If you’re looking at buying some property this spring, you’re able to get some helpful tips from two classic horror movies — and now you can stream them for free. Check out 1979’sThe Amityville Horrorand its 2005 remake, and be sure to ask your realtor about bleeding walls, mysterious basement rooms, and demonic ghost pigs. Both films are now streaming onTubi.
The so-called “Amityville Horror” happened at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, when the Lutz family fled their newly purchased Dutch Colonial-style home in 1976 due to an alleged onslaught of paranormal activity. A year before,Ronald DeFeo Jr.shot and killed six members of his family in the home; no solid motive for the murders has ever been established, resulting in rumors of supernatural possession. The story of the Lutz family was chronicled inJay Anson’s 1977 bookThe Amityville Horror, which sold over ten million copies, and served as the basis for the film;its accuracy has been greatly disputedover the years, with some claiming that the entire story was concocted with DeFeo’s defense lawyers. The house on Ocean Avenue still stands to this day, but subsequent owners have removed the house’s distinctive “jack-o-lantern” windows that featured prominently in the film.
What Is ‘The Amityville Horror’ About?
The Amityville Horrorfollows George (James Brolinin the original,Ryan Reynoldsin the remake) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidderin the original,Melissa Georgein the remake). Knowing about the murders, the family has the house blessed by a priest (Rod Steigeroriginally, andPhilip Baker Hallin the remake), but when he enters the house, he’s beset by a supernatural assailant. Strange and frightening things start happening in the house, as the walls bleed, swarms of flies materialize from nowhere, and the children start talking to a mysterious entity named “Jody.”
Eventually, George becomes possessed by a malevolent force that wants to harm the rest of the family — can they escape before they, too, become victims of the house? The original film was a huge success, making $86.4 million on a $4.7 million budget, riding a wave of supernatural horror hits that began withThe Exorcist; the remake was also a hit, although not to the same degree, grossing $107.5 million against its $19 million budget.
The originalAmityville Horrorspawned a number of sequels and prequels, petering out with 1996’s direct-to-videoAmityville Dollhousebefore interest in the franchise was revived with the 2005 remake. It was then that filmmakers realized that while the nameThe Amityville Horrorand the events that may or may not have happened to the Lutz family were under copyright, the real town of Amityville, New York, was not. Thus, there have now beendozens ofAmityvillefilmswith little to no connection to the actual incident.
The 1979 and 2005 versions ofThe Amityville Horrorare now streaming on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
