Reviews (44)

This movie is very intelligent
I liked the plot and the technical twists and turns of this thriller. Robert Redford plays a cia employee who reads books to find possible codes. He finds patterns and trys to break them or alert the Cia to there existence. He comes across something that causes his whole office or team to be wiped out leaving him as the only survivor, because he was out to lunch. How he goes about trying to survive is very intelligent and entertaining. There is a dry romance between he and Dunaway. He is on the run and time is not on hand so there scenes are quick and to the point. I liked the dialogue it was also dry and to the point. It sometimes took a few minutes for it to sink in. A highly intelligent film with good entertainment value. Worth watching.

4 Stars For "Condor"--One for the DVD!
Wire-rimmed glasses and a slight stubble of beard isn't enough to make Robert Redford completely convincing as a bookish CIA researcher, though he gives a terrific "movie star" performance (partially the result of co screenwriter David Rayfiel being brought in to customize some of Redford's dialouge).

Also, Director Sydney Pollack ("Tootsie") doesn't seem to have the feel for suspense-thriller pulp (the way someone like Peckinpah had), so "Three Days of the Condor" is a little too monotone and flat at times to be a completely successful representative of the genre.

No matter.

"Three Days of The Condor" had all the timing in the world going for it.

Released in 1975, just on the heels of Watergate and in the midst of the Church Committee hearings on CIA excesses, "Condor" became the only box office success of Paramount Pictures "Conspiracy Trilogy" (the others being "The Conversation" and Parallax View").

It's also worth noting the cinematography (done by the great Owen Roizman) is spectacular...the rainy Manhattan streets never looked so beautifully moody....and the score by Dave Grusin avoids all the usual thriller movie stabs and sting.

The transfer quality of the DVD is superb, but the special features are non existent (all that's included is the original theatrical trailer--hardly a "special feature" in today's DVD world).

"Three Days of the Condor" remains essentially a stylish artifact of mid-70's paranoia, and viewed today, in light of recent events, contains some really bizarre echoes.

The invisible government! Where?
Whenever I see this movie I always hear Roger Daltry's voice singing, 'can you see the real me?' Which is what a less loquacious Robert Redford tries to do after what may be one of the top ten movie opening scenes of all time, 70's, 80's, 90's or beyond.

Earlier reviews have fairly well constructed and described the plot but what's interesting is the unbelievability of it. Sydney Pollack keeps the heat on and the emotional cul de sacs plentiful as Redford tries to whittle down not so much the who killed all his coworkers but the why.

I believe alongside "Bullit," "French Connection," "Body Heat" and a few others, this is an essential movie both for it's time and our time. In light of Vietnam and Watergate, we just didn't blindly trust Uncle Sam anymore and were frequently reminded of the protest idiom, 'love your country; fear your government.' And for a captivating two hours, Redford is 'everyperson' ever profiled, searched, audited, traffic stopped, drafted and perhaps far worse. We didn't have to read George Orwell to know big brother was and is watching.

Cliff Robertson, a gifted actor denied his peak years because of pseudo-administration influence (do you remember 'Flowers for Algernon/Charley?), ironically plays the government role, as you would expect, brilliantly, and Max Von Sydow, is as always, superlative. I agree with some of the criticism of Faye Dunaway. She did better in other roles than she did here. It could have been Meryl Streep or Glenn Close as well, possibly better.

Essential movie if you want to know what you're talking about. Larry Scantlebury. 5 Stars.

Dated and Often Bizarre Thriller Amusing only to Old People
Like probably most people who were born well after Watergate broke, I became interested in seeing this film after seeing it lumped in numerous times with other paranoid conspiracy thrillers of the era, most notably Coppola's The Conversation and Pakula's The Parallax View. Those are two outstanding films, and Pollack's effort doesn't hold a candle to either. This movie is a disaster. Despite a dynamite opening act and a somewhat intriguing conclusion, together with a modicum of timeliness and poignancy with regard to real-world goings-on at the CIA, the vast majority of the film is spent slogging through dated fight choreography, awkward sex scenes, and some of the most atrocious dialogue ever committed to the silver screen. Faye Dunaway is particularly off-putting in a muted and emotionally confusing performance as a photographer who always blathers on about metaphorical pictures she keeps hidden away and only lets some people see.

Only Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow escape unscathed from this silly, dated picture, resisting Redford's overacting and turning in fine performances (although Robertson's hair is perhaps the film's greatest mystery). To make matters worse, the soundtrack sounds like pornography, a perfectly awful mix of xylophone and smooth jazz.

For a much better time, please consider The Parallax View. If you have your heart set on Pollack, just watch The Firm, and you'll get the paranoia, the chasing and spying, and the pretty male lead, while what you sacrifice in political overtone you will gain in character development. I really thought I had something special when I took this home to watch it; it began with such promise. Truly it does not compare to the emotional wallop of Gene Hackman's Harry Caul, nor the mind-blowing psychadelic tension of Pakula's government coverups. Of this trio of would-be master Seventies spy storytellers, Sidney Pollack is the odd man out.

GREAT FILM, UNIMPRESIVE POLITICAL VIEWS
Robert Redford made a clunker called "The Way We Were" with Barbra Streisand that desperately tried to explain, apologize for, justify, glorify and approve of being an American Communist during McCarthyism, but just plain fails. He made the 1973 classic "Three Days of the Condor" (1973), with Cliff Robertson and Faye Dunnaway. He plays a CIA reader, a kind of pre-Tom Clancy research guy, a benign fellow among other benign CIA fellows, all of whom are murdered in a fuzzily explained hit by bad CIA fellows. After escaping, Redford tries to get to the bottom of it. Since he is a genius he has the intellectual tools to outwit his chasers. This is the film's highlight, revolving around the sexual tension between Redford and the redoubtable Faye, who he "kidnaps" in order to have a place to hide out, her apartment. The movie goes off the deep when the whole conspiracy turns out to be about the CIA's covert operations in the Middle East, where the U.S. apparently is planning the invasion (that never actually occurred) to take over OPEC. The message is that The Company murders innocents, the U.S. is a warmongering empire, and tool of capitalist greed. It is Redford's answer to Guatemala, Iran and Chile, where the people killed were generally Communists. Redford would rather show the CIA killing Chinese- and African-Americans and other non-threats.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Reviews (36)

One Good Cop
Al Pacino became a star thanks to his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The film that cemented Mr. Pacino as one of the best actors of his generation was Serpico. Based on the Peter Maas book of the same name, Serpico is the true story of a New York undercover cop who seems to be the only honest cop on the force. Due to his honest nature, the other cops are leery of him and refuse to accept him as a real cop. To that end, he moves from precinct to precinct in search of a friendly work environment, but wherever he goes, he finds the same old situation. Serpico then goes to the higher-ups in the department, but they too have no use for his accusations. Finally, he goes public with his accusations and that triggers an investigation into the dealings of police officers. Serpico becomes a marked man and is nearly intentionally killed by another cop who while Serpico is on an undercover operation. Mr. Pacino brings a realistic approach to the role and you feel sympathy for Serpico. He is not a great man, he has his faults, but he believes in what he does and he takes a stand for his belief that policeman should serve the public and not illegally benefit from their position of power.

Very compelling story.
The story of Frank Serpico, an honest Nyc cop, is one of the most compelling police movies ever made. Al Pacino gives the character a lot of class and cool. Serpico is an easy-going guy with very clear morals about what's right and what's wrong. As he moves from precinct to precinct in dire hope of finding an honest place to work, all he finds are more and more corrupt cops...and it seems to be driving him insane both morally, and insane because the cops aren't comfortable with cops who don't take money. The film does a great job of displaying how the corruption is corrosive and unjust to the people of our country...but esp. interesting is that this wonderfully directed Sidney Lumet film is really very much like a suspense adventure chase...but at a much slower speed in which you can watch as things crumble and go to pot. Pacino plays the role in an understated manner...perhaps due to his knowledge of the real Frank Serpico, or maybe a creative choice. Either way, it's not his usual boisterous way...no crooked looks, no playful grins, etc. You'll forget Pacino is in this character. That Academy is worthless for not handing out an Oscar for this or Scarface or for Godfather I or II...or Dog Day Afternoon or Glengarry Glen Ross.

Nothing to wonderful
I did'nt like this one to much. Al Pacino's character is ok. There where only a few parts in the movie, where he really did an amazing job. The story plot did'nt make sence, it kept jumping around, Pacino looked like a horrible Charlies Manson, look-a-like. Don't waste your time.

Slow but Compelling in its Own Way
It isn't a particularly good movie. The pacing is all wrong and none of the characters beside Serpico ever get a chance to be clearly drawn. His personal life isn't very clearly explicated. That said, Pacino does a great job portraying a complicated and iconoclastic man of immense integrity and courage. Serpico is a great role model for young men in any era. He shows you can be yourself, be cool and have integrity, guts and morals.

Pacino in one of their best!
I've always said in my personal meetings with coleagues and friends that Pacino is much more than an actor ; he's a nature force .
But back to Serpico. This movie not only remains as cult movie and one of the most`powerful works of this tireless film maker as Sidney Lumet was in that age. Serpico meant a breakthrough with the ancient patterns of good citizen and virtuosi cop.
Serpico is a simple inmigrant citizen who lives in a little department ; he brings in his mind the ancestral illusions for being part of the american dream . His inner sense of justice is not influenced for any other kind of ideology . In this sense he's naif ; suddenly he's inmersed in a double face world; the eternal game of make the things appear right ; though they are rotten really .
His search for the sense of justice prevails and becomes nowadays, in a kind of romantic knight ; but he , besides the prize he must pay for his behavior , goes ahead no matter what. Don't forget that in times of hipocrisy ; any sincerity is associated with cynism.
This film is part of the amazing sextet together with Twelve angry men, The pawnbroker , The offence , Network and Equus ; that in my opinion express the most remarkable works of that extraordinary film maker. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Good movie. Could have been great.
This movie could have been a lot better if it had a more competant director. Today it looks dated in places, and some of the dialogue delivery approaches camp at times (again, blame Mr Winner). Plot: after his wife and daughter are attacked by muggers (one being Jeff Goldblum)and Bronsons wife is stomped to death and his daughter raped and obscenely "tagged" with a can of spray paint, architect & Korean war conscientious objector Bronson acquires a gun on a business trip to Arizona and returns home to New York to embark on a one man vigilante rampage blasting street scum into oblivion. Bronson and Vincent Gardenia both give good perfomances, and the rape scene still has the power to jolt you out of your seat, but every time I see DEATH WISH I keep thinking of how it could be updated and remade... better. Still the fun of the series is to cheer Bronson on whenever he wastes some scumbag. This was the precursor to such revenge flicks as I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and MS .45.

The Dark Knight.
It's hard to remember now, but there was a time when Michael Winner was just another director, one who produced some decent b-movies before having a freak hit that caught the mood of America at the time. 'Death Wish' was the hit - it elevated Charles Bronson to iconhood, and even today Winner's increasingly-laughable films have 'From the Director of 'Death Wish'' on the posters. This is the closet he ever got to creating a classic piece of cinema. This is based on a book, although the emphasis has been changed. Whereas the 'hero' of the novel was presented as a dangerous man who had eventually lost all reason, here, Bronson is basically Batman - Dirty Harry without restraint. As such, it's ambivalent. On the one hand, there's a primal kick in watching Bronson blow away thugs, but on the other hand it's hard to believe that real-life would be so clear-cut, and subsequent witch-hunts of paedophiles, satanists and rock fans show that it's hard to put rage back into the bottle from whence it came. The sequels became increasingly-harder to take seriously, and the bazooka-toting 'Death Wish 3' is a modern classic of silliness. As with all Winner's films, it looks like a television movie, and as with all Bronson's films, Bronson is Bronson - an older, grizzled tamplate for Schwarzenegger et al, he acts not as Paul Kersy but as Charles Bronson, movie star. It is, at the very least, interesting.

Your Typical Evening On A Saturday!
GREAT ACTING BY CHARLES BROSNAN! ENJOYABLE TO WATCH. REALLY GREAT CINEMATIC PIECE!

carbolic acid
This is the original in the Death Wish series,and its still the best.Paul Kersey(Bronson)is devastated after his wife and daughter are raped and killed,he goes on a killing rampage of revenge.As he dispatches each thug with his own brand of justice,we cheer their deaths from Kersey`s trusty 32 caliber revolver.This film is a favorite of vigilante justice supporters.

CONTROVERSY IS GOOD.
I don't remember too many films from the 1970's the earned an entire OP/ED page in the N.Y. Times, but this urban classic did. Controversy proved to be good box office and Bronson became a superstar as Paul Kersey. DEATH WISH is a taunt thriller that sparked more than one water cooler discussion in 1974. Michael Winner worked this one into a poster child for street justice and inspired more than a few real life imitators (the ad campaign boasted: "Paul Kersey is going to kill 3 muggers tonight: One for his murdered wife, one for his raped daughter and one for you!"). What was more unfortunate is that DEATH WISH became a parody of itself with 4 awful sequels. Forgot the rest, cheer for Bronson here everytime he caps a bad guy. ... Read more

Reviews (127)

The Amityville Horror
This is an above-average film about haunted houses, and makes it a little creepy and fun to watch because of the so-called true story behind the book and this film. Margot Kidder and James Brolin are pretty good as the young couple who purchase a large house, to bring their children to as well. When strange things occur, the family begins a suspenseful escape from the house, which apparently has a life of its own.
The special effects are sometimes imaginitive and scary (such as the blood and ooze ejecting from the walls), but they can also be silly and embarrassing (the red eyes watching from the window). The music score is really absorbing and eerie, adding more atmosphere. It's no wonder the score was nominated for an Oscar. Overall, like I said, it's an above-average film with some good suspense, but something just feels missing. I don't know what, but it's apparent in its absence.

An fine ghost supernatural thriller.
The Beautiful, three-storied colonial in Amityville from the State of New York City. It`s seems to be the perfect dream house of George Lutz (James Brolin) and His Wife Kathleen (Margot Kidder) and thier children. Once they move to the house, troubles starts flying and Kathleen finds out a dark secert about the house. Series full of Inexplicable events are happening non-stop. When the local Priest (Rob Steiger) tries to bless the house but the house won`t let him. Cold Winds and Eerie Sounds rages thoughtout the house from the very beginning from it`s meancing eyes glowing from thier barn house, and the very walls of the house with a strange ooze. Now the Lutzes has to face the dangerous reality of the Situation of terror and Destruction, but the house would let the Lutzes leave?

Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, the film does have, it`s shares of Creepy Moments and including a share of Campy Moments in this supposedly based on a true story and Based on a Book by Jay Anson. This Film was an High Box Office Hit in 1979. DVD`s has an good non-anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan) with an fine Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Sound. The Film High-Light is the Creepy Score by Lalo Schifrin, which most of the score was unused for the 1973 Horror Classic:The Exorcist, which he Receive an Oscar Nomination. Grade:B+.

"GET OUT!"
It gets two stars for that scene alone! YIKES! I don't know, maybe it was because I read the book first that made me dislike this film so much. The book by the way is down right creepy - highly recommendable! If you haven't seen the movie yet, rent it first and then go from there. It's fairly disappointing but worth checking out.

The House Knows What Scares You
It's your typical fixer-upper: slight problems with the plumbing, doors and windows with a mind of their own and a bit of an insect problem. It's also got a bit of a grisly history (the house's former residents were killed in their sleep by one of their own), but the Lutzes (played by Brolin and Kidder) are undeterred and soon find out exactly why the house was sold for a song. This here is your typical haunted house movie (not as good as some, but better than others) and while it comes with the prerequisite scares assosciated with a haunted house story, it also generates enough energy to make the film somewhat unsettling. It should be noted that the film is based on the supposed "true story" of the Lutzes and their terrifying 28 days of residency. Whether or not you believe their stories of hauntings at the Dutch Colonial house, it is documented fact that the home was the sight of a real-life horrible tragedy in the mid-70's. Ronald DeFeo, murdered his entire family there and, when apprehended, claimed that "voices in the house" told him to do it. Herein lies the main unsettling nature of the film. It's not so much about the Lutzes or the bizarre happenings, but about the house itself. In fact, the film does an unnerving job of making the house the central character (what with it's half-crescent windows, it does seem as though the house is staring at you). The movie is filled with several not-so-very special effects, but also has enough tension in certain scenes to make it worth watching. Brolin and Kidder do an adequate job as the unsuspecting couple targeted for the house's wrath while Steiger wildly overacts in his role of Fr. Delaney, the priest who knows who the house's real owner is. Again, while the stories of the hauntings have been widely proclaimed a hoax, it is unnerving enough to imagine a new family moving into a place filled with such bad memories. This edition is sorely lacking in special features (surprising considering the incredible success of the film upon it's intial release and subsequent re-releases), but does feature an appropriately creepy menu design (which may seem silly to say, but owners of the DVD know what I'm talking about). All in all, it's worth a look whether you believe the stories or not and it does feature an incredibly well-done score courtesey of Lalo Schifrin (yes, the same composer responsible for the Mission: Impossible theme). Although "Poltergeist" would redefine the haunted house genre later in time by adding state-of-the-art (for the time) special effects, "The Amityville Horror" works mostly for it's sense of foreboding and the sincere sense of dread that the house elicits not only from it's characters, but it's viewers as well. I've seen the film several times and, while dated, it still works on some visceral level. Due, I would suppose, in large part to the house's actual history (documented here in the macabre prologue to the film). Technically adequate in the sense of direction, production and acting, it's no secret that the house is the star from the many shots of it presented in the movie (usually through an eerie red filter). My advice is to watch it with an open mind and to bear in said mind that, at least, the opening ten minutes of the film is entirely, incredibly and tragically true...

Amityville Horrible (sort of)
The movie Burnt Offerings is commonly compared (unfavorably) to Amitiville Horror. After seeing both, I prefer the former.

Amitiville Horror is popular mainly by reputation, and suffers from stock characters that make no significant contribution to the movie (the nosy detective, the renegade priest and his skeptical protoge, etc), not to mention cheesy effects (I know, it's the 70's but special effects don't make up for a good story). I keep thinking these extra characters are going to show up later at critical times in the movie and play some part in helping the family, but they don't. The priest and his protoge do show up in the movie again, but they have no further contact with the main characters and theirs is a minor side story that does not further the plot (unlike say, The Exorcist).

The movie Burnt offerings is scary because it is . . . creepy. It has only a few characters but all have an important part to play, and the movie doesn't rely on demons or flies. There is an undertone of something wrong that gives you the chills without other things to distract you. That is why I prefer it to Amityville Horror. ... Read more

Reviews (111)

Exorcist 2: the Heretic is a better sequel than Exorcist 3
I really thought that Exorcist 2: The Heretic was a better sequel than Exorcist 3! Though the film may have been flawed, but what sequel isnt? I in some ways got just as scared watching this one as I did watching the first. Linda Blair was once again brilliant in this film. Richard Burton added a subtle chill to the film which I thought worked very well. The film over all I think was very creepy in a very psycological and subliminal sense. All the African and Pazuzu back story was a nice touch as well. The climax of the film I would say is the best part of it. I feel that the reason that this film was not accepted as well as the first is because that people expected too much from it, and also in my opinion it did not need to be like the first. I think the film stands on it's own merit very nicely! I give it four stars!

"You Must Tear Out Her Evil Heart"
Okay, I've got it all figured out. This sequel takes place in a parallel universe (of which there are many), so these are only some of this particular Regan's adventures. I happen to have documented proof that the Regan from the first movie is a Vegas showgirl who DOES NOT fall down during her tap routines. Richard Burton is like a piece of wood in this movie, I still can't figure out why Ned Beatty's in it, Louise Fletcher was better as Nurse Cratchet (maybe THAT'S who they should have sent Regan to), and what in the name of Pete is that thing that James Earl Jones spits out of his mouth? A phlegm ball?? Still, this is a mezmerizing movie and Linda Blair is better than ever. The special effects are excellent and I feel safe having it in the house, unlike its predecessor. Watch it with someone you love today.

Linda, Linda, Linda!
Being a horror movie fan AND a Linda Blair fan, I was stoked when I was younger and got this movie from my dad for Christmas (what better way to say you love somebody at the holidays than with horror?). But from the very opening credits with the opera singing demon, to the scene where Linda Blair's psychiatrist calls the fire department just so they can tell her to use a fire extingusher, to the groovy little tapdancing number where Linda faints, to the bitter end... it just, well, reeked! However, there's so much going on that it still manages to entertain for some reason. I also like the part where Linda waves her hand around in the air like she's holding a lasso to kill some grasshoppers (locusts!). But the special effects in the final scene of the 117 minute version are pretty amazing. Give it a chance, it's just a good timekiller.

Pretty bad flick.
Linda Blair did a good job of acting, but the writer needed coaching

ok film
linda blair is a teen who is having flashbacks of the first film amd doesn't bleave she was possessed and realizes she WAS possessed good film sometimes but not all the time i would recomened for viewing matter not of all the reasons that it is good just to know what regan is doing ... Read more

Reviews (24)

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR is perfect for a Halloween night!
This was the first horror movie I ever saw and I love it. It's blend of comedy, horror, and shock/atmosphere creates enormously scary fun. A group of kids accidentally release a witch's curse on the town of Pitchford/Pitchfork Cove. Soon vampires, werewolves, zombies, and maniic killers are loose. Some are frightening, like the Vernon Nester zombie and the Judge monster, and others are humorous like the midget werewolf and the alcoholic ghoul. It's Halloween night, and the ghosts and ghouls decide to create a party of their own! First rate fun with scares and laughs.

E-mail me: jackmonsoon@hotmail.com

A Halloween classic!
Part of the appeal of "Midnight Hour" is that it's a good, fun Halloween film for the entire family but also enjoys an almost cult status among the adult set. Though not ultimately destined for a place in the Horror Hall of Fame I look at it like this: "Midnight Hour" is like that baseball player who's a hometown hero but never achieves recognition outside those who grew up watching him. Hope that makes sense.

The story is pretty cliche. A bunch of teenagers find a scroll in a museum that will raise the dead when read aloud in a cemetary on Halloween night. They do and hilarity ensues. I hung out with a pretty diverse bunch in high school but I never knew anyone who's idea of fun was getting together to read musty old incantations. Anyway, what follows next is B-movie actors getting zombified for the duration of the movie until the curse can be broken.

What I love most about this movie, though, is its encompassing of age old tradition and classic seasonal imagery. This is partly why it has become inextricably linked with my memories of Halloween.

If you're looking for an enjoyable movie with a fun, if a bit formula plot, for your Halloween party then it doesn't get much better than "Midnight Hour". Thank Anchor Bay for bringing this rare Halloween gem back to prominence.

Demons arise
This movie takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania on Halloween. A group of kids decide to break in to a museum to steal costumes for a party one of them is throwing. They go to the cemetery to try them on and find an old parchment in one of the chests. They recite the chant written on it not knowing what they have unleashed. After they leave zombies, werewolves, vampires, and a large serial killer are revived and come out of their graves to wreck havoc. The party is at the vampire witch Lucinda's old house, and she comes home. Before long the party is full of dancing zombies & vampires. One of the friends meets up with a cheerleader (that is not a zombie) back from the grave and they have to try and end the curse by midnight. It is a hard task because the items they need are scattered amongst the other friends. This is a great halloween movie that also has some laughs in it.

80's Kids Ultimate Halloween Flick
I can rememebr the first time I watched "The Midnight Hour" on television when I was about 7 or 8. I LOVED IT!! And that statement still holds today. My Mom taped it for me the first time it was on, and when my cousin misplaced my videotape, I was shattered!! I found this rare gem one night at a Blockbuster and was absolutely overjoyed!! Now that it is out on DVD I am in heaven!! My only lament is the lack (or absence of is more like it) of extras on the DVD. But I guess being a made-for-tv movie, there really couldn't be much to work with for extras.
This movie is such a rare find. It's a first rate 80's horror movie that encompasses camp, humor, a little scariness and a great soundtrack (another should've been) and of course those laughable 80's fashions: who could forget the pumps worn with white ankle socks?? But this was so cool back then and it's still kinda cool now, in a way that probably only 80's kids can truly appreciate and understand. This is a movie that you wanna show people who've never seen it and you KNOW they'll enjoy. Sure there are a lot of incongruities like why are some zombies not decayed at all?? Well they're main characters of course and for plot purposes one of our unwitting teen characters has to fall in love with them!
For me this move is not only a good horror flick, but it conjures up memories of past Halloweens when Halloween meant having fun and being a little scared--like trick or treating (which at 25 I still miss!!), and staying up late on Halloween night and watching creepy movies with your family; a time when Halloween meant something to you and your friends and you waited all throught the month of October to get to the 31st! And school Halloween parties with cupcakes and goodies.
I know when I watch this movie, I'm that little seven year old again, in her pajamas watching the movie in the dark and getting a little laugh or a little scare here and there.
Living in Salem, MA (the self-proclaimed Halloween capital of the world) is great, but nothing holds a candle to being a kid on Halloween except maybe having "The Midnight Hour" to watch over and over again! "Halloween.....my favorite day of the year." True fans of this movie will know which character said that line!

Outstanding Soundtrack!
Actually, I have already written a review of the film. This is just some soundtrack information for the fans of this excellent Halloween fun flick. I've received emails from Amazon customers asking me about certain songs, so I've decided to post the soundtrack here. Anyway, on with it:

The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
Lil' Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Clap For The Wolfman - The Guess Who
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths

Mama Told Me (Not To Come) - Three Dog Night
Sea Of Love - Phil Philips & The Twilights
(This is the original version, not the remake in the film)
Get Dead - Shari Belafonte-Harper
Devil Or Angel - Bobby Vee
Baby, I'm Yours - Barbara Lewis

If anyone wants to add to this, please feel free. This is an excellent blend of spooky tunes from the 50's through 80's. If you are an insane fan like myself, you'll go ahead and collect these songs to make your own soundtrack. I just thought I'd help the crazy ones along a little bit. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on a bestselling, allegedly nonfiction book about haunted goings-on in a Long Island house (The Amityville Horror Conspiracy), this rather cheesy horror movie is more silly than unsettling. James Brolin and Margot Kidder star as newlyweds who move into the empty home and are gradually affected by the legacy of a murder committed on the premises. Rod Steiger is a priest who can tell what's up and gets dispatched in a rather ugly way. Director Stuart Rosenberg can't lift the action above a certain level of tawdriness, and the audience ends up watching the horror from a distance instead of feeling involved. In the wake of The Exorcist, this 1979 spooker seemed like a no-brainer knockoff--and still does. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (160)

The Amityville Horror
James Brolin and Margot Kidder as a happily married couple who move into an old colonial home with their children, and discover that the tragic past of the house has inspired some chilling supernatural occurences. Great performances, a haunting music score and a script that doesn't OVER-exaggerate the events that are supposedly true, help to make this film a cult classic that should be seen at least once by horror fans everywhere. Recommended for horror fans, though not everyone may love it.

Simmering Long Island Haunted House
Seems like the mid 1970's and early 80's spawned a ton of horror/suspense films. Obviously some better than others, but so many of them necessary in a cheap thrills way. While my favorites include "The Shining", "The Omen" and "The Exercist", there are several others that deserve credit. On that 2nd tier right next to "The Thing", "Halloween", "Nightmare On Elm St" and "Poltergeist"... I must put "The Amittyville Horror" (1979). The acting by James Brolin as new homeowner George Lutz was average and stiff at best. His glazed look, his snappy remarks to the stepkids, and his wild shaggy hair were downright comical at times... not to mention his strutting around in his Fruit-Of-The Looms - didn't need to see that. Margot Kidder (prior to her talking to trees and living on park benches) was also average at best - a "B" movie actress if ever there was one (including "Superman"). Rod Steiger was good but over dramatic as the priest trying to bring some heart and soul into the house. This movie was not bloody in the sense of a "Friday The 13th" style of slasher flick. It was packed with style and suspense leading the viewer to believe there really was something hellacious going on in the house. Suspenseful moments include hundreds of flys gathering in one upstairs room; the house itself regurgitating the words "Get Out"; doors slamming shut by themselves, a brace-faced babysitter being locked in a closet, toilets vomiting black slime, blood dripping from the walls and staircase, loud rings of the phone at quiet inopportune times, and the family dog madly scratching at a cellar wall. "Amittyville" was more story than effects... showing the character(s) losing grips with reality by a haunted house. The scenery is typical Long Island (even though the outside town shots were in Toms River, NJ). The ending of the movie you can see again in 1982's "Poltergeist"... where the family runs out of the demon house yelling and screaming at night in a blinding rain storm never to return again. 7 sequels later it's still considered one of the horror classics. Many say the movie/book was a hoax... but, who is really to say? On a late night with the lights off, this movie serves up a nice clean scare.

Spiritual mumbo-jumbo a plus
This is a very 70s horror flick based on the bestselling book of the 'true' story of a haunted Long Island home.It was debunked and proven to be a total sham, but the film spawned about ten sequels and even that necessary remake.

The Lutz family purchases their dream house only to find that it's haunted, and also helpfully contains the passageway to Hell in the basement.Yes, it is completely and utterly crushing to think that if such a passage existed into something called Hell, it would be in Amityville, Long Island.

James Brolin plays the husband, tough guy with a lot of hair.Margot Kidder is the wife, who gets to react with big, wide eyes whenever she witnesses a ghost, hallucination, atrocity, etc.Most of the scares are indeed opening doors or something, looking at something, and then the music gets really loud, and then we see the peoples' eyes, closer, and then, da-da!A cheesy special effect.

Good for nostalgia value.The appearance of Rod Steiger as a crazed priest is a major plus.Like a cheap Exorcist.If these types of films scare you, it might be worth it on a slow night.Good for some unintentional laughs, too.

The Evil House's movie has its moments.
First of all, the DVD of The Amityville Horror is pretty barebones.It's only "special feature" is the theatrical trailer.There's not even any English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
But, as for the movie, it's not bad.It takes a little while to get going, but once it's there, it can have a few gripping moments.James Brolin, as Charles Lutz, does a great job in the lead.You genuinely like the guy, and feel both creeped out and sympathetic when the house starts to drive him nuts.Margot Kidder isn't bad.Her big plus was always her likeable personality (not her looks), and as Cathy Lutz, she's a very sympathetic mother/wife here.You just feel awful when Cathy gets smacked in the face by George, who's going over the edge.Rod Steiger's role is the question mark.As Father Delaney, the priest who tries to warn the Lutz's of impending doom, Steiger exudes creepiness just from his WAY jacked-up performance.But there's a problem:it feels like the movie could do without Father Delaney's storyline, altogether.Anyway, there are a handful of genuinely eye-widening moments.I still love the red-eyes-looking-in-the-window moment, and the part where the babysitter gets locked in the closet is creepy.The main thing the movie lacks is a great payoff.If you're expecting to see George go mano-a-mano with Satan or the house explode or some kind of apocalypse, you'll be let down.Overall, you'll get a satisfying number of creepy moments, I think, but this isn't a classic.

More Detailed Story, Less Shock and Scary Visuals.
Having just seen the Remake starring Ryan Reynolds, I had to check out the Original Amittyville Horror starring James Brolin(the current husband of Barbara Streisand), who is perfect for the role of George Lutz, because he's got the rough and macho look. Even though his performance is good, but it was Margot Kidder(Kathy) who was more striking with a performance that was filled with emotion and fear. Rod Steiger is very convincing as the priest with best intension to save the Lutz family from the evil force that lived in the old colonial house, but he gets defeated by the powerful demonic force.

The story is very detailed and slow-paced compared to the remake. It excels in providing a very gripping atmosphere to this movie while it had neglected to be visually stimulating like the remake. The sound effect and music are kind of cheessy when it always tried to accompanied the reactions of the characters. Theire are more characters in this film, even Helen Shaver had a bit part here.

There really is not enough scary moments in this film compared to the remake. The scene where the blood was leeking out from the wall and floor was the best visual, but everything else was just too low-key. It's done a better job at being more psychologically scary, but it's too long and boring at times. I prefer the remake more than this one. ... Read more

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Ahead of Its Time
"Max Headroom" was originally a character used by Channel 4 in Britain, in 1984.Matt Frewer portayed Headroom, as he did in the ABC television programme in America.
Predicting a 500-channel smorgasboard of channels, reality television and webcams, MH was clearly ahead of its time.Let's hope we get a DVD soon, complete with clips from the original broadcasts, and even the entire made-for-tv movie by Channel 4.
Incidentally, going by Steve Roberts's novelisation, MH takes place in the year 2004. ... Read more