The most famous haunted house ever is one of those childhood horror stories I never seem to lose obsession with (the Jonestown mass suicide is another one), and reading the Jay Anson book, watching the bogus movies, and even seeing the house on 112 Ocean Ave up close, haven't helped to quench the thirst. This documentary takes the creative approach of showing how one Lutz family member has been dealing with the crushing stress through the decades, provides new theories, and interviews Lorraine Warren (recently made famous by this movie). Fascinating all around, even if you believe it's a hoax.
PS: This is streaming on Netflix.
Mo says:
I just finished watching this and while I have never been obsessed by Amityville I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. Do I believe it happened? Not really and this film did not change that opinion. Like the reporter interviewed, I want to believe.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see how many movies have been inspired by it from Poltergeist to Paranormal Activity and many many others.
Hoax or no hoax, the Amityville horror was the mother of all haunted houses, if not the mother of all ghost stories. The rule of "wanting to believe or not" you mention not only applies to this, but also to any movie, magic show, religion, etc. There's masochistic feeling in all of us, *wanting* to believe in a ghost story, just to make it more fascinating. The Amityville story has fed on this innate feeling for decades - that's why it never gets old.
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