The Amityville Horror--Déjà Vu All Over Again

This post contains spoilers for Jay Anson's novel The Amityville Horror.

I can’t be the only person reading this and feeling the arc and "reader feels" of The Shining, which, since I read it two weeks ago is still very fresh in my mind. The Amityville Horror has a slow-burning start with loads of backstory. Unlike The Shining, anything horrific is told with emotional detachment, so it doesn’t feel gut wrenching. At all. It’s a little inferior in that respect, but not terribly. Also unlike The Shining these characters don’t seem to have anything particularly wrong with them. They were just fine—right up until they encountered the house. But there is a similarity. It (the house/demonic force) affects each of the family members differently, and one family member in particular. And that one is the five year old. Everyone’s behavior changes, but the dad becomes impatient, particularly with the children. And it’s cold. And that hedge/stone lion moves. And being born with a caul causes psychic ability. Rip off.

But then Twilight was a rip off of Pride and Prejudice, and did I like it? Damned straight, I did.

I’m not saying it’s not worth reading. In fact, I think I enjoyed this reading experience better because once the tension built, it maintained a consistent level of enjoyable WTF, without pushing me beyond my comfort zone. Stephen King, however, almost always pushes me past where I’m comfortable. Some things I particularly liked: The way the house affects EVERYONE, including those who simply visit. AND that a momentary interaction with the house is enough for them to carry its malevolence away with them, like a virus. The priest with his car trouble, flu, and blisters. The brother and his money. Even the paranormal investigator who catches the flu before even arriving. It’s interesting that the house’s power isn’t constrained to just the property on which it stands. It tags along, effing things up for people who even think about the place. That’s fun.

Gawd, I’m shaping up to be such a pessimist. I hate to harp on what I didn’t like. Really, The Amityvile Horror was a fun read, and I didn’t want to put it down. I’d totally read another Jay Anson book—probably 666, which is the only one he wrote between Amityville Horror (1977) and his death in 1980.

But sometimes the action in this book was down-right irritating. Like, hey, crazy shit is happening in this house. Stone lions moving, weird smells, unseen presences, but it doesn’t even occur to Kathy, the mom, that the green goo could be a paranormal manifestation too (226). It must be those blasted kids. And when George (the dad) brings his dog inside to see if he senses anything, the dog reacts to exactly the things we expect him to—the secret room in the cellar, the sewing room, and Missy’s room. And George acts like he doesn’t understand why the dog would possibly behave strangely—“‘Goddammit, Harry…What’s bugging you?’”—when that’s exactly why he’s dragging the dog room-to-room in the first place. And then—“‘Nothing happened, that’s what happened,’ he said” (259). Perhaps he was expecting the dog to write a dissertation regarding his suspicions and discomfort, since George is blind to canine forms of communication. Sigh.

And then there’s the priest—Father Mancuso. I get why he wouldn’t want to go back to the house, but why doesn’t he just send another priest. Or someone to attempt an exorcism? He’s just like, “Sorry, suckas—you’re on your own. I’m not going to help you, therefore the Church can’t help you.” Thanks, buddy. May your itchy palms sprout humiliating hairs.

Based on a true story, my ass. But I wonder how much it increases a book’s sales if you swear on your grandmother’s grave that it’s true. Not that I’m interested in besmirching my grandmother’s grave. I’m just curious. Ahem. For a friend, of course.

Anson, Jay. The Amityville Horror. New York: Pocket Star, 1977. Print.