MSMorno

This movie sticks fairly close to Jay Anson's novelized account of the Lutz family's ordeal at 112 Ocean Avenue. There are some slight changes, as noted in other reviews, to heighten dramatic effect; however, none as horribly disfigured as the 2005 remake, which completely obliterated the "known" facts about the incident. My problems with it, personally, are their choice of Margot Kidder to play Kathleen Lutz. I didn't even care for her performances in the Superman franchise. Just something about her rubs me the wrong way. Much of the incidents revealed in the novel were omitted from the movie mostly because it was a low-budget film, the last from MGM before they merged, and the money just wasn't there to make it into a high-grade spectacle that would do it justice. Still, stripped to the bare bones, it conveys the basic message of the story and, in my opinion, is the best of the entire Amityville franchise. My suggestion: read the book first!