Tom Lynch

There are eight "Amityville Horror" films in all, but thankfully, MGM has only included the first three in this box that mirrors this week's release of the remake. The first of the series, certainly the best--and a fairly dubious ranking at that--is the 1979 spook fest based on Jay Anson's book about a family who moves to Long Island into a house that once served as setting for a gruesome murder. Stuart Rosenberg's film never reaches the heights of Anson's imaginative book (though it's presumably based on a true story), but the audio commentary from real-life parapsychologist Hans Holzer is endlessly amusing, more so than the actual debacle of a film, in which the few highlights include a bearded James Brolin yelling violently at his stepkids and a priest being attacked by demonic flies. The first disc also features a dull documentary titled "For God's Sake, Get Out," plus vintage radio spots and a trailer, but that's certainly not enough to surface a sinking ship.

The other two films, "Amityville II: The Possession" and "Amityville 3-D" lack any special features at all--it's possible MGM thought that anyone who would sit through the films wouldn't be willing to endure audio commentaries--and, no, 3-D glasses are not needed, because it's not 1983 anymore.

The fourth disc proves the most interesting--titled "Amityville Confidential," it features two History Channel documentaries about the actual family and the frightful happenings endured inside their home. The cable network attempts to solve the "truth vs. hoax" dilemma, and without being too heavy-handed (like "Cops," say), the specials stay enjoyable. Fans of the "Amityville" series will be delighted that there's been a resurrection, but those willing to give a B horror series a second look will realize why they scoffed in the first place.

(2005-04-12)

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