the amityville murders

The Amityville Horror franchise has to be one of the oddest and least consistent in horror. The films—and there have been a lot of them since Jay Anson’s thoroughly contested “true” story The Amityville Horror hit bookshelves—range from middle of the road entertainment like the 1979 opener, to the schlocky but fun Ryan Reynolds-fronted remake (perhaps more notable for the actor’s anachronistic abs) to last year’s pretty dreadful Amityville: The Awakening, a misbegotten Jennifer Jason Leigh starrer that made just $742 in theaters (nope, not a typo).

The best Amityville movie is actually 1982’s Amityville II: The Possession, which fictionalizes the only verifiably real part of the record: the bizarre murders of the DeFeo family by oldest son Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr., currently serving six concurrent 25 year-to-life sentences in a New York prison.  In director Damiano Damiani’s bizarre gem, the “Montelli” family experiences supernatural evils that exacerbate their already dysfunctional lives, including an abusive dad (Burt Young) and incestuous siblings Sonny (Jack Magner) and Patricia (Diane Franklin). There’s another score by Lalo Schifrin, who got an Oscar nod for the original, and all sorts of creepy, nasty moments; Bloody Disgusting dubbed it “indefensibly inappropriate and oh so much fun.”

So it’s fitting that the most entertaining addition to the saga in many years is writer/director Daniel Farrands’ The Amityville Murders, which takes off from the same true events but sticks somewhat closer to the facts (and the names) while borrowing Possession cast members Young and Franklin and adding a heavy dose of the series’ supernatural hooey. 

The film goes out of its way to establish time and place, leading to no small amount of hilarity with the thick Long Island accents sported by pretty much every cast member. Previous entries have somehow avoided this temptation, but these guys really go for it in a way that’s oddly endearing.  There are also copious amounts of 70s ephemera like a copy of Helter Skelter and a tub of marshmallow Fluff and some great, lesser known vintage music cues. As for the iconic house, while the interiors have been faithfully recreated, the exterior seems to exist solely as a digital model, which works surprisingly well, especially when the VFX artists add in ominous storm clouds and lightning. 

However you feel about the accents, the movie is flawlessly cast. John Robinson has the intense, rugged looks of Butch, and does much of the heavy lifting as his character is tormented by visions and ghosts. Paul Ben-Victor is all too believable as menacing, abusive father Ronnie. Chelsea Ricketts has the goofiest accent, but she still makes a sympathetic and believable sister (the incest element has been perhaps mercifully downplayed here).  The returning franchise stars are good, too: Franklin is strong as the long-suffering mom, and Young commands his few scenes as her mysterious, possibly Mob affiliated dad.  Side note: Lainie Kazan is fine in her scenes as occult-aware grandma “Nona,” but why not cast Possession’s Rutanya Alda (Mommie Dearest)?  She’s still active and probably would have done great stuff with the part.

The movie is fast-paced and engaging at 97 minutes: with pulpy charm, a genuinely compelling narrative, and some actual scares (including a memorable Halloween sequence). Farrands, best known for penning the notorious Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, directs with a sure hand, style, and obvious knowledge of the Amityville mythology.  He’s created a film that deserves praise as one of the best Amityville horrors.

The Amityville Murders is in theaters and available on demand and digitally Friday, February 8.

-Justin Lockwood

nj horror films

Thanks Michael aka Meep of Retro Movie Love for this list!

Alice Sweet Alice (1976) (Paterson, NJ) 

Alone in the Dark (1982) (Ridgewood, NJ) 

The Amityville Horror (1979) (filmed in Tom’s River, NJ) 

Amityville II: The Possession (1982) (exteriors and some locations were NJ. Interiors were Mexico!)

Amityville 3-D (1983) (Toms River, NJ) 

Basket Case 2 (1990) (Newark, Plainfield)

Blood Sisters (1987) (Englewood, NJ)

Christmas Evil (1980) (Edgewater, Englewood, Montclair) 

The Deadly Spawn (1983) (Gladstone, New Brunswick)

Don’t Go In The House (1980) (Atlantic Highlands, NJ) 

Frankenhooker (1990) 

Friday the 13th (1980) (Blairstown, NJ) 

Full Moon High (1981) (Lyndhurst, NJ) 

Girls Nite Out (1982) (East Orange, NJ

Mother’s Day (1980) (Stillwater, NJ) 

Pledge Night (1990) (Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ)

The Prowler (1981) (Cape May, NJ)

Silent Madness (1984) (Jersey City, NJ)

how to hack off body parts with a horror soundtrack

Just stumbled upon this wondrous mix of retro horror film music from Mike Butcherfinger.

Tracklist:

1. Herschell Gordon Lewis – Official Warning

2. Herman Stein – Introduction (Tarantula)

3. Pino Donaggio – Main Title (Carrie)

4. Lalo Schifrin – Amityville Love Scene (The Amityville Horror)

5. Carlo Maria Cordio – The Last Game (Absurd)

6. Carlo Maria Cordio – Darkside (The Bite Of Fear)

7. Stelvio Cipriani – Piano Diabolico (Rabid Dogs, Mario Bava, 1974)

8. Basil Rathbone – Alone (Edgar Allan Poe Collection)

9. Don Davis – Dana And Christopher (The Beast)

10. Jerry Goldsmith – The Visitor (Poltergeist II: The Other Side)

11. Tim Krog – Nightmare (Boogeyman)

12. David Storrs – Invaders From Mars (Invaders From Mars, 1986)

13. Herschell Gordon Lewis – Gruesome Twosome Radio Spot

14. Nico Fidenco – Porno Holocaust Seq. 4 (Porno Holocaust, Joe D'Amato Joe, 1981)

15. Rick Wakeman – Doin' It (The Burning)

16. Giorgio Moroder – Night Rabbit (Cat People)

17. Michael Hoenig – Main Title (The Blob, 1988)

18. Jay Chattaway – Stella and the Beast (Silver Bullet)

19. Fabio Frizzi – Verso L'Ignoto (The Beyond)

20. Budy-Maglione – Rudy And Gloria Get Screwed (Cannibal Ferox)

21. Goblin – Tenebre (Tenebre)

22. The Stuff Trailer (1985)

23. Stelvio Cipriani – Un Cadavere Nel Lago (Twitch of the Death Nerve, Bava, 1971)

24. Fabio Frizzi – Face the sea of Darkness (The Beyond)

25. Carlo Maria Cordio – Magnetic Field (Absurd)

26. Budy-Maglione – Jaywalkin' Iguana (Cannibal Ferox)

27. Basil Rathbone – The Raven (Edgar Allen Poe Collection)

28. J. Peter Robinson – Boils/Spiders (The Believers, 1987)

29. Brad Fiedel – Spying (Fright Night)

30. Carlo Maria Cordio – Killing Time (Absurd)

31. Fabio Frizzi – Suoni Dissonanti (City Of The Living Dead)

32. Hermann Kopp – Supper (Nekromantik)

33. Rick Wakeman – The Fire (The Burning)

34. John Carpenter – Prologue from The Fog (The Fog)

35. John Carpenter – Ghost Story (The Fog)

36. John Carpenter – Seagrass Attack (The Fog)

37. Lalo Schifrin – Screams (The Amityville Horror)

38. Carlo Maria Cordio – Transformation 1 (The Bite Of Fear)

39. Michael Kamen – School Days (The Dead Zone)

40. Jay Chattaway – A Little Knife Music (Maniac)

41. Fabio Frizzi – Falling for Emily (The Beyond)

42. Stelvio Cipriani – Una Città deserta (Nightmare City, Umberto Lenzi 1980)

43. Jay Chattaway – Inner Voices (Maniac)

44. J. Peter Robinson – The Exorcism (The Believers)

45. Modern Man – The Dead Walk (Day of the Dead)

46. Harry Sukman – Straker's Place (Salem's Lot)

47. Dana Kaproff – Cool Ants (Empire Of The Ants)

48. Stelvio Cipriani – Ecologia Del Delitto (Twitch of the Death Nerve)

49. Stelvio Cipriani – L'Attesa (Nightmare City, Umberto Lenzi 1980)

50. Franco Micalizzi – The Curse (The Curse)

51. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – This Is Not A Dream (Prince of Darkness)

52. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – Cross Bar (Prince of Darkness)

53. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – Hell Breaks Loose (Prince of Darkness)

54. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – Halloween Montage (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Announcer: Tommy Lee Wallace)

55. Carlo Maria Cordio – Transformation 2 (The Bite Of Fear)

56. Claudio Simonetti – Cruel Demon (Demoni)

57. Joseph LoDuca – Bridge Out (Evil Dead)

58. Rick Wakeman – Campfire Story (The Burning)

59. Christopher Young – A New Man's Destiny (Def-Con 4)

60. Meat Beat Manifesto – She's Unreal (Blair Witch Project)

61. The Thing Trailer

62. Joe Renzetti – It's Only A Doll (Child's Play)

63. Howard Shore – Seth And The Fly (The Fly)

64. Herschell Gordon Lewis – Tongue Torn Out

65. Keith Emerson – Inferno (Inferno, Dario Argento, 1980)

66. Gary Scott – Sweet Young Girls (Final Exam, 1981)

67. The Pain Of Being Dead (Return Of The Living Dead)

68. Fabio Frizzi & Rok Opera – Zombie '98 (Cannibal Ferox)

69. Jay Chattaway – Apocalypse New York (Maniac)

70. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – I Have A Message For You (Prince of Darkness)

71. Van Der Veer's Demise – James Horner (Wolfen)

72. Karl Hardman – Helen's Death (Night Of The Living Dead)

73. Howard Shore – Scanners (Main Title)

74. Scott Valdimir Licina – The Killers Are Eating The Flesh (Night of the living Dead)

75. Fabio Frizzi – Introduzione, Paura, Liberazione (City Of The Living Dead)

76. Trash's Fantasy – (Return Of The Living Dead)

77. Goblin – Ai margini della follia (Dawn of the Dead)

78. Alexander Blonksteiner – Dreadful Night – (Cannibal Apocalypse)

79. Giorgio Moroder – Leopard Tree Dream (Cat people)

80. Bruno Nicolai – Seq. 1. (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail, Sergio Martino, 1971)

81. Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab – The Lions And The Cucumber (Vampyros Lesbos, 1971, Jess Franco)

82. Michael Holm – Liebesthema (Hexen bis auf das Blut gequält, 1970)

83. Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust) (Cannibal Holocaust)

84. Stelvio Cipriani – Fine Di Una Incubo (Twitch of the Death Nerve, Bava 1971)

85. Nico Fidenco – Porno Holocaust Seq. 9 (Porno Holocaust)

86. Walter Rizzati – Chi sta arrivando? (The House by the Cemetery, Lucio Fulci 1981)

87. Rick Wakeman – Sheer Terror (The Burning)

88. Christopher Young – Ghost Planet (Def-Con 4)

89. Elliot Goldenthal – Sour Grounds (Pet Sematary)

90. Rubini, Jaeger – Sarah's Panic (The Hunger)

91. Marcello Giombini – I morti si Svegliano (Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, Joe D'Amato 1980)

92. Riz Ortolani – Adultress' Punishment (Cannibal Holocaust)

93. Riz Ortolani – Seq. 5 (Don't Torture a Duckling, Lucio Fulci 1972)

94. Fabio Frizzi – Fatti Misteriosi (City Of The Living Dead)

95. Fabio Frizzi – Oltre La Soglia (The Beyond)

96. Stelvio Cipriani – Fantasia Tragica (Death Walks on High Heels, Luciano Ercoli 1971)

97. Pino Donaggio – The Tuxedo Shop (Carrie)

98. Billy Goldenberg – End Game (Duel, Steven Spielberg 1971)

99. Budy-Maglione – Mike Flips Out (Cannibal Ferox)

100. Make Them Die Slowly (Cannibal Ferox)

101. Red River Valley (Cannibal Ferox)

102. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth – Regeneration (Christine)

103. Howard Shore – Scanner Duel (Scanners)

104. Herschell Gordon Lewis – Blood Feast Radio Spot

105. Alexander Blonksteiner – Jane (Cannibal Apocalypse)

106. Ennio Morricone – Emmetrentatre (Short Night of the Glass Dolls, Aldo Lado 1971)

107. Charles Previn – Wolf-Bane (The Wolf Man, 1941)

108. Johan Soderqvist – Eli's Theme (Let the Right One In)

109. Jerry Goldsmith – The Calling (Poltergeist)

110. Michael Kamen – Realisation/Destiny (The Dead Zone)

111. Sante Maria Romitelli – Tessere Di Un Mosaico (Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Mario Bava 1970)

112. Jay Chattaway – Blast Him (Maniac)

113. Ennio Morricone – Magia Mera (A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, Lucio Fulci 1971)

114. Fabio Frizzi – The Dead On Main Street (Cannibal Ferox)

115. Nico Fidenco – Zombie Parade (Zombi Holocaust)

116. Fabio Frizzi – Zombi 2 (Zombie Flesh Eaters)

117. Marcello Giombini – Larry e Fiona (Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, 1980)

118. Stelvio Cipriani – Scotch For Two (Tentacoli)

119. Nico Fidenco – Seq. 11 (Porno Holocaust)

120. Jay Chattaway – Subway Terror (Maniac)

121. Scott Valdimir Licina – This Radio Station Will Remain On The Air (Night of the living Dead)

122. Stelvio Cipriani – Seq. 4 (Voices from Beyond, Lucio Fulci 1991)

123. Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab – Necronomania (Vampyros Lesbos, Jesús Franco 1971)

124. Rick Wakeman – End Title Theme (The Burning)

125. Harry Bromley Davenport – Shreds Of Evidence (Xtro)

126. Goblin – Zombi (Dawn of the Dead)

127. Fabio Frizzi – Seqence 1 (Zombie Flesh Eaters)

128. Frank John Hughes – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (The Twilight Zone)

129. James Horner – Wall Street And The Wolves (Wolfen)

130. Christopher Young – Original Intro & Main Title (Invaders From Mars)

131. Goblin – Profondo Rosso (Profondo Rosso)

132. Herschell Gordon Lewis – She-Devils On Wheels Radio Spot

133. Richard Band – Main Title (Re-Animator)

134. Scott Valdimir Licina – Boy, You'll Be Damned To Hell (Night of the living Dead)

135. Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave – Intro and Main Title (Phantasm)

136. Goblin – Suspiria (Celesta And Bells) (Suspiria)

137. Goblin – Suspiria (Suspiria)

138. Libra – Transfert I/Hypnos/Transfert II (Schock)

139. Tomandandy – Forbidden Zone (The Hills Have Eyes, 2006)

140. Stelvio Cipriani – Solitude (Nightmare City, Umberto Lenzi 1980)

141. Krzysztof Komeda feat. Mia Farrow – Main Title (Rosemary's Baby)

142. Francesco De Masi – Fay (The New York Ripper)

143. Bruno Nicolai – Seq. 3 (A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Jesús Franco 1973)

144. Michael Holm – Das Grosse Glück (Hexen bis auf das Blut gequält, 1970)

145. Jay Chattaway – Hookers Heartbeat (Maniac) 

146. Ennio Morricone – It Begins… (The Thing)

147. Charles Bernstein – Fountain Of Blood (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

148. Fabio Frizzi – Something Dead (Zombie Flesh Eaters)

149. Fabio Frizzi – Seqence 2 (Zombie Flesh Eaters)

150. Fabio Frizzi – Seqence 8 (Zombie Flesh Eaters)

151. Jay Chattaway – Cemetery Chase (Maniac)

152. Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab – Droge CX 9 (Vampyros Lesbos)

153. Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab – The Message (Vampyros Lesbos)

154. Nico Fidenco – Make Love on the Wing (Zombi Holocaust)

155. Pino Donaggio – Sue's Dream (Carrie)

156. The Go – Blue Eyes Woman (The Hills Have Eyes)

daddy dearests by karen g.

On Monday, Karen G. provided a list of memorable Moms of horror.  


Here's a list of devilishly diabolical Dads.

Who's your fave?


The Shining (1980)

Jack Nicholson brilliantly plays a father losing his grip on his family, reality and sanity.

Frailty (2002)

Bill Paxton plays the creepy father of two impressionable sons “with a calling from above” to rid the world of demons.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Some dad’s would do anything for endless fame and fortune, maybe even make a deal with the devil.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

James Whitworth plays “Jupiter” the father of a cannibalistic clan that hides in the hills to terrorize any humans who cross their path.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

James Brolin plays George Lutz, a loving father who slowly slips into madness while living in a “demonic” house.

The Stepfather (1987)

He doesn’t have to be your biological dad to be crazy!

Creepshow (1982)

Nathan Grantham was willing to crawl out of a grave to get his Father’s Day cake from his daughter!

Eraserhead (1977)

Maybe your child being a misshapen blob of mutant weirdness will lead to the best daddy hairstyle of all time?

-Karen G.

the fun about fear - a guest post by karen g.

Here’s to those prickly beads of sweat on your brow. That uncomfortable feeling of weightlessness in the pit of your stomach. A jolt in your seat as you grab whomever might be next to you. A wave of mild nausea and sometimes even a tiny yelp or muffled scream.

I’m talking about good old-fashioned scares in our favorite horror movies, and those moments of addictive discomfort that just keep us going back for more. Yes, The Exorcist and The Shining are definitely in the top 10, but here are a few others that deserve a mention.


The Evil Dead (1981)

While extremely campy and laughable at times, there were some pretty creepy scenes in this Sam Raimi classic!

Alien (1979)

I remember the sound effects in this movie and build-up to the actual monster being more terrifying that the monster itself (although Giger’s “alien” left us all in awe once revealed) Truly one of the best written “suspense sci-fi horrors” I’ve seen.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

I remember my older sister returning from the movies, pale-faced, after seeing this in 1984. I was too young at the time so my mother wouldn’t let me go to the movies to see it. I sat on the edge of my bed that night as my sister retold the tale of the burnt man with “knives for hands” who terrorized teenagers in their dreams. That night, with only the creepy trailers that were on TV at the time in my head, and the story my sister told me, I didn’t slept a wink. I lay there, trembling in my bed and praying that Freddy wouldn’t come for me.

Jaws (1975)

Romantic moonlight skinny-dipping in the ocean would never be the same again. The opening scene to one of my top 5 favorite movies changed the world for night-time swimmers and surfers forever.

Insidious (2010)

Honorable mention. The first movie in decades that made me squirm in my seat. So refreshing to watch a horror movie that had all the elements to make it an instant classic.

Event Horizon (1997)
The tale of the ship that went to hell and back took audiences by surprise at the sheer creepiness of what those black holes in space might really be about. This movie should get the “Endless Disturbing Visuals” award of the ‘90s.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

The actual news stories and newspaper clippings about the strange murders and occurrences in this house is what makes this movie even more intriguing and disturbing to watch. Laced with facts and now legends, the Amityville Horror stands out as one of the most notorious stories of an actual haunting that drove a family to leave their possessions and run for their lives.

Halloween (1978)

I still have moments where I’m afraid to look out of my window at night and see a white-masked maniac calmly standing outside looking up at me.

It (1990)

There’s a reason people don’t like clowns. A mini-series based on a novel by Stephen King had children crying at bath time for years! Even today, the thought of a sadistic clown living in the sewers in rather unsettling.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

If you’ve ever had the thought that you might look into your baby’s crib for the first time and recoil in horror, I’m sure you have this movie to thank.