News

The upcoming episode of “Expedition Files,” titled “Mysterious Phenomena,” promises to be a thrilling journey into the unknown. Airing at 9:00 Pm on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, on Discovery, this episode features Josh Gates as he dives into some of history’s most captivating hoaxes and unexplained events. Viewers can expect a mix of intrigue and suspense as Gates examines the eerie tales that have puzzled people for years.

One of the highlights of this episode is the exploration of the infamous Amityville Horror. This chilling story has fascinated many, and Gates will uncover the truth behind the legends that surround this haunted house. The episode will also take a closer look at the mysterious fate of a military submarine crew, adding an element of real-life drama and suspense to the narrative.

Additionally, the episode will tackle the bizarre phenomenon where individuals reportedly self-combust due to their body fat. This strange occurrence...

After a month of Amityville texts, Jenn and I are ready to flee the iconic haunted house (just like the Lutzs did in the original 1979 film!).

It’s been a fascinating four weeks. After spending more than two years consuming Amityville titles in isolation, revisiting four of them with another person (or two since my Horror Queers co-host Trace stopped by for an episode) made for an interesting experiment.

In this week’s summary episode, we reflected on our month in Amityville. Here’s what we learned:

The Amityville Horror (1979) is not a great film, but it did – for better or worse – help to establish many of the conventions of the haunted house subgenre. It’s also surprisingly sexy considering everyone looks frazzled Amityville II: The Possession (1982) is a glorious mess. It’s basically two films for the price of one: the first half is a sleazy exploitation take on the DeFeos,...

For more than two years, Joe Lipsett has dissected Amityville Horror films to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

To say that I was going into Amityville VR with trepidation after the failure of its predecessor, Amityville AI, is something of an understatement. After all, the first film struggled to even understand its own title, so what fresh hell would a foray into VR entail?

Well, colour me surprised because while VR isn’t suddenly topping my “under seen and under appreciated” list of horror titles, it is a far more interesting and watchable film than AI.

Both films hail from director Matt Jaissle and follow software developer Stuart Birdsall (William Childress), but the sequel dramatically cuts down on the latter’s presence. In the world of the films, some time has passed since the events of AI; in the interim...

For the final film of Amityville month on Murder Made Fiction, Jenn and I are checking out Franck Khalfoun’s Amityville: The Awakening, the much maligned Dimension release that was shot in 2014 and eventually dumped on VOD in 2017.

The film, starring Bella Thorne and Cameron Monaghan as twin siblings who move into the Amityville house with their mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and younger sister (Mckenna Grace), occupies a strange place in the “franchise” canon.

Unlike most of the other texts, Amityville: The Awakening acknowledges the existence of the other films as films, specifically the 1979 original (listen), the 2005 remake (listen), and the incest-heavy prequel/sequel (listen). Admittedly Khalfoun’s script doesn’t go much further than that, descending into pretty basic/generic ‘Amityville haunting’ territory, but it’s an interesting wrinkle in what was clearly intended to be a theatrical re-launch for the “series.”

The other reason to explore this particular...

Andrew Douglas’s The Amityville Horror is one of the most profitable entries in the early aughts series of classic horror remakes. Premiering in 2005, it takes the bones of Stuart Rosenberg’s classic haunted house film and throws in plenty of additional violence and gore. Adding to the terror are claims that the story is based on real events.

One year after Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family, the Lutzes moved their three children into their house. Just 28 days after entering the home, they would flee, claiming a dangerous presence lurking inside the house was trying to tear their family apart. But do film adaptations honor this devastating true story? Should the Lutz’s claims be believed? And does any of this matter for audiences simply looking for grisly jump scares and a creepy haunted house?

In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s Murder Made Fiction Podcast, Joe...

For more than two years, Joe Lipsett has dissected Amityville Horror films to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Considering the pressing relevance of discussions around the use of AI in everything from writing emails to (often incorrect) Google searches to, yes, making films, an Amityville film on the subject actually makes sense. After all, these films are all about cashing-in on a high concept name, a buzzy/topical element, or both. Artificial Intelligence definitely fits the bill.

Of course, there’s theory… and then there’s execution.

The latter is where Amityville AI gets into trouble because the film is a mess from a technical perspective. This is another bare bones indie feature where a few folks do all of the heavy lifting, but director Matt Jaissle (who pulls triple duty as editor and cinematographer) can’t manage to deliver a compelling finished product.

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"It was a story that was definitely worth retelling. There are legions of fans out there that would love to see this story told." Those are the words of Ryan Reynolds speaking with RadioFree.com in 2005 about the "Amityville Horror" remake, which came about right as he was rocketing up Hollywood's A-list. "The first one, with all due respect to the people that were a part of it ... I just don't think it stood the test of time at all."

Whether or not one agrees with Reynolds' sentiment about 1979's "The Amityville Horror," which was inspired by an infamous true story, Hollywood was ready to sign on the dotted line based on this logic at the time. Not only was Reynolds a rising star,...

After a month of Australian true crime titles, Jenn and I are spending April exploring supernatural true crime with a variety of Amityville texts. See also: The Amityville IP

We kicked things off last week with the original 1979 film, The Amityville Horror (listen). Now we’re turning our attention to the more DeFeo-centric text, Amityville II: The Possession (1982). Directed by Damiano Damiani from a script by Tommy Lee Wallace, the sequel acts as a prequel that purports to tell the original murders that were briefly explored in the first film.

While the real life case of Ronald DeFeo Jr is much less supernatural, it does involve a family annihilation. On the morning of Nov 13, 1974, the 23 year old stunned residents of Amityville, NY with the revelation that six of his family members had been shot to death in their beds.

The Possession explores the events leading up to the murders, but...

After a month of Australian true crime titles, including Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek (listen), creature feature Black Water (listen), queer murders in Snowtown (listen) and, finally, abduction thriller Hounds of Love (listen), Jenn and I are turning our attention to supernatural true crime for April.

That means a return to my favourite (?) horror series, The Amityville Horror! See also: The Amityville IP

In 1979, Stuart Rosenberg‘s film adaptation of Jay Anson‘s 1977 book became a massive success, grossing $86M on a $4M budget. Starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathy Lutz, the film details the ordeal of a family that moves into 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island, New York in 1975 and escapes 28 days later with nothing but the clothes on their back.

The Lutz family claimed that the house was haunted, and recounted a number of terrifying supernatural events, including windows and doors flying open on their own,...

Stars: Amber Doig-Thorne, Laurence R. Harvey, Dani Thompson, Ayvianna Snow, Simon Bamford, David Gelmini, Charlie Bond, Annabella Rich, Rami Hilmi, Sarah Rorbach, James Hamer-Morton | Directed by Angie Darling Baby, Alexander Churchyard, Paul Doherty, Andrew Elias, Bazz Hancher, Jason Impey, Debbie Lant, Tony Mardon, Hannah Paterson, Richard Rowntree, James Saxon, Teddy Saxon

As a fan of the first entry into this now-turned franchise, I was eager to finally get the chance to see the sequel, Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust & Revenge. Like the first film, this second entry into the series promised a return to the nostalgic charm of retro VHS horror – delivering both scores and laughs, just like the first film, and it certainly delivered on both front.

The film comprises multiple segments, each offering a unique blend of terror and dark humour. Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust & Revenge opens with a trailer for “The Beast...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Released in Oct 2024, Amityville: Where The Echo Lives was the last Amityville film released last year. Written by Simona Curkoska and Carlos Ayala (who also directs), the film shares a number of the defining qualifiers of the Amityville ‘series.’

Cash-in Title: Like so many of the films that have adopted the moniker Amityville, this is a film with absolutely zero connection to the other films or even Amityville, NY itself. After it was acquired by Lionsgate, the title was changed from The Girl from the Other Side, which is a significantly more appropriate title. Lackadaisical Editing: What is your tolerance for scenes that drag on without purpose? Sure, this is no Amityville Backpack where the editor seemingly went for lunch and never told anyone,...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

The second to last Amityville film released in 2024 was Amityville Backpack, an extremely low budget effort written, edited, and directed by Evan Jacobs. The film is exactly what you’d expect from the title (or the ~57th entry in a long-running franchise): it’s about a murderous, sentinel backpack that hails from Amityville.

The film follows lowly office worker Luther Boots (Mike Hartsfield), a perennially late and often forgettable man who doesn’t have a lot going on in life. He has a cat named Poopsie, a single bed in a dilapidated apartment and not much else.

His unreliability frequently lands him in hot water with his irate boss Mr. Bags. Meanwhile, Luther’s crush, Delilah Fontaine (Lindy Hartsfield)…tolerates him,...

In the new Steven Soderbergh thriller Presence, Julia Fox is a real estate lawyer who sells a home in the suburbs to a family haunted by a ghost, or a "presence."

It turns out the Uncut Gems actress and model knows a little something about the subject matter. She was on Late Night with Seth Meyers promoting the film and shared that she lives with a ghost in her home.

"I actually have a ghost that lives in my house right now. I feel like I talk about her a lot, and I feel so bad. I am, like, putting her on blast. Like, I do not know if she wants me to talk about her! Her name is Beauty, and she came with the house; she did not follow me there," she said.

Fox and her four-year-old son, Valentino, had just moved into the house when she noticed a...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

For the first entry in what will be the final year of this editorial series, The Amityville IP is going seasonal with the Thanksgiving themed Amityville Turkey Day, the sequel to Amityville Thanksgiving.

The new film is once again co-directed by Will Collazo Jr. and Julie Anne Prescott, both of whom co-write the screenplay with David Rodriguez. Despite three credited co-writers, however, the diegetic references to the lack of a script and ad-libbed dialogue could easily be seen as a meta reference to the film itself. After all, both Amityville Turkey Day‘s narrative and characters are so poorly sketched that for most of its runtime the majority of what happens and why verges on incomprehensible.

The plot, as it were, picks...

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different horror movies out there with the word "Amityville" in the title? Of course, they're all a callback to the original 1979 film, The Amityville Horror, which itself was based on the Jay Anson book of the same name. Though the accuracy of the supposedly true story has often been questioned, the original film has been considered a horror classic, one that continues to inspire new generations of filmmakers. With over 40 different installments in the greater Amityville franchise, why is it that there are so many of these? Well, the answer may surprise you.

Welcome back to Dead Time. I hope you left a light on for me because this month I talked with the man who has earned the nickname the Godfather of the Paranormal. John Zaffis is a paranormal investigator, researcher, and author, and his aunt and uncle were Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens were well-known paranormal investigators who investigated famous cases like the Perron Family, the true story behind the film The Conjuring, the Amityville case, and the Enfield Haunting.

John Zaffis began accompanying the Warrens on cases when he was young and has studied and investigated the paranormal for over fifty years. Under the Warrens guidance, he was particularly interested in studying demonology and has worked on numerous cases of possession and exorcism with prominent exorcists. In 2004, Zaffis opened the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal, where he displays hundreds of haunted and possessed items he has collected over the years,...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Eric Roberts appears early on in Shawn C. Phillips’ Amityville Bigfoot. He turns up at the derelict cabin that is purportedly a laboratory for Amityville Chemical and proceeds to dress everyone down for allowing Bigfoot to escape.

It’s not a great role and Roberts is very clearly playing Eric Roberts, but the over the top charisma (and chicklet teeth) of the slumming C-lister is enough to temporarily lift the latest Amityville film out of its doldrums and become something briefly interesting. Not necessarily something watchable, but at least a film that isn’t horrendously boring.

The same cannot be said for the non-Eric Roberts scenes. Phillips, a prolific Amityville contributor, takes a threadbare premise and, along with co-writer Julie Anne Prescott,...

Stars: Noyes J. Lawton, Ken Van Sant, Titus Himmelberger, Jeff Kirkendall, Natalie Himmelberge, Mark Polonia | Written by Mark Polonia, Aaron Drake | Directed by Mark Polonia

Director Mark Polonia and co-writer Aaron Drake, the guys who gave us Amityville in Space, are back and taking everyone’s favourite franchise to a new frontier in the western horror hybrid Once Upon a Time in Amityville. It’s 1846 and Mathias Black is putting some distance between himself and the bank he robbed. And he was doing a good job of it until something kills his horse and chases him to the nearest town, a place called Amityville.

That creature isn’t the only thing on Mathias’ trail, however. There’s a pair of bounty hunters, Carson Weaver and Miles Oakley on his trail. And that brings them to Amityville, where despite the sign saying there’s a population of thirty-seven, they can barely find a handful of inhabitants.

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

After a brief detour to cover off Geno McGahee’s Amityville: The Final Chapter aka Sickle, we’re back in 2023 with writer/director Bobby Canipe Jr’s Amityville Ripper. Based on the title and the premise, you’d be forgiven for misconstruing this as a tired attempt to force a slasher narrative in an Amityville film, which would be (partially) accurate if it weren’t for the film’s extremely meta approach.

For the first act or so, Canipe Jr’s film plays like a somewhat poorly executed indie film. The characterizations are weak, the premise is paper thin and it feels like subplots are going nowhere. Then, around the 25 minute mark, two characters break the fourth wall to confirm the name...

The Amityville Horror is an essential piece of American folklore whose famous claim of being "based on a true story" fascinates audiences everywhere. The 1979 film depicted the real-life Lutz family's supernatural ordeal in the notorious De Feo murder house, and Amityville II: The Possession suggested that the De Feo killings were caused by demonic forces. Today, the franchise includes more than 30 films, but few fans realize that Amityville 3-D is based on the real person who fought to expose a hoax.

The Amityville Horror created a cottage industry of media and merchandise, and it kickstarted the careers of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, now famous through the Conjuring franchise. A few individuals have cried fraud over the years, and the recent AMC docuseries Amityville: An Original Story catalogs some of the controversies. However, even that show misses out on the truth-seeking parapsychologist Stephen Kaplan, whose story is told in a...

What could make a horror movie even more terrifying than it already is? Imagine if the horrors on screen suddenly became real. That is exactly what happened during filming of the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror. As the cast and crew worked to recreate the 1979 horror story, life imitated art in the most chilling ways possible.The Amityville Horror is a modern retelling of the original horror flick, with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George stepping into the roles of George and Kathy Lutz. After purchasing a home at a surprisingly low price, the Lutz family discovers that the former occupant, Ronald DeFeo, murdered his whole family after allegedly being possessed by the devil. At first they brush it off, convinced that there is nothing about the house that can harm them, and get to work making it their dream home. However, when George begins exhibiting violent behavior similar to that of DeFeo,...

Warning: This article contains Spoilers for The Simpsons season 36, episode 5, Treehouse of Horror Xxxv

While The Simpsons season 36s Treehouse of Horror Halloween special wasnt perfect, the outings best segment did make an ingenious decision by returning to a classic source of inspiration. The Simpsons annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials have been around for almost as long as the show itself. The first, season 2, episode 3, Treehouse of Horror, aired in 1990 and The Simpsons has provided one of these horror anthology parodies per year ever since. Some, like "Treehouse of Horror Xv, or Treehouse of Horror X, mark the beginning and end of eras in the shows storied history.

Related The Simpsons Season 36 Finally Explains A Decades-Old Homer Mystery

The Simpsons season 36 episode 4 finally offers an answer to one mystery that has surrounded Homer since the iconic series began over 35 years ago.

Others are a mixed bag of forgettable spoofs,...

Although Chloë Grace Moretz’s recent on-screen appearances have been less frequent than they were 5-10 years ago, she remains a beloved actress with a devoted fanbase. We’re always eager to report on her latest news, as she continues to be an influential figure in the industry.

Moretz recently voiced the lead role in the hit animated film Nimona and has an impressive list of past projects, including Kick-Ass, The Amityville Horror, Hugo, The Addams Family, and (500) Days of Summer. In 2016, she took a step back to carefully reassess her career, a bold move that only deepened her fans’ admiration for her authenticity.

Now, her latest social media post has garnered even more support, as she officially came out as a lesbian. Fans are applauding the courage and openness of her heartfelt message.

As mentioned, Chloë Grace Moretz has been less visible in the mainstream spotlight since 2016, but she...

And while her recent outings on the screen have been scarcer than, say, 5-10 years ago, former child star and now beloved actress Chloë Grace Moretz is still an important name in the industry and her fanbase is certainly a large one. Which is why we are reporting on her whenever we can.

The actress recently starred in the successful animated film Nimona, after having numerous successful outings in projects such as (500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass, The Amityville Horror, Hugo, and The Addams Family. In 2016, she decided to reassess her career choices, and we can only praise her for her boldness in doing so. It seems that she has gotten a lot of new fans because of her authenticity!

A recent social media post might, in fact, gain her even more sympathy with the fans, as the actress officially confirmed that she is a lesbian, and we can only praise...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

In an unforeseen turn of events, neither of Will Colazzo Jr’s two Amityville films – Shark House or Apocalypse -are available to screen. As a result, we’re jumping ahead to The Last Amityville Movie (2023), which is a meta found footage entry from YouTuber Josh Spiegel.

Spiegel writes, directs and stars in the film, which bears a surprising resemblance to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. In fact both films engage with the idea of creators exorcising their demons by making fictional movies about horrific real life events.

At the start of the film, Spiegel is a horror YouTuber, filming movie reactions and holding regular Zoom hang-outs with his online followers. They encourage his obsessive interest in Amityville films and, when he’s...

If you have clicked on this article to learn what Amityville: Where The Echo Lives has to do with the horrifying incident that occurred at the iconic 112 Ocean Avenue house, (spoiler alert) I am here to tell you that the use of “Amityville” in the title is nothing short of of clickbaiting. The movie, made by Carlos Ayala, was initially titled The Girl from the Other Side. Since I’ve seen the film’s trailer on the YouTube channel of Lionsgate Movies, I am guessing that they acquired the film, slapped “Amityville” onto the title (because Amityville is a word that is in the public domain which grabs eyeballs), and sold it to us. Congratulations, you have been duped. That said, if you do want to learn about what actually happens in the film when it isn’t padding the runtime by showing its protagonist going about her day doing her chores or procrastinating,...

Following the success of recent hits such as Immaculate, Longlegs, and Cuckoo, Neon looks to be continuing its winning streak in 2025 thanks to the new trailer for Presence, the latest film from acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. And this one promises to deliver a haunted house story like no other. Starring Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, and Callina Liang, the movie was penned by noted screenwriter David Koepp, and is slated for release on Jan. 17, 2025.

The new trailer (seen below) showcases what will undoubtedly be one of the most unique takes ever on the haunted house sub-genre of horror, asking "Whats it like to have someone die?" Featuring a plethora of atmospheric imagery, chilling sound design, and a number of critical reviews touting how original Soderberghs latest flick is, the trailer for Presence is just as different as the movie appears to be.

Related Steven Soderbergh's 10 Best Movies, Ranked by...

With Halloween right around the corner in just a few days, we have reached the final new release roundup for one of the craziest Octobers of all time. And the spooky fun isn’t over yet…

Here’s all the new horror releasing from October 28 – November 3, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Lionsgate heads back to Amityville with Amityville: Where the Echo Lives, a brand new indie horror movie that will debut On Demand and Digital beginning on Tuesday, October 29.

Carlos Ayala directed Amityville: Where the Echo Lives, which doesn’t look to actually be set at the infamous Amityville Horror house. Instead, it looks to be another in-name only installment in the saga, which has become one of the strangest “franchises” of all time.

In the film, “When Heather West, a paranormal investigator, receives a call from a terrified woman who claims her...

The most famous haunted house in America is a large Dutch Colonial family home that became a bestseller, super-successful horror movie and a franchise that has spawned over 60 movies (and counting). And it’s all based… on a con. Together with horror critic Jenn Addams, Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobile Jr. and Bloody Disgusting critic Joe Lipsett, who is possibly the only person in the world to have watched all Amityville films, guest host Anna tracks how one haunted house movie became a modern folk story.Season six of the Mubi Podcast, titled “Haunted Homes,” considers how movies about haunted houses let us explore—and often parallel—our relationships with our homes. Each episode visits a horror movie that changed the way we imagine a haunted house, from the crumbling Gothic mansions to white picket fences, what it says about the people who live in the houses and what scares them the most.

Ed and Lorrain Warren movies are based on the paranormal investigators' demon-hunting adventures and are the focus of The Conjuring franchise. Released in 2013, The Conjuring was a huge hit that spawned a lucrative franchise and numerous successful spinoffs. The film followed the characters of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a portrayal of the real-life married couple who claimed to have intervened in numerous hauntings and exorcisms throughout their decades together. With The Conjuring: Last Rites on the way there's no better time to look back at all the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies of which there have been dozens.

The third film in the Conjuring franchise, the less scary Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, looked at the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who claimed demonic possession led him to murder. While the mega-successful Conjuring franchise may be the most lucrative iteration of the Ed and Lorraine Warren movies,...

With its body horror “The Substance” performing well at the box office, a rerelease of Tarsem Singh’s “The Fall” currently underway, and a successful streaming channel offering artful cinema from around the world, you’d think the fine folks at Mubi might slow down and smell the roses, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Returning for its seventh season, Mubi is announcing a new installment of its award-winning audio-documentary series, “Mubi Podcast.” This new batch of episodes is inspired by film critic Tim Robey’s soon-to-be-published book, “Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops.”

Highlighting films such as “Sylvia Scarlett” (1935), “Sorcerer” (1977), and “Speed Racer” (2008), Robey’s book uncovers the history behind some of the entertainment industry’s biggest flops, contrasting their initial failure with the eventual acclaim they’d garner over time. Over six episodes, “Mubi Podcast” host Rico Gagliano will use this material as a guide,...

Despite rarely gaining accolades and praise from contemporary and mainstream film critics, Lucio Fulci is a name that needs little introduction among horror fans and aficionados of cult European cinema. Known for creating images of excessive violence that earned him the nickname the "godfather of gore," Lucio Fulci spent much of his career pushing the envelope and, in many cases, tearing it completely to shreds.

Among the best-known contributions from the director is his Gates of Hell trilogy, consisting of The Beyond, City of the Living Dead, and The House by the Cemetery. All three took place in the United States and explored some of the horror traditions associated with their accompanying areas. Set in New Orleans, The Beyond embraces the Southern gothic horror tradition, and the City of the Living Dead contains a subtle nod to H.P. Lovecraft, with the film taking place in the town of Dunwich.

The House by the Cemetery,...

Quick Links The Amityville Horror True Story and Franchise The Curses of the Original Amityville Horror and Remake The Amityville Horror Curse Follows a Trend

Everyone loves a good horror movie, right? They're a perfect watch during this time of year, and we know all the scary stuff isn't real. But what happens when it might be? Throughout the years, multiple reports of real, unexplainable phenomena have happened on the set of horror movies. Sure, most of these occurrences likely have a natural explanation. But some can be more difficult to explain away.

The Omen, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and The Conjuring are just a few iconic titles that reportedly suffered from these so-called paranormal incidents. But one franchise was unlucky enough to seemingly have both its original and remake movie cursed. While the original 1979 The Amityville Horror had a few creepy incidents, the 2005 Ryan Reynolds-led remake turned it up a few notches.

The sixth season of the Mubi Podcast, titled “Haunted Homes,” considers how movies about haunted houses let us explore—and often parallel—our relationships with our homes.This five-part series is guest-hosted and written by author, film programmer, podcaster, and horror expert Anna Bogutskaya. Below she introduces this special, haunted season.To listen to the show and subscribe on your preferred podcast app, click here.In 1950, science-fiction author Ray Bradbury wrote: “Nothing ever likes to die—even a room.” Seventy-four years later, I read those words and think of how a house can become haunted. In Bradbury’s story “The Veld,”two parents try to unplug a room that is capable of manifesting into reality whatever their two raucous (read: sociopathic) children imagine. It happens to be lions. The back-and-forth between them about what to do with the room—which is and isn’t a character, because it is implied...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.

Asked to name an Amityville remake, the natural response is the “all abs, all the time” Ryan Reynolds 2005 remake. What folks may not know is that there is *technically* another option: director Éric Tessier’s Tubi original, The Amityville Curse (2023) which is a Canadian remake of another Canadian Amityville film of the same name from 1990.

You can revisit my editorial on the Og film from <gulp> two years ago, but the premise of both films is nearly identical. Each follows a group of College students who purchase a house for dirt cheap under the pretense of fixing it up. At the time, I wasn’t super enthusiastic about Tom Berry’s 1990 cash grab sequel, if only because it was one of the first...

Stars: Chris O’Brocki, Justin P. Martin, Rosaria Eraso, Hunter Redfern, Angel Nichole Bradford, Tim Hale, Morrigan Thompson, Gary Lee Vincent, Jessa Flux | Written by Todd Martin, Gary Lee Vincent | Directed by Brad Twigg

The list of animals on a drug-fuelled killing spree gets a new addition as Cocaine Bear, Cocaine Werewolf, Attack of the Meth Gator, and all the others get joined by Crackcoon. Not to be confused with Krackoon and its sequel, which pitted a murderous trash running loose in The Bronx, this film takes place in a rural community with a drug problem that’s about to turn into something much more dangerous.

When a couple of crack addicts buy a new designer drug, Acid Mind Drainage, from Denny it’s the start of a bloody killing spree as it turns anyone who uses it into a homicidal maniac. Things, however, are about to get a lot worse.

Created by Joko Anwar, the Netflix’s anthology series, Nightmares and Daydreams, is made of seven seemingly disconnected episodes. But with each passing story, it becomes clear that all of them are connected via the shenanigans emerging from the mythological realm of Agartha. As the legend goes, Agartha is a kingdom that exists somewhere between Earth’s surface and hell, I guess. I’m sure you are familiar with the concept of the hollow Earth theory that has been popularized by MonsterVerse. So, think of it that way. Agartha is a world between worlds and is apparently home to demi-gods, also known as “asuras.” This connecting thread doesn’t become all that apparent until the seventh and last episode. But since there are subtle and not-so-subtle hints to the existence of Agartha, and how its inhabitants influence the surface dwellers, bear with me as I go episode by episode to...

When Ryan Reynolds was hired to play Deadpool, it was perfect casting. Not 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine so much, as with Deadpool unable to speak, the Ryan Reynolds we all know and love was censored. But then came the 2016 Deadpool, which was a major hit because Ryan Reynolds was allowed to be Ryan Reynolds. Most of his characters walk a similar beat (which is not a bad thing), with his comedic timing and mannerisms turning whatever he does into gold. However, in 2005, the comic actor tried something new when he was cast as the lead in 2005's The Amityville Horror. If you've seen the original, you know there's nothing funny about the story of a family moving into a supposedly haunted home where a mass murder once occurred. Arguably, that's what makes Reynolds so terrifying, as him playing a man slowly losing his mind to possession is the last thing...

Slashers spiked in popularity before 2000 but are still enjoyed today, blending genres with light moments and horror themes. Remakes of popular 80s and 90s slashers were prevalent in the 2000s, some improving on the originals while others fell short. Examples like 'Sorority Row' and 'House of Wax' demonstrate how some remakes capture the spirit of the original while adding new elements.

Slashers are a special subgenre of horror that became incredibly popular in the 80s and 90s, causing a lot of remakes to pop up in the 2000s. Slashers tend to focus on a group of people who are stalked and typically killed one by one by a killer, usually in a mask and almost always with a knife or other blade that provides the "slasher" name. These movies often blend genres and have lighter moments, or mystery themes alongside the horror.

While these movies spiked...

On November 13, 1974, at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, New York, a young man named Ronald DeFeo woke up in the middle of the night, took up a shotgun, and went from room to room in his home, systematically murdering six members of his family. DeFeo was apprehended by the police. At first, DeFeo claimed the murders were mob-related, but he later confessed to committing the crimes himself. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for his crimes. DeFeo died in prison in 2021. 

DeFeo's murders became notorious with the publication of Jay Anson's nonfiction book "The Amityville Horror" in 1977. After the killings, the Lutz family moved into 112 Ocean Ave., and they claimed to experience a panoply of paranormal phenomena. Flies mobbed the building, and the entire Lutz family reported hearing eerie voices. George Lutz, the family patriarch, claimed to be possessed by a demonic presence that was driving him to kill his family.

Almost exactly one year ago, it was announced that Emma Roberts (Abandoned) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) had signed on to star in the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut, which would mark the solo feature writing and directing debut of Jess Varley, who previously contributed a segment to the anthology film Phobias. The Astronaut has since made it way through production, but not with Roberts in the lead. Roberts had to drop out of the project and was replaced by Kate Mara (Class of ’09). Now a first look image that shows Mara as the title character has made its way online, and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.

The screenplay Varley wrote has the following synopsis: When astronaut Sam Walker (Mara) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General...

Horror movies often rely on the clichés and tropes that have become synonymous with the genre, especially when it comes to slashers. Famously, Scream's Randy delivered a series of rules for surviving a horror movie. As a keen film buff and slasher fan, Randy learned how to avoid becoming a victim of a masked killer.

The rules for surviving a slasher may seem strict, but they are key to a character's survival. There's nothing more annoying for horror movie fans than watching a character make a series of foolish decisions that lead to their untimely deaths. Though no rule is entirely foolproof, listening to a few of them might help a character survive.

Updated by Robert Vaux February 8, 2024: With the release of movies like Talk To Me, The Nun II, and Insidious: The Red Door, fans of the horror genre have plenty of cinema to dig into. Watching...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

One year after the release of Amityville Scarecrow, we get the sequel Amityville Scarecrow 2 (2022). Unlike other sequels in the “franchise,” however, this second entry boasts an entirely new creative team. Stepping in as director is Adam Cowie, while Craig McLearie takes over writing duties.

Amityville Scarecrow 2 picks up two years after the events of the first film. Adult sisters Tina (Amanda-Jade Tyler) and Mary (Kate Sandison) are no longer estranged, and they’re still aiming to re-open the cursed family campground, though they’re rapidly running out of money.

Mary’s daughter Harriet (Sofia Lacey) is also still around, though she confides in boyfriend Dylan (Dan Robins) that she’s ready to move on. She just can’t find the words to tell her mother.

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

With Amityville Uprising, Thomas J. Churchill joins illustrious company as the only director of three Amityville films.

After kicking off his run with Amityville Harvest (2020) which focused on a film crew interviewing a vampire, Churchill’s second entry was 2001’s “werewolf in a women’s half-way house” title Amityville Moon. Now he’s back for his third film in the “series,” a self-referential zombie outing.

What makes the new film intriguing is less the details of the plot – which include a chemical explosion at a military base with unleashes red acid rain on Amityville and reanimates the dead – but how the film acts as the last part of an unofficial Amityville trilogy.

The same issues that plagued Churchill’s previous entries pop up here: too many characters,...

A year ago, “M3GAN,” one of the snazziest films ever produced by Blumhouse Productions, was the exception to the rule of first-weekend-of-January trash thrillers. The movie was witty and shivery in a preposterous way, its robot-killer-doll scenario actually had a thing or two to say about AI, and it gave us the year’s most memorable android-girl dance meme — at least, until Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams danced with her hands to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary.” But now, opening in the same junkyard weekend slot, we have another Blumhouse production, “Night Swim,” which restores a certain order to the cinematic universe by being as tepid and unscary as a proper early-in-January movie should be.

“Night Swim” is about a family that moves into a house with a swimming pool that’s haunted, and everything about the spirits that rule this pool — the ghost backstory, the greenish-brown sludge that oozes up from the drain,...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

For the first time in thirty texts, an Amityville film has adopted an anthology format. Amityville Vampire (2021), written by Carlos Perez and Tim Vigil (who also directs) divides its 90-minute narrative into three chunks to tell two stories, a wrap-around, and a few stingers. The film isn’t wholly successful due to a variety of issues, but the multiplicity of shorter narratives circumvents the typical “padded” feel of some of the “franchise”s Dtv entries.

Former DJ and (somewhat?) reformed ladies’ man Johnny The Gent (Anthony DeArce) plans to propose to his girlfriend Fran (Miranda Melhado). He takes her on what she anticipates will be a romantic camping trip and, on the car ride, tells her two separate stories about the area...

The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering The Amityville Horror (2005) was Written and Narrated by Adam Walton, Edited by Victoria Verduzco, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

This may be stating the obvious, but we love horror here at JoBlo towers, and it’s great to see that the genre is currently thriving, with not just the obligatory franchise stalwarts that rely upon jump scares doing well but also new and original movies such as Talk to Me and Ti Wests’ X follow-up Pearl. However, there’s also a trend that won’t go away, and will never go away, of course, for better or worse. Yeah, you know what we’re talking about gore-hounds, the remake. At the time of writing this episode the world is just about to bear witness to the return of a supernatural phenomenon from...

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Amityville Cult begins with a solid hook: a young man is stabbed to death on a beach by a robed figure.

Following a time/location jump, writer/director Trey Murphy introduces the film’s protagonist Stanley DeFeo (Chance Gibbs). The name DeFeo is obviously a strong connection to the overall mythology of the original Amityville films, though aside from the name drop and the home that Stan inherits from his deceased grandmother in Amityville (not Long Island), Cult doesn’t have a ton in common to the other films in the “franchise.”

That’s not the film’s biggest issue, though. Like The Amityville Exorcism or Amityville: Mt. Misery Road, there simply isn’t enough plot here to justify a feature length runtime.

Stars: Luke Mayronne, Jo-Ann Robinson, Christopher Wesley Moore, David Moncrief, Keni Bounds, Ana-Claire Henley, Meredith Mohler, Derek Robert Hull Bond | Written and Directed by Christopher Wesley Moore

When the Trash Man Knocks is a bit of a rarity. While there are the occasional films like Derelicts and Amityville Thanksgiving, there really aren’t that many films set on the busiest time for travel and family gatherings in the US. Writer/director/star Christopher Wesley Moore hopes to use it to leave his mark on the holiday horror calendar with a mix of psychological horror and bloody slasher stylings.

In 1993 young Crispin Callaway (Luke Mayronne; Triggered) hacked up his father and the student he was having an affair with and stuffed their remains into trash bags. Ten years later, just before he was transferred to a maximum security facility, he escaped. He left a dozen dead bodies in his wake and then seemingly vanished.

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

We’ve reached the last of the studio Amityville films with writer/director Franck Khalfoun’s Amityville: The Awakening (2017). It’s taken this editorial series a while to reach this milestone because we’re going through the Amityville films chronologically, though anyone familiar with the troubled production history of the film could feasibly argue this should have been covered back among the 2014 films (when the film was originally filmed) or 2016 (when reshoots were done and the film was originally scheduled for release).

In addition to those 2016 reshoots – the results of poor audience scores – the film was derailed due to its ties to the Weinstein/#MeToo movement. It was eventually dumped onto Google Play for free in late 2017.

Putting aside the scheduling challenges,...