Amityville: An Origin Story (documentary mini-series)

[OceanBlue]

Have done a thread search (both in the TV Shows sub-forum and in general on the forum) and can't find an existing discussion thread for a new documentary mini-series called Amityville: An Origin Story. I'm not sure which channel it's aired on in the States, but it's started on UK TV on BBC Two tonight (all four parts are available on the BBC iPlayer).

Came as a bit of a surprise this documentary, as I hadn't heard about it until I saw it in the TV listings magazine last week.

[OceanBlue]

Have watched the first two parts so far

[Show spoiler]("The Haunting" and "The Crime"),

and though the second part was much better I don't like the over-use of the vertigo-inducing camerashots (the picture twisting and changing angles during what feels like the majority of the non-speaking parts).

[oddbox83]

It was ultimately good.

It needed a bit of "sticking with it" as it was all over the place but chronologically and editorially for the first couple of episodes.

It does come together at the end. What I like is that it's not forcing a particular viewpoint, but letting actual people and evidence do the talking. Much of it we already know, but I like how it brings in professional viewpoints to doubt the original DeFeo conviction as the sole perpetrator without resorting to supernatural excuses. It's also the first time I've seen the argument made for DeFeo and Lutz having similar mental illness. That's a little creepy because it sort of mirrors the fiction of them looking similar. So it's either that coincidence that made the perfect media circus, or if you want to believe the supernatural reason it's that the haunting has been quiet since because it's waiting for another ill and susceptible individual like those two.

Interesting to see Christopher this time around. Like the other documentary his brother was involved in, this supports the argument of George Lutz being abusive to them. You seem to get a lot more balance this time around though. I think it's pretty clear from what the documentary offers is that Lutz was suffering with a form of untreated Psychosis on top of the likelihood of an anti-social PD.

Interestingly, the documentary pretty much discredits Jay Anson without even trying all that hard. It does leave you with the impression that something as yet unexplained did actually happen in both cases (supernatural or not) but both DeFeo and Lutz have buried the truth in a lot of fabrications after the fact, perhaps due to their psychosis, both diagnosed and undiagnosed respectively.

I don't know what the hell John Carpenter is doing in there though. I'd have edited his contributions out totally. I get why they would have wanted interview him from the film-making perspective, but it was clearly disastrous and should have all been left on the cutting room floor.

Speaking of which, I hope this gets a physical media release with plenty of extras, there is likely a ton of material here not used that would be fascinating to see.

[drush9999]

I watched all 4 parts and didn't feel it presented anything I didn't already know. John Carpenter crapping on Amityville 2 was a downer though.

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by drush9999

I watched all 4 parts and didn't feel it presented anything I didn't already know. John Carpenter crapping on Amityville 2 was a downer though.

Not enough pot in it for his liking, I'd imagine.