The Amityville Horror (R, 2005)

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR begins with a prologue about the first bloody murders. Cut to one year later, when George (Ryan Reynolds) and wife Kathy (Melissa George) move in with her kids Billy (Jesse James), Michael (Jimmy Bennett), and Chelsea (Chloë Grace Moretz). As soon as they move in, menacing voices tell George to kill his family. Chelsea communes with the ghost of the dead daughter, who talks her into a dangerous rooftop climb. Complaining that the house is always cold, George moves into the basement to be near the furnace. He starts yelling at the children and punishing them excessively. George's personality changes are evident, but he returns to his old, pleasant self whenever he leaves the house. Kathy calls in a priest (Philip Baker Hall) with holy water, but he flees in fear, leaving her to cope with the demons and her raging husband.

Though Ryan Reynolds turns in a convincingly ominous performance, edged with dark humor, this remake is erratic and intensely violent, especially against children. The updated scary effects -- stormy nights, stalker cameras, and jump-editing -- create a chilling atmosphere that surpasses the original film's notorious cheesiness.

But nonsensical plot holes overwhelm any scene-by-scene effectiveness, as the characters make frequent bad decisions (leaving the children alone in the house, or with a babysitter they don't know), and fall victim to shoddy transitions between scenes. It's also implausible (and annoying) that Kathy puts up with George's growing viciousness at home, considering he's as nice as can be when he's away from the house.

Studio: MGM/UA
Director: Andrew Douglas
Cast: Jesse James, Melissa George, Ryan Reynolds
Genre: Horror
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: April 15, 2005
DVD release: October 4, 2005
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: violence and terror, sexuality, language and brief drug use