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
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
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