The documentary My Amityville Horror is better than it has any right to be – who woulda thunk that after all these years and awful movies, there was still an interesting story left untold in the whole Amityville saga? Fortunately, My Amityville Horror switches the focus from the sensationalized, dubious paranormal claims the Lutz family made so many years ago to the very real sense of familial dysfunction that pervaded their home.
The film follows Daniel Lutz, only 9 years old at the time of the supposed events, and now a troubled grown man living in the shadows of the infamous story. To say Lutz was traumatized by his childhood would be an understatement – in fact, he’s haunted by it. However, while he steadfastly swears that the paranormal events occurred, it’s clear that his memories are hopelessly interwoven with hatred for an overbearing stepfather who turned his home life into a nightmare of fear and anger. It’s fascinating to watch Lutz displace his own demons onto a picturesque house no more terrifying than the home of any other brutally unhappy family.
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