George and Kathy Lutz and their three children move into a house that was the site of a horrific murder a year before. They decide to keep the house and try to keep the horror in the past. This is until George starts to behave weirdly and their daughter Chelsea starts to see people. What now follows is 28 days of sheer terror for the family.
Review
A year after the DeFeo family is slaughtered wholesale by a rifleloving father a new family the Lutzes move in. Soon the family feels an eerie presence in the house and George Lutz (Ryan Reynolds) the new dad begins to change.
The movie overall is a respectable one. The mood is very nice the New York Times rightfully called it Ȫ modest improvement over the original" and I freely admit there were moments I was on edge thinking something nasty was going to come popping out a feeling I very rarely have anymore after seeing so many "scary movies". So all in all they did something right. One scene in particular where something is in the ceiling (I couldn't quite make it out) was creepy and the dead girl in the window was unsettling. I also take a little pride knowing the film was shot in Wisconsin (in the towns of Salem and Silver Lake near Kenosha).
Someone commented that this was very much a Ryan Reynolds fetish film having him taking up almost all the scenes. More specifically it's a Ryan Reynolds chopping wood fetish film. He is in 85% of the shots and in many of those he is chopping wood. And why is his shirt constantly off Yes I see those pecs and abs Ryan... I know you were in that ȫlade" movie... but come on you were also in "Van Wilder"... you're not a threat.
Melissa George (Kathy Lutz) on the other hand did not take her shirt off enough and when she did the camera was positioned in such convenient ways. Was this film PG13 I don't believe it was so why tease the audience like that By the way George's performance was the weakest of the entire cast even the children. Some people have commented on how she is a TV actress and I agree this might have something to do with it. (For a better Melissa George film see "Triangle".)
Another reviewer complained that Kathy didn't remove her children fast enough when George began turning violent. I disagree. The family has been together a while George has been nothing but loving and supportive (I mean geez he bought her a house). The whole film takes place in about a week as far as I can tell. The man deserves a few days of blowing off steam.
What's the deal with the babysitter (Rachel Nichols) She shows up looking like a prostitute and then talks seductively to a little boy. This was very confusing for me. I don't mind... and actually I really liked her character but it was still odd.
My friend warned me about the babysitter in the closet scene which he said was the creepiest thing he saw since "In the Mouth of Madness". Well I think ITMOM was John Carpenter's best film (even more than "The Thing" "They Live" and "Prince of Darkness") but it never scared me. The closet scene had me on edge but only because he had me convinced it was going to be awful. Really the scene was nothing out of the ordinary. (You'll have to see for yourself what happens maybe you'll be grossed out more than I was.)
There were many "Wicked Little Things" connections which is a slam on WLT. If you read my review for that film you'll see I complained about how unoriginal it was. After seeing Ȫmityville Horror" I can add so many more instances. Both films star Chloe Moretz (the Dakota Fanning of horror). Both have her with an "imaginary friend" that is a dead girl. Both inform their mothers they won't be hurt. Both carry disfigured dolls previously owned by the dead friend. So um for the guys who made "Wicked Little Things" if you were gonna rip off Ȫmityville Horror" why didn't you at least bother to get a new actress The producers do say on the commentary that "she was amazing" and I appreciate that Chloe was singled out.
I didn't expect much from this one hearing it was nothing special and many saying it was monotonous. Well I liked it. I think it all went together very well and they do a fine job of explaining the backstory which is something many horror films fail miserably at. (I don't recall if the original explains it as well but I'm willing to bet it doesn't). By remake standards better than average. By movie standards not bad. I stamp it with my seal of approval.