03 AMITYVILLE 3: THE DEMON!

03 AMITYVILLE 3: THE DEMON!
Kelly and Eric continue their chronological journey through the Amityville franchise with the third head-scratching installment,  joined by their Strange Aeons Radio co-host, Vanessa Williams!

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Amityville Horror position 3d Strange aeons radio presents The Amityville Horror Picture Show. That is Eric Moore good over there. I am Kelly we are your hosts on this very strange journey of the Amityville film franchise, of which there are over 40 films now as of this recording 10 of which were released in 2022. And I have seen three so far that will be released in the first quarter of 2023. There are so many because the actual Amityville murders of November 13 1974 are public fact and they can be no copyright on the name of Amityville because it is a real city. Each episode features a revolving door of guests hosts and today I am thrilled as someone we are all very familiar with our co host strange aeons radio, Vanessa Williams. Hello, Vanessa. First of all, you've got to be thrilled that there is no egg timer on this show. Oh my god, I'm so good. How about take 30 seconds and brag about yourself for listeners who don't know you from strange aeons radio? Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Vanessa. I am a local filmmaker slash film editor. I've been in the business for 17 years. I've worked on television and feature films TV and currently do a lot of video game trailers. That's kind of my gig. I'm a giant nerd. I love Star Trek. You're our favorite nerd. I get a prize for that. Vanessa, one of the things that we like to start with every guest is asked what your Amityville Horror origin story is, you were born after all of the hype. So I'm curious as you were growing up if this was something you were aware of as only a movie or if you know about what supposedly happened before you ever saw the movie 0% No information really only knew of it as a movie series. That was supposedly spooky. So I watched the first two and I honestly this morning was like, I wonder if those are real or not. And I was like, I don't think they were like this morning. You didn't realize it. But you know, it was based on real events, right, I knew is based on real events like roughly but everything is based on relevance. So I knew though, the Warrens existed in our bullshit, so I kind of knew that much. Yes, we're big fans of hating on the warrants. Excellent. Well said. We asked you to do Amityville 3d with us. Yes. Which is great because I saw one and two so now I'm I'm like, Alright, I ready for three. 3d which is also known as Amityville The Demon 1983. A budget of 6 million a box office of 6 million and a rotten tomatoes critics score of 18% Okay, you guys. This is directed by Richard Fleischer, who has 62 directing credits including Fantastic Voyage Dr. Doolittle 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Soylent Green. It was written by David Ambrose was 32 writing credits including The Final Countdown, Darrell and year of the gun which I just found out today. Frankenheimer direct mail really is not what you were saying on strange aeons radio, but it stars Tony Roberts very recognizable character actor 65 credits including Serpico, Annie Hall, Radio Days popcorn. Tess Harper, who has 112 credits including tender mercies Silkwood No Country for Old Men. Lori Loughlin who really loves her daughter, and 74 credits including rad back to the beach and 152 episodes of Full House and Meg Ryan, who has 53 credits including Top Gun innerspace When Harry Met Sally Sleepless in Seattle City of Angels, clearly the best actor in this movie, right? I mean, he's sure shows are I bring all this up because this is a really bad movie with a ton of talent behind it. Yep. Yeah. It's kind of crazy. The whole world knows the story of this house. Now, its terror takes on a new dimension as the horror reaches out, beyond the edge of the screen get out everybody get out of the house. Dino de la Renta is presents Amityville 3d I thought that the movie started out kind of fun with the with the man of the woman showing up at the Amityville house where there's a seance being held, and then they expose the people who are doing the Sansa Shelton's best scene in the movie. No Oh not the best scene in the movie but pretty good I like it a lot. I love the guy with floating glowing black except his faces are white guys like that's plus a perfect so this is not a large hallway or something this is a room where some guys are running through with a pole they get up from the lineup cloud that's definitely not just a JPEG dancing across the screen. But yeah, it was not a JPEG dancing across the street. I can promise you what this was made and what 8383 I mean, I guess not jpg. Like a piece of film was just like would I thought that there was you know, this movie is bullshit. Just like every movie in this franchise. It turns out, but I love the Tony Robbins comes in there and he's like, Are you sure it's gonna be okay, considering this is the house where it all happened? And the opening scene is the eyes on the outside of the house. And I feel like we all know this is the house where it all Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So but they couldn't say certain things for legal reasons. They weren't allowed to reference a lot of the original aspects of the story. Am I crazy in thinking he says that the beginning and then seems to very quickly forget everything that happened in the house, and then spends the rest of the time being like, nothing really us about this house though. He is infuriatingly. What's the word I'm looking for he this house is oozing with evil. Yeah. And he's oblivious to it. totally oblivious. Purposely so paranormal? What's the name of the magazine? He works for? Like the reveal. Yeah, where he's his whole job is to think all this stuff is BS. So yeah, I mean, that fits his character, even to the point where sometimes if your livelihood is based on being full of shit, when you're showing that you're full of shit, you deny it like no, this is fine, right? Yeah, so he's a reporter for reveal magazine. And it turns out that the woman with him is his like, partner photographer. Yeah. Yeah. Not not a romantic interests or anything weird. In a very strange scene. The real estate agent who's trying to sell the house basically gives it to him for a steal. Yes. He says, I can't even move the house on either side of this house because of what happened. We we know that is full of shit, right? I mean, there's if Vanessa, you just bought a house? You got it for a steal? It sounds like. Yeah. But if they had said, there is also a weld to hell in the basement? Would you have been like, well, that's a no starter for me. Or would you have been like, I can work around it. 50,000 more off the top. Right. Yeah, I definitely definitely was like, I don't know that you I would want to buy this. But I also don't think that either house on either side should care. Because they don't have it. Well, the hell. They're fine. Well, and also in, in the real world, the houses on either side of 112 Ocean Avenue. Were fine. They, because they didn't believe any of this shit. Anyway, the real estate agent seemed like, the way the character is portrayed beginning to his end. In the getting killed after immediately after selling sounds like so did the house hire this guy is that? You did your job, sir. We're done with you. Now. Well be so marked in those photos where they develop the pictures and a space is all weird. And it's like, oh, is he like possessed? Like did the house get him and be like, Oh, now you're going to sell us to an unsuspecting family as you're opening my eyes to a storyline that I didn't realize was happening there. And why hasn't that been like a, a through line through all of the movies. The real estate agent is owned by the house. I do love when he finds a real estate agent dead in the house. He doesn't think for the briefest moment. You know, there's a lot of bad history about this house and the real estate agent died in it as a problem. Yeah, I have so many questions about that guy's death because he seems to be attacked by flies who sit on him. And then that kills him. And I was like, maybe they meant for it to be bees. Because then he's all puffy when they get to him but the guy is like and he had like a stroke or something I don't know. Rafi stroke, puffy stroke. This. This is a 3d movie and I love his hand reaching for the guy as he's all the 3d moments are beautiful in this movie. You talked about the photos of the real estate agent. They show him as I think it's supposed to be a rotting corpse. Oh, but I only get that by looking up what it was supposed to be okay, to me it. It just looks like a weird twist of image. First of all, it's a huge ripoff of The Omen. Right? And I would have been fine with it. If they took it a bit further, like maybe the ring did in that way. You know, Martin was, yeah, who's worked by it. And it could have been a way to, it could have been a tool that they could have investigated the house a little more thoroughly, I think in any of the ways but how cool would it have been if they had if they had implemented the 3d into the Fatah photograph? She was taking photography, I think that you know, there was some missed moments of this for sure. Oh, yeah. Thinking of the flies, too. It's like, what? There's some weird shit done in this film with the flies. Like, why is there a fly in the elevator controlling how the elevator works? And I kept thinking in that elevator scene, I was like, okay, they added that fly in afterwards. Right? But then every once in a while, I would see the shadow of the fly on him. Yeah, so yeah, fly really in there and how to actually be on camera. Just released like five in there and hope it's one we go past. I gave him this one, the 3d effect. So did you guys see this in 3d then? Like, no. And I first saw this it was rental. Okay. And like, Thank you Navy three, though. Yeah, cuz I'm kind of guessing when it's 3d. Because, you know, they do the whole house of wax, like, you know, yo, yo, at the screen where you're like, Okay, this is meant to be in my face. Well, look, and also, unfortunately, I mean, it becomes very clear, the best 3d scene is just the title. When it first comes up and starts shifting ground. Like, Oh, I bet you that looks awesome. And then the rest of the 3d was yes. A finger pointing at you or, or something like that. Really bad. Yeah. Also, Melanie has access. Are we to believe that this para psychological company that investigates a weird shit is reveal magazine? Yeah. Where I was got out of it. That's what it was. Right? Well, they have all these, like scientists, like a science portion to their magazine, where like, every time they go in the science office, there's a window of science happening. Yes, behind, right. Yeah. And also the guy, by the way, has like a framed photo of an exit door. Very weird choice. Not quite sure what's going on there. But yeah, I don't know what is up with this magazine and how it's linked into like, real paranormal research. Okay, so now that we're talking this out now, I'm wondering if reveal is just kind of a side thing that they they report their findings and their actual, you know, maybe but every when they show you the stack of the magazine covers, it looks like the like, you know, national news or the bad boy. Yeah, kind of stuff. I don't know it is. Yeah. Very strange. But I do love that. At first, I was trying to figure out what's going on. She brings the camera in and I was like, did she bring this to a doctor and the doctor is examining it or what is happening because he's, he's, he seems very comfortable with a camera. I do not understand that man. I don't get it at all. He had one of the great 3d moments to with his eye in the in the magnifying glass. That must have looked amazing. The her her whoever wrote the film to like didn't quite get developing film either. Right. At that time when he had to develop it by hand. It's like, my turn off that bright white light. I was just like, they must have done things really different seven days. I don't know. I feel like that was probably Richard Fleischer's thing. He's like, Look, I can't show the scene in the dark. That's right. Yeah. So nobody will know what's going on. The photographer becomes a believer of the house being haunted well before John, who was moving his shit in and telling his daughter, you know, hey, go ahead and pick out a room or history house before you pick up? Exactly. Oh, no. Now five people were murdered in any one of the bedrooms you might pick out I hope that's not going to bother you at all. But the also the as the movie goes on, and the photographer is just sort of removed to this weird her own sort of strange side story that really has And they bring in the guy's wife who is to interact. The Worst Actress I've seen in a long time on film the test wife the way she's awful she's she's pretty bad but that's what I'm saying this can't be her fault because you get these tender mercies is so good and all that this is the director either yeah you know just completely phoning this in or who knows what the backstory of of him taking a shit job like this is it's she is just God awful consistently and the kids are pretty there is like a wild range of acting the league because the kids are pretty good I mean that Brian and I think Laurie are both awesome this is my second film I think she was like I gotta make kind of make my mark I gotta get going I don't care what this guy's saying I'm doing my own shit. Yeah, it should also be noted that Fleischer the director his next films after this are Conan the Destroyer and Red Sonia. So not great. John is so oblivious to the house that you kind of want to throttle him? Yeah. And I kept on hope he would be revealed that he knew the house was evil the whole time either to load it into a false sense of security. So he could like exercise it surprising it or something, or maybe somehow use it to kill his wife is what I was kind of hoping. But it turns out he's just like, willfully ignorant of the entire proceeding. Hey, deals the deal. Right now. We got the house. He needed more room and he needed a space to write and his wife they were basically out the door you know, might as well make it official by buying a home. Yeah, I love it that he's he's his editors. Kelly look, I'd be losing money if I didn't spend 80,000 It's got a doc. Okay. Eric, you mentioned Melanie's Side Story, which I think could have been really cool. Except the killer of like, suddenly and rather brutally. Yeah. Verbally brought the fly along. I was hoping she would like swerve her car and not like go and have the impaling that didn't actually get her but Right. Yeah, her car is kind of I like that. Like that, you know, she hits the impaling doesn't get her and she's Yeah. And then a giant explosion. Yeah, a small a small fire begins on the where the photo of the face would have been through the briefcase. Right? And then in golf, sir. Oh, wait, and then the guy comes along and just casually watches. Oh, let's see that. Oh, open the doors. Oh, flames again. I mean, she's gone by that point. What are you gonna do? She's literally been burnt to a skeleton. Yeah. And the skeleton does move though. Briefly, with her hands going out there. I love that. The other thing that I guess Okay, so two things on this, I would love to see her story continuing towards the end and she could have died, you know, in the climax or something like that. But to have her die where she does feels like a production note, you know, studio note. It's like, we need somebody to start dying in this movie or something. And that's when I realized oh, this is this is a series up till now where people don't really die. The the original the pharaohs die. And that's what sets up the first movie. The second movie is just a long version of that setup for the first movie. And so this is a house that doesn't have a long body count. Until this movie starts. Yeah, that's true. Violent with being violent. Yeah, yeah. Let's see what else have I got in here? was also the first NFL movie that was not based on a book, right? The only theatrically released one or something up until 2017 That yeah, but I mean Reynolds can't wait to get to that one. There is a kind of fun Ouija board scene. Yeah, that was she gets all her friends together and I thought that was pretty effective but that's Meg Ryan again. Really? Yeah showing Yeah. Yeah, she just gives like a lifeless you know the the lines that she has probably aren't that exciting but the way she says them and present them is just Oh fun. Also, I guess this is what kids got up to before social media. You just put a bunch of letters randomly in a circle around and go all right, we're gonna talk to dead people. How much of that was a a stylistic choice and how much of it was we can't afford the rights to shoot a Parker Brothers Ouija board? Ooh, good question because it it is super interesting because it's not a tip. The goal was you bored, right? Yeah, it looked really cool. And then and I really enjoyed that scene. That was the best scene in the movie. No, still not yet. That was that one too, because the two guys also were fairly fun for what they were doing. Yeah, that wouldn't have been great. The whole movie, but for those two scenes that are in or whatever, soda shop. Yeah, I liked them up until like, the very end where the glass like runs off and smashes. And they're like, You totally did that. Oh, and I was like, Oh my God, you all have to shut up. Because they're annoying teenage No. They should have been like, Whoa, cool. Did you see that instead of Yeah, I don't know. I was irritated by them in that very brief moment. I was like, she didn't do it. I have to admit, you know, it's like the red she had bought them for 1415 I get friends over we just try and make something like this happened. board and you know, I don't know I really enjoyed it. Okay, another Chrissy that made me go What the hell? Lori Loughlin is killed? That is my favorite scene. Is it? Yes. Is it the scene where she comes walking back into the house dripping water? What a fascinating idea that they do nothing with true. I mean, the ending big question marks we'll get there. But like her kind of entering the house having such a snide smile at her mom like fuck you. Oh, soaking wet, soaking wet, just walks right on up and you're like, What the fuck was that? And then, you know, revealing the body in the background of her just dad was I thought it was incredible. I loved that. But it was also kind of a it was an off camera. Death right? Yes. So I I guess I was I was confused watching it. By the way, you guys I watched his movie three fucking times for this podcast. And you put your three times with equal 3d. So you got the whole experience. That's right. You get me? I thought it was pretty cool. Just because that was one of the few creepy Yes, yeah. Other because all the other stuff. They tried to be creepy as God. Oh, this looks creepy. No, this is failing. Creepy, I want it to be creepy. It kind of set up an expectation or maybe not an expectation. I wonder if Ryan Murphy saw this. And then with American Horror Story that first season, you know anyone who died on the grounds of the house then haunts that house? And that's kind of what this reminded me of. But then it doesn't really do anything with it. No, I felt like they had no idea what to do after the scene. It just felt so shotgunned plot wise. I was like what the fuck is happening? There's there's a real lack of traditional structure in this film. And I think it's because Tony Roberts character, John, he's not allowed to naturally start changing, right? Yeah, no, he has to he has to deny everything until it's too late. There was one big question mark. For me though, as an editor when I was watching and the his wife goes to his workplace and confronts the scientist at the magazine, and is like, I don't want my daughter in that house. Bla bla bla, like, she's so fucked up, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, What are you responding to? This scene makes no sense where it is. And it really belonged. After the girl is there doing the Weegee stuff? Or, or after she's there with her friends? That's a good point. I wonder it was in the wrong spot. And then her and then the mom is like, Oh, I don't want you in their bubble, blah. And then they should have that scene where she goes and confronts the magazine because where it was, I was like, Why the fuck are you here? What happened in the house that you don't want your daughter there? Because so far nothing has happened. Other than the house existing, but like she doesn't I mean, the mom didn't seem to make any note of it before. I'm not sure if we're supposed to like the mom. And I wonder if that was to make us not like the mom and put in earlier or something. Of course, you know, at the end was she's the only one along with John who survives basically. Yeah, weird. I mean, she's the mom. She loves her daughter. Yeah, I don't know. Part of the his character to his base. He's based on a real person, right? What Steven Coughlin I've got a lot of notes on this guy. That may have been where they went, he's like, Well, I would never believe any of this stuff. So you cannot change my character. No matter what I'm not gonna keep I'm not the noises aren't weird. The like, you know, dreams aren't weird. The all the little hints along the way. Nope. Don't worry about it. The snow blowing up from the basement. We could happen anywhere wind inside at all times. drafty place. Outside. It's nice and warm. Oh, okay, whatever. This has a, like shockingly boring. third act. It's just weird. It's just flippin weird. Do we think that the team of Paris psychologists is a ripoff of poltergeist? It looks like 100% Like it was what year was poltergeist? I think also 83 the same year. But the it also has to be the latest introduction of a paranormal team in a haunted house movie ever. Oh, shit, we got to do something in the third act. What do we do? Let's finally investigate the house as an investigative property. Right or our magazine? Well, I It also makes me wonder if this was studio notes. They they had something else going on in the studio says How about we do this instead? Or for poltergeist? Right. Yeah. Yeah. It's just so strange, because I feel like the character of that science guy. I'm not entirely sure what he does. I'm just calling him science. He near the end, like really? Gets oddly invested. And he's like, I must confront the ghost. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's weird. I wonder if he's just like the actor is just like, because this is my time to shine. I'm, I'm going to definitely be the lead in Amityville. For him, he really went for it. And like the explanation, it's like, we don't know what's happening. They have a paranormal team. They're like, there's some weird color disturbed thing going on upstairs that they don't show us. And then he's like, Oh my God, I know what's happening. The spirit of your daughter is trapped. And your wife is being led to it by a trick of something else. And we need to get down there but don't touch anything. I'm like, where did this go? How did you work that out? Mr. Cheese? Oh my god. Smart guy. That's a really smart guy. He suddenly knows a lot more than he should 100% No one knows all of this. It's very strange. Okay, so now I want to I want to think that maybe he is also working with the house or he works for a anti Amityville Horror specific team that's been set by the church. Yeah, he had a real Van Helsing vibe to it. And you did where he's like I know the truth and I'm going to jump in I must face it and then he checks his face in the well and gets burned. And he's like, it's worth it and then as he's slowly getting dragged in there he kind of shouts out like some kind of piece of advice I can't remember it was very heroic it was like oh, like don't let it do this or fight fight till the end or whatever right? I love my cheese out very weird this guy it was it was such a nice looking pool of water very cool underneath your smell it's super interesting because the the first movie has the floor split open you know and the dog falls in and what's his name goes back for the dog and pulls out and that was then just kind of termed uh well to hell. They actually made it a well in the basement of this building. Oh well. Yeah, there is a well now yes I'm just the mythos really gets me because I still remember the first and how the demon isn't the devil it's a very specific demon correct my crazy I don't remember that. Like a pig demon. Right there was that that pig demon I don't think that was the main thing that only okay, because I just in this one they're like Native American burial ground. And the possession was like all being possessed by the devil and I was like whoa, we just went up a few ranks in the helm mythos that this house happens to and then all of a sudden yes the floor is a literal you know way to get to helps a lot. I don't know it felt like Lucifers like sometimes I like to get hands on with possession stuff and a little bored right? This one I'm gonna I'm gonna take this one for myself guys if you don't mind. What do you think of the 3d demon that we get? See at the end? Oh god. I'm here now. He just pops up and he's like on this big rubber suited thing. He's out of nowhere to because there's nothing physical like that the whole way through. There's like frosted glass and wind and leaves, and flies. And then it's like, Hi, I'm a big demon guy, Jim Henson designed to demon. Yeah. Yeah, I kind of love how cheesy it is. But it's it really makes you wonder why they thought that a haunted house movie would be a good 3d subject. You know? In retrospect, it sure doesn't. Yeah. sheets in here. What can we do? Glass? I'll tell you what has to be studio notes is the end of this movie. The house explodes Oh my god. Yes, man. Or at least like two foot high version. It's like, oh, I guess we'll never have another Amityville Horror film ever again. Ever. Thanks for joining us for the three episodes. i There's something about that. The only thing that would have made me love more the house exploding was if there was like a self destruct button somewhere in the house that they had to get to. That would have been incredible. That yeah, the coat rack trying to break through the ice windows. That's really the real hero here. Psycho rack was great. It's true. Yeah, poor science kids. You know what? I don't know. They couldn't have done it. It would have been too much of a rip off doesn't poltergeists and with the house being like sucked in clothing basically. Yeah. So that would have been a cool way to do this. Or another cool thing would have been to show the house explode and all that stuff. And then run the credits over suddenly the house just coming back again? Yeah, new For Sale sign. Yeah, either. With like when Homer Simpson cleaned his underwear or something like that, and all the demons escaped out of it. Add that into the fires. Oh, 3d demons. Okay, thing I asked at the end of every one of these. Do we like this movie? Um, I liked it up until the last third. I thought it was pretty I thought it was kind of had some creepy interesting stuff going on. I loved the opening a lot. Like I love the creepy daughter drowned bit and I did feel like the reporters death was a little early the photographer but other than that I was really into it. And then I was like, What the fuck just happens? It's fucking movie. Where do you what you forgot what you were up to? And now we're here. Yeah, I was less impressed. I think partially because it it does such some really, really strange shit. Especially the flies. The flies being Albany President whenever something was going on, no matter where it was happening. It's like, okay, this is a weird choice that but I did. The opening scene is freaking great. The debunking of the people that the paranormal is there is awesome. Yeah, the cue to the Warrens. Great Moments through the film that I thought were fun. But not as fun as a good horror movie. Yeah, I would have to say this fall squarely in the so bad. It's good. Yeah. Then it's it's boring and scenes. It's just that third act was boring. If the rest of the movie was like the third act, I would say it's so bad. It's good. But then the first two thirds are such a different film. It's really hard to categorize them know what to do with it. Yeah. I hate to say it, it almost needs to be that procedural horror. Somebody, the the girl who is Melanie who's assistant photographer, she needed to do more research and that could that could have pulled her storyline all the way to the end where maybe she's trying to save him. And I don't know, I would have been a better than the mom person to try to save me because the mom already there. We're going through divorce, obviously. And they she hated him and didn't want him to have anything to do with his daughter. Right? Not a savior for that guy. And basically his actions cause the death of the daughter. So you know, it doesn't seem like this is a relationship that's going places. No. Vanessa, yes. You were raised Catholic? Yes. Do you believe in God? I believe in something. I don't know if God is the right word. Do you believe in the devil? These are really intense questions. Well, I mean, I asked Carlos last episode, the same stuff. Okay. Yeah. I mean, in a way, yes. Yeah. But not I don't know, not in the way that other people do. I guess I don't know. Well, please. Well, I don't know that I believe that there are positive forces in the universe and negative forces in the universe, then those negative things can be really revealed the negative But you don't believe in say, a punishment or reward for a way that you act and I don't know that I believe in hell, that's for sure. Okay. Yeah, I definitely am not sure that help exists and actually most Catholic priests if you really drill them on it in seminary, they're not taught that we know necessarily that anyone's in hell. Other than demons telling you hell exists we are living in the Japanese view, but yes, absolutely. Do you believe in just in general supernatural ghosts? Yeah. Okay. As as anything more than just like an echo that might be left on on a house. I believe that you know, you have a traumatic enough event you could probably imprint the walls have a place with some some bad stuff. But I don't believe in vengeful ghosts, I guess. I feel like there's something else that exists that we don't understand. Like, whether that is an alternative universe that has reflections that occasionally pop up that we can't get, whether it's like echoes of a past event that's you know, resurfacing, I don't know how much I believe in, like ghosts that are like, Haha, new people are here. I'm gonna fuck them over like, Yeah, let's see what happens. Like, I don't know how much of that I believe. But yeah, let's say that you are the person you are right now. You get a house where a number of people were killed and that you bought this house, you open the door to the basement and you get a cold when the Frost's your entire body. What's your thoughts? Do you say? Stand here or no? I definitely I probably you've decided I would probably get a priest, I would go ahead and be like, You know what, let's see what we can do about this or burn it to the ground. You know, just like don't let other people you know, get get sage, get shamans get anything that you can do to make this a little bit better. And then try not to inflict it on anyone else. Yeah, I don't I don't believe in any of that stuff. But, you know, if something like that happens, you'd have to go well, there is something I don't understand going on here. Right? certainly seems like this place is hot. Yeah, exactly. I feel like if the world has so many strange things, that if you pay attention, it can really be like, What the fuck was that? And your brain tries to answer what that thing is. And sometimes we call that ghosts. And sometimes we call that aliens. And sometimes we call that dynamic magic, whatever it is, we call it. But I think it is good to be like, Hey, that was weird. I think it's okay to say, hey, that was weird. I don't have the answer. But that was fucking weird. And maybe this house is not positive. Maybe we do something else with it. Right? I mean, any technology that is far enough advanced presented a far enough back is magic. Yep. I mean, the idea if you were landing in the New World, or whatever, that you could pick up the phone and call your family back in London and go, Hey, we're here, which is an afterthought of the ability to do now. It's not even a concern. That would be terrifying. Yeah, if not back to somebody's 1600s and said, here, this little device will answer all your questions about damn near anything. It might not be right all the time, but you'll get an answer. Not a lot of 5g towers in the 16th. They would have definitely knock those down. Have you ever seen anything that is that may be supernatural? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Oh, God. Well, as a kid, I saw a lot of weird stuff. And I think the thing that stands out the most to me is when I was living in England, I was really, really depressed for a period of time. And during that point, I saw I was living in a dorm in London. It sounds it sounds so stupid. Trust me. We've talked about this with everybody on the show. It's only the third episode. Anybody has a story. All right, well, okay. So I was living in this like old old old building in in England, and they would have a boys floor and a girl's floor and a boys floor and a girl's floor and the whole place emptied out basically every spring, which I didn't know. So it over there for Easter break. It is like two three weeks long. And people were like, where are you going to go for Easter? And I was like, nowhere because I thought it was gonna be like three days. And then no one was there and I was left alone. Which is great, because there's no one in there is really upsetting. And my room happened to be across from the bathroom. So it's a shared bathroom that everybody uses, and I started to notice I would leave my door open, weird little things would happen there, there would be a sink that would constantly go on at the very far end of the, of the bathroom. And it was always the same thing. And I never saw anybody leave it on it was a twist one. It was not an automatic one. You'd have to physically twist it and it wasn't loose or anything. And it was just every single time I went into that bathroom, it was full on pouring. I was like, well, that's really weird. I also thought I saw a look like a repairman trying to fix the light bulb that was flickering all the time outside my room. He was on a ladder, he did not care about me. I was just like, Well, you do your job, sir. You keep at it. One day, maybe you'll be able to touch that light bulb. He was not there. I can promise you that. But I did see him a few times. And the the worst though was there was something in my room, which looked like a nun. And she hated me. And she hated if I had a boy over. And she used to turn on my radio to extremely loud Spanish music in the middle of the night. Well, any hour really. She just full blast turned it on. And I really got fed up with it. She She hated the guy was seeing and he did go into that bathroom one time and get pushed through the stall and hit his head on the sink and it was bleeding everywhere. So that there isn't a lot and I'm, I understand that sometimes our brains do funny things. But I was like, You know what? This fucking dorms haunted. Fucking Hana dorm. And it's fine. I just kind of was like, Well, this is how it is. At the time. I was like, Well, I'm just living with these things, whatever they are, and what I the only one that pissed me off was the nun. She was the worst. But the you know, the repair guy was fine. Whatever was going on. If the sink thing was different, that was fine. But yeah, the human brain is so strange. Because when you get confronted with something that seems impossible, your brain just finally goes. Well. I mean, what am I going to do? I live here, right? And that's crying, not just gonna go home. Because the voice said get out. 100% you're like, Well, look, I've already paid for the rest of the month. What am I going to do? Like I didn't know where to go. I only had a few friends at that point. I was just like, I can't afford to fly home. It's not that big of a deal, but you just kind of roll with it. Nobody's died yet. Except for apparently the ghosts that are haunting this place. Your boyfriend might have thought differently at the time. Like I don't know. I don't want to have you come visit me. He was in the floor above me. So he can go very far. Yeah, he was he was a little bit trapped. Yeah, that was That was unfortunate. But I gave him Spider Man Band aids for his head and I was like, there you go make up for it. It's all gonna be fine. I totally lied. Nobody else had a story like this year and say, have some trivia on this movie, you guys. The disclaimer on the posters video box cover and at the end of the credits reads this film is not a sequel to The Amityville Horror or Amityville to the possession. Oh, yep. It's not a sequel, right? It's its own separate event. Well, so it is, like Eric alluded to the character of John Baxton. Baxter is loosely based on Steven Kaplan and his investigation of the house. So Steven Kaplan, even though he's a vampire ology, yes, died in 1995 was an American paranormal investigator, vampire neurologist and founder director of The Vampire Research Center, and the Parapsychology Institute of America. So, Vanessa, just catch you up in 1974. Around the failed Junior kills his parents and siblings in the house, right. George and Kathy, let's move into the house and that is the basis of the Amityville Horror. J Hansen's book, The Amityville Horror Chronicles paranormal events. But Kaplan's book The Amityville Horror conspiracy counters Ansons work and argues that let's deliberately defrauded the public did you find this where George Lutz originally originally reached out to Kaplan? Yeah, yeah, wanted to work with them. So according to Kaplan, and 1976. Shortly after the Lutz's abandoned the house, he received a phone call from George. And at the time Kaplan was the executive director of the parasitology Institute of America. And let's request to the Kaplan and his associates investigate the home. Kaplan claims let's ask about a fee for the group services and he told him that they did not charge for the investigation but, quote, if the story is a hoax, the public will know unquote. And shortly after, let's call and cancel the investigation. Oh, you go casa, the respective claims of the Kaplan's and the Lutz family are the subject of a documentary called Amityville Horror or hope. So, have you seen that one Eric? Which one again? Horror or hoax? I think I have it came a long time ago. Yeah, I think it was 1983 ish. So so. Yeah. Yeah, the whole thing I told this story before on the show, but I'll tell it to you, Vanessa. I saw George Lutz speak at horrifying in Baltimore one of the years there. And he basically came out and told the entire crowd. Look, we made it up. Wow. And he talked about how they made it up and everything and then q&a after his talk, hands go up. And they were like, so the red room underneath the stairs. Oh, no. Do you actually see the face of this guy here? And he was like, No, we made that up. Oh my god, another hand would go. So the welder hat. Oh, no. I mean, people want to believe this story very, very badly. Yeah. It's It's too bad. I mean, I think again, people just want to believe the world has all these crazy things going on it and they want to understand it and define it. I think most of us just want to believe there's something bigger than this. Yeah, yep, that's probably what it comes down. Yeah, I think you're right. I got some this the film was critical and financial failure when it was released, effectively killing off any plans for further Amityville inspired films. For a long time. Every Amityville film that came out after this one was either straight to video or made for television and I can't wait to get into that made for TV. Ronald Reagan. Because it is wild Intel The Amityville Horror that Ryan Reynolds was in that's the video released ran into some weird problems of this one Yeah, because a lot of people thought one or two things Either they're ticked off because it was released as Emeryville 3d originally right and we're mad that well this is in 3d and the or the other reaction was people rented it thinking it was the original film done into 3d Oh that makes sense yeah and that's why the that's why the box art although the movie credits never changed the box are changed to Amityville three the demon because of that reaction. Right. Which demon the demon at the end? No, no I know but with Will you want to know is I want to know his name call. Okay, thank you. I'm good. legal disputes with George and Kathy let's prevented this film from legally being presented as a sequel. And you'll notice that this is called Amityville, too. It's not our Amityville. Three. It's not Amityville. Horror three. None of the films are the Amityville Horror except for the first one because George and Kathy would not sign off on it. As a result, any reference to the Lutz family by name could not be made in the film. And the disclaimer was placed that it was a unrelated film that just so happens to be loosely based on a later part of a true story. Furthermore, the DeFeo family has referenced more than once in the film, despite the fact that in Amityville to the name had been changed to mentaly which then brings a further disputes on if the second film is a prequel, or actually a sequel, then, so this franchise is bonkers. And we haven't gotten to the bonkers movies yet. Well, I just figure every film that happens after the third one must take place before the third one. So has to be before 1980s Because of the explosion. Yeah, because that's the final. You know. Jason, whatever, Jason's Listen, you guys spoiler I saw Amityville in space a couple of weeks ago. Yeah. Now, I don't know how there's other Amityville films after that one. I'll tell you that. The houses is now floating out in space. Do they explain why it's flooding? Yes. Oh, good. Okay, fine. Random thought here about that episode. That particular one. Yeah. Nick Kuchar art would have made a fantastic cover for the DVD or poster for that particular well, they had pretty great cover art. There's nothing in fact that's the cover art in the movie somewhere if they had just had that with like one of those new effects that makes pictures move that would have been better than the effects Oh, please say that Earth has destroyed it but the house is floating around and aliens go to investigate and accidentally go in the house and they're like, Oh my God, what's in here? There is there is a kind of from the movie Alien kind of feeling where where? Oh, future future astronauts find the house floating in space and then enter the house, which is clearly not the Amityville house but somebody's small. You know two story Rambler or not to story but one story wrangler and it doesn't have to hold the doors for flowers. For a long time, none of the 17 reviews accumulated on tomatoes were positive resulting in a 0% rating. It received a slightly higher 5% rating in 2019 and now sits at a whopping 18% and 100 years this movie will be Certified Fresh, you guessed this right I believe, ft of more. I first kind of interesting this as a American Mexican production. Yeah, exteriors were shot, obviously, at least just a little bit of the experience of the original house was shot in New Jersey. All the interiors were in Mexico, most of the city. Most of the driving themes were also all shot in Mexico City. So that's a interesting combination of WoW, blending worlds together. But it worked. Yeah. And none of this was shot at the original house. So this is a facade on a house in that neighborhood. Oh, and that's why it changes the placement of the eyes at one point was when they had to go back for reshoots. The house that was on the people didn't want them doing those eyes in the front again, because apparently it was too recognizable. So they built the eyes facing the water this time and reshoots. And so, this movie really starts the entire thing of, you know, we don't care about any continuity in anything. It's all the demons and everything. Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say demons versus like living angry house are two very different stories. But I really wanted to get you in while we were still talking about the theatrical releases. This takes a real nosedive as we go forward. Although there's a time travel one that's kind of fun during the video, stuff like that. Do you have a good time? Would you come back and look at another movie? No. And I mean, I've only seen now three of them. Yeah. So I'm down down to that with you. Because this this one never stuck with me. Because of the reveal that they did. I think I think I've actually originally, I've seen the first one. And before we started doing this, I'd seen the original, and I'd seen that remake. But that was it. I hadn't seen the second one. I am seeing that third one. All new. The second one is the gem of this franchise. Yeah, dark as hell. It was a real surprise to come to this. And see that first one and realize this movie really sucks. Why does everybody like this movie? And then find out that nobody really likes this movie? Yeah, so this is a perception God franchise, but it made so much money. Did it? I mean, it's got 40 movies in the franchise, but they're all being made several of them being made by the same people in the same year. Because this is, you know, one of those things like, what's the other franchise that they're doing this with? Well, the Hellraiser for a while, but that's an actual thing, because this is basically public domain. Oh, the three of us can make a franchise or a really Amityville podcast. Wait a second. Whoa, we're doing it right now. It's happening. And it's yeah, I tried to think of the things I saw coming out in 2023. The ones that cocaine bear Amityville, cocaine there any Ville cocaine. There you go. Incredible. So that's how you know that's how this is gonna go. Oh, my God. And I kept thinking, you know, well, we'll do this show for five years or something. But no, we'll be able to do this show forever. If you're willing to continue watching the movies. Well, I will come back for sir. Okay. All right. All right. Well, that is the show then. Hey, big thanks to everybody who likes and shares all of these things. We're gonna be releasing these as standalone episodes on their own feed, but also find us on strange aeons radio, which is the three of us talking about genre films and stuff like that. And then I don't know who I guess is for next episode yet? Yeah, haven't set one up. And to be honest, I'm not even sure which film is next. I know it's number four. But is it the time travel one or is it the dollhouse one? Oh, look a production years now. Yeah, it's it's about to get weird, guys. Okay, we'll be back in what we're releasing these Eric once. Yeah. And we'll be back in a month. We're talking about Amityville Horror four ish. Somewhere around there. Rhymes with do you believe it when the present owners say there's no truth to it at all? They've been living here for almost two years. Oh, I didn't know they had prison owners. I thought it was deserted. A man who said he was a friend of the crime. And he's also came by but insisted he not be photographed. You say a friend of yours lives here and you've been in the house. Is there any truth to all these stories that it's haunted and they're weird smells and slime and all those other things? Nothing at all. It's all a bunch of lies. Well, how do you feel about all these tourists coming by in the movie opening and all of this. What do you think of that? Well, I live right down the road and it's pain and neck because you can't even get down the block. But when we started rolling the cameras I had no idea just how much of a pain in the neck it was for the man now temporarily living in the house. As Frank Burch had another man came to the porch. I walked up the driveway to talk to him. He refused and demanded I leave. I thought I did so fairly quickly, but apparently not quickly enough. Within minutes a police car arrived. Then another bridge came out and told the police he was pressing charges my crime trespassing. I begged for mercy. None was forthcoming. I was shown into a police car and driven to the Amityville police station. Inside officers pulled out eight separate forms to be signed. I sat by nervously while my camera crew waited outside. Mercifully, I was finally able to convince Mr. Burch that I had not intended to cause any problems and had not in fact been aware I was trespassing. He signed forms rescinding his charges I signed forms releasing him from charges of false arrest. We shook hands and after more than an hour in captivity, I was finally free.