ebert747 Really never gets started nor goes anywhere. There was one actually scary sequence where the business partner's wife starts speaking in the priest's voice, something about her eyes and the look on her face. Nothing else of any value. Ends like they ran out of money and just stopped with everything unanswered.Is the house itself haunted or are there ghost(s)? What's the deal with the well? What is the dog after? Does the house have unlimited powers across the whole town, the whole state? Why did I spend 15:00 of such a short film watching characters trying and failing to have telephone calls? What was the point of the kid's imaginary friend? What happens to the business partner, his wife, the priest, the Vietnam vet? No one (the characters, nor the viewer) knows or cares by the end.

jacobjohntaylor1 This is one of the scariest movies from the 70's. Amityville II The possession is scarier. Amityville 4 the evil escapes is also scarier. Amityville cures is also scarier. Amityville it's about time is also scarier. Amityville the new generation is also scarier. Amityville dollhouse is also scarier. The 2005 remake of The Amityville horror is also scarier. But still this is a very scary movie. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. 6.2 is underrating it. I give it 9 out of 10 because it is a great horror film. I need more lines and I am running out of thing to say.

Calvin Hobbes I'm generally not a fan of the whole "haunted-house" genre, but I figured since this one's a classic- it'b be alright. First off. I knew this was gonna be a bad movie after: A: a fly caused two priests to spin out of control while they were driving (Hi--llerious) and B: after the ghost(s) stole $1500 from a groom on his wedding day. Wtf? Since when do people need to worry about ghosts stealing money. This movie gets annoying real fast. And here are some reasons why: -None of the characters know how to open doors. -No one can hold an object long enough to NOT drop it. -The kids in this movie have NO personality; and basically act as fillers until they get shot in the end; and they're ALL stupid as hell (P.S little girl; when your babysitter is locked in a closet literally three feet away from you, maybe you should do something as opposed to just sitting there like a nu-bis). -Margot Kidder is way too hot for this movie. -James Brolin looks like a homeless man (yet his legs have no hair/ looks like it all migrated to his face, loll). -Every priest/nun in this movie is bonkers (just cause your a priest doesn't mean you can just waltz right into a house completely unannounced---"But i'm blessing it".."Oh, swell man, we got a doorbell." F#**%in Creep. -The house seems to give everybody "the creeps" --even during the daytime. Oh Jinkies.-There's way too much foreshadowing--the whole movie is basically one giant spoiler. -Apparently, this movie has rewritten the boundaries of anatomy and now blood just squirts out of the epidermis- or anywhere for that matter (the walls). -George is pretty much an a**hole the whole movie. -George goes to the hospital, but doesn't bother to ask about his apparent "flu". -Nothing scary happens in the first hour of the movie. Overall, the 70's was a breeding ground for excellent, stylish horror movies (i.e, The Omen, Black Christmas, The Exorcist, Halloween, Evil Dead, Chainsaw Massacre..etc) that would define the genre and mold it into the billion dollar industry it is today (blah,blah, blah I have no idea what i'm talking about.) The fact of the matter is...this film is not one of those movies. It was born at the turn of the decade, and just missed it's mark, I guess. I think this was the point when horror movies started becoming methodical instead of original. There's the deep drone of a bassist before every startling incident; fake-out jump scares; actual jump-scares; stupid- a** kids with imaginary friends, there's blood. blood..ooh so much blood. So yeah. Just not that great of a movie.Go watch it! ;P

andyroo54 Looking at this movie 35 years after it's release, it's very easy to see it's influence on movies made since, especially more recent (last ten years) horror, including movies like Insidious, paranormal activity etc. There are so many great ideas in this movie, I particularly like the relationship the child has with the spirit, that only she can see, an idea that has been used countless times since. But I feel like it was never fully followed through, it almost seems like they didn't know how to end this movie, how to tie it all together. The plot with the priest just fizzles out, the plot with the ghost on the child can see fizzles out, the idea that the husband is going to kill everyone fizzles out.. it just fizzles. It's just such a shame considering the possibilities. I also think it's overly long, and quite boring in some parts. There are a few jump scares early on but nothing spectacular. I kept waiting for things to get scary but most parts just seemed comical, like when the lead actor saw a ghost head of himself hovering in the cavity behind the wall in the basement. It even had a cheesy bit of music to go with it. I feel like maybe they were channeling some of the exorcist here with the priest plot lines, but it just didn't work. In the end, it was a totally unsatisfying movie, with a really weak ending. Having said that, I have to give it kudos for inspiring the movie makers of today, and I think modern horror is so much better for the ones that went before.