All 22 Amityville Horror Movies in Order
The Amityville horror movies are, perhaps, one of the most notable supernatural horror movies, even today. All of the movies are based on a true story, with writers adding little twists to the plot as they go.
The franchise has begun with the story being claimed by Jay Anson, who decided to write a book about the gruesome series of events that took place on Nov. 13, 1974, a little outside New York City. The whole franchise, along with the movies, has become extremely famous; it seems like the fans thoroughly enjoy anything that is based on true crime. So, if you’re wondering about what exactly happened on that frightful night in 1974, and the whole list of the Amityville movies – you’ve come to the right place.
How Many Amityville Horror Movies Are There?
A basic list of Amityville Horror movies features 22 movies, though in this article we included some docudramas and “Mockbusters Films“, along with a few unofficial titles which could serve as parodies. There are some horror comedies we won’t be mentioning, and other movies that have nothing to do with the Amityville franchise besides having a similar title. The franchise also includes books.
Keep on reading to see the exact order they were made, and to find out whether these movies are even connected.
Amityville Movies in Order by Release Date
1. Amityville horror (1979)
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
This is the first Amityville horror movie ever made, and it actually received the highest rating. The plot is focused on newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz, who, with their three children, move into a large house where a series of murders was committed. Soon enough, they start experiencing paranormal activities, which eventually makes them run for their safety.
2. Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
The premise of the plot is the same as any other Amityville horror movie, but with a little twist – this time, a dysfunctional family moves into the house. Once again, the house proves to be satanic, resulting in the demonic possession of their teenage son.
3. Amityville 3-D (1983)
IMDB Rating: 4.1/10
The third installment of the Amityville horror franchise has been released just a year later, and, this time – in 3-D! The plot follows a reporter who movies into the Amityville house in defiance of the supernatural events connected to it. To his surprise, the events that followed were surely not a hoax.
4. Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
IMDB Rating: 4.3/10
This time, the supernatural horror takes a different turn; the demonic forces in the Amityville house transfer to an ancient lamp…yes, you’ve read that right. The forces then find their way to a remote California mansion where the evil manipulates a little girl, manifesting itself in the form of her deceased father. Yikes.
5. The Amityville Curse (1990)
IMDB Rating: 2.9/10
Released just a year later (again), the fifth Amityville installment seems a bit rushed. With a rating of 2.9, this movie was the worst one rated so far. The premise consists of five people spending the night in the Amityville house, soon finding themselves terrorized by ghostly apparitions and venomous insects.
6. Amityville: It’s About Time (1992)
IMDB Rating: 4.6/10
A young architect, Jake Sterling, returns home from a business meeting in Amityville. Soon after, strange incidents start to occur. The family could never suspect that the old mantle clock he brought as a gift is actually making them insane, all while releasing ancient evil forces.
7. Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
IMDB Rating: 3.8/10
Just like the prior installment, this Amityville movie features a possessed object. Only this time, it is a mirror that finds its way into a young photographer’s home, soon causing more demonic mayhem.
8. Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
IMDB Rating: 4.2/10
This supernatural installment features a children’s doll house, which turns out to be – you guessed it – a miniature of the infamous haunted Amityville house. A demonic evil soon comes out, causing even more terror than imaginable.
9. Amityville Horror (2005)
IMDB Rating: 5.9/10
Starring Ryan Reynolds, the franchise went back to its roots with the ninth movie! The plot is focusing on newlyweds that are terrorized by demonic forces, soon after moving to a large house that was the site of mass murder just a year earlier.
10. Amityville: The Final Testament (2010)
The one-hour special follows the 1974 Amityville murders when Ronald Defeo, Jr. harmed his entire family. The then terminally ill DeFeo sits down for a final interview to set the record straight with the help of a renowned psychic Jackie Barret.
IMDB Rating: 2.4/10
11. The Amityville Haunting (2011)
IMDB Rating: 2.6/10
Disregarding the shocking events, an unsuspecting family moves into Amityville’s house. The whole film is a ‘found-footage’ movie that portrays the Benson family, and the strange, ghostly incidents that start to appear in their video surveillance system.
12. Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders – Part I: From Horror to Homicide (2011)
IMDB Rating: 4.8/10
A docudrama exploring the infamous case that went on to spawn the Amityville Horror franchise.
13. My Amityville Horror (2012)
IMDB Rating: 5.4/10
For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz personally retells his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975.
14. The Amityville Asylum (2013)
IMDB Rating: 2.6/10
This installment somehow managed to score the same rating as the prior installment in 2011! Directed by Andrew Jones, it is the eleventh film to be inspired by Anson’s 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. It portrays young Lisa Templeton who begins a new job at High Hopes Hospital – a mental institution in Amityville, Long Island. Along with the patients’ psychotic ramblings, Templeton is frightened by supernatural occurrences on the night shift.
15. Amityville Death House (2015)
IMDB Rating: 2.1/10
Written by John Oak Dalton and directed by Mark Polonia, this installment took a little twist. This time, a young woman is threatened by an ancient witch’s curse, after stopping in Amityville to check in on her sick grandmother.
16. The Amityville Playhouse (2015)
IMDB Rating: 1.8/10
Released in the same year as the prior installment, the franchise is noticeably focused on profit. Unfortunately, that’s where the quality of the movies starts to suffer – which is exactly why this movie has scored a rating of 1.8 out of 10. The plot follows a teenager and her friends in the middle of a haunted theater, which, unsurprisingly, has a direct connection to Amityville’s secret past.
17. The Amityville Legacy (2016)
IMDB Rating: 2.0/10
After being gifted an antique toy monkey from the original DeFeo home during a family reunion, a father becomes possessed.
18. The Amityville Terror (2016)
IMDB Rating: 3.2/10
Chaos is guaranteed when a new family moves into an old Amityville house. Although eager to start anew, the family soon regrets their decision when they realize an evil spirit is living in their home.
19. Amityville: No Escape (2016)
IMDB Rating: 2.9/10
A group of college students goes into the deep woods of the most haunted town in America. In a similar cinematic style to the original horror blockbuster, The Blair Witch Project, the students go into the woods to find horror – and, to their avail, they find it.
20. The Amityville Exorcism (2017)
IMDB Rating: 3.9/10
After their daughter gets possessed by a demonic force in their decades-old murder home, the family must put faith in a mysterious priest.
21. Amityville: The Awakening (2017)
IMDB Rating: 4.8/10
The last installment, so far, features a desperate single mother that moves into a supposedly haunted, real-life Amityville house. The plan is to try and use the houses’ dark powers to cure her comatose son… As you can imagine, things go painfully wrong.
22. The Amityville Murders (2018)
IMDB Rating: 4.7/10
The storyline follows the true crime events, one whole year before the Lutzes’ arrival in Amityville, the infamous house on 112 Ocean Avenue. It shows the life of the DeFeo family, and the seed of evil and mystery the events left behind.
23. Amityville: Mt. Misery Road (2018)
IMDB Rating: 3.2/10
A ghost-enthusiasts couple, fascinated by the legend of the scariest road in America, continues their adventure to the woods until they realize they got caught up in a whirlpool of paranormal activities.
24. Amityville Island (2020)
IMDB Rating: 1.8/10
The premise of the movie follows a cursed survivor of killings at the Amityville House who brings evil to a small island…where bizarre genetic experiments are also carried out on humans and animals. In a secret women’s prison. It seems like the franchise has run out of ideas, sorry.
25. Amityville in the Hood (2021)
IMDB Rating: 1.7/10
If you think you’ve seen it all – no, you haven’t. This version of the Amityville House features an Eastside gang that is using the Amityville property to grow marijuana when they get attacked by a rival gang.
What Is the Best Way to Watch Amityville Movies?
Since the movies aren’t directly connected, you’re free to watch them in whatever order you feel like. But, we suggest you watch them in order of release. Here’s why:
Although the whole franchise isn’t directly connected, there is one thing keeping the movies connected – the haunted, real-life murder scene, the Amityville House. By watching the movies in the order of release, you’ll be able to witness all the fun ways that cinematography improved over the years! You will also be able to form your own, unbiased opinion about the franchise if you start from the beginning.
Are Amityville Horror Movies Based on a True Story?
The Amityville Horror series is partially based on a true story. This means that, even though there is a true historical basis to which the series owes its notoriety, the writers did eventually add their little twists and kicks to the story to make it more compelling.
What actually happened was too gruesome to even comprehend. On November 13, 1974, one suburban home thirty miles outside of New York City became a ghastly crime scene, and soon, an inexhaustible source of a horror movie franchise. The house that is forever linked to the Amityville Horror series from 1979 onwards, is in reality nestled in the Long Island town of Amityville. Using a .35 Marlin rifle, 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family while they were asleep.
A year later, the Lutz family purchased the home at a drastically reduced price. Unfortunately, they only lasted 28 days before abruptly leaving the haunted place. Their hair-raising tales of paranormal activity are what propelled the legend of the Amityville Horror and spawned the whole franchise of films, books, and documentaries.
Are Amityville Movies Connected?
None of the Amityville movies are directly connected. The only thing gluing them together is the real-life murder place, The Amityville House. That being said, the story seems to be the source of eternal inspiration for many more movies to come.
Will There Be More Amityville Movies?
With up to four movies being released in the same years, as we could see, we can surely expect the franchise to continue. So far, three other movies were announced:
Amityville High
The plot of Amityville High will follow Victoria, who comes to Amityville and uncovers the hidden accomplice which was involved in the 1972 murders.
Return to Amityville
According to IMDB, “a popular journalist finds himself in deep water when he visits the town of Amityville“. Creepy enough?
Amityville: The Beginning
This movie is supposed to be a “true prequel to the Amityville Horror“, promising to deliver a true story.
Amityville: The Legacy 3-D
The demonic forces that haunted the Amityville house escape to a remote home, where it encounters a struggling family. Just like the prior movies, the movie is still in development.
Where to Watch the Amityville Movies?
Although none of the movies are currently in theaters, the Amityville horror movies are available on plenty of video streaming services and online sites, including Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even Netflix. All of the movies are easily accessible, so don’t miss the chance to watch them!