The Amityville Horror

Release date: July 27, 1979

The Pitch:

A family moves into a Long Island home and things promptly begin going bump in the night.

Why You Need It:

Supposedly based on real events, The Amityville Horror is pretty much a bunch of hooey no matter what you believe - a film that somehow managed to rake in a bunch of cash, score something of a legacy and spawn several sequels despite not being very good. However, we bet you watch it every time you come across it on cable, right? Amityville is nothing if not compulsively watchable - there's something fascinating about James Brolin losing his damn mind and Rod Steiger freaking out all over the place as the town priest. Plus, Margot Kidder is hot. The Blu-ray version is rather striking, too - there's nothing like making an extremely dated film seem not so dated as a bang-up remastering on the sound and vision. "I'm coming apart! Oh, mother of God, I'm coming apart!"

Talent:

Stuart Rosenberg (director), Margot Kidder, James Brolin, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Murray Hamilton, John Larch, Natasha Ryan, K.C. Martel, Michael Sacks, Helen Shaver.