|
A great house is a great house though, and as long as the
house no longer bared chalk marks, the Lutz’s were snapping
it up.
Not even a thorough blessing from a priest could help the
new owners of the Ocean Avenue abode though, and in the case
of the Lutz’s, life was about to take a horrifying, unforgettable
turn. Cue the ghosts, hellish hallucinations, and demonic
possession.
There have been more stabs at the “Amityville Horror”
story than there’s been progress into finding Osama Bin
Laden, but this one’s as flashy as a centrefold shoot.
Its makeup is in the environs of Lutz’s report, but the
guts of the flashy retool is as fluffed as hotel pillows.
If it wasn’t such a feebly paced, fairly imitative piece,
one would probably thank the filmmakers for sprucing proceedings
up and taking such liberties, but it’s not – it’s
as average as an unbuttered cheese sandwich.
In short, it’s a start, an ending, and a legion of quick
cuts, loud music, corn syrup and fictional padding.
Instead of doing justice to the alleged true-story, or even
the book or previous films, it does more to preserve the memory
of Kubrick’s The Shining. For instance, Ryan Reynolds,
as good as he is, doesn’t seem to have a lot to do as
Lutz, but merely snarl, scream and channel Nicholson. And
though she’s as pretty as a picture, Melissa George won’t
be remembered for her work here either. Shelley Duvall has
obviously had a word in her ear too.
There’s been a real resurgence in horror lately, and
The Amityville Horror had a major opportunity to tag
itself on the end of the successful train of recent gems.
Instead, it falls somewhere between a substandard exercise
in missed opportunities and an easily endurable spook-show
that will entertain for its duration, but won’t chillingly
scold your subconsciousness. Which, if told properly, certainly
could’ve.
DVD Extras
What you expect to be offered in terms of DVD extras is exactly
what you’ll find. There’s the "Geez, I’m
sick of hearing this story" documentary – chronicling
the real-life Lutz case (which is interesting enough, but
we’ve heard it all before).
There’s about eight minutes worth of deleted scenes
(worth a look, but nothing very captivating), your standard
EPK (electronic press kit) style making-of featurette (hmmm...
is that the time?), and a feature where you can take a peek
at some of the stuff behind-the-scenes whilst watching the
movie, which is actually not a bad supplement.
The best extra though is the audio commentary. Ryan Reynolds
and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller sit down to discuss
the making of the movie, and for the most part, it will keep
you interested for the film’s duration. Reynolds is always
good for a laugh anyway.
Conclusion: Movie 60% Extras: 75%
|
