The Amityville movies are stuck in public domain purgatory, and considering the Warrens’ connection to the case, it’s time The Conjuring rescued them. While the actual movie isn’t as interesting as the purportedly non-fiction book that it’s based on, there’s no doubt that 1979’s The Amityville Horror holds an esteemed place in horror history. That place is made ever more apparent every time some hack director with zero budget decides to add another entry onto the Amityville mountain.
The reason there’s so much garbage piled on that mountain is that the original Amityville murders and the haunting of the Lutz family are all real-life historical events. That means that the Amityville name, the signature house at 112 Ocean Avenue, and anything connected to the DeFeo murders can be continuously mined for new horror films, as filmmakers hope against hope that another poor soul will be suckered in by the Amityille name and associated iconography long enough to foolishly rent their latest less than stellar offering.
In reality, married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were brought in to investigate the Amityville haunting. That tie gives Warner Bros’ Conjuring franchise the perfect opportunity to save Amityville from Hell.
Why The Conjuring Franchise Should Rescue Amityville
While the opening scenes of The Conjuring 2 briefly show the Warrens during the Amityville case, they’re really only used to set up the Valak storyline for later. Judging by how many fans enjoyed the momentary combination of Conjuring and Amityville, there would likely be a large audience for a full-on mixture of the two properties. Sure, Ed and Lorraine Warren’s actual role in the real-life investigation would probably need to be dramatized or expanded somewhat, but it’s not like there hasn’t been plenty of that in the prior Conjuring movies. Some embellishment tends to be forgiven if in service of telling a good story.
Many people who enjoy the Conjuring movies don’t even believe the Warrens were on the level – the real-life duo has long been the subject of skepticism – so it’s doubtful there would be much outrage if their encounter with 112 Ocean Avenue in the movie ended up more substantial than it was in reality. By focusing on Amityville, The Conjuring-verse gets a good bit of marketing material – “see the Warrens battle one of the most infamous demons in history” – and more importantly, Amityville can finally gain some shine back on its formerly good name, arguably for the first time since the underrated remake starring Ryan Reynolds. It’s a win-win situation, provided Warner Bros. and James Wan are willing to go that route.
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