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Review

Based loosely on the actual events of 1974, this remake of the 1979 movie is grittier, scarier and far more entertaining than its predecessor. A year after the horrifying murders of nearly the entire DeFeo family in their Amityville, New York residence, young and happily married George and Kathy Lutz find their dream home in that same house. Ignoring its gruesome history, they move in with their three children. To borrow from the original film, “houses don’t have memories,” this is the fatal philosophy that deludes the Lutzs until they can no longer deny the existence of evil in the house. Centering mainly on George’s unraveling, the story examines his deteriorating mental state, illustrated by frightening images of murder, torture and gore reminiscent of The Ring and The Grudge. The film engages and moves at an exciting clip, though at times a little too much suspension of disbelief is required. However, of the recent crop of horror films, this one is entertaining, offering quite a few scares without resorting to gratuitous violence.

 -- Elizabeth J. Smith