My Amityville Horror

Well it’s my first Fantastic Fest Here in Austin. Now I have to admit that I just have a daytime pass because I thought I was going to be working for a news network at the time but that didn’t pan out like I hoped and by the time I learned that all of the badges were sold-out.

 

However that doesn’t matter because there are some outstanding flicks screening there during the day so the daytime badge is still a good purchase. Not to mention some of the events I still manage to gain access to as well.

 

One of the flicks that I have seen so far at the event was My Amityville Horror.

Now this flick interested me like many after hearing the title of the film.

When you hear the name Amityville your mind goes to one place and that is 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville New York. This is without a doubt the most famous haunting in the United States.

 

What is it about this story that has us all intrigued? Is It the people, was it the movie?

Personally I give the credit to television shows like In Search Of back in the day.

In Search of was my introduction to the case when I was an early teenager.  I will never forget the image of the doll with the glowing red eyes in that episode. Needless to say that I immediately ran out to Video Works and rented the 1979 Brolin/Kidder flick as soon as I could.

I can’t say that I was obsessed with this incident but my friend Slick definitely was.  I remember him both reading the book as well as buying the box set.

The Amityville Horror was a classic horror flick from a time that I feel horror was at it’s best. Naturally it was going to get the remake treatment.

Well I wasn’t too happy about that but after seeing some of the sequels to the flick I figured that a remake can’t be too much worse than them.

 

I was fortunate to meet George Lutz in 2005 at Hauntcon. Even having a long conversation with the man sitting next to me showing me pictures of the house on his laptop and the images of demons that take shapes in the walls and even the famous picture of a child by the staircase taken after the Lutz family fled the house leaving all of their possessions.

 

Now I know that there are many people that doubt the events that happened in that house were genuine but I can tell you this, That man believed everything that happened.

Now that being said I have just left a screening of My Amityville Horror at Fantastic Fest and now this is an outstanding documentary.

Made by filmmaker Eric Walter this film is a must for any true Amityville fan. That being said Walter even said during the post screening QnA that this may be controversial.

What I truly enjoy is the fact that this is pretty much the same story from a different perspective. The perspective of the son Daniel Lutz.

 

The reason that this is said to be controversial is because in all incarnations of the Amityville Horror George Lutz is in many ways the protagonist of the films even in the 2005 remake where he is depicted more of a crazed Axe Murder than in the other films.

However this documentary paints Lutz as a Step father that had a bad relationship with his step-son even forcing him to run away from home to live on his own when he was 15 years old.

I personally believe the stories told by Daniel Lutz. The man I met in 2005 was a nice man but you have to bear in mind that I was a convention goer and like I said HE believed everything that happened but I am a fan and a paying customer so I am sure that the man I met was a different side than someone whose mother was married to him.

Remember there are always different sides to everyone that you meet. 

My Amityville Horror also focuses attention on the aftermath of the events in the house. The children weren’t allowed to tell their stories to the press as they were sheltered from it and at the time of the documentary Daniel was the only one of the Lutz children to speak out about the events of the film.

As a result I see much hostility in Daniel and a lot of it is directed to the filmmaker while this documentary is filmed.

What is also documented in the film is the reunion between Daniel Lutz and Lorraine Warren who with her husband Ed Warren was the lead paranormal investigators before the book was released.  

Eric Walter makes an effort to show as many perspectives of the story as he possibly can. He even interviews the skeptics and professionals that give their own theories of the events in that house.  

Yes the 1979 film is referenced however due to budgetary concerns no footage was used but the movie didn’t need the footage because it worked without it.

As I said earlier I definitely recommend this film to Amityville fans.