The doors are about to reopen to one of cinema’s most famous haunted houses. According to Deadline, BoulderLight Pictures and Dive/Conquer, the producers behind recent horror favorites Barbarian and Heart Eyes, respectively, have joined forces for Amityville, a new film designed to bring the titular house back to life for the modern day with a wild new take on the story. To handle the project and all the history behind it, they’ve tapped an up-and-coming writer-director duo to take the reins, too — Joseph and Vanessa Winter. The minds behind the 2022 breakout horror hit Deadstream are set to direct from their own script, though there are no exact details yet about what their vision will entail.
Production is being fast-tracked on Amityville, with cameras expected to begin rolling towards the end of this year. The film adds to what has become a shockingly enduring horror franchise, with over 20 installments following in the wake of the success of the original novel, The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson and the acclaimed 1979 adaptation of the same name directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Each sequel and spin-off has strayed to further and more absurd places than the first story, which was based on the “true” tale of paranormal activity experienced by the Lutz family in the home they purchased, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered six of his family members in the year prior. Unlike the franchise that spawned from the book, however, the Winters are going straight to the source and creating a story around the original tale of murder and haunting involving the home at 112 Ocean Avenue.
The story goes that, after moving into the home where the murders took place in Amityville, New York, George and Kathy Lutz, accompanied by their three children, began experiencing strange happenings, ranging from cold spots to unexplained noises, ooze rising from the carpets, and sightings of apparitions. Despite having their house blessed by a priest, they would only stay a total of 28 days before fleeing in terror. Those who investigated the house afterward failed to capture the same level of activity the family had experienced. Reportedly, neither the original murders nor the hauntings that followed will be integral to the Winters‘ story as they look to tackle the legendary haunted house from a new angle. They’ll have a lot to live up to, though, given the original’s box office success and the sheer magnitude of the franchise, from space-bound sequels to Ryan Reynolds-led remakes.
What Else Have Joseph and Vanessa Winter Done?
After previously working on a series of shorts together, the Winters became hot new names in horror following the premiere of their directorial debut, Deadstream, at SXSW. Mixing found-footage scares with comedy, the film followed a disgraced internet content creator (Joseph Winter) attempting to win back his audience by streaming one night alone in a haunted house, only to anger a vengeful spirit and turn the event into a fight for survival. It makes the married couple’s selection to helm the next installment of Amitville a good fit, given their experience handling things that go bump in the night. However, they also earned acclaim for their segment in V/H/S/99 that same year, titled “To Hell and Back.”
Amityville is gearing up to film towards the end of this year. In the meantime, Deadstream is available to watch on Shudder for viewers who want to check out Joseph and Vanessa Winter‘s previous work.
via Collider