Movies - TV
How Amityville Horror Changed Ryan Reynolds Forever
By DANIELLE RYAN
While Ryan Reynolds may be a household name now, he had to work his way up in the 2000s and suffered some flops like the horror film, “Amityville Horror.” Before filming, Reynolds had admitted that he wasn’t really a horror fan, but his actual filming experience may have scared him away from horror movies for good.
Strange Happenings
Early on during filming, a body washed up on the shore of the lake near set, causing production to shut down for a few days. Some of the crew also experienced bizarre coincidences, like waking up at exactly 3:15 a.m., a time relevant to the events in the film.
Spooky House
While the real Amityville home still stands in New York, the production company refurbished a house from the 1800s in Salem, Wisconsin for filming. So while it didn’t have Amityville’s haunted history, Reynolds was deeply unsettled by the house’s look and colors, calling it “terrifying” and “upsetting.”
Unhinged Acting
Reynolds’ George Lutz slowly descends into madness because of the angry DeFeo family ghosts and becomes violent. The character’s mindset affected Reynolds to the point that he slapped Jesse James, who played Lutz’s son, even though it wasn’t in the script. While James took it like a pro, Reynolds found the experience “definitely disturbing.”
No More Scary Movies
Following the intense shoot, the film was released and panned by critics and audiences alike, which is a shame since Reynolds turned in a surprisingly layered performance. Maybe we'll see him return to scary movies one day, but with "The Amityville Horror" as his only experience so far, it's hard to blame him for holding off.