Movies
The Amityville Horror Franchise, Ranked
It’s Haunted House Month here at Horror Press! Since a common thread of haunted house movies is exploring the dark past of the dwelling at the center of the story, I thought I’d dig through one of the darkest times in my own movie-watching past to deliver a ranking of the Amityville Horror franchise, loosely based on the real-life-but-almost-definitely-a-hoax story of the Lutz family’s paranormal experience of living in a Long Island home that had recently been the site of a mass murder.
It’s Haunted House Month here at Horror Press! Since a common thread of haunted house movies is exploring the dark past of the dwelling at the center of the story, I thought I’d dig through one of the darkest times in my own movie-watching past to deliver a ranking of the Amityville Horror franchise, loosely based on the real-life-but-almost-definitely-a-hoax story of the Lutz family’s paranormal experience of living in a Long Island home that had recently been the site of a mass murder.
Note: We’re only going to be counting the movies in the “proper” franchise, which generally means anything between the 1979 original and the 2005 remake, as well as whatever came after that which had a budget that could buy you more than a box of Cracker Jacks. Around the early 2010s, filmmakers seemed to discover that you can’t copyright the name of a real town, so infinite low-budget knockoffs began to spring up, and I’m sorry but stuff like Amityville Karen and Amityville Christmas Vacation just doesn’t belong here.
They certainly deserve an article of their own, but that’s an entirely different ballgame, with a drunk umpire.
The Amityville Horror Franchise Ranked
10. The Amityville Curse (1990)
The Amityville movies frequently have a hard time focusing on the core elements of the franchise, as you’ll soon see, but this installment – the fifth – was where they really lost the plot good and proper. It’s a milquetoast adult drama set in Amityville, but it’s in an entirely different house, and one that is much squatter and uglier and more boring to look at than the iconic Dutch Colonial with the windows that look like glaring, angry eyes. The boring outsides of the house reflect the boring paranormal antics going on within its walls, and the whole thing is predicated on a plot twist that is so obvious I didn’t realize we weren’t supposed to already know it was happening.
9. Amityville: The Awakening (2017)
This is the single “proper” Amityville movie made after 2005, and it took them three years of reshoots and post-production meddling to actually get it released. Maybe they should have taken longer, because the final product is in shambles. It has promising elements (Jennifer Jason Leigh, a meta angle where the Amityville movies exist), but nothing to show for it as it lazily grafts an Insidious-style storyline into the Amityville universe without any of the potent James Wan-style scares.
8. The Amityville Horror (2005)
A shirtless 2005 Ryan Reynolds with an axe certainly gets you somewhere, but even by the standards of a mid-2000s horror remake, The Amityville Horror is pretty weak. The haunted house genre is the one that least benefits from “improved” special effects that involve slopping lots of bad CGI onscreen, but every choice made here delivers the story and themes with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
7. Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
This one is about a new house built on the same lot as the original Amityville house, but there’s a haunted dollhouse in the shape of the original house that is exerting its evil influence? Hell if I know what’s actually going on here, but Amityville Dollhouse is drab more than it is actively bad. And it does have its moments. It’s more exploitative than many of the other installments, so if you’re into scantily clad men or women, there’s a surprising amount of both for what is ostensibly a family drama. Also, because the movie has as little understanding of its own plot as I do, the manifestations of the presence in the house are kooky and constantly changing, which does keep you on your toes.
6. The Amityville Horror (1979)
You might be surprised to find the original movie so low on the list, but for a minted classic, it can get tedious. It’s episodic with no real build-up, needlessly shackling itself to the “real” events of the story, leaving it diffuse and messy and narratively unsatisfying for a great big portion of its run time.
5. Amityville 1992: It’s About Time (1992)
The sixth Amityville movie is part of a run of sequels involving objects from the original house being brought into other homes and wreaking havoc. In this case, it’s a haunted clock that bends time, and the results are cuckoo bananapants. It’s a low-budget direct-to-video movie, so there’s a ceiling to how well things go for it, but it’s full of beautifully conceived post-Elm Street supernatural mayhem and its chaotic energy is kind of a delight.
4. Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
After the release of the original, Italian shlock producer Dino De Laurentiis got his hands on the franchise and gave it a big ol’ shot in the arm. The 1980s were in full swing at this point, and thus the movie is jam-packed with glorious rubbery effects, incest, and mayhem. Unfortunately, it concludes with a boring Exorcist riff, but it’s a pretty fun entry overall.
3. Amityville: The Evil Escapes (1989)
This is the one with the Evil Lamp, and oh what a lamp! You take one look at it and go, “Yeah, that lamp is evil; stay away from that.” Somehow this is an Amityville movie that is also a Patty Duke TV movie, and even more shockingly, it works. It’s very silly, sure, but it’s got one of the most engaging core storylines of the bunch, with three generations of women battling evil in an isolated home. It’s everything the new Halloween trilogy thought it was doing, and more. (“More” is a teenage girl dumping two giant bowls of salad down a garbage disposal.)
2. Amityville 3-D (1983)
Dropping the “based on a true story” conceit immediately allowed the franchise to cut loose and have some fun, combining the deliberate pace of the original and the 1980s grotesquerie of the sequel into a focused slow boil toward a rollicking good time. Plus, Meg Ryan is kicking around and a Frisbee gets thrown directly into your face, so what’s not to like?
1. Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
It’s not often that a direct-to-video seventh installment in a franchise is the best, but The Amityville Horror is one of the more unusual horror franchises on the market. This one, about a haunted mirror tormenting bohemian artists straight from the cast of Rent, features a stacked cast (David Naughton! Terry O’Quinn! Richard Roundtree! Lin Shaye!!), unique visual ideas, and a solid plot. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s a diamond in the rough. Or, at the very least, some cubic zirconia in the rough.
My New Year’s resolution is to spend more time watching my favorite app. Luckily, Shudder is not taking it easy on us this holiday season, so I may meet my quota this January. The streamer is bringing in the new year with quite a few bangers. We have classics from icons, a new title from the first family of indie horror, and a couple of lesser-known films that have finally found a home. So, I am obviously living for this month’s programming and think most of you will too. I have picked the five films that I believe deserve our collective attention the most. Get into each of them and start your 2026 off on the right foot.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Carrie (1976)
A sheltered teen finally unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated for the last time. Carrie is the reason I thought proms might be cool when I was a kid. This Brian De Palma adaptation is one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. It is also an important title in the good-for-her subgenre. I cannot help rooting for Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) when I watch her snap at this prom and then head home to accidentally deal with her mom. The only tragedy of this evening is that Carrie had to die, too. I said what I said, and I will be hitting play again while it is on Shudder. This recommendation goes out to the other recovering sheltered girls who would be the problem if they had powers. I see you because I am you.
You can watch Carrie on January 1st.
Marshmallow (2025)
A shy 12-year-old gets sent to summer camp and finds himself in a living nightmare. While Marshmallow did not land for me, I know plenty of people who love it. Which makes this the perfect addition to the Shudder catalogue. I am actually excited to see more folks fall in love with this movie when it hits the streamer. If nothing else, it will help a few folks cross off another 2025 title if they are still playing catch-up with last year’s movies. It also gets cool points from me for not taking the easy route with the mystery it built. I hope you all dig it more than I did, and tell your friends about it. Perhaps you could even encourage them to sign up for the app.
You can watch Marshmallow on January 1st.
Chain Reactions (2024)
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cemented his horror legacy over fifty years ago. So, it is long overdue for a documentary where horror royalty can discuss its impact on them and their careers. I have been waiting for a couple of years to hear Karyn Kusama and Takashi Miike talk about Hooper’s work and how he inspired them. So, I am super geeked that Shudder is finally giving me the chance to see this film. The streamer is also helping the nerds out by adding The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) this month. If you are also an overachieving couch potato, I will see you at the finish line next week.
You can watch Chain Reactions on January 9th.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
An insurance investigator discovers the impact a horror writer’s books have on people. I love chaos, and John Carpenter chaos happens to be one of my favorite kinds of chaos. While we talk about The Thing and Halloween all the time, this maestro has given us plenty of horror to celebrate. In the Mouth of Madness is very much one of those titles vying for a top spot among the best of his filmography. To sweeten the batshit pot, this movie features Sam Neill. You know that he only shows up in our genre if the movie is going to be legendary. You cannot tell me this is not a Shudder priority this month.
You can watch In the Mouth of Madness on January 10th.
Mother of Flies (2025)
A terminally ill young woman and her dad head to the woods to seek out a recluse who claims she can cure her cancer. The Adams Family has been holding court on Shudder for years, so it feels right that Mother of Flies is a Shudder Original. More importantly, this fest favorite has one of the best performances of 2025. Which makes it a great time for people to finally get to see it and get in line to give Toby Poser her flowers. Whatever you think your favorite Poser role is, it is about to change when you see her as Solveig. I am being serious when I say that this movie might be the first family of indie horror at their best.
You can watch Mother of Flies on January 23rd.
New year, but same Shudder. I would not want to go into 2026 any other way, personally. I hope these horrific recommendations bring you the good kind of anxiety. Or at least distract you from the state of the world for a bit.
I’m happy Netflix knew I would be back on my bull shit. Now that we’re in January, and the end-of-year lists are done, I’m trying to cram as many 2025 titles into my eyeballs as I possibly can. I know it sounds backwards, but it’s sadly a yearly tradition now. No matter how many titles you cram into a year, there are always a ton more you missed. Because I am broken, I need to know if I missed anything that should have been on my lists ASAP. Then I can drag myself for not getting my eyeballs on things sooner. Or worse, seeing titles that came out after my deadline and would have definitely been on there. I need to feel resentment for their schedules not letting me be great.
Luckily for me, the streamer has dropped quite a bit of new stuff recently. This includes movies and shows that I put off, or that legitimately premiered a couple of weeks ago. So, now I can spiral in the comfort of my own home as I binge all of these titles like a maniac. If you are also trying to walk into the new year stressed out, then maybe this streaming guide is for you, too.
City of Shadows (2025)
When a burned body is put on display on the facade of an iconic building, two inspectors must work together to solve the crime. I don’t know much about this Spanish thriller, but I know winter is the time for an unsettling mystery. The show is based on the first book of the Milo Malart tetralogy written by Aro Sáinz de la Maza. So, if it’s as good as I hope it is, there is a whole world with this inspector awaiting us in print. I’m ready to take all six of these episodes in one setting if the streaming Gods allow.
Frankenstein (2025)
Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Christoph Waltz are among the names in this newest adaptation of the beloved Gothic horror classic. Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is clearly one of the top priorities this month. While I skipped it in festivals because of the runtime, I knew I would have a date with it on Netflix this winter. While it has been on the streamer for a minute, I wasn’t able to dedicate two and a half hours to it. I also had watched my friends’ mixed reviews come in, and couldn’t take another disappointment last year. So, I saved this treat for the holiday. Fingers crossed, it is better than people are saying it is.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
A new group of friends is tormented by a new stalker in this sequel to Kevin Williamson’s other ’90s slasher. I’m indifferent to the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies. Some are less awful than others, and I think this one was fine, but I know the original source material. Which means I know just how far they stray from what the original author, Lois Duncan, was about. So, I look at these movies and the flimsy premise they repeat differently than a lot of my friends. I think it’s an interesting look at how IP gets handled in Hollywood, but I don’t usually get much out of these. Which is another reason I’m kinder to this Jennifer Kaytin Robinson film than some people. While I won’t be rewatching it this January, I think a lot of people who missed it in theaters are going to have fun with some of these kills now that it’s on Netflix.
Stranger Things: Season 5 (2025)
The long-awaited conclusion to Stranger Things is finally upon us! Will Vecna take out some of this ridiculously large cast on the way out? I hope so. Will we pretend to be surprised when Eddie Munson gets a few seconds of screentime? I refuse to play this game. However, are we all going to tune in to see how this epic ride ends? You betcha! I hate that they’re breaking this final season up into three chunks, but I will be sitting for all of them.
The first four episodes hit in November. The next three landed on Netflix on December 25, and the finale premiered on December 31. I don’t know what to expect, but I know I am so ready to close this chapter of my relationship with Netflix and the Duffer Brothers. If it is even half as good as season four, then I will be a very happy nerd.
Troll 2 (2025)
A new troll awakens, causing Nora, Andreas, and Captain Kris to find new allies to take it down. This Norwegian monster flick almost got by me, so I’m happy Netflix dropped the trailer for this one. I’m using this as an excuse to finally watch the first one. I’m thinking a double feature is in order, so I can spend a whole day with these trolls. This is not my usual type of party, but after Troll Hunter won me over, I figure anything can happen. So, I will not judge you if you’re not feeling this out of left field pick. Just know that I’m running at it with an open mind and hoping to see some carnage as a reward.
These are just the Netflix titles I’m prioritizing. This is in no way a complete overview of all of the new shows and movies they’ve added this winter. We also know that they usually have a ton of international bangers that they refuse to advertise. So, I end up stumbling over Korean titles every January and then trying to tell people we missed some really excellent stuff. So, pick up your remote and turn your phone off. It’s time to Netflix and Chill in the less sexy and more nerdy way.
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