The Amityville Horror (2005 remake) (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)
- Matt Palmer
- Oct 12, 2021
- 3 min read
Initial release date: April 15, 2005
Studios: MGM/Dimension Films/Platinum Dunes
Tagline: What happened over the next 28 days has never been explained
Plot: When George Lutz and his wife, Kathy, find a beautiful new house in the small town of Amityville, New York, they think the place is too good to be true. After they move in with their kids, they find out the cheap price tag is thanks to the house’s sordid history: The former tenant killed his family after supposedly being possessed. Believing the house is haunted, the couple find a priest to help them rid the place of evil spirits.
Cast
Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy) - George Lutz
Melissa George (Apple’s Mosquito Coast) - Kathy Kutz
Jesse James (Jumper) - Billy Lutz
Jimmy Bennett (Orphan) - Michael Lutz
Chloe Grace Moretz (The Addams Family 2) - Chelsea Lutz
Rachel Nichols (Alex Cross) - Lisa
Philip Baker Hall (Argo; 50/50) - Father Callaway
Isabel Conner - Jodie Defeo
Brendan Donaldson - Ronald Defeo
Writer: Scott Kosar (The Crazies; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 2003)
Director: Andrew Douglas
Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and drug use (90 min)
After ‘The Amityville Horror’ was released many years ago, a potential remake was inevitable. Now, even though most horror remakes generally fall completely flat, this 2005 remake is actually a pretty decent remake to the 1978 horror classic.
Just like some remakes, the ‘Amityville’ remake was indeed unnecessary, but it was also really effective. Ryan Reynolds, who had mainly done comedies by the time this movie came out, actually did a great job as George Lutz. At this point in his career, Reynolds was still trying to make a name for himself. And in this movie, he can go from chilled to going completely dark in a matter of a short time.
The filmmakers put together a really great background story about the origins of the house, which actually was interesting. And, yea, there were quite a few predictable jump scares and some cliched moments.
The 2005 remake can be really entertaining and intense. Like the original ‘Amityville,’ you can also stream the remake on HBO Max.
Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘The Amityville Horror’ remake:
Ryan Reynolds wore special contact lenses in many scenes to make his eyes seem black with just a white ring around them.
MGM claimed the remake was based on new information uncovered during research of the original events, but George Lutz later claimed nobody ever spoke to him or his family about the project. When he initially heard it was underway, his attorney contacted the studio to find out what they had in the planning stages and to express Lutz’s belief they didn't have the right to proceed without his input. Three letters were sent and none was acknowledged. In June 2004, the studio filed a motion for declaratory relief in federal court, insisting they had the right to do a remake, and Lutz counter-sued, citing violations of the original contract that had continued through the years following the release of the first movie. The case remained unresolved when Lutz died in May 2006.
This was the last picture MGM released as an independent company. On April 8, 2005, the studio was acquired by several companies, including Sony (for a brief period), in the middle of the movie’s promotion.
The first theatrically released ‘Amityville’ film since 1983s ‘Amityville 3-D’ (1983) 22 years prior.
‘The Amityville Horror’ opened on 3,323 screens in the US and earned $23,507,007 on its opening weekend, ranking first in the domestic box office. It eventually grossed $65.2 million domestically and $42.9 million in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of $108.1 million.
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