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The Amityville Horror
Promotional Poster for The Amityville Horror
Directed by	Stuart Rosenberg
Produced by	Samuel Z. Arkoff Elliot Geisinger Ronald Saland
Written by	Jay Anson (novel) Sandor Stern (screenplay)
Starring	James Brolin Margot Kidder Rod Steiger Don Stroud Murray Hamilton
Music by	Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography	Fred J. Koenekamp
Editing by	Robert Brown Jr.
Distributed by	1979-1981 American International Pictures 1982-1997 Orion Pictures Corporation 1998-present Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	July 27, 1979
Running time	117 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Followed by	Amityville II: The Possession
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Amityville Horror is the first film in the Amityville Horror saga. It was released on July 27, 1979 and is based on the 1977 bestselling novel The Amityville Horror - A True Story by Jay Anson. The film was directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starred James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud and Murray Hamilton. The story is reportedly based on the real-life experiences of the Lutz family, though these events have been the subject of much controversy.

After purchasing and moving into their new home on 112 Ocean Avenue, a house where a mass murder had been committed the year before, the Lutz family experiences a series of frightening paranormal events, causing them to flee the house only 28 days after moving in.

The on-location scenes of The Amityville Horror were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey, which had been converted to look like the 112 Ocean Avenue home after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for filming on the actual location. Exterior scenes were also filmed in Toms River. Local police and ambulance workers would play extras in the film, while the Toms River Volunteer Fire Company was used to provide the rain during several scenes. Jay Anson's screenplay, based upon his bestselling novel, was rejected by the producers who opted for a version written by Sandor Stern.

James Brolin was hesitant when first offered the role of George Lutz. Told that there was no script, he obtained a copy of Anson's novel to read. Brolin started the book and read until two o'clock in the morning. He had hung up a pair of his pants in the room earlier and during an especially tense passage of the book, the pants fell to the floor. Brolin jumped from his chair in fright. It was then that Brolin decided to do the movie. Brolin became friendly with George Lutz and his family, though he was highly doubtful of their story.

The Amityville Horror was a huge box office success (earning more than $86 million in the United States), despite being given poor reviews by critics such as Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, who described it as "dreary and terminally depressing." ^[1]

Lalo Schifrin's eerie musical score for the film was nominated for an Academy Award. It has been spoofed many times, most recently In the Ginger Kids episode of South Park, where the characters hum the theme.

The film was followed by two sequels Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and Amityville 3-D (1983). These films were followed by five direct-to-video sequels released from 1989 to 1996. In addition to being remade in 2005, the film was parodied in Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984). The British film starred comedian Kenny Everett and featured Vincent Price.

• The Amityville Horror
• The Amityville Horror (2005 film)
• Bloodbath at the House of Death

• The Amityville Horror at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Ebert's Review

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