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Everyone loves a goodhorrormovie, 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 theset 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,andThe Conjuringare 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 1979The Amityville Horrorhad a few creepy incidents, the 2005Ryan Reynolds-led remake turned it up a few notches.Dead bodies, unexplained presences, and mysterious middle-of-the-night awakeningsall plagued the set of this movie. But are these just strange coincidences, or was something unseen at work? And why do we typically only hear about these haunting events plaguing terror flicks? Let’s look at what went down on the set of 2005’sThe Amityville Horrorremake and if the unsettling true subject matter may have had an influence.
The Amityville Horror True Story and Franchise
The Amityville Horror
Both the 1979 original and 2005 remake are both based onthe true storyof Ronald DeFeo Jr. On July 08, 2025, DeFeo murdered his parents and four siblings at their home in Amityville, New York. DeFeo attempted to plead insanity but was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. A year after the killings, the family of George and Kathy Lutz moved into the DeFeos' former home. After just one month of living there, the Lutzes moved out, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal forces.
This account inspired the original 1977 bookThe Amityville Horrorby author Jay Anson. The book was accused of embellishing several elements of the story, with the original movie also heightening the supernatural claims. But it was a success, as that first moviespawned eight sequelsand the 2005 remake. To further cash in on the name, an additional series of 25 low-budget straight-to-video adaptations debuted beginning in 2011. No one can say this franchise isn’t trying everything, with recent entries titledAmityville Karen, Amityville Bigfoot,Amityville Shark House,andAmityville in Space,among many others.
The Curses of the Original Amityville Horror and Remake
WhileThe Amityville Horror’s supposed curse isn’t as well-known as others, there were still plenty of unexplainable events on set.The 1979 original was rather tame compared to what would come later. In one instance, star James Brolin read Anson’sAmityville Horrorbook while first circling a potential role in the film. He was convinced to go for the part when a pair of pants hanging on his door fell to the ground as he read a particularly scary section of the book. Paranormal? Yeah, probably not. But the event both startled and intrigued Brolin enough to make him commit to the role on the spot.
Every Canon Amityville Horror Movie In Chronological Order
There have been over 30 Amityville films, but not all of them are canon. Here is every canon entry in chronological order.
While the “paranormal” elements of the Amityville case have long been up for debate, some verifiable creepy stuff took place on the set of the remake. StarRyan Reynolds claimed that he and other members of the production would wake up on many nights at precisely 3:15 a.m. Doesn’t seem too strange, until you learn that Ronald DeFeo committed his 1974 murders in the Amityville house at that exact time. Hmm…The real-life Kathy Lutz was also heavily involved with the remake’s production. However, she tragically passed away during the first week of filming. That wasn’t the only casualty, though. While filming at a boathouse,police uncovered a dead body floating in the lake. The corpse wasn’t connected to the movie, and Reynolds briefly spoke about the incident in an interview withRadio Free Entertainment.
“Yes, that was something that was awful that happened. I know nothing about it, and we certainly didn’t treat the situation cavalierly. But this was a densely populated lake area as well. I mean, it wasn’t like a secluded pond, and this mafia member floated up or something. A legitimate accident, I think.”
Reynolds' co-star Melissa George, as well as several cast and crew members, reported a sense of unease on set.Lights would turn on and off by themselves, and some would claim to feel a presence when no one was there. Reynolds mostly downplayed the weird happenings, stating that nothing overtly supernatural occurred.
The Amityville Horror Curse Follows a Trend
So, wasThe Amityville Horrorremake cursed? Sure,some of these coincidences were a little strange, but they can mostly be explained away. The dead body in the lake wasn’t connected to the production, and Kathy Lutz’s death was just an unfortunate accident. The waking up at 3:15 a.m., though… okay, maybe there’s something to that one.
Epix’s Amityville Horror Documentary to Detail the True Story That Inspired the Films
Epix is set to air a documentary about the real life house that inspired the Amityville Horror films.
But why do we only hear about these types of “curses” on the set of horror movies likethe Poltergeist franchise? Most of it probably has to do with the films themselves. If the subject matter is particularly scary, then the cast and crew members could already be on edge. When you’re in that state of mind, it’s easier to perceive these everyday instances as supernatural. If lights turned off or clothes fell over on a comedy set, no one would think twice about it. But in a horror movie where spirits plague a haunted house? Yeah, those light flickerings just got a whole lot creepier.The Amityville Horrorcurse was most likely a result of a tense cast and crew blowing events out of proportion. Perhaps the real curse is that someone decidedAmityville Shark Houseneeded to exist.The Amityville Horror(2005) is streaming onPrime Videowith the Cinemax add-on.
