The Amityville Horror
A family’s bargain Long Island dream house becomes a crucible of supernatural terror, religious dread, and possession.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- foreboding
- oppressive
- paranoid
- halloween viewing
- late night horror
What critics said
Critics generally found the film commercially effective but repetitive, overacted, and insufficiently frightening despite its strong cast and haunted-house premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Lutz family’s new home turns against them through haunting, illness, and possession.
Father Delaney and other priests attempt to exorcise the house and protect the family.
The property’s prior mass killing is disclosed before the family moves in and motivates the haunting.
The family’s hoped-for dream house becomes an increasingly hostile domestic environment on Long Island.
Films like The Amityville Horror, and why
The Haunting
shared haunted house setting, supernatural menace, family endangerment, and escalating domestic dread
The Exorcist
shared possession themes, religious intervention, psychological terror, and mainstream supernatural horror
The Shining
shared family-centered paranormal suspense, haunted domestic space, and disturbing supernatural imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Stuart Rosenberg
- Release Date
- 1979-07-27
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1076)
Cast
- James Brolin
- Margot Kidder
- Rod Steiger
- Don Stroud
- Murray Hamilton
- John Larch
- Natasha Ryan
- K.C. Martel
- Meeno Peluce
- Michael Sacks
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, AMC, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Amityville Horror about?
- A family’s bargain Long Island dream house becomes a crucible of supernatural terror, religious dread, and possession.
- What is The Amityville Horror like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Amityville Horror as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Amityville Horror violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Amityville Horror as mild.
- What did critics think of The Amityville Horror?
- Critics generally found the film commercially effective but repetitive, overacted, and insufficiently frightening despite its strong cast and haunted-house premise.
- Which films are like The Amityville Horror?
- Films with a similar feel include The Haunting, The Exorcist, and The Shining.
- How long is The Amityville Horror?
- The Amityville Horror runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Amityville Horror?
- In United States, The Amityville Horror streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, AMC, MGM Plus.
