Well, I got to rent the movie sooner than I thought! And I'm glad I did, cause it turned out to be pretty kewl. First of all, it's a neat movie, and second of all, it's cheap to rent cause it's kind of old.. it was only like a dollar something here. And I get to keep it for a long time too. So not only do you get to see the ghostly stuff, you get to check out what weird tastes people had back in the seventies (shag carpet, bellbottoms, marbled mirrors). Now it's not so seventies that it reminds you of an episode of Scooby Doo, but it is a little different. Ok, on to the review...

Again, if you're not into ghosts, don't rent it, if you are or you just like horror flicks, g'head and get it. Hell, it's probably cheap everywhere so even if it's not the best thing you've seen, you won't lose much money. Ok, as for a general rating, I'd probably give this movie about an eight out of ten. Some parts drag a little cause they're boring, but for the most part it's interesting, just like the book. And there are some REALLY creepy parts in it too, but I'm not telling which, you have to go out and get it to see for yourself.

As for accuracy with the book (which is probably the most accurate source of information about the Amityville episode), well, it's pretty accurate. They did have to kind of squish stuff together to make it fit into a two hour movie, and I think a few things may have been out of order, but it doesn't really affect the story as such. They changed a few names in the movie too. All three kids had different names, and so did Father Mancuso. I don't know if THESE were their real names (cause the book said some were changed) or if the other names just weren't "groovy" enough for the movie. Some other stuff was a lot different, like when they discovered the red room was totally different. They had to break down a wall to get to it, instead of just pushing a wall aside like in the book, but I guess that makes it more dramatic.

The acting in the movie was pretty good. The people did kind of freak me out a few times, like when one psychic girl who goes into the house gets possessed or something, and George being hypnotized by the fire. Creepy. The music also freaked me out. If you've seen Poltergeist, the music is a lot like that. What is it with ghost movies and them having little children chant in a minor key for music? Oh yes, and I suppose I should mention this as well... you might not want to let kids under 13 see it if you're big on censoring what they watch. "Kathy" at one point has her shirt hanging open pretty much all the way, and then there's a make out scene (sorta, you can only see their heads) a short while later, featuring the far out smoked mirrors. Well, and it might give little kids nightmares, so, be warned. Hell, my parents let me watch it when I was like, five, I think. I remember a movie from a LONG time ago with blood running down the walls at the end, and this is it. Wow, a discovery from my childhood. Anyway, I'm not too warped now, but other than the semi-makeout scene and the creepy stuff, of course, it's not that bad. Not too much cussing or gore, I don't think.

What else can I tell you about? Special effects? Keep in mind this movie was made in like, 1976, so they aren't all that great. It's nothing like Poltergeist, but even though it wasn't big-budget it's STILL creepy, at least as creepy as Poltergeist, because it's true. And I tried to find out if the outside shots of the house were the actual house, but it didn't say. It mentioned a New Jersey Film Corporation or something like that in the credits, which is near Long Island, so it may very well have been. I don't think they would have gone inside to film anything, though, if you know what I mean. Well that's about it for the movie, and if you're at this page to see the Amityville stuff then you're probably interested, so go rent it! Oh, and by the way, I recommend watching it in the dark...