Miss – Starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Phillip Baker Hall

One year after a haunting murder in the town of Amityville, George and Kathy Lutz move into the scene of the crime at the High Hopes Estate of Amityville, NY. During their 28-day stay, the Lutz’s began to see and hear things that they will never forget. Terrorized by the demons living among them, the Lutz family managed to survive the horror and share their horrifying story. This movie is based on a true story.

Believe the tall tale if you want but the truth is… this movie doesn’t deliver nearly close to it’s original made in 1979 with James Brolin and Margot Kidder. While this movie included scary aspects, the original delves deeper into the story and creates more moments of terror for the audience.

What this movie didn’t do: This movie did not provide a loving and likeable family to the audience. The family and characters are not well received. The overall story of the Amityville Horror barely touches on the use of the church in excavating the evil spirits, or their attempts to do so. Hiring Phillip Baker Hall as the priest was a great move, but I felt his role was overlooked and understated – especially when the first film really utilizes this character.

What this movie did: Showed the dynamic range of Ryan Reynolds. We enjoyed his charismatic character in Van Wilder, and now we are seeing a new side to his acting abilities. His performance is reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining. But, the transition from loving stepfather to madman was too quick and not nearly as effective had the transition been slower.
Unlike conventional horror films of the haunted house genre, this movie includes no nudity but do not fret because there is great eye candy provided by the Lutz family baby sitter.
Bottom Line: Save your money and rent the original with James Brolin and Margot Kidder, you will be glad you did. Word of advice: Do not rent any of the sequels.

Horror

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and drug use. (edited for re-rating)

Running Time: 1 hour 29 minutes.