is a pillar of the genre. It had what we dismiss in today’s overused
terms as “based on a true story” legitimacy.
The book the movie was based upon, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
,
was the documentation and retelling of the Lutz families encounter with a
paranormal force/forces at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. The family’s controversial claims made
headlines, a franchise of movies, and a plethora of books. A new documentary, My Amityville Horror, aims
to put a different spin on the tale.
While some of the content is disturbing with a supernatural bent this is
not a horror movie in the traditional sense.
There are no jump scares, psychos with masks, or dramatic music that
pauses at just the right moment; all the tropes of the genre are absent. The horror as with the title is a very
personal one, that of Daniel Lutz and his relationship with his family and his
past. Warning Spoilers Ahead:
While listening to Daniel talk about
his experiences at 112 Ocean Avenue some things are obviously apparent. He firmly believes everything that he says
with utter certainty and has no patience with anyone who doubts his claims. Years of being defined by Amityville and
having to defend his record of events has developed a hyper-defensiveness of
his narrative. However, there is a
desperation that cries out to be heard, to commiserate with, to have a full
understanding of Daniels trauma. A
trauma that runs deeper than the short time spent at the Amityville house: one
that is familial in nature.
Daniel hates his stepfather George,
and has since he met him. The normal
psychology of a new father figure and the resentment that follows was magnified
by the apparent paranormal events of the house.
Daniels descriptions of events are tinged with fear, anger, and
resentment over George, whom he blames for what happened, even the paranormal occurrences. That though is only the beginning of Daniels
traumatic experiences. George used the
incident to transform his family into a living breathing extension of the
events. The family transformed into “that
Amityville Horror family,” and Daniel into “the Amityville Horror kid.” George drags his family around the world to
support the movie and book, even leaving Daniel behind for long stretches. At one point Daniel talks about the many exorcisms
he was put through while left in the care of priests; a traumatizing experience
that he also blames his step-father for.
Everything in one way or another spirals back upon the relationship
between George and himself.
The documentary is fascinating, even
though most of the time it is a camera pointed at Daniel while he explains his
experiences. When Daniel is on camera,
the scenes are imposing, rife with menace and fear, which lend to his
credibility. Whatever the story really
is, hoax or reality, Daniels dysfunction is real and debilitating to him. The only glaring flaw is that the film is too
short, just under ninety minutes, and this only begins to scratch the
surface. After the movie credits rolled,
I was hungry for more and wanted to sit down with Daniel and have him explain
his story all over to me. There is so
much information here and like any good ghost story the line between what is
real, fabrication, hoax, and misinterpretation becomes blurred. Nevertheless, it is not the supernatural that
corrupts and harms us in the long term, but our relationships between our
fellow human beings.
Verdict: 7/10 Arrows in a Bard
Who would like this- Fans of documentaries,
ghost stories, small independent character driven movies, and anyone interested
in the Amityville Horror story.
Who will not like this- Horror fans
who want buckets of blood and an abundance of scares or those wanting a fast-paced
film.
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