The Amityville Horror

Herald rating: * *

Michael Bay, who remade The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a couple of years ago, turns his hand to the based-on-a-true-story tale from the 70s that could have ruined real estate prices on Long Island.

In 1974 Ronal De Feo jun murdered six members of his family in their home, telling the court that the house spoke to him and told him to do it. A year later George Lutz and his wife and children moved in - but fled a month later, claiming that mysterious things were happening in and around the house.

This time around, Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George play Mr and Mrs Lutz, happy that their house-hunting has turned out so well. But within a little while George is shutting himself away from the family, thinks he's hearing voices, and feels there's a malevolent force inside the house.

Like their amped-up Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the film-makers pull out every cliche in the horror-movie canon to scare the audience. But as Shakin' Stevens once sang, this old house is gettin' feeble.

* DVD, Video Rental Today