Amityville Horror, The (Blu-ray)

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James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger headline the 1979 horror film "The Amityville Horror" as it arrives on Blu-ray. The film is based upon the purportedly true events that were detailed in the novel "The Amityville Horror" by Jay Anson and happened to George and Kathy Lutz during their short lived residence at a house in Amityville, New York. The actual truth to the events have been broiled in controversy for decades and whether or not you believe in supernatural events, the stories and inconsistencies behind the possession in Amityville make this story a little hard to swallow. The film itself spawned a number of sequels and a 2005 remake and while the film is hardly scary, it does have its creepy moments and a campy charm that makes "The Amityville Horror" worth sitting down with.

George Lutz (James Brolin) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidder) move into a large house that was sold at a bargain price and included a boat house and plenty of space for George, his wife and her children. The house was sold cheaply because a family was brutally murdered in the house and many of their furniture and belongings were still in the house at the time that the Lutz purchased the home. The young couple is very upbeat about fixing up the place and enjoying their time along the river with their three young children. The Lutz´s knew about the sad tale surrounding the home, but it did not sway their decision. They quickly move in and begin to paint and repair the house, but from the time they move in there are things that just do not seem right.

When they begin to believe the house is haunted or possessed, the Lutz´s turn to Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) to visit the house and exorcise the demons. He walks into an upstairs room and is horrified when the window and door slams shut and traps him into the room. Flies quickly gather and Delaney finds himself choking on the evil that seemingly surrounds him. A voice can be heard telling to get out of the house and Father Delaney leaves in terror. This is just the first of many elevated occurrences. Soon George becomes gravely ill and his demeanor starts to become uneasy and unfriendly. He is told by the townsfolk that he looked just like the man that had killed his family in the house. Then one night Kathy witnesses a pair of glowing red eyes outside the window that is believed to be an evil flying pig. From then on the Lutz´s fear for their lives as they must get out of the house.

"The Amityville Horror" doesn´t pack too many thrills and there are hardly any chills. This is a campy classic that shied away from expensive special effects and tried to use mood and creepiness to incite frights. The Lutz family spent less than a month of time living in the Amityville house and they apparently had a lot of scary things happen to them, but during the 119 minutes length of "The Amityville Horror," there isn´t much to put you at the edge of your seat unless you are creeped out by flies. This isn´t a movie you watch if you intend on being scared stiff or want to have a horror filled fun time on Halloween. It is based on what is said to be a true story, but so many inconsistencies have been uncovered that the truthfulness of "The Amityville Horror" is unlikely. The truth is that you don´t watch "The Amityville Horror" as you would "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th." You watch "The Amityville Horror" if you´ve grown tired of "The Evil Dead."

James Brolin and Margot Kidder are a convincing couple in the film and Brolin successfully conveys a sense of pathetic illness that has the audience feel bad enough for the character. It isn´t the strength of acting that delivers performance, but the campy acting by Brolin. Kidder is a far cry from portraying Lois Lane, but I had never liked her in that role and feel she is more fitting in this picture as a B-Grade scream queen. Neither actor puts forth a performance that is anything close to be award worthy, but the manner in which they go about their business adds to the campy nature of "The Amityville Horror." Rod Steiger has precious little time on-screen in this film, but his over-the-top delivery steals the show and it is easy to remember why Steiger is so loved as a horror actor.