I'll wait for the movie...
 Photo courtesy Amazon.com Amityville 1979 |
With the success of the book, it didn't take long for Hollywood to take an interest in Amityville. In 1979, James Brolin and Margot Kidder starred as George and Kathy Lutz in the big-screen-production of The Amityville Horror. In spite of rumors that the production team was too scared to work in the real house on 112 Ocean Avenue (in reality, the city refused to issue a permit), the movie piggybacked on the success of the book and went on to make $80 million in its first domestic release. For those keeping score, the flick also spawned three official sequels -- Amityville II: The Possession, Amityville 3-D, and the made-for-TV Amityville IV: The Curse.
More recently, Michael Bay (Armageddon) and his partners at Platinum Dunes (responsible for 2003's Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake) announced their plans to film a remake of the original Amityville Horror for the partnered MGM and Dimension studios. The film stars Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) and Melissa George (Dark City, Alias) as George and Kathy Lutz, and will be directed by Andrew Douglas. It's set for release on April 15th, 2005. Unlike its predecessor, the new film will follow Jay Anson's novel more closely and will also take into account the new facts that have arisen about the famous house in the last 30 years.
 Photo courtesy MGM Amityville 2005 |
