The Amityville Horror
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: April 15, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
33
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
15
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The film is a terrific scare show, fast and furious, made with a lot of style and energy, packing plenty of jolts yet never lingering morbidly over horrific images. It is anchored in strong characterizations, and its plot develops with chilling psychological suspense. It's such a skillfully made entertainment that its plunge into the supernatural is persuasive even for the skeptical. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This remake stays close to the eponymous 1979 horror movie it's based on, except for being precisely 10,000 times scarier. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
I got exactly what I expected: Scared and tickled, within an inch of my life. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
Much meaner remake, starring Ryan Reynolds (quite good). Read full review
50
PremiereNicole Perri
The new film is also sleeker, sexier, and, thankfully, shorter than the original. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
With his beard and '70s clothes, Reynolds looks like Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. Before things go precipitously south, he gives an endearing performance that proves he's ready for far more substantial roles than Van Wilder. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Low-key creepy rather than outright scary, the new Amityville marks a modest improvement over the original, partly because, from acting to bloody effects, it is better executed. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Shorter and punchier but nearly as hokey as the original. Read full review
50
VarietyScott Foundas
Begins slavishly faithful to its low-key 1970s predecessor then sledgehammers auds with a numbing succession of shock edits and over-the-top horror effects. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The Amityville Horror fails as a movie, but, if you are searching for are a few good scares, you'll find them here. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The good news is the updated version is scarier than the original, thanks to snazzier special effects, a shorter running time, moody lighting, a few solid jolts and one icky moment involving a bratty babysitter and a closet. The bad news is the film rehashes every horror movie cliché you can imagine. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Why remake a horror film if you can't make it scarier? Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
The truly shocking thing about the new version is that it's not bloody awful. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
There are some genuine scares to be had here, and not just of the “Boo!” variety. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The remake simply replaces the laughably dated horror tropes of the 1979 version with a commercial-slick J-horror aesthetic that's sure to look just as silly to audiences in another 15 years. Read full review
50
Village VoiceDavid Ng
A Xerox so tattered and faded that it's impossible to determine who's to blame for the overproduced mediocrity before our eyes. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Yes, there are more cheap shocks this time around, and they're fun to watch, but you'll have forgotten most of them by the time you make it out to your car. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Extraordinarily faithful to the spirit of that creaky, derivative, fly-infested, don't-go-in-the-attic boofest. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Unimaginative. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
All this is out of the Haunted House 101 textbook. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
First-time feature director Andrew Douglas, whose advertising background is evident in every frame, brings lashings of style but no sense of real horror to the recycled script. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Images seem to be grafted into the film that have little to do with the actual story. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderBenjamin Strong
Melissa George's performance has more Lady Macbeth in it than Kidder's. Read full review
25
USA TodayClaudia Puig
In this Amityville, the performances are bad, the special effects ho-hum, and it's not even particularly scary. Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As far as these things go, the film's violence is not outrageously excessive. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The latest cannibalization of a popular older horror film. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Result? It's not scary, just busy. Read full review
0
New York PostLou Lumenick
Shoddily made, boring and, most shockingly, without a single decent scare. Read full review
0
SalonStephanie Zacharek
As a symbol of what some filmmakers and some studios think the public will buy, it's a horrific piece of work. How dare anyone put this piece of c--- in front of me. How dare anyone put it in front of YOU. Read full review
0
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A sustained if wildly uncoordinated assault on our senses, complementing those feverish jump cuts with a cliché of equally stunning proportions Read full review
0
SlateDavid Edelstein
I'd like to tell you about the remake of The Amityville Horror (MGM), but I ankled after less than five minutes. It was something about the little girl holding the stuffed animal getting blown away with a shotgun at point-blank range. Read full review
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