A prequel to the horror film franchise based on the reportedly true events that occurred in Amityville has gotten the go-ahead via Wonderfilm Media Corporation, according to Deadline.
Bringing Casey La Scala (The Remaining) on board to direct, Amityville 1974 will forgo the story of the supernatural presence which allegedly threatened the Anson family, instead focusing on the November of 1974 where Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot all six members of his family in a spree killing; events which somehow got even more horrific a year later when a family bought the notorious property and lived in it for 28 days, the subject of which would inspire all previous entries into Amityville cinematic lore.
La Scalia said:
“This is a story that takes its jumping-off point from the true facts surrounding the Defeo tragedy but also focuses on the human drama that took place inside a family as they were relentlessly stalked by a terrifying evil.”
Jeff Bowler, founding partner of Wonderfilm Media, and Shaun Redick (Get Out) will produce for Wonderfilm alongside Todd Garner (Tag). Wonderfilm is onboard to fully finance Amityville 1974 and its sister company Wonderfilm Global will launch sales for distribution.
I’m of the opinion that The Amityville Horror is equally groundbreaking to other horror titles from the era (The Omen, The Exorcist and Alien being the most frequently cited) in that it’s ties to true (or reportedly true) events set the framework for so much that is taken for granted in modern horror. I’d even go so far as to trace the lineage of the found footage renaissance to the simple act of making horror relatable and accessible and it goes without saying that even masterpieces like Wan’s The Conjuring franchise owe a great deal to the Amityville premise.
It’s a smart thing to overcome the glut of…shall we say, less successful Amityville sequels and remakes, to focus on the actual historical atrocities which made the house synonymous with evil; hopefully reawakening in audiences a sense of reality and impact that might have been lost the time Deadpool went a little more loco than usual.
What do you think, Wasteoids? Is there room in the horror world to bring back this classic, or is it too late in the game in the We’ve-Seen-This-Before-Internet-Age for a comeback.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!