetings with a celebrity, I walked right up to him on the track, and I asked for his autograph. He was a little stunned, but took my pen and paper and obliged. As he was writing, I told him I'd seen Amityville Horror a few times and thought it was great. He cracked a grin, but said nothing. But I digress . . . )

Brolin is all right as George Lutz, looks the part, and gives a disturbing performance during the film's darker moments. George is written to grow creepier and somehow re-inherit the evil in the house, so he's not very appealing at all. Sadly, it feels like an isolated performance from a talented actor. To feel for him we need to sense George better connecting with others, and laughing at himself a bit, but there isn't enough at the beginning. Also, a blushing Brolin embarrassingly admits (in the DVD supplements) that he also holds one of the laugh-out-loud moments of cinema history when he's by the fire and screams, "I'm coming apart!" and starts shaking, his afro bobbing. Bravo! Also glorious is fresh-from-the-salon Helen Shaver's unforgettable channeling of a demonic voice that screams, "It's the gateway to hell, COVER IT!" to the chopped out chimney base in the basement.

But before one throws tomatoes, let's be honest, these actors were trapped (directed!) into doing this, so they're not to blame. And let's not forget, some other moments are truly creepy; when a loathsome neighbor visits Kidder, she turns around and he's gone except for some autumn leaves blowing in the wind. And when the priest tries to bless the house, a yucky infestation of flies grows in the room, and a disembodied voice screeches for him to "get out!" I flew out of my frickin seat! A Catholic priest who truly had visited the Lutz house to bless it at the time made the claim that this was true (though, subsequently, he was called a "charlatan" priest and was banned from practicing in 1979). Despite the good and bad, my biggest complaint is the ending. It doesn't pack nearly the punch that the book spectacularly delivers: dressers moving like crazy, Kathy levitating, a storm inside the house, and a creepy hooded figure at the top of the stairs. But it certainly would have required an immense amount of special effects at considerable cost in 1979. The 2005 remake is supposed to nail it. And although the set design and cinematography truly look great, be aware that the film really takes its time and is no where near as snappily edited as today's films.

Amityville II: The Possession: This 1982 film is rated R and most definitely should be. Based on the very strong box office success of the first film, this sequel was born. I haven't seen this film in probably twelve years or so. But this is really a "prequel," portraying the DeFeo's time and demise in 1974. All names were changed at the real extended family's urging. The DeFeo's lived in the home for nine years, but the film makes it seem like they moved in and died within only a few months. The film takes Butch's original claim that he was possessed by a demon and runs with it. It's the early 1980s, and wild horror films are at their prime trying to out-do each other. But the film has a poorly written ending that is, yes, a jaw-dropping rip-off of The Exorcist. We're left with some questionable latex shedding during the climax, inexplicable fireballs exploding from the house, occasionally dumb dialogue, and the fact that the real-life events would have made a better film if the writer had stuck with them. The film is generally based on Hanz Holzer's book, Amityville Murders and the screenwriter is Tommy Lee Wallace.

There are some talented actors, though; many are Italian and replay the explosive domestic tensions disturbingly. The parents include Burt Young, who was always criticized for the father role, but I thought he did his job fine since by many accounts Ronald DeFeo Sr. was not well liked and was mean. Rutanya Alda is sometimes quite good as a desperate mother at wits end trying to keep her family together. But Alda is sometimes far overreaching and for this role was nominated for a Razzie Award (sigh). The then-hot, rather charismatic Diane Franklin did a strong job as the eldest sister, Tricia, with an unexpected little turn at the end of the film. And the two other child actors, who were actually brother and sister, did fine. James Olsen plays the main priest with sobriety and a calming voice in most of the mayhem. Actor Jack Magner as "Sonny" (portraying Butch DeFeo, Jr.) doesn't channel the angry, selfish person that Butch DeFeo, Jr. reportedly was. Magner gives a more empathetic yet ferocious performance for which he's never been given credit. Magner's rubbery face makes frightening use of his possessed scenes especially during his battle with the priest near the end of the film. It's then that I begin to feel an emotional paradox between some interesting acting versus wrong storytelling. In the heat of the "exorcism," Magner scurries to a corner of a room of the now-vacant house, then slows down for a moment. He or it quietly taunts the priest: this exorcism is "alone and without the support of the church. You are disobeying the church." This is both true and unsettling. Despite it being an outrageous moment (this didn't actually happen with Butch DeFeo), Magner's sheer acting, his odd dialogue, and the dank lighting are damn, creepy stuff. (Besides a bit part in the 1983 Drew Barrymore film, Firestarter, whatever happened to Magner anyway?)

Some of the beginning special effects are creepy (the flying table cloth) and the laughing demonic voice talking to Sonny is certainly unnerving. People frequently complain about the incest in the film between Sonny (aka Butch DeFeo) and the eldest sister Tricia (aka Dawn DeFeo) as a bottom-of-the-barrel technique thrown into the film. But despite the fact that it is certainly gross, evidently via interviews, Butch alluded to this issue in Murder in Amityville by Hans Holzer, although I never believed it happened because Butch was a loose cannon who changed his story. Worse, I forgot that the film takes too much time with the incest flirtation scenes; it is so very sickening that it made me want to stop the film. Why not take the time to better understand the domineering father who was the biggest reason for the family problems to begin with? The music is once again very creepy and thankfully similar to part one; the credit is given to Lalo Schifrin. The ultimate, storm-ridden death of the family is disturbing, and frighteningly represented onscreen, but it happened. The time portrayed is not 1974 (why not?), but clearly replaced by the year in which the movie was filmed, 1982; notice a poster of Blondie's Debbie Harry in Sonny's bedroom, his Walkman, and some of the recognizably dated wardrobe.

The underrated direction is by Italian director Damiano Damiani; he does a confident job with strange camera angles, creepy compositions, and smooth tracking. He also uses many one-take scenes, which is a sadly discarded yet effective technique. Though critics have consistently torn Damiani to shreds for his treatment of this film. When the entity is pursuing Magner around the house, it is from the film camera's point of view, and Damiani swirls and bobs the camera around the actor. It felt like an evil entity lived in the house with me, so I found the technique creepy and better than a guy dressed up in a demon suit; others found it cheesy. With his many foreign films and modest number of American films, it would be interesting to know the story of how Damiani came onboard this film. Anyway, many hard-core horror fans usually give this film thumbs up, I think because its themes are fearless and disturbing. However, most film critics often hate Amityville II and consider it disgusting and exploitative. Like part one, be aware that this film doesn't have a snappy pace like the fast cuts found in today's MTV-like movies. After all the intense drama, and my initially trying to root for a film that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, I found that it's just too much. While I'm trying to give it a fair, thorough review and recognize a bit of talent in the acting or the cinematography, the sheer pathos of gross incest, the vicious family fighting, and a son killing his whole family leaves a nauseating, hopeless residue. No wonder I haven't seen this for over twelve years; I do not plan to see it again. We get enough of this junk on the news.

Amityville 3-D: This 1983 film is rated PG. It's not presented in 3-D on this DVD release. Even if it were, most of the film feels somewhat strained since this is the start of the completely fictional sequels. With the Amityville house on the market again, a skeptical journalist (Tony Roberts) purchases it at a low price with the intent of studying it, learning its history, and writing his first novel. But as soon as he moves in, many who come into contact with him meet tragic fates. With a strange tunnel in the basement, could this house remain a passage to hell?

Legendary director Richard Fleischer (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) took a go at directing this film, and while the pace is snappier than the first two films, it's obvious that the film is trying too hard. The actors are all right, and it's interesting to see a young Meg Ryan (acting no different from herself) as the friend to the novelist's daughter. Most of the house looks the same, but the basement is different among all three films. Anyway, the film is shot in 2.35:1 which gives it a bit more of a cinema feel, and the screenwriter bravely tries to infuse some new ideas and surprises including main characters that get knocked off unexpectedly. Some of the intended 3-D effects are actually reasonably placed in action sequences. But with Jaws 3-D released the same year, and Friday the 13th Part 3: 3-D released the year before, this film's 3-D stuff didn't take off as filmmakers had hoped (we may be in for another wave of 3-D soon). I was left with the feeling that the film is just trying too hard. Some, though not all, of the special effects were horrible then, and they are atrociously embarrassing now.

It seems that people likely went to see this film for some special effects excitement coupled with decent scares and twists. And while CGI wasn't available then and the technique isn't always the best choice, for this film, perhaps CGI would have made it much more compelling. The demon thing and some spiritual ghosts look laughably animated or stiff as plastic Halloween yard decorations. The saddest part is that even by 1983 standards, special effects were far beyond what was displayed woefully here. However, the concepts of these special effects were credible to the plot and not just random. If remade today, most of the film would probably work. I feel bad saying that, because there are plenty of poor remakes; but, this film is a candidate just based on special effects alone. Modern techniques would hugely improve the believability of everything else. Other than that, the acting, good cinematography, and intensity are prevalent here; one could tell the filmmakers were working hard. But, again, it comes across as trying too hard, like Showgirls in 1994. So in the end, it's a hoot, but let's stop driving by that poor house.

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