The ORIGINAL Amityville Horror is Coming to 4K UHD! (1 Viewer)

[Kaskade1309]

Vinegar Syndrome is taking pre-orders on it now; while I am a MASSIVE fan of the franchise in general -- especially the first three MGM-sanctioned films -- I still enjoy watching the discs in the Amityville Horror Collection DVD set, which look good (especially the first film because it was given a high-def remaster) and also include the awesome History Channel documentaries about the real story on a fourth bonus disc (the Scream Factory Blu-ray set didn't include this) so I'm a bit on the fence about it.

You gotta assume Vinegar Syndrome is gonna eventually put out a 4K box of the original trilogy titles, because they released that collection of the awful direct-to-video sequels in the Amityville saga (i.e. Amityville Dollhouse, Amityville 1992: It's About Time, Amityville: The Evil Escapes et al).

Not sure about the artwork for this, either; there is a limited run steelbook release that looks like this:

 

[darkrock17]

Shout/Scream Factory cover was the best in my opinion. The upside-down cross looks more to do with The Exorcist than Amityville.

 

[Konstantinos]

I have never bought anything from this label. Do they have quality releases?

 

[TravisR]

I have never bought anything from this label. Do they have quality releases?

Absolutely. They do quality releases of movies that would largely otherwise be unreleased and forgotten.

 

[DarkVader]

A upside down cross? How offensive. They really should re-think that.

 

[darkrock17]

A upside down cross? How offensive. They really should re-think that.

You'd have to really know the film very well to get those references on that cover. I don't remember any upside cross in the film. Sticking to the iconic eye windows is how to sell the film.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Shout/Scream Factory cover was the best in my opinion. The upside-down cross looks more to do with The Exorcist than Amityville.

View attachment 151820

Well, they're playing on that one sequence in the film where George and Kathy find the cross (before they attempt to bless the house on their own); I agree it's more Exorcist than Amityville.

I liked the Shout Factory art for that set, but I never picked it up because I was always satisfied with MGM's DVD set (save for the fact that they never remixed The Possession's soundtrack out of flat mono and didn't put any extras on the two sequels save for trailers).

 

[Kaskade1309]

You'd have to really know the film very well to get those references on that cover. I don't remember any upside cross in the film. Sticking to the iconic eye windows is how to sell the film.

As I indicated above, the upside down cross refers to a sequence when Brolin and Kidder are attempting to bless the house on their own (which really occurred with the Lutzes) and they find an upside down cross on the wall, indicating the evil presence was definitely with them.

I grew up in a town less than an hour from the real house on Long Island's south shore, and I have always been fascinated with the case/story, visiting the property countless times; as such, I'm very familiar with the details surrounding both the De Feo and Lutz experiences, so if you have any questions, let me know.

 

[Kaskade1309]

A upside down cross? How offensive. They really should re-think that.

 

[darkrock17]

Well, they're playing on that one sequence in the film where George and Kathy find the cross (before they attempt to bless the house on their own); I agree it's more Exorcist than Amityville.

I liked the Shout Factory art for that set, but I never picked it up because I was always satisfied with MGM's DVD set (save for the fact that they never remixed The Possession's soundtrack out of flat mono and didn't put any extras on the two sequels save for trailers).

It's been some time since I've seen the original so I must of forgotten that scene. I remember Rod Stiger as the priest blessing the house and then being attacked by the swarm of flies.

I put off buying Shout's boxset unfortunately as it was a bit pricey at the time and didn't really want to see the two sequels as well.

 

[Malcolm R]

I associate it more recently with The Conjuring 2 (they even used it on the disc cover), though it's been used in many demonic possession films.

 

[Kent K H]

I have never bought anything from this label. Do they have quality releases?

They're an exploitation/trash cinema buff's dream. They started out doing almost all lesser-known low-budget films, especially golden-age adult and horror, and they've mainly stuck with it, but as their reputation has grown, they've mixed in better-known cult fare like 4K releases of Thriller: A Cruel Picture and the infamous Miami Connection, along with occasional forays into more mainstream stuff like this, TCM2 (which is supposed to be released this fall), Beastmaster, Cloak & Dagger, Rad, etc. They've also started sub-labels like VSA specifically for direct-to-video flicks of the 80s and 90s, and VSP which is new or previously unreleased films like New York Ninja. Their rule has been that they only release stuff that's on film (hence why they put out Jack Frost, but not the "HDVideo"-shot Jack Frost 2, for example), though they've started partner labels that will put out SOV and newer digital films.

They also do scans and "restoration" work for many other boutique labels.

I remember when Red Letter Media was reviewing the blink-and-it's-gone DTV movie Aquaslash back in 2020 and Jay talking about how if it'd been filmed in the 80s, it would have been put out in a beautiful edition by VS and he's totally right.

 

[Kaskade1309]

It's been some time since I've seen the original so I must of forgotten that scene. I remember Rod Stiger as the priest blessing the house and then being attacked by the swarm of flies.

I put off buying Shout's boxset unfortunately as it was a bit pricey at the time and didn't really want to see the two sequels as well.

The first sequel is actually superior to Stuart Rosenberg's first film in the franchise, and remains a totally off-the-wall terrifying slice of 80s horror. Is it kind of a ripoff of The Exorcist, especially towards the end? Sure. But it boasts some of the craziest bladder special effects work you'll ever see this side of The Beast Within.

Amityville II: The Possession is supposed to -- very loosely, as it turned out -- tell the story of the De Feos, who owned the house before the Lutzes from The Amityville Horror moved in (so it's actually a prequel, before anyone really knew what a prequel was or exploited the concept like they do now), but it's based on a novel by the late parapsychologist Hans Holzer called Murder in Amityville which explores the possibility that Ronald De Feo Jr. was possessed by some kind of Native American demonic force on the property (and which ultimately drove him to murder his family) -- and thus the film takes the screenplay by Tommy Lee Wallace (director of Halloween III that same year) and runs amok with it, asking the question "what if De Feo WAS actually possessed by SOMETHING in the house?"

Some elements that often bother people who see this for the first time are the incest subplot between the teenage boy who gets "possessed" in the film (Jack Magner, who is supposed to be portraying Ronald De Feo Jr. in some form or another, yet they look nothing alike) and his sister, played by Diane Franklin (this was a nod to the rumors that the real life De Feo and his sister Dawn had some kind of sexual relationship, one that lead to the two of them murdering their parents and other siblings, but this has never been confirmed in any sense) and the "Sonny" character (Magner) listening to a Sony Walkman cassette player in one scene, yet this is supposed to be taking place in the 1970s.

The thing is, the film is not SUPPOSED to be set in the era the De Feos lived in the house, even though it's supposed to be THEIR story -- Damiano Damiani shot the film as if we're looking through a proverbial lens at events circa 1982. Weird, I know, but that's what it is...

But yeah, this is a creepy little horror flick from the early 80s that you should definitely see at least once. Diehard fans of the franchise, as I hinted at, often put Amityville II far ahead of the first entry in terms of favorite, and I have to agree.

 

[Kaskade1309]

I associate it more recently with The Conjuring 2 (they even used it on the disc cover), though it's been used in many demonic possession films.

Yes -- Conjuring 2 had it all over the Blu-ray cover art, and no one really called it "offensive" (I often say the second Conjuring film is the best, as well).

The imagery, traditionally, suggested a demonic entity or presence "mocking" the upright crucifix iconography; it was also the basis for Exorcist: The Beginning's art design:

 

[Kent K H]

Ironic, of course, for a lot Catholics who know that upside-down crosses are actually symbols of the faith.

Cross of Saint Peter - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kaskade1309]

Traditionally and culturally, they have symbolized a mockery of the Catholic faith, utilized by demons and their legions (I mean, if you believe in such stuff).

 

[bujaki]

St. Peter was martyred on an upside-down cross because he deemed himself unworthy of being slain on an upright cross as his master was. No demonic symbol there. That came later.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Not saying the St. Peter thing was connected to the demonic; was merely saying that traditionally, the symbolism has come to be likened, even in popular culture, with an anti-Christ sentiment (one exploited by Satan and his disciples).

 

[Mark B]

I seem to recall the upside down cross being a nightly thing in the book, or at least happening several times. I may be wrong. I haven't read it since I was 9 in 1978.

 

[Tino]

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