Ok, so what if we were to tell you that a new AMITYVILLE film was on its way? Can’t imagine there are many readers fist-pumping the air with joy right now. But what if we were to tell you that TWO new AMITYVILLE flicks were on the way? “Boo-yah!”

News of the first Amityville project broke last week, with Hannibal Classics announcing they were in the process of developing AMITYVILLE: THE LEGACY 3D. The fact that this was to be the TENTH(!)* incarnation of the haunted house franchise meant the announcement garnered a less than enthusiastic response here at Starburst.

But then came the unusual news that Dimension Films have revealed they too are getting into the Amityville game with THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES.

Huh? Wha? And ultimately – WHY?!

Well, seems Dimension might have been a little miffed that Hannibal Classics beat them to the punch, since they have long held the official rights to the franchise based on Jay Anson’s original “true story” (don’t snigger) from 1977.

So while Hannibal are mining the unofficial** 1988 book ‘Amityville: The Evil Escapes’ by John G. Jones, Dimension are making an ‘actual’ sequel to the 1979 movie (though they’re taking the steadily getting stale ‘found footage’ route with it this time around.)

Can either of these movies succeed where the Ryan Reynolds 2005 reboot failed? We’ll have to see when both LEGACY and LOST TAPES hit cinemas next year. And Poundland shelves six months later.

*Yep, you read it right – four theatrical releases, four straight-to-DVD productions, and one made-for-TV movie. Crikey, that’s a whole lotta dull.

**Since Amityville refers to a place, it cannot therefore be copyrighted. Only Dimension owns the title THE AMITYVILLE HORROR.

Intrigued by the found footage angle, or is it now played out? Let us know with your comments below!

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