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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I don't know if I can ever watch any film or tv adaptation of this book because MY GOD this was fantastic!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson is a classic “true” account of a haunting that has spawned multiple movies. The Lutz family moves into their new home in December 1975. 28 days later, the family flees the house, leaving everything behind. The story itself in this book is mediocre. I have, of course, seen several of the movies based on it. I am glad I read this just so I can mark it off my list, but otherwise, there isn’t much benefit to it. If you have seen the 2005 version of the movie (my favorite because Ryan Reynolds), you have seen a better done, creepier story. The book doesn’t impress and it is a bit dull. There is also controversy over this being presented as a true story. The original murders are actual events that took place in the house, but the rest, well, no one can confirm. I had more fun diving into the theories around this book than reading the actual book. 2/5 stars.
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dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
It’s taken me 3.5 years to read this book and I’m honestly not sure why. It’s one of those books that I would simply put off reading, but I do feel like you have to be in the mood to read it. It wasn’t a book I would have necessarily gone looking for, or a book i would have picked up by chance - a rather out there choice for a birthday present!
I had recently bought another ghost stories book, to read in the run up to Halloween and reminded me of this book, so I went looking for it.
I’m not 100% sure on my feelings on this after finishing it. It’s been many years since I’ve seen the film - which is quite good in a sense, as I’m not influenced by anything I’ve seen in the film.
I did enjoy this but in a way, I didn’t. There was a major dip in the middle and a bit of editing could have tightened this up and made it flow a lot better. The whole section with the Chancellor and Father Mancuso was unnecessary to the progression of the story.
I like how the author’s note stated that the Lutz’s found other versions of the events distorted and sensationalised, which is exactly how I found this. It makes for very dramatic reading, with overuse of exclamation marks scattered liberally throughout.
Do I believe this actually happened? Yes and no. I want to believe. But I treated it the same as I do with the “found footage”/Blair Witch films/stories of that genre. It’s written by or told by someone with a terrific imagination. Do I believe there is some truth in the events that happened? Yes, I do. I want to believe that. But at the same time, it’s like a case of Chinese whispers, where the story grows more and more, until it’s impossibly unbelievable.
I think I would have believed this more, if it hadn’t been for the film, the author’s notes, the preface, the prologue, etc. I am inclined to say that I found the whole “based on a true story” slightly unbelievable and I would have preferred it if none of that had been mentioned until the end of the book. (Oh and skip the preface - it really adds NOTHING to the story.)
As other reviewers have said, it’s a shame we will never know the truth - I think this book would have worked a lot better as fiction, rather than being purported to be based on a true story. And there are numerous articles/documentaries about owners since the Lutz’s, phone call records and the Lutz’s suing for defamation, etc afterwards, amongst others.
I found this quite an enjoyable and scary read. Leave your skepticism at the door, and curl up by the fire, when the wind and rain is battering at the windows.
I had recently bought another ghost stories book, to read in the run up to Halloween and reminded me of this book, so I went looking for it.
I’m not 100% sure on my feelings on this after finishing it. It’s been many years since I’ve seen the film - which is quite good in a sense, as I’m not influenced by anything I’ve seen in the film.
I did enjoy this but in a way, I didn’t. There was a major dip in the middle and a bit of editing could have tightened this up and made it flow a lot better. The whole section with the Chancellor and Father Mancuso was unnecessary to the progression of the story.
I like how the author’s note stated that the Lutz’s found other versions of the events distorted and sensationalised, which is exactly how I found this. It makes for very dramatic reading, with overuse of exclamation marks scattered liberally throughout.
Do I believe this actually happened? Yes and no. I want to believe. But I treated it the same as I do with the “found footage”/Blair Witch films/stories of that genre. It’s written by or told by someone with a terrific imagination. Do I believe there is some truth in the events that happened? Yes, I do. I want to believe that. But at the same time, it’s like a case of Chinese whispers, where the story grows more and more, until it’s impossibly unbelievable.
I think I would have believed this more, if it hadn’t been for the film, the author’s notes, the preface, the prologue, etc. I am inclined to say that I found the whole “based on a true story” slightly unbelievable and I would have preferred it if none of that had been mentioned until the end of the book. (Oh and skip the preface - it really adds NOTHING to the story.)
As other reviewers have said, it’s a shame we will never know the truth - I think this book would have worked a lot better as fiction, rather than being purported to be based on a true story. And there are numerous articles/documentaries about owners since the Lutz’s, phone call records and the Lutz’s suing for defamation, etc afterwards, amongst others.
I found this quite an enjoyable and scary read. Leave your skepticism at the door, and curl up by the fire, when the wind and rain is battering at the windows.