The Amityville Horror

So good, it’s scary.

I was never a big fan of the movie but I have to admit, this book scared the hell out of me. Very intense and spooky. In addition, the narrator keeps the listener on the edge of their seat with every word. If looking for a horror book, look no further! Great stuff….

20 of 22 people found this review helpful

Winning author and narrator pair!

Not at all comfortable with horror but decided to give this book a listen even if I had to stop and delete it because I became terrified.
Well-researched book read by a perfect narrator. If I could, I'd abduct this narrator and drop him into nearly every book I've ever read.
HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

22 of 25 people found this review helpful

Maybe, Maybe Not

Where does The Amityville Horror rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a fast, creepy read. The happenings at the Amityville house have been hotly debated for many years, but I couldn't care less. I loved it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Amityville Horror?

The sick priest and all that befell the colleagues who tried to help him.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Absolutely. The narrator brings you into the events like reading alone never could.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I think I managed it in 4 or 5.

20 of 23 people found this review helpful

Tame listen but not bad

I know this book is based on a true story, maybe, but it has been retold so many times that the liberties Hollywood takes makes this story much more exciting. I enjoyed hearing the truer accounts and while I enjoyed the book as it kept me wanting to keep listening, I did find it as the more pg-13 version of the story.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Solid and unsettling

It's hard to say for certain since I never read the text myself, but I felt like the writing was a bit dry.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the narration here. It gave me a sense of the steady escalation of horror experienced by those in the house. It was eerie in the methodical terrorizing of family and visitors. Like they must have, I felt like maybe it wasn't really happening -- as if maybe it was all just a misinterpretation of events as they slowly unfolded.

"The devil's best trick is to persuade you that he doesn't exist!" - Baudelaire

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

True story? Fiction? Whatever, it's awesome.

Where does The Amityville Horror rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's not the best but it's somewhere between the middle and the best. It's a very well done book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Amityville Horror?

Probably the general existence of the red room. I want to know more about that!

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

There wasn't anything I didn't like. For some reason I feel like whenever he read the new chapter titles he sounded really creepy. Maybe it had to do with me being caught up in the story, but either way I loved it.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That pigs can be creepy? I'm not sure if that counts.

Any additional comments?

I know that this story is a controversial one, and that people will probably be debating whether it's true or not forever. Personally, I don't care. Enough of it rings of truth that I could believe it, even though at times I found myself thinking that little parts just seemed way too weird. (Hoof prints in the snow? That's bizarre, but it creeped me out.) Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror story. Don't get hung up on whether it's true or not.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Better then the movie or at least the remake

Whether it really happed or not doesn't change the fact its a pretty good story. I like the style the novel was written in. Anson calls it a documentry not so sure about that but its a good story. Some parts gave me chills and made the book well worth the credit.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly Disappointing

I was excited to listen to "Amityville" because I'd read a small portion of the book as a child, and seen enough of the movies to know what kind of haunted house book this would be--much more "active" than the classic haunted house. In this, the book does not disappoint--there's a good deal of creepy, even scary stuff. I enjoyed that aspect of the book, and there is a great deal of it.

However, the book suffers from trying to portray itself as "true." The writing is detached and investigatory, which would work better if were truly reporting, but as some of the subject matter deals with intimate or personal events which do not bear directly on the ostensibly documentary elements of the story, it doesn't work. Partly because of this "distant" style, the individual members of the Lutz Family aren't remotely realized as characters. Moreover, there's something 'wrong' about them, something that not only doesn't ring true in their characterization, but also in their basic humanity. There's very little likable about these characters beyond that they are also of our species.

The book has a few high points, but I left feeling a bit cheated.

12 of 16 people found this review helpful

A wonderful classic that is a must read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, its a wonderfully scary book that is definitely in the top one hundred horror books to read before you die!

What did you like best about this story?

The suspense is was suspenseful from the very first page to the last.

Did Ray Porter do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes he did a very good job and his voice added to the suspense and tension with each character.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The constant reminder that it was based on a true story and the character in the book were real people.

Any additional comments?

A great listen and is short so if you want it for a short trip or just a quick listen its perfect! Especially around Halloween!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Ditto, Flavius

If it was true, it would be scary. It is written as if it is true, yet you know it is not. I have read plenty of made up stories that were scary, see: J.A. Konrath, Stephen King, Blake Crouch or Dean Koontz.
How many times do you have to find your wife floating out the window before you leave the house? For this guy it was more then once. It was very convenient that no one had to go work. Are all priests this big of a coward? What kind of parent subjects their three kids to this for so long?

You want scary seek out the authors listed above.

22 of 32 people found this review helpful