Skyline Entertainment has released the official trailer for The Amityville Murders, a new film that tells the true story of the crimes that inspired The Amityville Horror.
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The trailer plays up the “based on a true story” element in a way that basically no film since the original has done — and has a positively ghastly last few seconds of footage.
You can check it out above.
The Amityville Murders will be released in theaters as well as on VOD and digital HD in February, just weeks before Chucky returns to theaters in the latest Child’s Play.
Seems like February 2019 is shaping up to be a pretty horror-centric month. First-time Amityville distributors Skyline Entertainment announced the date for The Amityville Murders today.
“We are really excited about this title,” said Skyline CEO Jim Jacobsen. “As a new company, we look for films with big brand recognition and a built-in audience. Fans will not be disappointed as Dan Farrands and the team knocked it out of the park with this one.”
This time around, the Amityville name is not being used to tell the story of the Lutz family or those who came after them (or, y’know, to make up something totally random, which is what most of the movies did). Instead, this one centers on the 1974 murders that took place in the house before the Lutzes moved in. This is, essentially, a prequel story — although murderer Ron DeFeo’s claims that he was driven to kill by voices will undoubtedly give a sense of horror to the film too.
Based on a true events, the film relays the nightmarish story that preceded the one detailed in the original 1979 classic film. On the night of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. took a high-powered rifle and murdered his entire family as they slept. At his trial, DeFeo claimed that “voices” in the house commanded him to kill. This is their story.
The Amityville Murders from writer/director Daniel Farrands. The film stars John Robinson (Elephant), Chelsea Ricketts (Crooked Arrows), Diane Franklin (Better Off Dead), Paul Ben-Victor (Daredevil), Lainie Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Burt Young (Rocky).
Franklin and Young both appeared as members of the fictional Montelli family — based heavily on the DeFeos — in 1982’s Amityville II: The Possession. That, too, was a prequel, although it was not billed as being based on the true events. This time around, they will play the real DeFeos rather than reprising their roles as the Montellis.
The Amityville Murders is produced by Farrands, Eric Brenner (All I Wish) and Lucas Jarach (Dear Dictator) and executive produced by Jim Jacobsen (The Haunting of Sharon Tate).
