This new movie isn't so much a remake as it is a re-adaptation (loosely) of the Jay Anson book, which popularized the Lutz's and their demonic house in the mid 1970's. If you want a comparison, it's like the old version of SALEM'S LOT compared to the recent version with Rob Lowe. Both are good, both concentrate on different things.In fact, I found this version much more creepy than the first, which is probably because of the digital effects and the editing more than anything else. Ryan Reynolds (BLADE 3) and Melissa George (ALIAS, ROAR) do a good, believable job as the newly married couple, whose marriage is nearly torn apart with an ax. George Lutz quickly starts to disintegrate into a mean, threatening personality as whatever is in the house takes hold of him and makes him paranoid against his family. He starts to believe they are demons and that he has to kill them. There isn't a lot of story which involves the priest and blessings of the house-it's relegated to one scene in which a horde of flies chases a priest out of the house, and he doesn't return. There also isn't a lot of that black goop running down the walls as in the first movie. Instead, we're introduced to a hidden room in the basement which dates back to the late 1600's, when an insane preacher killed the local indians who he thought were possessed by demons. Quite a few scenes also involve the boathouse, as well as the roof of the house. In fact, the more that I think about it, this new AMITYVILLE is a lot like Kubrick's version of THE SHINING, with the ax wielding insane father and the hysterical mother. Regardless, the movie is worth checking out. It's leaps and bounds better than THE RING 2.
This new movie isn't so much a remake as it is a re-adaptation (loosely) of the Jay Anson book, which popularized the Lutz's and their demonic house in the mid 1970's. If you want a comparison, it's like the old version of SALEM'S LOT compared to the recent version with Rob Lowe. Both are good, both concentrate on different things.In fact, I found this version much more creepy than the first, which is probably because of the digital effects and the editing more than anything else. Ryan Reynolds (BLADE 3) and Melissa George (ALIAS, ROAR) do a good, believable job as the newly married couple, whose marriage is nearly torn apart with an ax. George Lutz quickly starts to disintegrate into a mean, threatening personality as whatever is in the house takes hold of him and makes him paranoid against his family. He starts to believe they are demons and that he has to kill them. There isn't a lot of story which involves the priest and blessings of the house-it's relegated to one scene in which a horde of flies chases a priest out of the house, and he doesn't return. There also isn't a lot of that black goop running down the walls as in the first movie. Instead, we're introduced to a hidden room in the basement which dates back to the late 1600's, when an insane preacher killed the local indians who he thought were possessed by demons. Quite a few scenes also involve the boathouse, as well as the roof of the house. In fact, the more that I think about it, this new AMITYVILLE is a lot like Kubrick's version of THE SHINING, with the ax wielding insane father and the hysterical mother. Regardless, the movie is worth checking out. It's leaps and bounds better than THE RING 2.
