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In 2005, a remake of The Amityville Horror reacquainted audiences with the Lutz family and the ghoulish happenings in their home. The horror movie didn’t just scare audiences, though. Actor Ryan Reynolds noted that much of the cast experienced unexplained things. He’s not the first to take note of chilling goings-on while filming an Amityville Horror movie. 

The star of 2005's The Amityville Horror Ryan Reynolds wears a tan suit.
Ryan Reynolds | Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Ryan Reynolds starred in the 2005 remake of ‘The Amityville Horror’

In 2005, Ryan Reynolds starred in a remake of the 1979 classic, The Amityville Horror. The film was a close remake of the original, but Reynolds defended the need for an updated version. 

“This, unlike a lot of remakes, is worthy of a remake,” he told MovieWeb. “This is from a guy who remade The In-Laws so I know when you do one and when you don’t. This, I think, is a movie that’s truly worth it. We stuck to the book, the Jay Anson novel, which was far more in-depth in a psychological sense.”

While this was one of Reynolds’ biggest horror roles, it is by no means his only foray into the genre. Reynolds also starred in Buried, The Voices, and Life following his role in The Amityville Horror. He even made a guest appearance in an episode of The X-Files early in his career.

The Ryan Reynolds movie isn’t the first spooky ‘Amityville’ set

While shooting The Amityville Horror, Reynolds noted that he had several strange experiences. 

“I think a lot of people make that stuff up to sell their movie, but there was some weird stuff that happened,” he said. “A lot of the crew were waking up at 3:15 in the morning which was when all these atrocities in the house took place each time. I think it was a subconscious thing. You read the script and suddenly pop awake at 3:15 in the morning.”

He also noted that he found it eerie that the real Kathy Lutz, the woman in the family who the movie is based on, died while they were filming. 

Margot Kidder and James Brolin on the set of 'The Amityville Horror.'
Margot Kidder and James Brolin | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Getty Images
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Years earlier, a jump-scare-worthy moment convinced James Brolin to take a role in the original film. According to Brolin, he was reading The Amityville Horror book prior to receiving the script. At around two in the morning, his pants, which were hanging on his bedroom door, fell onto the floor.

“How I didn’t hit my head on the ceiling, I have no idea, because I was at a scary part of this book, and it so surprised me that I started laughing after I recovered and said, “I’ve got to do this movie!” he told the A.V. Club.

Interestingly, both actors played George Lutz in the film. The character is the most impacted by the presence in the house.

The true story behind ‘The Amityville Horror’ frightened Reynolds

Frequent pre-dawn wake-ups weren’t the only thing that gave Reynolds the chills. He found the true story behind the horror movie terrifying. In 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his whole family. The Lutz family, who bought the house after, claimed a demonic presence ran them out of their new home. 

“Whatever did drive them out was something evil and awesome,” he told MTV. “Man, it scares me talking about it. I’m going to do a nice, Disney-animated movie after this. Something fluffy.”

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