The Amityville Horror – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Amityville Horror

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1979

18%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

1970s demonic possession flick that's more dated than scary, with a family terrorized by forces that might just be bad real estate decisions.

6.2/10

32%

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The Amityville Horror

movie

R, 1979

18%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

1970s demonic possession flick that's more dated than scary, with a family terrorized by forces that might just be bad real estate decisions.

6.2

32%

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6.2/10

32%

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be real: this is a relic. The Amityville Horror was middling even in 1979 (32% critic score, 28 Metacritic), and it hasn't aged well. The pacing drags, the scares are tame by modern standards, and the whole 'true story' hook was debunked as a money-grab hoax.

If you're a horror completist or love 70s genre films, sure, it has some atmospheric value. But for families? Hard pass. It's disturbing enough to upset kids (demonic possession, father threatening to axe-murder his family, children in peril) but not engaging enough to justify the trauma for older teens who could technically handle it.

The endless franchise it spawned tells you everything: this was always more about marketing than quality. Skip it unless you're specifically studying the evolution of horror cinema.

Age Fit

This is strictly adult horror—17+ at minimum, and even then only for teens who actively seek out classic horror and can handle intense supernatural violence and family terror themes. Common Sense Media's 16+ rating is the absolute floor. Not remotely appropriate for children or young teens.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a horror film centered on demonic possession and a family terrorized in their home. The tone is dark, menacing, and psychologically disturbing—featuring paranormal violence, a possessed father becoming increasingly violent toward his family, and children in genuine peril. The emotional experience is fear-based with minimal positive modeling or healthy family dynamics. Not wholesome by any reasonable measure.

Imaginative

The film presents a haunted house premise with supernatural elements—demonic presence, paranormal phenomena, and atmospheric 1970s horror aesthetics. However, it's largely derivative of The Exorcist and other possession films of the era. The 'based on true events' marketing gimmick (the Lutz family story was later debunked) adds a creepy factor but doesn't invite creative exploration or curiosity beyond passive viewing. It's imaginative in genre execution but not particularly original.

Safe

Common Sense Media rates this 16+, and that's generous. Contains disturbing horror imagery, demonic possession themes, a father threatening his family with an axe, children in danger, supernatural violence, some blood/gore, and intense psychological terror. The opening involves a mass family murder. This has multiple trigger warnings—domestic violence themes, child endangerment, religious horror. Absolutely not safe for younger viewers and even teens may find it deeply unsettling.

Enriching

As a cultural artifact of 1970s horror cinema, it has some historical value—it's part of the post-Exorcist wave of possession films and spawned an endless franchise. Roger Ebert gave it a positive review for its authentic 70s feel. But the film offers minimal cognitive growth, ethical insight, or meaningful takeaways beyond 'don't buy houses where murders happened.' It's pure fear entertainment with no real depth. The 32% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and 28 Metacritic rating reflect its lack of substance.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Authentic 1970s horror atmosphere if you're into retro genre films
Cultural touchstone that spawned an endless franchise (for better or worse)
Some viewers appreciate its slow-burn approach compared to modern jump-scare fests
Historical curiosity as part of the post-Exorcist possession film wave

⚠

What to Watch For

Intense horror content: demonic possession, father threatening family with axe, children in danger
Opens with mass family murder backstory that sets a dark tone throughout
Dated pacing and effects—modern kids will likely find it slow and unscary
The 'true story' marketing was later exposed as a complete hoax by the Lutz family
Domestic violence themes as possessed father becomes increasingly threatening

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think people are so fascinated by haunted house stories, even when they're made up?"
"How do special effects and what we find 'scary' change over time?"
"What makes a house feel creepy or unwelcoming to you?"

Deep Dive

The Real Estate Nightmare

If you strip away the demonic voices and the bleeding walls, The Amityville Horror is actually a movie about the crushing anxiety of a bad investment. George and Kathleen Lutz buy a house they clearly can't afford, and the "horror" is as much about the mounting bills and the peeling paint as it is about the ghosts. For a 1979 audience, this resonated. For a modern teen raised on the high-speed pacing of the Conjuring universe, it’s going to feel like watching a documentary about a guy who needs a better contractor.

The film leans heavily into the "true story" marketing that was a massive cultural phenomenon at the time. We now know the whole thing was a calculated hoax, which takes the teeth out of the experience. Without the "this actually happened" hook, you’re left with a movie where the most famous scare is a voice yelling "Get out!" and a priest getting a bad case of the flu. It’s atmospheric, sure, but it lacks the internal logic that makes modern supernatural horror work.

Domestic Tension vs. Jump Scares

While modern horror relies on the "quiet-quiet-BANG" rhythm, this is a slow-motion portrait of a family imploding. The real friction isn't the supernatural entities; it's George Lutz’s transformation into a volatile, axe-wielding threat. There is a persistent, low-level grittiness to the film—the "authentic 70s feel" critics mention—that makes the domestic violence themes feel uncomfortably real.

If your teen is looking for the kind of fun, popcorn-munching scares found in our guide to the scariest horror movies teens can handle, they won't find them here. This is "brown" horror: everything is wood-paneled, sweaty, and deeply depressing. It’s less about being scared of what’s under the bed and more about being scared of the person sitting across from you at the dinner table.

Why It Struggles to Land Now

Critics were brutal to this film upon release, and the Metacritic score of 28 reflects a movie that even contemporary reviewers found clunky. The special effects have aged into the "charming but silly" category—think bright red paint standing in for blood and some very questionable fly-wrangling.

The Pacing: It takes forever for anything of substance to happen.
The Logic: Characters make baffling decisions even by horror movie standards.
The Payoff: The ending feels abrupt, leaving most of the "why" questions completely unanswered.

If you have a kid who is a genuine student of film history, there’s value in seeing where the "haunted house on a portal to hell" trope really took off. But if they just want a Friday night thrill, this is a relic better left in the attic. It’s a movie that was famous for being a "true story" in an era when people were easier to prune. Today, it’s just a movie about a family that should have checked the zoning laws.

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