movies/tv The Amityville Horror ( film series )

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

Hello! Today i wanted to start a topic about my favorite Horror franchise Amityville !

( i have searched for a tread about this but couldnt find one, but i have seen that horror treads exist in this section so i guess its okay to talk about that as long as im not mention anything gruesome i think    )

Warning! Real Tragic Events. Read only if you want.

 

The Amityville Horror franchise began when in November 13. 1974 in the house in 112 ocean avenue, Ronald Defeo Jr. killed his entire family in one night. All of his familymembers were lying in their beds, suggesting that no one of his family actually heard him use his shotgun which is a mystery. Even neighbors didnt heard anything.

After he got caught he said that the house was telling him to kill them and that he was possessed with the devil.

In December 1975 the Family Lutz moved into the house in 112 Ocean Avenue but left after 28 days do to ghost activities and left everything behind. It was told that the father of this family also was trying to go on a rampage because the house told him to do so.

 

After this events the house was called cursed and Jay Anson published a book about the lutz family and their events based on the ( maybe ) true story they told.

 

And here is a list of films based on the Amityville Story :

 

The Amityville Horror 1979 - This Movie is an adaption of the Book of the same name and shows the events that happened to the Lutz Family. The Movie is based on tru events.

 

Amityville 2 - The Possession 1982 - This Movie deals with the prequel book and tells the story of the Defeos altough the name of the family is changed. This movie is only partly based on true events since it was also inspired by movies such like the exorcist and shows many things in a little bit unbelievable extreme way.

 

Amityville 3D - The Demon 1983  - This movie is loosely based on the events of the paranormal investigator Stephen Kaplan who was trying to disprove that the house was haunted. But the events which happen in this movie are not based on true events. You could say the movie mocks Stephen Kaplan.

 

Amityville 4 - The Evil Escapes 1989 - This Movie is based on the Book The Evil Escapes but is not based on true events. It deals with a cursed Lamp that is bought by a family only to experience the same bad stuff that happened in the other movies. ( it is the first movie which plays in a different house and deals with cursed objects from the house )

 

The Amityville Curse 1990 - This Movie is based on the book of the same name which tells a different story of why the house in ocean avenue 112 is cursed. ( but this story is complete fiction ) Since the book is a prequel, you might think that this movie has nothing to do with the plot of the other ones but thats not true. The movie says at the beginning that the amityville house is already cursed and the characters actually drive to another house because they took the wrong road. SPOILER ALERT : 

The Movie makes even a connection to the fourth movie and features a similar looking cat ( which the evil spirit goes to at the end of part 4 ) suggesting that the evil spirit from the house just moved to another house in amityville to possess someone there, so that the events are playing after the other movies. Even in the credits someone is credited for " continuation " .

 

Amityville - Its about time 1992 - This Movie is once again based on the book The Evil Escapes but this time it is about a cursed clock from the house which can change time, reverse time, speed forward and even can stop time.

 

Amityville - A New Generation 1993 - Again based on The Evil Escapes, this time featuring a Mirror as the cursed object with the power to change your personality if you look in it.

 

Amityville Dollhouse 1996 - The last Movie in the original series. Once again it is about a cursed object, this time a little doll house based on the 112 ocean avenue house.The movie has no open ending and is the final installment.

 

The Amityville Horror 2005 - After the final installment the first part got a remake based again on the Story of the Lutz Family and started the second Film series.This Movie also adds a lot more to the story as the introduction of John Ketchum who was known for Witchcraft in Salem as a new background information. If these new discovered informations are based on true events is questionable because the Lutz Family actually sued the filmmakers for adding untrue stuff and making this movie without permission from them.

 

The Amityville Haunting 2011 - Mockbuster from The Asylum. This movie is made as a found footage film that plays after the events of the Lutz Family and it says on the cover that the film material is real. ( even though thats highly questionable considering The Asylum made it ) The House in the movie looks different but its actually based on the rebuild version of the actual real life house, that was changed so that fans of the Amityville series wouldnt recognize it and disturb the people that live there.

 

The Amityville Asylum 2013 - Another low-budget sequel in which the 112 ocean avenue is replaced with an asylum that was build on the place of the house. In germany it was wrongly labelled as The Nesting 2. It has nothing to do with the movie The Nesting from 1981 and was named after that movie only to cash in, since the Nesting from 1981 was finally taken away from the german index at that time.

 

Amityville Death House February 2015 - This Movie is once again loosely based on the 1977 novel but has a changed storyline. I havent watched it but from my understanding the original Amityville House stays again and the Asylum is gone.

 

The Amityville Playhouse April 2015 - This movie deals with an haunted Theater in Amityville. Since i havent watched it, i cant talk that much about it.

 

The Amityville Legacy June 2016 - This is once again, one of those Movies, that are based on the Book " The Evil escapes ". They buy an old Item from the House, the Item posesses People, the end.

 

Amityville: Vanishing Point April 2016 - Not much is known about this Movie, from its Plotsection on IMDB, it seems like some People from the Town die and a Group of People wants to know, what happened. And then there is a Cowboy Detective...okay?

 

The Amityville Terror August 2016 - From its Story, it seems to be a normal Adaptation. They move into the Amityville House and stuff happends.

 

Amityville: No Escape August 2016 - This time they go into a Forest in Amityville and Stuff happends.

 

Amityville Exorcism January 2017 - A Girl gets posessed by the Amityville House and a mysterious Priest comes to help.

 

Amityville: The Awakening 2017 Upcoming - Not based on any of the books and features an original story about a new family that lives in the amityville house. The Story is about a Boy who misteryously recovers from an bad disease ( i guess ) but his Family Members suspect that he might be possessed with the evil spirit of the house.

 

And to cover the documentarys really quick : The Amityville Horror by History channel made in 2000, My Amityville Horror 2013 where the son Daniel Lutz from the Lutz Family tells his perspective on the story and Shattered Hopes - The True Story of the Amityville Murders ,a Documentary made from 2009 to 2014, consisting of a Trilogy of films recreating the Story of the DeFeos with various interviews with residents and people who were there. It also had a Special Interview with the murderer of the tragedy planned, but to my knowledge, it hasnt been released yet and there are no current Updates.

 

 

Puh....thats it. Hope you liked that little overview over the series.

I love the Amityville series because every movie was made with another director and features a complete different style and experience. The Movies are not to gory like some other horror series and have more suspense. 

I have watched all the movies until the last 3 and watched all documentarys except of Shattered Hopes and the Interview with Defeo.I have the first part of Shattered Hopes though.

My Favorites are part 2,4,6,remake,haunting. My least favorites are 3 and Asylum.

And i just like all the other parts.

 

How about you?

Has this post helped you in any way, learning more about the films and the story behind the films? What are you favorite or not so favorite movies? Watched any movies or Documentarys of this at all? Let me know 

I really, really hope this Tread is okay. 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Tweakbright Spirkle

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

I updated the List, so that the Movie Overview is complete again.

 

But i was unable to write much about the new entrys, since they take a lot of time to get released in german.

Sadly, we only got the Amityville Play House at this Point.

 

I also updated the Poll.

 

Not that it madders, since nobody cared the first time.

 

Man, was 2016 a Blast for the Franchise, because they were kicking out Movies, in a madder of a few Months.

Gotta cash in, into the new Big Amityville Movie being released craze, somehow.