4/5 Scary indeed.
  by Jose Lopez (Miami,Florida USA)
The Amityville Horror Is frightening and more so that is Based on True Events or inspired by them, What Happen no one really knows? But evil Sadly does exist, as Do Spirits. While I could care less for James brolin who's a commie and married to one(typical hollywood) You should not pass up this film! it is the original and better than the Remake. Part 2 is just as creepy!Don't watch at night or with the lights out!

4/5 A Classic Comes To Blu-ray
  by Ender84 (USA)
I want to start out by saying that this movie is an undisputed horror classic. I do not want any of my critiques to take away from that.

The Amityville Horror is a familiar haunted house tale derived from "true" events. It is about a young family who moves into a house that was a real steal. So what if its previous inhabitants were all shot to death in their sleep by a man guided by voices in his head? Does it really matter that the patriarch of the new family looks exactly like that gun toting lunatic? Houses don't have memories, right?

The house is the real star of the movie. Walls bleed, crucifixes invert, and disembodied voices are aplenty. While there are plenty of scares to go around, they simply are not as scary by today's standard. However, the image of the house with a soft glow emitting from the windows is every bit as iconic and memorable as Freddy's glove.

The audio is superb. Squalling cats, creaky steps, and raspy demonic voices are crisp and clear and will have you wondering about that dark corner in your room when the surround sound is cranked up. The haunting children's choir that runs throughout the movie is as disturbing today as it was when I first heard it so many years ago.

The picture quality and complete lack of any special features is a bit disappointing. The picture is certainly and upgrade from the DVD, but it is only average at best compared to other Blu-rays. Many scenes are sharp and vibrant, but too many are dull and blurry. Whether this is the fault of the filmmakers or simply a less than stellar transfer, I do not know, but the bad is more visible on Blu-ray than it is on DVD. Luckily the good outweighs the bad, but only marginally.

However, something that is unforgivable is the lack of any special features except for a poor quality trailer. No commentary, no behind the scenes, no documentaries-nothing. This simply does not fly in this day. Even something as simple as a screen of text about the events that this movie is based on would have been okay, but to have nothing is inexcusable.

Overall, this is a great release of a horror classic. If you have never seen this movie before, keep in mind that it is about 30 years old. Scare tactics then were considerably different than they are today. Don't be critical. Dim the lights, crank the surround sound, and I'm sure you will have a great time. This is definitely the best version to date despite my minor complaints. GET OUT!...er...get it now!

Tech Specs
Video: 1080p, 2.35:1
Audio: English DTS HD 5.1, Dolby Surround 5.1, Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean

5/5 The Amityville Horror - Scared the crap out of me when I was a little kid
  by Dave Keener (Pittsburgh, PA United States)
1979, I was 9 yrs. old. The way this Blu-ray sounds FANTASTIC! The DTS quality sound is AMAZING! The picture is GREAT too!

5/5 Good movie based on a Real Event.
  by Patrick (Fort Collins , Co 80524)
The Amityville Horror is a good move based off (Supposed) Real Event. As most People know there was indeed a real Event of a Family having been killed by thier son. But the Events a year later that is the Focus of this movie has been debated on for years. Falling into two categories The people who believe The Home is Truely haunted and those who don't believe.

While I am a open minded person and do believe in things like Ghosts, UFOs or BigFoot...I say to all the skeptics .."WHO THE HELL CARES!!! if the Amityville House is haunted or not.

The skeptics will say oh they made up the story and just wanted to make money by claiming it was real....so my question to them is, is it a crime to want to make money?....if it is then Hollywood should go out of business. Because Hollywood for over a 100yrs have been making up stories and movies just to make money on things NOT REAL.

The way I see it this story makes for a good horror movie plain and simple. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys watching horror movies.

4/5 A suttle poltergeist
  by Rob
Where the legendary Poltergeist was filled to the brim of non-stop action, this feature lures you as a real haunted or possessed house would, with silent chills and deliberate jabs in the dark. There is no mountainous world of corpses building into a crescendo of horror action, but this is a story of a young couple caught in the heart of a horrendous tale of a house with a black past. Even the realtor who sells them the two story abode, gets the hint it is time to leave. The local religious community and a friendly clairvoyant immediately feels the outsider chills of a house gone wrong in spiritual nature. Unfortunitely, its the young couple that have to learn the hard way, and even the youngest daughter is stifled by a kids game instead of a spirit lurking in her bedroom, at night.
Of course this story is based on a real home with the same famous occurrences, and Ive read some of those sample story outakes, and liked em. I honestly dont care if is a true tale or not, it still gives the chills, because sometimes, things do indeed happen. That's what makes this movie so good, because its based on the pussibility the house not only remembers the evil once inflicted by previous tenants, but can also hold an evil presence within the house, with something awful to remember.
That daughters bedroom scene was a real chiller, fable or not.