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The Amityville Horror

Play trailer Poster for The Amityville Horror R 1979 1h 57m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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32% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Chiller about a family who is terrorized by supernatural forces when they move into a new house in New York State which was the scene of a recent mass killing and the home of an 18th-century satanist. When swarms of flies appear from nowhere and the pipes and walls begin to ooze slime and blood, they call on a local priest to exorcise the evil spirits.
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The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror

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Critics Consensus

Dull and disappointing, the best that can be said for The Amityville Horror is that it set a low bar for its many sequels and remakes.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Reader [The Amityville Horror] begins with the promising premise of a haunted house in the suburbs (poltergeists in the barbecue pit?) and quickly degenerates into a display of pretentious camera angles. Mar 20, 2019 Full Review K.C. Summers Washington Post The Amityville Horror is a horror. What is supposed to be the true story of a young couple driven from their dream house by demons turns out to be nothing more than a rip-off, and a tedious one at that. Mar 20, 2019 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies Its pacing is off, there are too many go-nowhere subplots, & it seems just to come to a clunking halt at the end [but] the film's lack of commitment to any single reading of its narrative architecture is precisely what makes it so uncanny. Jun 26, 2017 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Some components feel dated all these decades later, but commanding lead performances and an effective embrace of the spookiest parts of the story still make it frightening. Rated: 4/5 Sep 11, 2025 Full Review Bryce Hanson Horror Movie Talk The movie ends up being an example of the pitfall of having a lot of plot, and no story. The characters seem one dimensional, and the ending feels unsatisfying. Rated: 5/10 Jul 25, 2025 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A pack of flies swarm all over Father Delaney --- then again, given Rod Steiger's howling performance as the priest, it could just be that the flies like reeking ham. Rated: 1.5/4 Feb 12, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chris C. The Amityville Horror boasts a talented cast including James Brolin and Margot Kidder and while it does offer some creepy moments, this late '70s horror classic is mostly a dull one to get through and when most of the supernatural moments do happen, they are few and far between. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/13/25 Full Review Eric W. I read the book/watched movie as a child. Believing it was a true story, it traumatized me to the core. Yes, it could be considered boring for the gamer generation, but the real life slaughter of an entire family that morphs into demonic experiences… that just pushed me in front of the bus. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Larry K Pretty scary. Didn't love the ending though Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Harold K. A boring house with boring kids with a boring dog. I give it 2 1/2 stars for the score by Schifrin and loving the story in general. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Justin T This is so much better than I remembered. Maybe it’s me that has matured. I probably didn’t like the slow burn the first time I watched it. You know what the film is doing way before it gets there but because of the atmosphere and slow development it actually doesn’t matter. The cinematography is possibly my favourite from this era. The ending is riveting, the slow burn really does pay off. I can see why so many films took the Amityville name and made something else like Amityville Apt. (2025), they had a fairly strong foundation to piggyback off. Except the ending which is a bit sudden. The original defines so many tropes of the haunted house film but in my opinion is overshadowed by Poltergeist (1982) that refined and improved every aspect. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/28/25 Full Review DanTheMan 2 A double-dosing of horror with 𝔸ℕℕ𝔸. Really, more about the deep-seated, primal fear of family members inflicting violence on each other than it is about ghosts and demonic spirits, The Amityville Horror has often been cited as one of the quintessential haunted house horrors despite its dubious true crime roots. Reading more about anxiety over homeownership and financial turmoil, there's an endless stream of great ideas and spooky moments, but it doesn't come together as neatly as you'd hope it would. The pacing is off, there are too many subplots that go nowhere, and it seems just to come to a clunking halt at the end, but the film's lack of commitment to any single reading of its narrative architecture is precisely what makes it so uncanny. The workman-like direction from Stuart Rosenberg serves the film well, as do the committed central performances from Brolin and Kidder, and Lalo Schifrin's eerie musical score, which adds a lot to the film's atmosphere, but the lackadaisical editing and the thinly realised screenplay just don't deliver creating a slow and somewhat messy film. While it's periodically dull, The Amityville Horror is a blunt and effective horror that still packs enough of a whallop to warrant a sceptical visit. It's certainly a watchable film, but more so as a character study than the flat-out horror it promises. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/17/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Flies Attack Father Delaney The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Flies Attack Father Delaney 3:02 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - I'm Coming Apart! The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - I'm Coming Apart! 1:56 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Window Pain The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Window Pain 0:58 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Axe Man The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Axe Man 1:13 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Amy's Friend, Jody The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Amy's Friend, Jody 0:41 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Bleeding House The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Bleeding House 3:00 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Aunt Helena Freaks Out The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Aunt Helena Freaks Out 2:41 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Carolyn is Possessed The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Carolyn is Possessed 2:12 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Father Delany's Prayer The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Father Delany's Prayer 2:10 The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Kathy Sees Jody The Amityville Horror: Official Clip - Kathy Sees Jody 1:05 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Chiller about a family who is terrorized by supernatural forces when they move into a new house in New York State which was the scene of a recent mass killing and the home of an 18th-century satanist. When swarms of flies appear from nowhere and the pipes and walls begin to ooze slime and blood, they call on a local priest to exorcise the evil spirits.
Director
Stuart Rosenberg
Producer
Ronald Saland, Elliot Geisinger
Screenwriter
Sandor Stern
Distributor
American International Pictures
Production Co
American International Pictures (AIP)
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 27, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 31, 2017
Runtime
1h 57m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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