{"id":4626,"date":"2025-04-15T10:11:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T10:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/?p=4626"},"modified":"2025-04-17T18:18:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:18:05","slug":"of-all-the-2000s-horror-remakes-this-eerie-film-doesnt-deserve-its-hate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/of-all-the-2000s-horror-remakes-this-eerie-film-doesnt-deserve-its-hate\/","title":{"rendered":"Of all the 2000s horror remakes, this eerie film doesn\u2019t deserve its hate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
The Amityville Horror is far better than many fans and credits gave it credit for (Picture: Rex)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Horror cinema<\/a> in the 2000s<\/a> brought the rise of ‘torture porn’, the petering out of the J-Horror era, and more remakes than you could shake a stick at.<\/p>\n

Everything from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/a> to Halloween<\/a>, Dawn of the Dead, My Bloody Valentine<\/a>, A Nightmare On Elm Street<\/a>, The Fog, and The Hills Have Eyes were all rebooted for audiences, usually packed full of wild CGI and graphic violence.<\/p>\n

These reimaginings came 20 to 30 years after ‘the golden era’ of horror, the 70s<\/a> and 80s<\/a>, that many still laud as the decades in which the best of the best were released. And now we’re experiencing the same thing<\/a> once more, with several 90s<\/a> and 00s reboots coming our way, from I Know What You Did Last Summer<\/a> to a sixth Final Destination film<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For studios, they were far less of a risk financially than bold, original stories as these remakes already had beloved legacies to pull from, and an established audience hungry for nostalgia and ‘the glory days’ of a pre-9\/11 society<\/a>, one filled with less paranoia and darkness in the headlines.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, many of these remakes have aged incredibly poorly – and one that often meets the ire of critics and film fans alike is the 2005 reboot of The Amityville Horror<\/a>, starring Ryan Reynolds<\/a>, Melissa George<\/a>, Chlo\u00eb Grace Moretz<\/a>, and Jimmy Bennett<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is based on the 1977 novel The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, which was also adapted into a 1979 film of the same name. Both are loosely based on the experiences of the Lutz family, who moved into the DeFeo home in Amityville, New York and claimed it was haunted.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Editorial\t<\/div>
2005’s The Amityville Horror is a remake of the 1979 original (Picture: MGM\/Everett\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Editorial\t<\/div>
It stars Melissa George and Ryan Reynolds as Kathy and George Lutz who move into the DeFeo home, the site of a brutal homicide (Picture: Peter Iovino\/Platinum Dunes\/Radar\/Dimension\/Mgm\/Kobal\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They lived in the property following the real-life crimes of Ronald DeFeo Jr<\/a>, who killed six members of his family at the same house in 1974.<\/p>\n

The 2005 film follows George (Reynolds) and Kathy Lutz (George) who move into a spacious home with their children in Amityville one year after the DeFeo murders.<\/p>\n

They are chuffed to have nabbed such an incredible home at a bargain price, but they soon realise why the price tag was so low as paranormal occurrences begin to threaten their lives.<\/p>\n

The classic haunted house tale appeared to be an instant smash hit on paper, yet it was widely derided by critics and currently holds just a 23% rating<\/a> on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was dubbed ‘predictable’, ‘mediocre’, and ‘cheesy’, but I honestly don’t think The Amityville Horror deserves half of the hate it receives and is, actually, a pretty great supernatural flick.<\/p>\n

Now, a caveat if you will, after opening with a line on the nostalgic elements that fuel remakes as studios know audiences crave that specific hit of dopamine – I must recognise that this is likely what lies behind my deep love for The Amityville Horror.<\/p>\n

\n
\n