The world’s most famous haunted house is getting a fresh movie makeover, following the decades-long The Amityville Horror franchise. Beginning with the 1979 supernatural horror starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder, the original movie would spawn dozens of sequels and spinoffs, including 2005’s The Amityville Horror remake with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George.
Per Deadline, the original story of the infamous Amityville house is set to receive a new movie from the studios behind Barbarian (BoulderLight Pictures) and Heart Eyes (Divide/Conquer). Set to be helmed by writer-director duo Joseph and Vanessa Winter (Deadstream), producers are reportedly looking to fast-track the project and are currently eyeing an end-of-2025 production start date.
What This New Movie Means For Amityville’s Horror Legacy
This New Movie Will Not Be Part Of The Amityville Horror Franchise
Unlike the original movie and the many sequels that spawned The Amityville Horror franchise, this latest movie will not be using Jay Anson’s best-selling 1977 book as its source material or be related to the existing franchise’s IP. Instead, the Winters’ new movie is looking to delve into the real-life events surrounding the infamous house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville.
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10 Differences Between The Amityville Horror Movie & Book
The Amityville Horror book directly inspired two films, with all three versions of the story featuring unique scares and character tweaks.
While plot details are currently under wraps, according to Deadline’s original report, this new film will not focus on the highly publicized 1974 DeFeo family murders or the house’s subsequent occupants, the Lutz family. In particular, it was the Lutz family’s unsettling 28-day stint occupying the house that inspired much of the original book and movie.
Instead, the Winters seem poised to draw from other documented events surrounding the original house, and the constantly evolving folk legends connected with it. While this may seem like a daunting task, the producers behind the project have the benefit of developing some of modern horror’s more celebrated films.
Our Take On Yet Another Amityville Haunting Movie
This Latest Movie Will Need To Stand Out From The Crowd
With well over 30 films and a slew of documentaries and other published works, the tales of the infamous Amityville house have continued to terrify and fascinate audiences for 46 years. However, given that this latest movie will be contending with one of the most regularly mined horror legends in cinema history, the Winters will have a daunting task in proving their new tale can stand out from the crowd.
In breaking free of the established franchise, and the baggage that comes with some of its less-than-stellar and sometimes bizarre, direct-to-video entries, it is possible that this new Amityville movie could potentially reinvigorate a tale that has already been retold countless times.
Nonetheless, with the DeFeo and Lutz families’ stories central to so much of The Amityville Horror’s enduring place in horror cinema and folk legend, it will be interesting to see what new angle the movie will take.
Source: Deadline
