In 1979, The Amityville Horror haunted its way into cinemas. The supernatural movie – starring Margot Kidder and James Brolin – told the story of the Lutz family – an American family who moved into a house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, and experienced strange and worrying phenomena.

The movie was based on the book, The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson, which in turn was supposedly based on true events. The Lutz family were real people and they claimed to have lived in one of the most haunted properties in the US.

Due to the popularity of the original movie, as well as continued interest in the book and the Lutz story, The Amityville Horror quickly spawned a series of follow-ups. The series included sequels, a prequel, and a remake, as well as various other films loosely connected to the concept of hauntings and possessions.

If you have ever tried to navigate your way through the Amityville movie series, you’ll know it can all get a little confusing. Between theatrical releases, TV movies, direct-to-video sequels and many largely unconnected films, there is a lot keep track of.

In this post I am taking a look at the series, to break it down into an easy-to-follow guide. This should help you out if you decide to view the Amityville series in its entirety, or if you simply wish to pick and choose the films you want to watch.

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The original Amityville movies in order

Image: ©Orion Pictures

To date, there are ten Amityville movies in the original Amityville collection. The movies – which include a mix of theatrically released films, TV movies, and direct-to-video sequels – are as follows:

  • The Amityville Horror (1979)
  • Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
  • Amityville 3-D (aka Amityville III: The Demon) (1983)
  • Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
  • The Amityville Curse (1990)
  • Amityville: It’s About Time (1992)
  • Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
  • Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
  • The Amityville Horror (2005)
  • Amityville: The Awakening (2017)

Most of the first eight films listed above are part of the same continuity, with events told in chronological order, except The Amityville II: The Possession which is a prequel. However, it should be noted that the continuity between these eight movies is very loose or non-existent.

The Amityville Horror (2005) (the ninth movie) is a remake of the 1979 film, while Amityville: The Awakening (the tenth movie) is a meta-film that works from the concept that the nine previous films are fiction, and it is the only one that is real.

To make things easier to follow, here are the films grouped together:

The first eight movies in chronological order

  • Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
  • The Amityville Horror (1979)
  • Amityville 3-D (aka Amityville III: The Demon) (1983)
  • Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
  • The Amityville Curse (1990)
  • Amityville: It’s About Time (1992)
  • Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
  • Amityville Dollhouse (1996)

The remake

  • The Amityville Horror (2005)

The meta-movie

  • Amityville: The Awakening (2017)
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The other Amityville movies

Image: ©Amityville Asylum Films

The ten films listed above are all part of the original Amityville series, which began in 1979. However, in addition to the original series, there are a number of unconnected movies which also carry the Amityville brand name.

These films are NOT part of the original series. Some are ‘inspired’ by the 1977 book, The Amityville Horror, but most are not.

  • The Amityville Haunting (2011)
  • The Amityville Asylum (2013)
  • Amityville Death House (2015)
  • The Amityville Playhouse (aka The Amityville Theater) (2015)
  • Amityville: Vanishing Point (2016)
  • The Amityville Legacy (aka Amityville Toybox) (2016)
  • The Amityville Terror (2016)
  • Amityville: No Escape (2016)
  • Amityville: Evil Never Dies (aka Amityville Clownhouse) (2017)
  • Amityville Exorcism (2017)
  • Against the Night (aka Amityville Prison) (2017)
  • Amityville: Mt. Misery Road (2018)
  • The Amityville Murders (2018)
  • Amityville Island (2020)
  • Amityville Vibrator (2020)
  • Witches of Amityville Academy (aka Amityville Witches) (2020)
  • The Amityville Harvest (2020)
  • An Amityville Poltergeist (2020)
  • Amityville Vampire (2021)
  • The Amityville Moon (2021)
  • Amityville Cop (2021)
  • Amityville Scarecrow (2021)
  • Amityville Scarecrow 2 (2022)
  • Amityville in Space (2022)
  • Amityville Bigfoot (2022)
  • Amityville Karen (2022)
  • Amityville Uprising (2022)
  • Amityville Thanksgiving (2022)
  • The Amityville Exorcist (2022)

In addition to the above list of films, there are also a couple of documentaries about the supposed hauntings the Lutz family experienced during the 1970s.

The first docu-film features input from family member, Daniel Lutz, and is called My Amityville Horror. The second focuses on a paranormal investigation into the Amityville house and is called Amityville: The Resurgence.

  • My Amityville Horror (2012)
  • Amityville: The Resurgence (2022)
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Image: ©MGM

Due to all the name changes, the different continuities, the different production companies/studios that have been involved, and the sheer number of movies that have been produced over the years, The Amityville series is one of the most confusing film collections in the horror genre. Most of the films are largely unconnected, and even those that are, share loose-to-no continuity whatsoever.

As a general rule of thumb, the 1979 original is popular with fans, and the docu-film My Amityville Horror provides interesting viewing. Outside of these, the popularity of the rest of the collection largely comes down to personal preference.

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about The Amityville Horror movie series – I hope it has proved useful. For more horror-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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