“The Amityville Horror” is the most memorable late 70’s horror film, running a close second to the Jamie Lee Curtis cult classic, “Halloween.” Unforgettable theme haunts the opening with softly sighing voices singing in a child’s dreamlike chant. Enter the brisk autumn breeze sending leaves scurrying across the lawn of Amityville’s most diabolical residence, as we’re drawn into the true and horrid murder of the DeFeo family.

Followed immediately by the supposedly true story of a new family, the Lutz’s, who have become the new occupants of the sinister house. James Brolin and Margot Kidder do an outstanding job as George and Kathy Lutz, who with three young kids take a deal of a lifetime and move into their dream house. With no idea of the nightmare that awaits them. Ignoring the six brutal murders that preceded their moving in, they are soon besieged with one supernatural event after another. Rod Steiger gives a strong performance as the caring and desperately faithful Priest, who is striving to free the Lutz family from the house’s demonic spirits.

“Amityville Horror” a masterpiece? No. Edge of your seat haunted house classic? Yes. The 2005 remake, with all of it’s computer generated special effects and CGI gimmicks, couldn’t even come close to touching this 1979 frightfest. Whether the real George and Kathy Lutz experienced these supernatural events or simply just made them up, who knows? I do know it sure made great material for one of the best haunted house horror movies ever, and I thank them.

Movie Trailer

The Amityville Horror [Blu-ray]

Now going into this film I expected to be grossed out and to simply be enraptured by how far Eli Roth could take the gore in this movie to try and surpass the previous installment. Aside from the “Gorno” aspect of this movie, this has a very frightening message to it. This shows how a persons mental psychi is different from how they may express it towards others. I wont say much more as it will give away the whole premise of the movie and that’s something I don’t want to do as this has a bit more of a story to it compared to the previous film.

The movie starts out with Paxton (Jay Hernandez) who was the only survivor of the torture of the last film. It shows how he is coping with the trauma of watching his friends be tortured and killed and then himself experiencing such torment. The bosses of the Hostel catch up to Paxton and finally take him out to cancel the risk that he may reveal the sickening secret of the wealthy underworld.

This film does have more of a structure to it when compared to the first one. Three girls are backpacking across Europe and they become friends with Axelle (Vera Jordanova) who we learn is affiliated with the boss of the Hostel. Axelle is simply leading these girls into a trap which would eventually end their lives. On another side of the movie we are introduced to two business men who bid on being the men who killed these women. One of them wants to do the killing to fullfill what he feels as a darkness inside him that will make him feared by his peers. The other is a man who is pushed into the act for the same reason to instill a sub-conscious fear within his fellow colleagues.

If you’re not familiar with the Hostel movies and are curious about them, then be warned. This film is extremely graphic with its no holds barred approach to blood and guts. It is a very entertaining film however and something that really makes you think and in a sense wonder if there are actually places like this in the world.

A good film that I would really only recommend to those who are familiar with this genre of movie.

Hostel – Part II [Blu-ray]

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a feverishly inventive movie that often overwhelms its own narrative flow, yet proves irresistible to watch. Coppola’s baroque, operatic set design, costumes, and cinematography look as lavish as they did on the film’s first release. The director’s grab-bag of visual effects are still bold and unabashed, if often over-the-top, and the actors still appear caught up in a certain hysterical pitch that feels a little forced but can be a lot of fun to watch. Gary Oldman’s imaginative performance as the titular vampire carries the weight of Coppola’s vision of Count Dracula as a tragic-romantic hero with Christ-like overtones. Keanu Reeves still looks a little lost in the pivotal role of Jonathan Harker, the London clerk who finds himself a prisoner in a Transylvanian castle while a 400-year-old vampire makes a play for his fiancée back home (Winona Ryder). Anthony Hopkins is fearless as a daft Von Helsing, and Sadie Frost is very good as the doomed Lucy.

This is the best dracula movie I have seen to date. I enjoyed it when it first came out and have enjoyed it several times since. Having seen many vampire movies and reading all sorts of vampire books, this is one I can continue to come back to and see over and over again.
Anthony Hopkins does a fabulous job, as always.

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