On April 23rd, at 10pm Eastern and Pacific, the four-part horror documentary series Amityville: An Origin Story will be making its premiere on MGM+… and with less than a month to go before that date arrives, we’ve gotten our hands on a teaser trailer for the show. You can check it out in the embed above, but note that it’s geo-blocked, so some of you might not be able to see it. If you can’t, this one might work.
Amityville: An Origin Story tells the story behind the world’s most infamous haunted house tale: the Amityville murders. The project is the first elevated look at every aspect of this wildly layered story about the heinous murder of a family of six that became eclipsed by paranormal controversy. The 1979 blockbuster film, The Amityville Horror, inspired by the book of the same title by Jay Anson spawned an ever-expanding universe of movies, books, supernatural theories, and horror superfans. But the mass murder behind the hauntings—and its alleged ties to organized crime—left a long trail of questions that have never been fully explored. Rooted in the dark cultural undercurrents of the 1970s, the series features firsthand accounts from witnesses, family members, and former investigators appearing on-camera for the first time. Exclusive archival footage, newly unearthed images, and stunning original photography are woven together into the most compelling and comprehensive telling of the Amityville story yet, taking viewers on a heart-pounding roller coaster ride through the mythology, factual record, and devastating human toll of this notorious meta-narrative.
Hopefully that lengthy description answered any questions you might have about this project.
The Amityville name has pretty much been run into the ground now that everyone and their cousin seems to be making a low budget horror movie with “Amityville” in the title. Seeing that word come up is more likely to elicit eye rolls than enthusiasm for the latest Amityville project – but since Amityville: An Origin Story is a documentary series about how all of this got started, it might still be worth a look.
Are you interested in the story behind The Amityville Horror, and will you be watching Amityville: An Origin Story? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Jack Riccobono directed this series and executive produced it alongside Lesley Chilcott, Blaine Duncan, Brooklyn Hudson, Amanda Raymond, Rhett Bachner, and Brien Meagher.