''The Amityville Haunting'' is a 2011

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

horror film released on December 13, 2011. The film is inspired by the 1977 book ''

The Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, b ...

''. The film was produced by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

and Taut Productions. The film is written and directed by Geoff Meed and stars Tyler Shamy, Devin Clark, and Jon Kondelik, all of whom are uncredited. The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

is "The family did not survive. But the recordings did." It claims to be based on "actual found footage that documents the horrifying experiences of a family that moved into the infamous haunted house." The film was panned by critics, and has been often cited as one of the worst horror films ever made.

Plot

In June 2008, the Benson family moves into 112 Ocean Avenue,

Amityville Amityville () is a village near the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 9,523 at the 2010 census. History Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 due ...

, due to issues with their teenage daughter, Lori. Despite the disturbing history of the house where

Ronald DeFeo Jr. Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (September 26, 1951 – March 12, 2021) was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters in Amityville, Long Island, New York. Conde ...

shot and killed six family members in 1974, the Bensons agree to purchase the house. Upon their decision, they find their realtor dead in their driveway. The following day, Tyler Benson witnesses one of the movers falling down the stairs, killing him instantly. The family continues to live in the house, despite the tension growing from the unexplainable events occurring. From doors opening to a mysterious phone appearing in the kitchen, paranormal phenomena continue to bother Tyler, while his parents refuse to believe anything is happening beyond their own explanation. Douglas Benson takes matters into his own hands when he decides to install CCTV cameras in the house. Young Melanie Benson attracts the family's attention when she starts talking to her "imaginary friend," John Matthew, which leads Douglas to wonder if Lori or Tyler told Melanie about the house's history. As the family grows more fearful of the unexplainable deaths of a close family friend and a neighbor boy attracted to Lori, Douglas breaks down, using religious paraphernalia to rid the house of any spirits that reside within the house. After one month within the house, Lori, Virginia, Douglas, and Tyler Benson all die in various manners. Melanie Benson is the only survivor, as she says that she has plans to stay in the house forever, along with John Matthew. The autopsy reports shown at the end of the film emphasize the fact that each victim was under extreme stress at the time of their death.

Cast

Reception

''The Amityville Haunting'' was panned by critics, and has been cited as one of the worst films made by The Asylum. A Horrornews.net writer called it "simply just a bad movie with no offering for viewers whatsoever", criticizing the over-used low-budget scare tricks and its false advertising as "Actual found footage". He also described Jason Williams' performance as Doug as "not believable for what it's trying to achieve and simply comes off as d*ck with an attitude", but said that "The military freak-out tops the icing by just making it all seem rather silly". Dread Central's Foywonder scored it a one out of five, concluding his review with "A part of me almost wonders if the only reason ''The Amityville Haunting'' even exists is because someone made a bet that they could dethrone '' Amityville 3D'' for the title of worst “Amityville” movie of all time. I don’t know if they succeeded here, but they sure give it a run for its money."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amityville Haunting, The 2011 direct-to-video films 2011 directorial debut films 2011 films 2011 horror films 2011 independent films 2010s exploitation films 2010s ghost films 2010s police films 2010s psychological horror films 2010s supernatural horror films American direct-to-video films American exploitation films American ghost films American haunted house films American independent films American police detective films American psychological horror films American sequel films American supernatural horror films Amityville Horror films Camcorder films Direct-to-video horror films Direct-to-video sequel films Films about dysfunctional families Films about imaginary friends Films about mass murder Films about post-traumatic stress disorder Films about security and surveillance Films set in 2008 Films set in Long Island Films shot in Los Angeles Found footage films Juvenile delinquency in fiction Mobile phone films Patricide in fiction Spontaneous human combustion in fiction The Asylum films Unofficial sequel films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films