The Amityville Horror (1979)

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A family moves into a home where a family was murdered by a family member.


Genre

Horror, Supernatural

Characters/Groups

George Lutz - James Brolin

Kathy Lutz - Margot Kidder

Father Delaney - Rod Steiger

Father Bolen - Don Stroud

Father Ryan - Murray Hamilton

Father Nuncio - John Larch

Amy - Natasha Ryan

Greg - K.C. Martel

Matt - Meeno Peluce

Jeff - Michael Sacks

Carolyn - Helen Shaver

Jackie - Amy Wright

Sgt. Gionfriddo - Val Avery

Aunt Helena - Irene Dailey

Jimmy - Marc Vahanian

Mrs. Townsend - Elsa Raven

Bride - Ellen Saland

Agucci - Eddie Barth

Bartender - Hank Garrett

Coroner - James Tolkan

Cop at the House - Carmine Foresta

Newspaper Clerk - Peter Maloney

Carpenter - Charlie Welch

Boy - J.R. Miller

Girl - Patty Burtt

New York State Trooper - Michael Hawkins

2nd New York State Trooper - Richard Hughes

Neighbor - Jim Dukas

Cop 2 at the House - Baxter Harris

Policeman - Michael Stearns

Dead Father - Jack Krupnick

Harry

Jody

Character thumbnails with links to profiles

Detailed Synopsis

During a thunderstorm on the night of November 13, 1974, in Amityville, New York, a man goes throughout his house methodically shooting and killing all the members of his family including his Father and a Boy and Girl. The police arrive including Policeman and Sgt. Gionfriddo remarks to the Coroner that it keeps on getting worse as more and more bodies are brought out of the house. The Coroner tells him that all the victims were shot in their beds execution style.

One year later, George Lutz and Kathy Lutz are doing a house showing of the Amityville house with Mrs. Townsend. She shows them around and Kathy tells her that they just got married. They tell Mrs. Townsend that they want to look around some more and Kathy worries that they can't afford it, but George thinks they can manage if he moves his office into the guest house. Kathy brings up the murders, but George tells her that houses don't have memories. They then tell Mrs. Townsend that they'll buy it.

One month later, George, Kathy, Amy, Greg, and Matt move into the house. Father Delaney arrives at the house, but the family is out back. He walks into the house and walks into one of the rooms. As he is about to start blessing the house, the room starts to fill up with flies and he starts to develop a fever and cough. The room door opens and a voice yells to get out. Delaney stumbles out of the house and drives away. Later, Delaney calls Kathy, but she can't hear him through the static and he drops the phone, when it suddenly burns his hand. George suddenly starts to feel ill and says it is cold inside the house. George goes down into the basement and as Matt is walking down the basement stairs he trips and falls. While George and Kathy are having sex, Amy walks into their room and tells Kathy that she wants to go home. At 3:15 in the morning, George wakes up and hears noises in one of the rooms. He goes into the room and sees the dock door swinging open and shut and brings Harry with him to check on things. George returns to the house and a cat screeches at him through the window.

On the 4th day, which is a Thursday, Kathy comes home from the grocery store and finds George chopping firewood. Kathy tells him that Aunt Helena is stopping by which annoys George. Amy walks into the kitchen and tells Kathy that Jody wants to play. Kathy calls the church and asks Father Bolen if she can speak to Delaney, but Bolen tells her that Delaney isn't feeling well. She tells him that Delaney never showed up to their house, but Bolen tells her that was there. Helena shows up right when a smelly black goo starts to boil up from the toilets. Matt and Greg let Helena into the house and then run outside to play. As Helena is walking through the house she suddenly starts to feel ill and tells Kathy that she has to leave. Helena then hurriedly drives off and then stops to vomit.

On the 5th night, George continues to stack fire in the fireplace. Kathy tries to get George to come to bed, but he tells her that the fire went out. They try to have sex, but George can't maintain an erection. At 3:15 in the morning, Kathy suddenly wakes up and screams "she was shot in the head" and then falls back to sleep.

On the 6th day, as Delaney and Bolen are driving to the Lutz house, their car starts to malfunction and they crash. Harry starts barking, seemingly at nothing. Jimmy counts his money over and over again and tells Kathy that Agucci will only accept cash. Kathy tells him that she is happy that he is getting married. Jimmy notices that George looks sick, but George insists on going to the wedding. Jackie asks Kathy if she is supposed to give Amy an aspirin and Jimmy tells Kathy and George that he can't find his money. They can't find the money and George offers to pay Agucci. Jackie tells Amy that it is time for bed, but Amy says that she wants to play with Jody. Jackie goes into Amy's closet and the closet door slams shut. Jackie tries to open the door, but it won't open. As Jimmy is dancing with the Bride, Helena apologizes to Kathy for leaving so quickly and tells her that she vomited. Agucci gives George the catering bill, but gets upset when George pays him with a check. George, Kathy and Matt and Greg drive home and George and Kathy rush to Amy's room when they hear Jackie calling for help. Jackie tells them that the door wouldn't open and then yells at Amy for not letting her out and Amy tells Kathy that Jody wouldn't let her open the door. Amy then tells Kathy that Jody doesn't like George.

On the 8th day, Father Nuncio tells Delaney that there's an explanation for what happened to him at the Lutz house. Delaney tells Nuncio that the Amityville killer told the jury during his trial that the voices told him to do it and he also heard the voices. Father Ryan says that half the killers say that voices made them do it. Delaney asks him to explain how his hand was burned and the car crash. Delaney accuses Nuncio and Ryan of trying to cover the case up and Ryan orders him to sit down. Ryan then tells Delaney to take a vacation.

On the 11th day, Jeff and Carolyn drive to the house. Carolyn senses that there is something wrong with the house and refuses to get closer to it. Jeff finds George, who is still cutting wood, and reminds him that he hasn't signed the payroll checks and Agucci has been complaining about a check that bounced and someone from the IRS called. Matt and Greg are teasing Amy when Kathy catches them. The window slams on Greg's hand and George and Jeff have a hard time pushing thew window up. At 3:15 in the morning, George wakes up and goes downstairs and finds one of the rooms full of flies. The front door and basement door then suddenly crash open. George goes downstairs with Kathy and when he returns to the room, the flies are gone. Kathy calls the police and Gionfriddo arrives. Cop at the House asks him what he is doing out so late and Gionfriddo tells him that he has insomnia. Cop 2 at the House tells Gionfriddo, he has no idea what is going on. New York State Trooper introduces Gionfriddo to Kathy and George as 2nd New York State Trooper walks by. George shows Gionfriddo the basement and finds Harry scratching at the wall. Gionfriddo notices none of the windows are open and tells George that he looks like the Amityville murderer. Gionfriddo then tells George that someone from the inside must have broken the doors from the outside.

On the 12th day, Amy tells Kathy that Jody told her about the little boy that lived in her room that died and Jody wants Amy to live with her forever. A Carpenter works on the door as Kathy sends the kids off to school. George goes to City Hall to get blueprints and then to the library and steals a book on the Occult. Kathy calls Delaney again and Delaney picks up the phone and starts to choke and Kathy hangs up. A Neighbor stops by and welcomes Kathy to the neighborhood with a six-pack of beer. George goes to the Witches Brew Bar to meet Jeff and Jeff orders them beers from the Bartender. The Bartender drops their beers when he sees George and tells him that he looks like the Amityville killer. Jeff tells George that their business is falling apart and George punches him. Kathy hears Amy singing and goes into her room and Amy tells her that Kathy scared Jody who ran out the window. Kathy goes to the window and sees two glowing eyes. George tells Jeff and Carolyn that the house is doing supernatural things. Carolyn, who was reading the book George stole, tells them that John Ketchum, who was run out of Salem for being a witch, built his house where George's house is. Jeff tells George to take Kathy out to dinner while he and Carolyn watch the kids. Kathy tells George that she saw Jody, but he thinks it was just a cat. Carolyn and Jeff sneak into the basement and she tells Jeff about the Shinnecocks who used to leave crazy people in the area exposed to the elements to die. They find Harry digging at the basement wall and Carolyn starts breaking down the wall. George hears the noise and Carolyn tells him that the evil is coming from behind the wall. Kathy goes down into the basement and George breaks the wall down and looks into a red brick room and sees an image similar to himself wearing robes. Carolyn stares into the room and yells to find the well, which is the passage to Hell. George grabs a cross and he and Kathy start trying to exorcise the house and Kathy suddenly develops boils.

On the 17th day, Bolen tells Delaney that he thinks Delaney's demons might be something he created in his head. As Delaney is praying, he suddenly becomes blind.

On the 18th day, at 3:15 in the morning, George wakes up and asks the house what it wants from them. Kathy wakes up from a dream that George killed Amy and then attacks her with an axe.

On the 19th day, George yells that he is coming apart and Kathy asks him if he is okay. Kathy suggests they leave and George yells at her that she wanted the house. Kathy calls him a bastard and he slaps her in the face. Kathy goes to see Delaney and Bolen tells her that Delaney is on a vacation. Gionfriddo follows Bolen as Bolen goes to check on Delaney. Bolen speaks to Delaney, but he doesn't answer. Gionfriddo questions Bolen about Delaney, but Bolen tells him there is nothing wrong with Delaney. Newspaper Clerk shows Kathy the newspaper articles on the Amityville murders and Kathy notices that George looks like the killer. Harry starts to bark as the well starts to emit smoke.

On the last night, George sees Jody in the window. He yells for Amy and blood starts to pour from the walls and stairs. Kathy brings Amy, Greg and Matt into the bathroom and George starts cutting through the door with an axe. Kathy attacks George and he throws her down and strikes the axe toward her. He tells her that he wouldn't hurt her and the boards erupt over the well. George and the others run out of the house and into George's van. They start to drive off, but Amy tells them that she wants Harry. George stops the van and goes back to get Harry. He goes into the basement and falls into the well. Harry then helps pull George from the well. They then leave the house, get into the van and George drives away.

Later, George, Kathy and their family never return to the house and now live in another state.