I sat down in 2022 to watch the classic 1979 horror movie "The Amityville Horror", for what I believe is perhaps the third time I've watched it now. Funny, how I remember this movie as being a rather scary and disturbing movie when I watched it during my childhood in the early 1980s.
And having just sat through director Stuart Rosenberg's 1979 movie now, I have to say that my memories of the movie were a bit more vivid that what the movie actually turned out to be. Sure, "The Amityville Horror" is a watchable horror movie, but it is actually a bit on the tame side, as nothing much really happens throughout the course of the nearly 2 hours the movie ran for. Don't get me wrong, because "The Amityville Horror" is not a boring movie, but it is a somewhat uneventful movie.
There is a good atmosphere in the movie, so thumbs up to director Stuart Rosenberg for that accomplishment.
The acting performances in the movie are good, and lead actor James Brolin and lead actress Margot Kidder definitely carried the movie quite well with their performances on the screen.
Ultimately, then "The Amityville Horror" is a bit too mundane for my particular preference, especially since I recalled it as being a far more scary movie back from my childhood. But hey, I guess a lifetime of watching horror movies might have seasoned me up a bit.
Watchable enough for what it is, an atmospheric pseudo-thriller, "The Amityville Horror" lands on a six out of ten stars rating from me.
