The Amityville Horror (1979)

  I have got to find somebody who enjoys horror movies.  I have burned through all of my friends and family.  Somebody has got to be out there who is willing to watch these movies with me because, I am telling you, other people are missing out.

At over 30 years old, the original Amityville Horror is a fantastic movie that holds up surprisingly well.  Christy wouldn't even walk through the living room while it was playing, just in case she accidentally saw something that would give her nightmares.  I actually agreed with this course.  Based on the subject matter, what she would have seen probably would have kept her up all night.  I was fine, but stuff like that doesn't bother me.

George (James Brolin) and Kathy (Margot Kidder) Lutz think they have found their dream home in a Long Island property.  It should be wildly out of their price range, but because the previous residents were murdered in their beds, the Lutz's get the house for a song.  Kathy, a devout Catholic, asks Father Delaney (Rod Steiger) to bless the house and clear it of all negative influences.  The good priest isn't in the house fifteen minutes before he is overcome by the amount of sheer evil contained within those walls.  From that point forward, the house begins to work its sinister spell over George, filling his head with terrible thoughts revolving around the proper use of a double-bladed axe.

This movie ramps up the tension every progressive moment, not giving the audience a single frame of lag in which to catch their breaths.  That is impressive.  Plus, 98% of the movie is just atmosphere so there are no dodgy special effects that would date it.  It feels like it could happen tomorrow, if you were unlucky enough to move in to that house.  The only slightly goofy moment is when Kathy goes to look out the window and sees a pair of red glowing eyes.  The idea is terrifying.  The execution looks like someone holding up a Furby.  Just roll with it, don't let it take you out of the right headspace.