By Jesse Miller, MoreHorror.com

The point of this new little series will be to watch and examine the original film and its remake back to back and deconstruct them a bit, rambling about both the good and the bad of each film.

Comparing an original against a remake might seem a bit odd because more often than not, the original might always be the better film in nearly every aspect.

However, a decent remake is definitely not a rarity – sometimes it might prove to be just as good or, hell, even surpass the original.

So, without further ado, I bring you the first instalment to the series:

The Original: The Amityville Horror (1979)

“Houses don’t have memories” George Lutz says to his wife Kathy when asked how he feels about moving into a house which recently saw a family of six brutally murdered in their a sleep by fellow family member Ronald DeFeo, Jr.

Houses may not have memories but something has certainly left its mark here and in the next few horrific days, the Lutz family are certainly going to discover just who – or what – is lurking around their new home.

This film, of course, is based off Jay Anson’s novel The Amityville Horror: A True Story, which in turn is based on the supposedly true story of the Lutz’s and their horrific experiences during their 28-day stay in their new home on 112 Ocean Avenue.

Whether this story is fact or fiction is still fiercely debated today but no matter what is said or done, proved or disproved, the legacy remains and, between you and me, even if it is all just a bunch of crock, it still makes for one entertaining haunted house story.

Perhaps that was a thought that crossed the Lutz’s mind too, except not with my wide eyed love for horror and storytelling, but with $$$ in mind.

The Amityville Horror is my favourite kind of haunted house flick – a slow-burning, quietly unnerving tale, with an extra helping of cheese and featuring some melodramatic performances from James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger to go along with the terror.

Its use of jump cuts, freeze frames and bursts of sudden, sometimes distorted and horrifying sound design works beautifully to throw you off your guard, keeping you anxious and on your toes, studying every flickering shadow in the background.

What’s exciting for the horror film buff here is that much of the happenings of 112 Ocean Avenue, for the majority of the film’s running time, are left to the imagination.

Little is seen here and little is given form, swapping the overblown scares we’re used to today and going for something a little more subtle and psychological, giving the audience the greatest gift a film-maker can in a horror film – especially one in a haunted house - and allowing them to use their imagination to fill in the blanks.

The Amityville Horror is probably tame by today’s standards of course, but that’s part of why it works so well – it’s a charming, old-fashioned fright fest and a real hoot to revisit every so often.

I love to snicker at the over-the-top performances, I dig the slow pace of the film and I love its scares and strange qualities – it’s for these reasons that this film keeps drawing me back time and time again back into the house.

The Remake: The Amityville Horror (2005)

From the very opening, it’s blatantly obvious that Platinum Dunes’ 2005 remake is going into do away with the subtle scares of the original and fire away with some overblown scares.

One could indeed argue that the game has to be changed for modern audiences, that the nastiness has to be turned up, that the scares have to be sudden and loud and that a healthy dose of gore is needed to shock audiences and seasoned horror buffs and while I agree with upping the ante in shocks and scares, I think there is a point where it becomes a little excessive.

Part of what made the original film so effective and unsettling was that the majority of its scares were subtle and the supernatural was implied, leaving much to the imagination of the audience.

2005’s The Amityville Horror throws sudden, bloody shock after sudden bloody shock at you to the point where it becomes a little ridiculous how much is just empty shock scares riding on the hopes that the sudden loud musical sting can scare you – to me, that’s just lazy film-making.

A part from an abundance of lazy thrills, the production for this film is actually quite good, showcasing some slick and effective cinematography, lavish sets and some ingenious uses of sound design that are actually quite unsettling when they are given the chance to truly shine in their quieter moments and are quite sharp and brutal when it comes to the killing and horror.

As George and Kathy Lutz, Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George turn in some fine, solid and effective performances.

They work well together in playing off each other and conveying the struggles of this couple – more so shown in this remake – and of starting a new life and family together.

Ryan Reynolds, mostly known for his work in the comedy genre back then, shows he is capable of putting in a dramatic performance and his George feels a little snarkier and a little more meaner here and while some of that old dryly sarcastic Reynolds shines through at times of his portrayal, when it comes time to get nasty, he proves he has those chops.

Again, Melissa George plays off Reynolds well and turns in a solid dramatic performance of her own.

Like this remakes’ meaner George, Kathy seems to be a much more stronger individual than in the original, standing up to George when he’s mean several times throughout the film and rising above him in the chaotic finale to save her children and her own life.

The Amityville Horror works from the 1979 screenplay by Sandor Stern but retains little of that screenplay’s charms, instead swapping them for flashy CGI and excessive thrills.

Sure, it brings in a new element to the story to shake things up but even once this new element is revealed, its just rubbish.

My preferred film: The original.

2005’s The Amityville Horror is a slick ride through the ghost house jam-packed full of many, many frights but if there ever was a film that was an example of too much of a good thing – or of an overdone, overcooked horror film - this would be it.

It lacks the restraint and disquieting mood of the original film and for all its new story elements and flashy CGI, it fails to become anything really frightening and memorable.

The original film is suited more to my tastes – it’s an effective, psychological thriller that is more interested in slowly building the atmosphere and letting the disquieting moment sit there for the moment rather than jumping out at you at every turn.

There are no wide-eyed ghosts; little ashen girl and the scares are much more intelligently crafted than the 2005 film.