First time director Andrew Douglas brings us the remake of the highly successful 70\'s genre film The Amityville Horror. We revisit George and Kathy Lutz this time played by Ryan Reynolds and ex pat Melissa George. Its 1975 and the Lutz family have finally discovered their dream home at the right price. The catch is, previous tenants The Defoe\'s were murdered in their beds by the eldest son Ronald. In spite of this tragedy its too good an offer to pass up. Inevitably it doesn\'t take long before things start going bump in the night. Their daughter Chelsea has found an imaginary friend, George starts hearing voices and Kathy quickly realizes that the house is not as it should be.
The retelling of this classic haunted house tale is surprisingly effective with convincing performances from Melissa, Ryan and the children. A couple of truly frightening moments, one involving Chloe Grace Moretz elevate what could have been a stock standard remake to a reasonable example of a horror film. If you are searching for a more factual re-working of this true story you will be disappointed. But for those in need of a thrill ride it will suffice.
