From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Posted on October 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we are entering The Conjuring Universe for this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. Shockingly enough it took until 2021for New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers to allow DC Comics to make a comic series based around the films, and I say shocking as they are all owned by the same parent company Discovery! And to be honest, I am very shocked on how little DC Comics and New Line Cinema have come together as they could truly use comic books to help promote their upcoming horror films. But sadly I feel that the big two in the world of comics lack imagination, and horror comics, as well as comics based on horror films their parent companies own, just are not a priority nor even cross their minds. So with that, let’s sit back and be ready to be scared as we enter the world of The Conjuring 3!

Before we talk about the film, let’s talk about Isla The Occultist and her ways of dealing death and conjuring the demons of Hell. Isla is the daughter of Father Kastner and had become obsessed with the occult and her studies has made her very powerful in black magic, placing curses and conjuring demons all to do her dirty work and cause chaos on the living that have crossed her path. Isla is a Satanist and Occultist who grew up obsessed with things on the dark side and as she has gotten older, she has made a deal with demons and uses cursed totems to place a target on random people in order to please them. Her black magic is very strong and allows her to allow demons to enter the bodies of her victims and cause them to do bad things from murder to suicide. She has a almost second sight and can see what others who have her gifts can see and this makes her dangerous as if you are a threat to her, she can find your location and send a sinister curse your way. She can also make her victims thank they are seeing things and have them attack their own loved ones and friends, as Isla is a master of mind games. But while she is a scary magical person she is still mortal and can be killed like any normal person via being stabbed, shot, drowned, burnt or beaten! She also has to use her altar to control her powers and if it’s destroyed her spells and deals with demons are broken and with the demons this could lead them turning on her and bringing her death. While she is mortal, her dark power makes her very dangerous and a person you would not want to be the target of unless you want a demon to take over your soul.

So as you can see, Isla The Occultist is very deadly due to her dark magic and can cause people extreme pain as well as death. Now I think we should take a look at the film she is from and that’s of course The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It, the third film in the series. Like always, the film’s plot will be taken from our friends at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on it. So if you are ready, let’s hope that Isla has not cursed this update and take a look at this film.

The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

“A chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.”

The Conjuring films that follow the cases of real life paranormal investigators The Warrens are one of New Line Cinema’s top Horror Franchises that has even had film spin-offs that have as well did good at the box office. And in 2016, a third film in the main series was being talked about by the film series creator James Wan, who at first mentioned that the film could be about the Warren’s famed Werewolf case, and in May 2017 it was said that the third film would not be another haunted house fright flick and would be one of the bigger cases of The Warrens careers and would take place in the 80s. And by June of 2017 New Line Cinema gave the third film the green light and it started production with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick being hired to write the script, and in 2019 James Wan came on to help co-write the script as he was not directing. They brought in Michael Chaves in to do so, and that the film would be based on the court case where a young man claimed a demon made him commit murder, and the Warrens backed up his claims. When casting the film Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson returned as The Warrens and names like Ruairi O’Connor, Debbie Glatzel, John Noble and Eugenie Bondurant was brought on board in big roles. The film was shot in Atlanta, Georgia and had a few setbacks due to the pandemic and even one of the film’s demon characters was removed from the film fully. Once done the film was scored by Joseph Bishara and was released in theaters as well as HBO Max on June 4, 2021 and did really well world wide for New Line Cinema bringing in $201,965,074.00 on a budget of $39 million. The film was released that year with other Horror Films like “Halloween Kills”, “Candyman”, “Forever Purge”, “Army Of The Dead”, “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “Quiet Place II” and “Don’t Breath 2” to name a few. And the film ranked # 22 out of 33 for my Matt Goes To The Movies 2021 Horror Movie rankings and was # 19 that year at the US Box Office.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was a film that both Juliet and I was very much looking forward to seeing in theaters as we have been fans of the series from the start and we even enjoy all the spin off movies. We saw the film by renting out a Cinemark Theater and we invited some of our closest friends to watch it with us on the big screen. And when the film was over, we all enjoyed it but we all also agreed that this was missing the touch of James Wan and while it did a good job of showing another case of The Warrens, it also just seemed a bit off and not as spooky as the first two films in the main series as the stakes did not seem as high and the main spirit and villain just was not as powerful or iconic as others they have faced before. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson I do have to say are fantastic once more as Ed and Lorraine Warren and without them in these Conjuring films I feel that the series just would not work. So while this one was not the best in the series, watching them work adds to the enjoyment of the film. And even after all this time and watching the film again once on home media I still found the film good but lacking and I truly do think that it all falls onto Isla The Occultist as she just seems to lack motivation, any kind of backstory and is just not as scary nor threatening as any of the other villains from this cinematic universe. I should also say that some moments of the film do pack a scare and the film does play at your heartstrings as Ed Warren suffers a massive heart attack and there is a fear of him passing. And with this film not getting a very mixed response from critics and fans I am hoping that New Line Cinema will pull out all the stops when they do part four and make it a truly scary viewing experience, as I would love to see the next film be about Bill Ramsey, a man who was possessed by a wolf-spirit that made him act like a werewolf! And while it was my least favorite of the films, I am not saying that you should not watch it as the film is a enjoyable watch and you should check it out if you like the other films in the series or just like films about possessions and demons.

So as you can see, the third film in The Conjuring film series was a hit at the box office even after being released during the pandemic as well as also streaming at the same time on HBO Max and would be the one that finally got the films to get a comic mini series. And with that I would like to say a big thanks for Game Swap Kettering for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So with that, let’s dive in and take a look at The Conjuring: The Lover series that is about Isla The Occultist.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 1 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 1 of 5

It’s 1981 and Jessica wants to drop out of college as she is back from break to start her classes again but her mother is not happy about it as she wants her daughter to be something big in life, and when her mother meets Kyle one of Jessica’s classmates she tries to tell her to also look for a boyfriend! Once back at school Jessica feels lonely and annoyed by everything around her as her grades are low, her roommate brings her boyfriend home and Kyle has a crush on her…and worse of all it is that unknown to her Isla has places a curse on her. And it’s clear that something is watching her and following her as Jessica is missing home and her friend Katie. As Katie drifts off to sleep above her bed something evil is watching over her.

This is an interesting story this far and is about a young college girl who hates being away from home as well as her best friend Katie who she clearly likes more than just a friend. And while Jessica is battling her own depression something wicked is following her around looking for the right moment to attach it’s self to her and cause her harm. Jessica is a young woman who’s depression is causing her to have bad grades as well as not make friend easy as she seems to always be in a slump and want to stay away from her fellow classmates. Her mother is a little rough on her but you can tell it’s all out of love, as she just wants so much more for her daughter. Kyle seems like a good guy who just wants to get to know Jessica as it’s clear he has a crush on her and would like to be her boyfriend as her roommate Tammy as well seems like a nice person just a little carless. Isla The Occultist is around and has placed a curse on Jessica and to do so she has even killed a goat in order to please the dark spirit that is now hunting the young collage girl. So far this main story is a little spooky and is building up the suspense of what is going to happen to Jessica and the people around her. The issue also has a backup story that is based around an item from the Warrens Artifact Room with one being about The Ferryman and his coin, a short and pretty creepy little tale that has a man looking for the coin he stole off a dead body when he was a kid and now The Ferryman has followed him around and killed everyone he loves until he gets it back. So far so good as I have found myself enjoying this first issue and wanting to see what is next for Jessica! The cover for this issue is pretty cool and showcases Isla and the interior art for the main story is done by Garry Brown and is pretty cool and has a classic feel to it but also has that modern creepy look that much of the newer indie horror comics have. And with that I am jumping into issue two and to see how this story is going to unfold.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 2 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 2 of 5

Jessica is in the shower and is hearing voices and even seeing things as she thinks that she gets burnt by the hot water that of course is not that hot, and this causes fellow female classmates to think she is weird. Jessica ends up calling Katie who is back home working two jobs and who makes Jessica promise to go to the next party she is invited to, and it just so happens that Kyle asks her to one and she goes and she tries to have fun but the demon voice in her head keeps saying very mean and nasty things to her. Kyle kisses Jessica at the party and this makes her panic and she walks home alone in the snow to find her roommate home as well, and as the two head off to bed the demon voice will not leave her alone and taunts her to try and kill him as now she is seeing it’s shadow and red glowing eyes and this drives her to grab a pair of scissors off the nightstand to protect her self and unknown to Jessica the person she is about to stab is not the demon but Tammy her sleeping roommate!

This is another very interesting issue as we follow Jessica who is now being plagued by a demon that is allowing her to see it in shadows and is as well talking to her in her thoughts and is even driving her to see things that are not there! The Demon is super mean spirited and is playing on all of Jessica’s fears and inner demons and wants to break her down and feel as if she is alone and no one loves her…this of course is un-true but to a depressed young woman dealing with her sexuality this is really beating her down. Jessica is a likable character as she is odd but is a good person who is quit and it’s clear that she really just wants to be home with Katie and not being hounded by the pressures of school and making new friends. And you have to feel for poor Tammy at this point as she might just get stabbed with scissors while she sleeps in Jessica don’t break the illusion that the demon is making her see. And imagine if Tammy wakes up before Jessica can break the hold or even stab her, as this will make everyone at the college think Jessica is psycho! Isla is truly evil as she is making this young woman’s life even more complicated and is leading her to a patch of murder, death and damnation. This issue as well has a cool backup story form the Warren’s Artifacts this time about The Bloody Bride and her cursed wedding dress. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and haunting and the main interior artwork is once more done by Garry Brown and is great stuff as he is capturing the slow brooding mood that has made the film series special over the years. Over all another solid issue and it has done its job as I am hooked on seeing were this story goes.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 3 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 3 of 5

Jessica is in the dean’s office with Tammy who woke up to find her roommate over her with a pair of scissors, and this causes Tammy to move out and for Jessica to be all alone in the room…and while trying to eat lunch at the school cafeteria the demon once more makes her see things and act out making even more of her classmates think she is crazy or on drugs. Jessica tries to call Katie who is not home and she finds herself at the library were she meets Isla who is working their and takes her to the basement to find books on the occult as Jessica thinks she is possessed and under faking caring Isla wants to help, but soon she shows her true attentions and this causes Jessica to freak out and rush to her dorm to call her mother to come pick her up…but her mother refuses thinking her daughter is just stressed and hangs up on her. Jessica sits alone in her room for days even thinking bugs are crawling on her and her only glimmer of hope is when Kyle stops by her room and takes her out to eat. On the way back to her dorm Kyle tells Jessica how much he likes her and Jessica starts to come out to him, but she has a vision and Kyle becomes Isla with a knife and Jessica shoves her into the street but in reality she has just shoved Kyle in front of a bus.

This third issue the demon and Isla have turned up the torture factor on Jessica and are more and more playing with her mind making her not only hear more and more negative things but are really starting to make her see things that are not there as well as see those around her as demonic enemies. Jessica is loosing her mind as well as grip on reality as she is not eating, not attending classes and is acting out in harmful ways to her friends causing her roommate to leave and at the end of this issue leaving us on a cliffhanger of pushing Kyle in front of a bus. It also appears that Katie is not around for her as much as Jessica would like as her friend is holding down two jobs and having a life of her own back in their home town, and it also shows that Jessica’s mom is not their for her daughter as well as she hangs up on her when she is begging to come home. Kyle is a good guy who clearly cares for Jessica as he is the one who checks on her and makes sure she has food in her belly and know that some one cares about her. It will be interesting to see if he is killed or hurt by the bus and how he will react if he survives this attempted murder that was by accident. The demon as well is allowing Jessica to see more of it and Isla is now being apart of this torture as she has allowed herself to be seen and is enjoying playing with this young girls mind. The backup story this time around is about the Accordion Monkey that is found in the Warrens artifacts. The cover is nice and spooky as it shows that cursed Accordion Monkey and the main interior art is still great and done by Garry Brown again who I must say draws a cool looking demon. Yet another solid issue and a nice cliffhanger ending, so with that let’s head to issue four and see what Isla and the demon have planned for Jessica.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 4 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 4 of 5

Kyle is able to get out of the way of the bus and is very upset and goes off on Jessica calling her a psycho and to stay away from him, and this incident leads to the dean to kick Jessica out of collage and forces her to move back home with her parents. While Jessica’s dad is caring her mother is ashamed of her and thinks she got kicked out on purpose. But even while home the demon speaks to her and shows up when she is alone in her room causing her to yell out and her father to come to her side. Jessica has a talk with her father who tells her that he knows what she is going through and that she needs to call Katie as she is the one that will truly understand. Jessica calls Katie to tell her she has returned home and the two make plans to meet up that night in the woods, and once together they share a kiss…but Katie soon turns into Isla and Jessica fights back and stabs her attacker that sadly turns out to be her lover Katie as the illusions have tricked her again and caused her to kill the one person she cared the most about.

Poor Jessica just can not catch a break as she has been accused by two students of trying to kill them, gets kicked out of school, has a mother who thinks she is just looking for attention and worse has a demon and an Occultist trying to ruin her life and drive her into madness. And Jessica has not true support besides her father and Katie and the demon makes sure that Katie is taken out of her life for good. Jessica clearly has no hope and no one to help her break this curse and the only route she has right now is damnation and that’s sad as all she wanted was happiness with someone she loved. Katie is a good friend as well as had the same feelings for Jessica, but is just used in this sick game of Isla as a pawn to be murdered very violently with a big knife. The demon and Isla have now pushed Jessica to the point of no return and it’s clear that they have won her soul as well as have had he take a life for their own entertainment. Her father is a good man who loves his daughter and will do what he can to protect her as well as be there for her, and understands that she is having a hard to of coming to grips about her love for another woman. Her mother who I at first thought was acting mean as a way of tough love is just truly a bad person who cares more about her self than her daughter’s mental and physical health. This issue is the bloodiest so far as Jessica stabs Katie to death in the woods and the attack is pretty brutal for a main stream DC Comic release. The backup story for this issue is The Sleeping Song and the music box that is found in the Warrens Artifacts.The cover for this issue is great and captures that Conjuring mood and feel, and you know what I am going to say about the art done by Gary Brown being good so I will skip the broken record for you. Another great issue and this one leads us to the final issue in the series and one that we all know how it will end if you seen the third Conjuring film, so with that let’s take a look at issue five.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 5 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 5 of 5

Jessica is in shock as she stands over the dead body of her lover Katie, but to her horror the body starts to move as the demon has taken control of it and it chases Jessica through the woods to a cliff that is above raging water below. The demon Katie tries to push for Jessica to admit to herself that she hated being in love with Katie and that she all along wanted Katie to die so that she could close that chapter of her life and be alone…Jessica stands up to the demon and tells of the first time she and Katie meet and how the each had feelings for each other but were both to scared to make the first move. The demon keeps pushing Jessica to admit she hates herself and that she hated that she loved Katie and finally the demons words break her down and Jessica jumps to her death to the water below. In the cliff the demon Katie morphs into Isla who thanks Jessica for committing suicide and heads back to her alter and places another curse this time on a young child as our comic tale ends.

I have to say this first I really enjoyed this Conjuring comic book mini series and to be honest I think I even like it better than the third film it’s a prelude to! As for those of you who don’t know the tragic case of Jessica and Katie is mentioned in the film and this murder suicide plays a big part in the film, and while we only hear and briefly see the events in the film this comic book flushes it out and gives a backstory to the characters. You really do have to feel for Jessica as she is tormented and driven into a deeper depression throughout this series, as by the end of this comic you find that she hates herself and had no one to truly come to about it. While she loved Katie she also hated Katie as being homosexual in the early 80’s was more taboo and people would judge and hate you for it. And Jessica who already was an odd person who had a terrible mother already had that pressure of being not a letdown in life. While you read Jessica’s story here you are cheering for her to break the curse but in the back of your mind you know its not going to end well. Isla The Occultist picked Jessica because she was a lover, a lover who had deep feelings but was very easy to corrupt and trick into killing the one she cared for as well as talked into ending her own life. Isla truly used some very mean spirited mind games and with the help of the demon they were able to ruin that young woman’s life in no time and also was able to complete a part of a packed that had made. It’s also kind of telling just how much joy it seemed Isla was getting from doing this and it makes you even more sick when she thanks the young woman at the end for jumping…she is truly evil and selfish. The back up story for this issue is The Chalice, another artifact found in the Warrens collection of haunted things, and these bonus stories were also a very nice touch as they added scares to your reading experience. The cover for this issue is very dark and brooding and has Jessica running through the woods toward her fate. The main interior artwork by Garry Brown really is good stuff and fitting as I find that his style was a good choice for showing demonic spirits as well as a person’s mental breakdown from being cursed. I feel that this five issue mini series really did do The Conjuring film series justice and I hope that DC Comics decides to make more mini series in this universe as they did a great job here. Checkout the artwork below to see they style that Garry Brown used in this series.

The Conjuring Universe really does lend itself to being made into comic books as I would love to see DC Comics not only continue this series but also do comics based on the spin-offs like The Nun, Annabelle and even the Crooked Man as all of them could truly make for some spooky reads, as I am not going to lie I would really love to see a very dark and spooky comic mini series based around The Nun. And again I think DC Comics for their horror comics should dig deep into what they own as many of their films would make for great comics in these modern times. I also would like to share that in The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It film actress Ingrid Bisu plays Jessica and Andrea Andrade played Katie. But as you can see, our update has come to an end and before we part ways here I would like to let you know that the next update will take us to the Rotten Ink Arena as we take a look at that Iconic Horror Themed Wrestler Vampiro! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we take a look at one of my favorite Luchadors who is a perfect fit to cover this Halloween season.

The Horror In Amityville, New York!

Posted on April 13, 2016 by bloodlinematt

Do you believe in haunted houses? Do you believe in ghosts? How about urban legends? Well one of the most well known haunted houses in America is a home with the address 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, the location of a brutal family murder and later the site of a terrifying haunting. This update on Rotten Ink is about Amityville and the horror of that house in honor of the upcoming film in cinemas from Dimension Films called “Amityville: The Awaking”, that will be released in 2017. So get your ghost hunting nerves in check and bust out your proton pack as we are traveling to Amityville to see if this haunting is fact or fiction. We take a look at the murders, the haunting, the films and the comic based on this nerve shattering spooky experience.

On November 13, 1974, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. armed with a Marlin 336C rifle shot and murdered his parents and his four siblings at around 3am. After he killed them, he rushed to the local bar and asked for help pretending he found his parents shot. When the police arrived, they noticed that all of the family members were in bed on their stomachs with each of the kids killed by a single gun shot, while the parents were shot twice. Ronald claimed to the police that he thought the murders were done by a mafia hitman and even supplied them with a name. This lead turned out to be bogus as the hitman was out of town when the murders took place. The next day Ronald confessed to the killings and said that once he started he could not stop, and took them to where he hid the rifle and his blood stained cloths. Ronald, who was 23 years old at the time of the murders, was a drug addict who had many fights with his father Ronald Sr. and during trial claimed that he heard the voices of his family plotting against him and that’s why he killed them all. The judge convicted Ronald on six counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced 25-life six times. Ronald is still in jail at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, New York and all attempts at parole have been shot down.

What was an open and close case for Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. also has its fair share of theories and conspiracies thanks to amateur detectives and Ronald himself. In 1986, Ronald claimed that his 18 year old sister Dawn was the one who killed their father and that his mother, in a fit of revenge, killed her children and in self defense he killed his mom and claimed he took the blame as he was afraid his grandfather who had mob ties would kill him for speaking ill of his daughter. 1990 saw yet another story from Ronald who claimed that his sister Dawn and a unknown male killed the whole family and that he only killed her in self defense while trying to get the rifle away from her. The judge dismissed this, but it did not stop Ronald from spreading more of his stories. In 2000, during a interview with author Ric Osuna, Ronald claimed that his sister Dawn, two friends and himself killed his parents, and he killed Dawn after he found out that she killed their siblings. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the stories about happened that November night as stories of evil spirits, an Indian burial ground, a very unnatural relationship between Ronald and Dawn, insurance money fraud and so many others are talked about and shared. While we may never really know what happened that night, one thing is for sure, six people lost their lives in a senseless act of violence, and may the DeFeo family rest in peace.

After the murders, the house on Ocean Avenue was put up for sale, and for 13 months it sat empty until December 1975 when George and Kathy Lutz bought it for only $80,000.00 and moved their newly formed family in. You see, Kathy had two sons, Daniel and Christopher, as well as a 5-year-old daughter named Missy from a previous marriage, and they had a family dog named Harry. While moving in, a friend of the Lutz family encouraged them to have the house blessed as it was the scene of the grizzly murders a little over a year before they bought it. They did so and the priest who blessed it heard a voice tell him to “GET OUT” in one of the second story bedrooms, and after leaving the home he developed a high fever as well as blisters. When trying to call the Lutz family to warn them not to go into that room, his call was interrupted by static. For 28 days the Lutz family lived in the house and each of them reported strange and creepy things like doors & windows slamming, green ooze pouring from walls and keyholes, a demon face was seen in the fireplace. Missy became friends with a imaginary friend called Jodie who had the body of a pig. Hoof prints were found around the yard of a giant pig. Glowing red eyes were seen outside, items moved, family members shape shifted, foul orders filled the air, large amount of flies would gather in the house and George even found a room he called the red room that freaked out the family dog! And this is just the drop in the hat of what the Lutz family claimed happened to them during their time living in the house. George claimed that he would even wake up every night at 3:15am and have the urge to check out the boathouse. The time was that of the DeFeo murders! During this time The Lutz family themselves tried to bless the house on their own, and one time a chorus of voices said “will you stop?” The final straw happened on January 16^th 1976, when the Lutz said something so horrific and terrifying happened that they left the house for good leaving behind all their belongings, never to return.

After the Lutz family fled the house on Ocean Avenue, it became a hot bed for ghost chasers and thrill seekers as the story spread quickly of the evil spirits within its walls. On March 6 1976, the house was investigated by demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren as well as reporter Michael Linder for Channel 5 News to find if the house was indeed haunted. What they found that night via time lapse photos was a image of a demonic glowing eyed little boy who was captured at the foot of the staircase. The Warrens went on to claim that the house indeed was home to many malevolent spirits and was indeed haunted. For those who don’t know who the Warrens are, they are the basis for the Conjuring horror film series and have been said to have captured and stopped many hauntings and are even said to have cured a man who was a werewolf! Below is a picture of the Warrens as well as a picture of the demon boy captured by their camera.

In 1977 The Lutz Family told their story to Tam Mossman, an editor for a publishing house who introduced them to writer Jay Anson, who, alongside 45 hours of footage about the terrible events at the house on Ocean Avenue, wrote a book called “The Amityville Horror” that became an overnight success as people were drawn to read about this real life haunting. The book’s name was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s book The Dunwich Horror and would go on to sell over 10 million copies but also spark lots of talk if the haunting was fact or hoax! Many things have risen the eyebrows of people who want to debunk this haunting as no other residents of the house have ever reported any strange occurrences. The book came out after The Exorcist hit theaters, and many think that it was a way to cheaply cash in by using it as a marketing tool to sell the book, not to mention the priest who is said to have blessed the house has changed his story a number of times and even made a appearance on the Leonard Nimoy hosted show In Search Of…, claiming to have heard the voice tell him to get out. The Lutz family made lots of money off the book as well as selling this story to newspapers, magazines, TV and film, and George would later go on to say that most of what’s in the book is true. George and Kathy would get a divorce in the 80’s, but both claimed the haunting was real all the way up to their deaths. Kathy passed away in 2004 from emphysema, and George died in 2006 from heart disease. Do you think 112 Ocean Avenue is haunted? Or do you think it was a hoax and a way for the Lutz family to get fame and money from a terrifying story? I’m not 100% sure what to believe, but one thing is for sure, it’s one hell of a good yarn and is the stuff campfire tales are made of. But here are some fun and creepy facts about the house: actress Christine Belford who is known for her roles in such TV shows as Chips, Incredible Hulk and Silver Spoons lived in the house for years, and her parents are the ones who sold it to the DeFeo’s! Peter O’Neill lived in the house for 10 years, and he sadly lost his life in the September 11th attacks. The address to the home has been changed, and renovations have been made to keep tourists and sightseers off the property, as the residents get very annoyed by all the attention the home gets. But if you find you have some extra time this year and want a good read around the fall and wintertime, give The Amityville Horror book a read and see what you think is real and what’s fake.

So of course, the book being a best seller sparked Hollywood’s attention, and in 1979 they made a film based on the events. So below we are going to talk about the films and all the sequels that spawned off the original film,. I got the write ups from our friends at IMDB, and after each write up I give a little information about the films. So be prepared to get a quick crash course on the Amityville Horror flicks!

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Based on a true story that was claimed by writer Jay Anson, The Amityville Horror is about a large house on the coast of Long Island where newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz and their three children move into the house that they hope will be their dream house which ends up in terror. Despite full disclosure by the real estate agent of the house’s history, George and Kathy buy the house. George says, “Houses don’t have memories,” but they turn to their family priest Father Delaney who believes the house is haunted and performs an exorcism on the house. But the evil spirit in the house causes him to become blind and makes him very sick. With the help of another priest Father Bolen and a police detective, George and Kathy face the fears of the house, but not knowing the spirit is planning to possess George and then the children…

The film was a major hit at the box office, bringing in a total of $86.4 million and was the # 2 film of the year! It beat out such films as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Moonraker, The Muppet Movie, Meatballs and Alien! Stuart Rosenberg directed, and it stars James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Murray Hamilton and was released by American International Pictures.

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

An Italian-American family move into a house built on an ancient Indian burial ground. The oldest son is possessed by an evil spirit, and is forced to murder his family. The family’s priest feels responsible, and tries to save the possessed boy’s soul.

This second film mixed possession and slasher and did okay for Orion Pictures, bringing in a total of $12,534,817.00. It was # 61 for the year, beating such films as Silent Rage, Savannah Smiles, Trail Of The Pink Panther, The Beast Within, Cat People and The Last Unicorn. This film was directed by Damiano Damiani and starred Burt Young, James Olson, Moses Gunn and a very lovely Diane Franklin, and remains a cult classic.

Amityville 3-D (1983)

A man who is separated from his wife moves into the infamous Amityville House. Their daughter dies in a boating accident (after being told that she is not allowed to go to the house) and now the mother sees her deceased daughter “alive” in the house. Mr. Baxtor calls a paranormal investigator in to help and the investigator finds out the source of the household problems.

The film was not a hit for Orion Pictures, bringing in a very low $6,333,135.00 and was # 88 for the year. It did beat such films as The Hunger, Chained Heat, Smokey & The Bandit Part III, Curse of the Pink Panther, The Evil Dead and Pieces. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured Tony Roberts, Tess Harper, Robert Joy and Meg Ryan in the cast. While a misfire, it still remains a cheesy classic for fans.

Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)

The demonic force lurking in Amityville for over 300 years escapes to a remote California mansion. It encounters a struggling family living together by uncertain means. The beast manipulates a little girl by manifesting itself in the form of her dead father. Soon it will be able to possess her completely… is it too late for a young priest to defeat the demon and end the curse?

This film was made for TV for the fine folks at NBC and never made it to the big screen of theaters! The film was directed by Sandor Stern and starred the likes of Patty Duke, Jane Wyatt and Fredric Lehne.

The Amityville Curse (1990)

Five people spend the night in an abandoned house, the Amityville haunted house, and soon find themselves terrorized by assorted ghosts, venomous insects and ghostly apparitions.

This was the first in the film series to go direct to video, released by Vidmark and was directed by Tom Berry and starred Kim Coates, Dawna Wightman and Cassandra Gava.

Amityville: It’s About Time (1992)

When an old clock arrives at home as a gift, strange things begin to happen. The family that proudly assigned a privileged place to the clock in the living room, is unaware that this thing is a link to an old and evil house…

Another direct to video sequel that was directed by Tony Randel and starred Stephen Macht and Shawn Weatherly and was released by Republic Pictures.

Amityville: A New Generation (1993)

Photographer Keyes is given an old mirror from an homeless person he photographs on the street, takes it home and gives it a friend. He doesn’t know yet that people see horrible things happen to themselves in the mirror and later these things come true. Are these really suicides or is there a demonic force behind the mirror?

Another direct to video release that was directed by John Murlowski and stars the likes of Ross Partridge, Julia Nickson and Lala Sloatman.

Amityville: Dollhouse (1996)

A dollhouse that is a replica of the infamous Amityville haunted house is given to a little girl. Soon after, all sorts of horrible unexplained accidents start to happen. The family must work together to fight off the terrifying evil that has inhabited their lives.

You guessed it, this went direct to video and is directed by Steve White and stars Robin Thomas, Starr Andreeff and Allen Cutler.

The Amityville Horror (2005)

Newlyweds are terrorized by demonic forces after moving into a large house that was the site of a grisly mass murder a year before.

This was a remake of the 1979 film produced by those goons at Platinum Dunes and brought in $65,233,369.00 and was # 38 for the year. It beat out such films as Red Eye, White Noise, Corpse Bride, The Skeleton Key, Boogeyman, Legend of Zorro and House of Wax. The film is directed by Andrew Douglas and stars Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Amityville: The Awaking (2017)

Belle, her little sister, and her comatose twin brother move into a new house with their single mother Joan in order to save money to help pay for her brother’s expensive healthcare. But when strange phenomena begin to occur in the house including the miraculous recovery of her brother, Belle begins to suspect her Mother isn’t telling her everything and soon realizes they just moved into the infamous Amityville house.

This movie is up against some other great horror films next year and is making me really hyped to see not only which one will take the highest spot at the box office but what will rank highest in my year-end review for 2017.

While those above are the more “official” sequels, many independent and no budget companies have made films to cash in on the Amityville name. Amityville Death House, Amityville Asylum, Amityville Theater, Amityville Haunting as well as many documentaries and even short films like High Hopes, a school project flick from my friend Dusty Austen from Wooster made that breaks down the DeFeo murders, all have flooded video shelves as well as streaming sites. The cool thing about these films are that while Hollywood would backburner the “official” series, these films kept the story fresh and added new twists to the terrifying haunting tale. Baron Von Porkchop even hosted High Hopes by Dusty on one of his Halloween special adventures, and he was able to share that film with viewers who may have never gotten the chance to see it. So if you’re a fan of Amityville Horror, make sure to give some of these independent films a watch. Who knows, they might scare you more than the official films!

My close friend and filmmaker Henrique Couto has also released a Amityville film this year called “Amityville No Escape” that is a found footage style film. One of the coolest thing about this film is that my cousin Stephen Alexander II and myself have cameos in it. That’s right, I am in an Amityville Horror-inspired film! I play a worker at a shop in Amityville that is being asked questions by the film’s lead, and I am not ashamed to say I ham it up on the screen telling him that he doesn’t want to go around that house. The set we used was Game Swap in Kettering and being asked to star in this film came at the right time as I was all ready doing research for this update. So make sure to check out this film when it’s out DVD and also support your local hometown filmmakers as they are the new breed of creators that will bring films to the big and small screens across the world. I am proud of my friend Henrique as well as my other filmmaking friends Dusty A, Chris Seaver, Chris LaMartina, Fred Vogel, Matt Hoffman, Eamon Hardiman, Eric Widing, David “The Rock” Nelson and so many others all who are talented and skilled masters of what they do.

I would also love to take a moment to talk about the 1979 score soundtrack for The Amityville Horror done by Lalo Schifrin. The score is something that I bought on CD many years back when I started to collect horror film scores. The main theme is something I have played for many years on WYSO’s Alpha Rhythms Halloween Special, and it always gets high remarks and “thank you” for playing messages. The main title is pretty iconic and most old school horror fans can name that tune only a few bars into the song, but the rest of the score as well is really well done and fits the mood of the film and is great background music when working on a blog update like this or any other horror themed update. If you enjoy creepy mood music that is the perfect background to not only your halloween party but also your relaxing comic book reading time, I would say check out Schifrin’s score as it is well done and is sure to please any score music fan.

Before we move on, I want to talk a little about my connection to The Amityville Horror book and movies. Growing up, I can remember my Mom and Dad talking about The Amityville Horror when it was coming on TV, and my brother Bryan and I wanted to watch it. My Mom being her normal self told us that while the film claimed it was based in fact, it was indeed not and that she thought that the family made up the haunting in order to get rich. I can remember watching it in the dark sitting in the living room at our house in Waynesville and being a little creeped out by the glowing eyes looking in the home via the window, but also being slightly bored as I wanted to see the ghosts! Over time I can remember seeing the book at garage sales and second hand book stores and always asking to get it to read but my Mom always saying no. When she finally gave in, I remember reading most of it and saying this is good but not nearly as scary as I was led to believe. As I grew up, the Amityville Horror films found their way into my VHS collection, and I found a new love for how cheesy and over the top the sequels were. When I met my friend Mike Ritchie, who was working at Blockbuster Video at the time, his love for The Amityville Horror helped spark our friendship and still to this day I look at him as one of my nearest and dearest friends. Plus I can remember being a young teen and thinking just how hot Margot Kidder, who played Kathy Lutz in the first film, and Diane Franklin, who played Patricia Montelli, were and marveled at their near nude scenes. Nowadays I own all the official Amityville Horror films on DVD and even have an import of Amityville: The Curse to complete my collection and have a soft spot in my heart for this series as growing up it always seemed more of a major franchise than it was. Check out the pics of Kidder and Franklin below to see why the younger me had horror film crushes on them.

Okay, I think it’s time that we gear up to enter the house at 112 Ocean Avenue and see what Rosen Publishing has in store for us! I want to thank Amazon for having this in stock for me to review. Wait, did you hear that? It’s like a voice out of the darkness saying that I should also remind you that I grade these issues on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that message from beyond, we should step over the green ooze and see what horror awaits us in these comic pages.

Ghosts In Amityville # 1 **
Released in 2006 Cover Price $7.95 Rosen Publishing #1 of 1

In 1975, The Lutz family move to Amityville, New York in a big house on Ocean Avenue, but their dream house has a dark side as a year earlier a young man murdered his family and claimed voices in the house commanded him to do so. The Lutz Family start to hear noises late at night, see shadows and ghosts as well as a sinister pair of glowing eyes that watches them from the outside from the windows. The youngest Lutz child makes a friend with the spirit of a child and more odd things start happening around the house including George being sick many nights, him waking up at 3:15am in the morning with the urge to check the boathouse, loud doors slamming, moving shadows and furniture that arranges itself in the middle of the night. Things kept getting worse including finding giant hoof prints outside, and finally the family has had enough and leaves the house never to return. After the Lutz leave, a paranormal investigator group comes to look at the house and makes a judgment that something wicked does live there.

This felt like a stub on a Wikipedia page; it gave you some basic information but over all by the end you fell like you really didn’t learn anything new. The story of the comic is based on the tale of the Lutz family and has them moving into a house and being scared off by ghosts and evil spirits. None of the Lutz family is fleshed out, so you don’t build up to much of a bond with them. The father, George Lutz, is the only one who kind of shines as he is shown to have gotten sick while living in the house and is the last of the family to see a ghost as they flee the house for good. The evil spirits on the other hand are pretty mean and seem to enjoy tormenting the family and even at one point try to kill the family dog! The comic is not scary and has zero blood show. This is pretty normal as it is a kids horror comic meant to help kids to read and learn about a unknown phenomenon. The comic goes by fast and seems to be more pictures than dialogue and most scary moments are dulled down in the art as they didn’t go for many scares. At the end, the comics has Did You Know Facts, Glossary, Index and a link to websites taking up space that could have been used to flesh out more of the story. The art is done by Q2A and is pretty good stuff, basic but good as the story is written by Jack DeMolay and is summed up as good for the level of reader this comic was made for. Over all this is a cool little graphic novel comic for horror fans and was at least a tool for me to write a fun update. Check out some artwork below…sorry for the quality, I had to take it with my cellphone.

So we made it out of Amityville, and it looks like the evil spirits might have been on vacation as this Jr. graphic novel failed to deliver a scare or even a chill. But with it being for kids, I knew that it would not be to over the top in scares or blood. It was really fun talking about Amityville and was something I wanted to do for a couple of years now, but our next update might be even scarier than the haunting in Amityville, and I am sure grossed out kids of the 80’s…that’s right, we will be taking a look at Madballs! So until then, go on a ghost hunting adventure with friends, read a comic or three and support your local Horror Host!