Customer Reviews: Read 110 more reviews...
 2.5 Stars--Great Premise, Poor story June 20, 2009
George and Kathy Lutz fled from their home, leaving all of their worldly belongings behind and moving all the way across the country, 28 days after moving into their home in Amityville, NY. I am a firm believer in the supernatural, demons, haunted houses, etc., and I was very excited to read this book. Despite speculation of whether this story was authentic or not. I don't know the authenticity, nor do I care. No one can say what really happened in that house, but a family of 5 fleeing and leaving everything behind in a moment of panic does make me wonder. However, this review is not about whether the incidents in the Amityville house really happened or not, this review is about the quality of the writing in this book, which was terrible. I would have only given this book 1.5 stars, but I gave it another star because the story itself is a good one. The events that happened during the book were good, (whether fiction or nonfiction), but the writer could have done a better job writing children's books. No, scratch that, my five year old has books in her collection that are written better than this one. The paragraphs and sentences were choppy. The transitions were bad, and too many sentences ended with an exclamation mark. An exclamation mark is used to show excitement or get the reader excited about what's being written. In this book, it was just plain annoying. This could have been a really good novel, but it was written at a kindergarten level. Jay Ansen should not have been allowed to write anything--not even a letter. This book was full of horrible cliches, and not enough description. The events in the book were good, which is why my rating went up, but it could have been much better written by an actual author and not a person trying to cash in on a cheaply written novel about a supposed "true story". In short--I was very dissapointed.
 Throw the movie away, get this book. May 24, 2009
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I got this. I had already seen the movie, both old and new versions, and I was interested. So I thought I'd get this book to see what it was all about,since "based on a true story" kind of movies don't cut it for me. I was amazed, and terrified. You don't need that big of an imagination to get spooked, but if you happen to have a big and wild imagination, well then... Beware. I rated this book 5 stars out of 5, and surely, it deserve's each star. The writing the author uses is easy to understand and always keeps you interested, it was never boring. I've even read this in school, in class even, and even then I was deeply engrossed and frightened! Amazing, this was the first book I have ever read that was truly spine-tingling.
must have for any Amityville fans February 1, 2009
This is a gruesome well written encounter of what actually happened according to the Lutz family. This book is a page turner. I was so scared to turn to the next page knowing this stuff really happened to this family but I couldn't help myself. It just draws you in! I'm so glad they decided to tell their own story on what happened to them in that house. My hat goes off to them on how long they stayed there! If it were me, I would have left after the first week! I had been waiting forever for this book to get re-published and I finally found it on Amazon.com. They never fail to amaze me on the books they keep in stock! This is a great read and the author, Jay Anson wrote the story extremely well. I love to read horror books and I own the entire collection of the Amityville movies. This is a must buy for anyone that likes to be scared when reading any book!
A good READ December 27, 2008
i have read this book several times!!!! i really like it!!! to say its true or not i dont know i have no reason to doubt the people telling the story i mean really why would they leave their belongings behind???? from my point of view it could happen and who am i to say it didnt happen?? i say buy the book judge for yourself!!! its well worth the read!!!
Creepy Fun! December 26, 2008
In the spirit of other 70's horror stories like Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen, The Amityville Horror is a flesh-tingling shiver-inducing read. The main difference is that it is not fiction. It's based on the experiences of the Lutz family, who get more than they bargained for when the buy their super creepy house including ghosts, poltergeists, and demons (allegedly). While there has been enormous speculation regarding the truth behind the events, it is essential for anyone who loves a good scare.
|
