THE AMITYVILLE HORROR , about a young family whose dream home turns into a nightmare, will be released to buy on a 2-disc, extras-packed SPECIAL EDITION DVD on 11 April 2005 for £19.99 and on 05 April for US release.
Starring JAMES BROLIN (Capricorn One, Catch Me If You Can, TV’s Hotel ), MARGOT KIDDER (Superman series, TV’s Smallville ) and the late ROD STEIGER (In the Heat of the Night, The Pawnbroker ), THE AMITYVILLE HORROR remains one of the most horrifying haunted house stores ever told – because it actually happened.
The film, which was the 2nd highest grossing release of 1979 surpassing hits such as Alien and Moonraker and also received an Oscar nomination for its spine tingling score, started a franchise of seven more theatrical releases and TV movies including the latest 2005 big screen re-make starring RYAN REYNOLDS.
The eagerly awaited DVD release boasts over four hours of bonus material including audio commentaries, all-new documentaries and two History Channel features about the real-life, horrific story of the house.
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR is the true story of the Lutz family, who move into their dream home in the quaint town of Amityville, Long Island, only to make the shocking discovery that it’s terrorised by evil spirits and demons.
Based on the best-selling non-fiction book, The Amityville Horror, written by co-screenwriter Jay Anson, newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz and their three children move into the picturesque river-front home, completely unaware that a murder had taken place in the house several years before.
George and Kathy soon discover that the house is haunted, and enlist the help of their priest, Father Delaney to perform an exorcism.
However, the evil forces lurking within the house are undeterred and soon wreak terror on the Lutz family….
Background :
The roots of the horrors experienced by the Lutz family at their Amityville home can be traced back to November 13, 1974. On that fateful day, Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the cold-blooded murder of six members of his family, gunning them down in their sleep. DeFeo, a drug addict, who hated his father, later blamed the massacre on the malevolent force of an evil spirit that was present in the house. He stated that the creature began speaking to him and controlled him while he committed the murders. And while the house is located in a quiet neighborhood, situated close to other homes, neighbors never reported hearing any gunshots.
Ronald DeFeo Jr. was subsequently tried and convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to 150 years in prison.
The Lutz family moved into the Amityville home on December 18, 1975, with Kathy’s three children from a previous marriage. Almost from the moment that they occupied the house, the Lutz’s noticed an unearthly presence in the place. They began to hear mysterious noises that they could not account for. Locked windows and doors would inexplicably open and close, as if by invisible hands. George Lutz, a former Marine, claimed to hear the sound of a phantom brass band that would march back and forth through the house. When a Catholic priest entered the house, after agreeing to exorcize it, an eerie, disembodied voice told him to “get out.”
In February 1976, the Lutz family abandoned their “dream” home, fearing for their lives. They then enlisted Ed and Lorraine Warren, expert “demonologists,” to investigate the source of these inexplicable incidents. The Warrens visited the house, along with a professor from Duke University, and the president of the American Society for Psychic Research. Ed went to the cellar, where he reportedly saw shadows along with thousands of pinpoints of light. The shadows then attempted to push him to the ground. His wife, Lorraine, went into one of the children’s room, where she claimed to have a clairvoyant experience, which indicated that the room contained the same furniture as it had when the DeFeo girls were murdered. Apparently, the Lutz’s had let their children sleep in the DeFeo children’s deathbeds.
According to the Warren’s account, the investigator from Duke University passed out from fright and two other investigators complained of heart palpitations. The Warrens left the home that day so shaken by the experience that they vowed never to return to the house again.
The Warrens subsequently discovered that the property where the house is located was once used as an insane asylum for Native Americans who were sick and dying. There had been an enclosure on the property, where the patients were housed.
Writer, Jay Anson, based his book on the Lutz’s account of the events that occurred while they lived in the house. The book became a runaway bestseller, which led to the popular movie.
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