Brenda's Review of The Amityville Horror 1979

Transcript

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Hi there, this is Brenda, and this is my review of the 1979 version of the Amityville horror. I realized that my last review of Evil Dead Rise did not seem to catch my personality. I went back and listened and re-listened, and it doesn't even sound like myself. So I thought I'd get a little wound up and talk to you about this movie. I recently did a re-watch. It's one of my favorite ones. It stars Margot Kidder and Barbara Streisand's husband, James Burlin. It's one of those that when you sit through it, of course you're being told it's based on a true story, and I want to believe it's true. The beginning of the movie is true. There was an actual killing in the house, and the house is the star of the movie. I even have it tattooed on my shoulder. Ronnie DeFeo did um actually murder his family in that house at 112 Ocean Avenue. He killed his parents and his four siblings. As the real estate agent is showing the house to the Lutz's and they're going room by room, it shows the flashback of Ronnie DeFeo killing his family. George and Kathy Lutz actually purchased the home for $80,000. It's a home on the water and it has a boat house. You know, it was a big deal. It's a three-story house. I just feel like if you haven't heard about this movie, then you must be a younger person because I feel like there's documentaries on this everywhere. A lot of people have already watched all of the movies. There is a remake with Ryan Reynolds, which is very good, but I'm going to try to just focus on the 1979 version. Going back for a rewatch after all these years, it kind of makes me pull some things out of there that just kind of floor me when I think about it. But it is 1979. First, I want to say, what in the fuck was Margot Kidder wearing when she's in front of the mirror and she has that one long leg warmer on? Maybe it was the 70s, but when we're talking about that era, we also have some more of that curling iron-looking hair with um James Berlin and also the gentleman who played Kathy Lutz's brother. I do think it's easier for me to talk about the things that really pissed me off more than anything first. I think when the detective gets called to the house when the door gets blown off, I do not understand how you walk in somebody's home, light up a cigar, and think it's okay. Also, that damn babysitter. I swear that headgear she is wearing gives me flashbacks. Yes, I wore braces, yes, I had the headgear. They sexed her up much more in the remake. This one is very nerdy and dorky. Gotta love her. There is also a scene where George slaps Kathy in the living room. And if that had been me, I'll be honest, that story would have ended completely different because I'd have grabbed a fireplace poker and it would have ended up in his eye. So George Lutz would have been dead. The story would have definitely had a different outcome. And I hadn't noticed before, but like every other horror movie, at the end when they're running down the stairs, Kathy Lutz has heels on. It was a chunky heel, but heels nonetheless. I just feel that I would be flinging my shoes off if I had any kind of heel on and had to make a mad dash for it. Because this is one of my favorite movies, I have to give it five glasses of wine. It is eerie, the whole setting is eerie, the haunted house scenario. It is set in autumn. There's plenty of leaves that are changing color in the scenery. It's definitely evil with a possessed house. Okay, here we go. We've got children and a dog, Harry. Thank goodness George ran back to get that dog, because son of a bitch. I tell you what, if he hadn't gone back to get that dog, that slap would have haunted him every day. I found it entertaining from beginning to end. But I know everybody has their thing, and maybe it's because I saw the movie when I was so young. I just feel that. I don't know, there's a passion for it. And the tattoo on my shoulder, it's the house. The house is the main character of this that sets the environment. I just know I would be livid with George from about the beginning of the movie when he started going nutty. Like I said at the beginning, I want to believe this is true. They were in the house for 28 days before they fled, and I just feel like, you know, all the excuses that come out that you hear in the different documentaries, like they didn't have the money. You know what? They hadn't even made the first mortgage payment yet. So he did have a business, and maybe the business was starting to fail. We don't really know about that. Um he doesn't matter. The house is still what matters in my eyes. It was at 112 Ocean Avenue, and since the murders in the home and the Lutzes had lived there, they changed the address to 108 Ocean Avenue. And I don't think you can find it on Google Earth, if I remember correctly, it is blurred out, and I'm gonna be looking for that later. But that is it. I give it five glasses of wine. It has everything that I need in it. The environment, it's entertaining, um, it's eerie, it's evil, it's empathetic. There's children, there's a dog, dog makes it. I will give you that big spoiler alert because some people won't go into a movie knowing that the dog is about to die. But um, I'm gonna call it for now. Our next movie is going to be 2025, straight on till morning. So I will see you next time. Thanks. Bye.