For God's Sake, Get Out!

'19 days after the Lutz family moved into their dream house, they were running for their lives. What happened to them is an experience in terror you will never forget, and you will believe in the Amityville Horror.'

Of all the books and films about haunted houses, The Amityville Horror remains one of the most famous and enduring.  It began as a book by Jay Anson based on real life claims from the Lutz family.  In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz, and their three children, moved into a large Dutch Colonial house situated in a suburban neighborhood in Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island, New York.

After 28 days, the Lutz family fled the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.  The house had previously been owned by, Ronald DeFeo Jr. who just one year earlier, had shot and killed six members of his family in the home.  He was convicted of second-degree murder in November 1975 and sentenced to six terms of 25 years to life in prison. Given the murders, the Lutz's got a pretty good deal...

Over the years, I've seen bits of the 1979 film version of Anson's book, The Amityville Horror.  I remember the first time was an airing on television when I was a kid.  I don't really remember much about it, except that I left the room and went to bed after the scene where the nun throws up in her car.  For some reason that moment freaked me out, and I couldn't continue watching.

When I got older, I eventually watched the entire film, but the movie still manages to freak me out just a little.  The scene with nun didn't bother me as much, but the movie still packs a pretty horrific punch.  The movie stars James Brolin and Margot Kidder, who are surrounded by a stellar supporting cast.

The original film is considered a classic, especially in the sub-genre of contemporary haunted house themed movies.  

Author Stephen King wrote about the film in his 1983 non-fiction book, Danse Macabre. King interprets the film as a parable on the anxieties of homeownership and financial ruin. The story, and original 1979 film, began a franchise that still continues today.  In addition to the 2005 re-make with Ryan Reynolds, there have been close to 30 other film and television adaptations based on the original story.  The most recent film being The Amityville Curse starring Brendan Fehr and Vanessa Smyth. 

Although there was a male butt scene 2017's Amityville Clownhouse, there is little to no male nudity in the other films from the franchise.  There is however, quite a few shirtless hotties, and a few hunks in their undies.  You can check out some of my favorites, including Dean Cochran, Allan Cutler and Cameron Monaghan, on the NEXT PAGE HERE:

And let's not forget James Brolin in his tighy whities in the original 1979 film.  You can check out caps and a video of that scene, along with other movies featuring Brolin's bare butt in my Actors & SKIN feature on Brolin HERE:

When I decided to do a Haunted House themed day, with a focus on The Amityville Horror, I wanted to include an original art piece.  Thanks to RJ from badsign769, for the artwork below.  As he usually so beautifully does, RJ created a poster for a movie we'd all kill to see, maybe more than the original it was based on.