The Amityville Horror

Abishai100

VIP Member
Sep 22, 2013
4,956
250
85
The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American horror film, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, based on Jay Anson's 1977 novel of the same name. It is the first installment in the Amityville franchise. A remake was produced in 2005.

The story is based on the alleged supernatural experiences of the Lutz family who bought a new home on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, a house where a mass murder had been committed the year before. After the family moved into their new house, they claimed a series of frightening paranormal events occurred (soruce of information from top: Wikipedia).

This iconic American horror film represents a new age interest in settlements and shelter security concerns in a time of great human traffic, transit, commerce, confluence/immigration, and networking (e.g., Facebook) and how such concerns are imprinted in hustle-bustle lifestyle-values programs such as Modern Family.

In older times concerns about governance reliability gave rise to idolatry-themed folk tales such as those of the Headless Horseman and Sleeping Beauty, but in modern times, fears regarding real estate and population dynamics give rise to stories about strange environments, unwelcoming natives, and creepy chameleons (e.g., Pet Sematary).

So this story I wrote is a fan-fic adaptation of sorts of The Amityville Horror and is meant to inspire thinking about how we can correlate eras/epochs to trends/themes in folklore.



====

THE MAP by Abhishek Gangulee (Abishai100)

Alastair hurried to get to the Yale University library on time, since he needed enough time to do research on Native-American death rituals so he could complete his Folklore Studies paper on evolution of ghost stories on time. It was his senior year, and he wanted to turn in all papers and complete all projects and assignments on time so he could graduate on time and with the necessary grades to go on a special post-graduate Anthropology field study trip to Egypt with his girlfriend Shelbye (an anthropology major like him). Alastair got to the library at 6 pm and needed about 4 hours to work, which was perfect, since the library was closing at 10 pm that evening. He pulled out his notes out of his backpack and sat down on one of the tables before going to the library stacks to find the right reference-books he needed.

Alastair found an unusual book in the library shelves while perusing the collection of Native-American death rituals in the Social Sciences section. The book was about old world maps indicating locations of sacred burial grounds and the sites of strange mystical beliefs regarding hauntings. He took the esoteric book out of the shelf and noticed it was written by an English sea traveller (named James Worthy) who had studied history and folklore in college and wanted to investigate connections between local mythologies (from the wondrous places he had visited in his life including Mongolia) and the accounting of remembered folk tales (such as those of the Headless Horseman). Alastair thought the book was incredibly relevant to his studies so he checked it out of the library and ran home to begin reading it (deciding it would be his primary-source reference-book for his paper on the evolution of ghost stories).

Alastair found a special section of the esoteric Worthy book about a special New World local folk tale about a map hidden somewhere in Connecticut (near the Yale campus!) which relayed the location of a magical house apparently haunted by a beautiful woman who would grant anyone who discovered her existence one night of pure love and perhaps even intercourse. Alastair became obsessed with finding this map to see if the folklore about the haunting beautiful female ghost who granted love-wishes was true. When his girlfriend Shelbye asked him why he looked so preoccupied with something unsaid, Alastair brushed her off, determined to investigate this new 'case' before doing anything else important. He obtained an extension permission for his paper on the evolution of ghost stories so he could focus his energies on finding this 'rumored map' mentioned in Worthy's book.

Alastair traced the location of the map to an attic in an old museum right outside New Haven. He found a trunk there after being granted access to the attic (when he told the museum curator he was a Yale student writing a paper on the development of New England colonial architecture). In that trunk in the attic of that museum, Alastair found a small unlocked box and in the box he found a folded piece of very old paper, and when he unfolded the paper, he realized it was indeed a map! Alastair looked at the map and thanked God he found it. When he inspected it, he noticed it relayed the location of a special chateau near New Haven (Alastair knew of the chateau from a friend --- it was an abandoned house rumored to be owned by a pirate and then a Dutch princess during the colonial era). Alastair hopped in his car and drove towards the chateau. When he got there, he got goosebumps when he realized how eerie an isolated it looked.

Alastair remembered the folklore notes from the Worthy book and a special note on the map he found in the museum attic which suggested that to contact the ghost of the beautiful woman haunting the chateau, he would have to explain his rationale for seeking a special 'love-wish' from a ghost! Alastair walked into the house and felt a cold breeze and heard creaking sounds going up the staircase. He followed the staircase up and started exploring all the rooms before making his way up to the master-bedroom where the map indicated the ghost resided in peace. He had his flashlight and a Christian cross necklace which he believed would be sufficient to protect his soul and sanity. When he walked into the bedroom, he got a very creepy feeling about loneliness he had never felt before. Alastair started wondering what could be happening so he cried out, "Are you there, ghost? I was told of your location by the special map mentioned in a book written by the English sea traveller James Worthy!"

Alastair closed his eyes, now somewhat terrified that the ghost in the chateau may not be friendly. Just then, as his eyes were closed, he felt the soft whisper of someone breathing on his eyelids. He opened his eyes and saw a misty apparition standing by the window. The apparition was that of a woman, and she had long red hair and was somewhat pale but very attractive in appearance. Alastair realized it was the ghost of the beautiful woman he was seeking! He walked up to the ghost and asked, "How can I entreat you to grant me a love-wish, beautiful ghost, now that I have discovered you do exist?" The ghost turned to him and whispered, "You found me with that map, so you'll have to burn the map and then I'll make love to you in this bedroom." Alastair quickly burned the map, hoping his most unrealistic dream would come true! That was the last anyone ever saw of Alastair.

Alastair was declared missing and the Yale trustees consoled his parents and his girlfriend Shelbye and suggested the young man may have encountered some trouble or a criminal who kidnapped and/or killed him if Alastair himself did not have some kind of senior-year student nervous breakdown and decide to disappear! Shelbye, however, was not satisfied and got the nagging feeling that her boyfriend was snooping around that spooky abandoned chateau near New Haven rumored to be inhabited once by a pirate and later by a princess. Shelbye went to the chateau to investigate, suspicious that there were more details to this strange disappearance of her boyfriend than people realized. When Shelbye walked into the house, she felt the same cold breeze Alastair felt when he entered some time ago. She walked up the staircase and into the master bedroom where she got the indescribable instinct that something was present. When she walked into the bedroom, she saw two apparitions making love!

====


The Amityville Horror (Wikipedia)


poster.jpg
 

Forum List

Back
Top