David F. Sandberg to Direct ‘The Amityville Horror’
(Left) Director David Sandberg on the set of ‘Until Dawn’. Photo: Kerry Brown. © 2024 Screen Gems, Inc. and TSG Entertainment II LLC. All Rights Reserved. (Right) ‘The Amityville Horror’. Photo: American International Pictures.
Preview:
- ‘Shazam’ and ‘Lights Out’ director David F. Sandberg will direct the new ‘Amityville Horror’.
- Amazon MGM Studios is developing the movie.
- Another indie take is already in development.
Despite the terror that realtors would probably like to ignore in their listings, it seems more and more people are looking to move into the house that is central to ‘The Amityville Horror’.
Back in July, we learned that writer/directors Joseph and Vanessa Winter were working with the producers of ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Companion’ to develop an independent take unmoored from the franchise continuity. But that’s not the only new movie in the works.
“For God’s sake, get out!”
Release Date: Jul 27, 1979
Run Time: 1 hr 58 min
Budget: $4,700,000
Deadline brings word that David F. Sandberg, who has been behind the likes of ‘Lights Out’, ‘Annabelle: Creation’ and the recent ‘Until Dawn’, is dipping into the horror world again for a re-imagining of the original ‘Amityville’ movie.
Related Article: Writer/Directors Joseph & Vanessa Winter Making New ‘Amityville’ Movie
What’s the story of ‘Amityville’?
James Brolin in ‘The Amityville Horror’. Photo: American International Pictures.
The ‘Amityville’ story has its roots in Jay Ansen’s 1977 novel ‘The Amityville Horror’, which was partly used as inspiration for 1979’s eponymous movie.
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, it starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder, grossed more than $86 million against a modest budget and spawned a raft of follow-ups and reboots.
But stepping further back than that, there is a scary real-life history powering it all. That began in 1974, when Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings in their home at 112 Ocean in Amityville, New York.
A year or so after the horrific crime, George and Kathy Lutz, along with their three children, moved into the house, unaware of its dark past. And shortly after settling in, they claimed to experience a series of unsettling paranormal phenomena — among them, unexplained noises, cold spots, foul odors, and sightings of strange apparitions. After just 28 days, the family fled the house, unable to endure the alleged supernatural occurrences any longer.
When will this new ‘Amityville Horror’ be on screens?
While ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ co-writers Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing are aboard to craft the script for the new movie, we’ll likely have to wait a while to see when this one is released –– either in theaters or directly to Prime Video.
(L to R) Margot Kidder, James Brolin in ‘The Amityville Horror’. Photo: American International Pictures.