It was 1979. People were still reeling from The Exorcist and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Then came a movie about a house with "bleeding" walls and a pig-demon named Jodie. While the flies and the oozing black goop were gross, the real reason the movie stuck in the cultural psyche wasn't the special effects. It was the people. The Amityville Horror 1979 cast managed to sell a story that many—including the real-life Lutz family—claimed was 100% true, even as skeptics were already lining up to call foul.
Honestly, the casting was a bit of a gamble. You had James Brolin, who was basically a rugged leading man type, and Margot Kidder, who was fresh off the massive success of Superman. They didn't look like victims. They looked like the American Dream. And watching that dream rot for nearly two hours is exactly why the film became a massive sleeper hit, eventually raking in over $80 million at the box office on a shoestring budget.
The Intense Transformation of James Brolin as George Lutz
James Brolin didn't want to do this movie. That’s the funny thing about horror classics; the stars are often dragged into them kicking and screaming. Brolin reportedly found the script to be "junk" at first. He only changed his mind after he started reading the Jay Anson book late at night. Legend has it that a pair of pants fell off a hanger in his room right at a tense moment in the book, jumping him so bad he decided there might be something to the story after all.
Brolin’s portrayal of George Lutz is a masterclass in slow-burn irritability. He starts the film as a bearded, robust father figure and ends it looking like a man who hasn't slept in a decade. He’s sweaty. He’s obsessed with the fireplace. He’s constantly chopping wood.
Critics at the time, like Roger Ebert, weren't exactly kind to the film, but they couldn't deny that Brolin’s descent into madness felt uncomfortably real. He wasn't playing a "haunted" man in the Victorian sense. He played a man losing his grip on his family and his finances, which is arguably scarier than a ghost. The physical transformation Brolin underwent—the sallow skin and the erratic temper—anchored the film’s more outlandish supernatural elements in a recognizable domestic reality.
Margot Kidder and the Emotional Core of Kathy Lutz
Margot Kidder was the "It Girl" of the late 70s. She had this electric, slightly frantic energy that made her perfect for the role of Kathy Lutz. While Brolin was the stoic-turned-maniac, Kidder had to play the bridge between the audience and the house. She had to be the one to notice the red eyes in the window.
Interestingly, Kidder was quite vocal later in life about her skepticism regarding the "true story" aspect of the Amityville case. She famously called the whole thing "a lot of hooey." Despite her personal feelings, her performance is incredibly earnest. She brings a vulnerability to Kathy that makes you genuinely worried for the kids.
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You’ve got to remember the context of 1979. The Vietnam War was over, the economy was a mess, and the "Satanic Panic" was just starting to bubble under the surface. Kidder tapped into that collective anxiety. When she screams, it doesn't feel like a B-movie trope; it feels like a mother who realized her "forever home" is actually a crime scene.
Rod Steiger and the Reluctant Clergy
Then there’s Rod Steiger. If you want gravitas, you hire Steiger. He played Father Delaney, the priest who tries to bless the house and gets attacked by a swarm of flies for his trouble.
Steiger was an Oscar winner (for In the Heat of the Night), and some people felt he was overacting in The Amityville Horror. He’s loud. He’s theatrical. He’s sweating through his collar. But honestly? It works. You need that level of high-stakes drama when you're dealing with a house that supposedly has a portal to hell in the basement.
The scenes involving the Amityville Horror 1979 cast and the Catholic Church added a layer of institutional dread. It wasn't just a family against a ghost; it was a family against an ancient evil that even the Church was too terrified to handle. Steiger’s performance represents the failure of the "old ways" to protect the modern American family.
The Kids and the Silent Terrors
We can't talk about the cast without mentioning the children: Meeno Peluce, K.C. Martel, and Amy Wright.
- Meeno Peluce (Matt): He brought a groundedness to the older son.
- K.C. Martel (Greg): You might recognize him later from Growing Pains.
- Amy Wright (Jackie): She had the unenviable task of interacting with the "imaginary" friend, Jodie the Pig.
Child actors in horror are a risky bet. If they're too cute, it’s annoying. If they're too wooden, the stakes vanish. These kids felt like actual siblings. When the window slams on Greg’s hand, the scream is visceral. It’s one of the most famous scenes in horror history, and it relies entirely on a kid's ability to sell agonizing pain.
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Why the Casting Choices Saved the Movie
A lot of horror movies from that era used "no-name" actors to increase the sense of realism. The Amityville Horror did the opposite. By casting established stars, the producers made the supernatural events feel more like a prestige drama that just happened to have ghosts.
- Relatability: Brolin and Kidder looked like people you'd see at a PTA meeting.
- Star Power: Their presence ensured the movie got a wide release and wasn't relegated to the grindhouse circuit.
- Chemistry: The palpable tension between the lead actors mirrored the breakdown of a marriage under pressure.
Many people don't realize that the real George and Kathy Lutz were actually quite young when they moved into 112 Ocean Avenue. Brolin and Kidder were a bit older and more polished than the real-life couple, but that helped the film appeal to a broader demographic. It wasn't just a "teen scream"; it was a movie for homeowners.
Behind the Scenes Tensions and Method Acting
There were rumors of weird things happening on set, because of course there were. It’s an Amityville movie. While James Brolin has mostly dismissed the idea of a "curse," he did admit to being constantly on edge.
He stayed somewhat distant from the rest of the Amityville Horror 1979 cast to maintain that sense of isolation his character was feeling. The house used for filming wasn't the actual house in Long Island (the town of Amityville refused to grant permits), but a similar-looking home in Toms River, New Jersey. Even so, the cast reported feeling a heavy atmosphere during the night shoots.
Margot Kidder, ever the cynic, mostly spent her time trying to stay warm and dealing with the logistical nightmare of the "blood" (which was actually a mixture of chemicals that smelled terrible) leaking from the walls. This blend of "method" intensity from Brolin and "just-get-the-job-done" professionalism from Kidder created a unique friction on screen.
The Supporting Players You Might Have Missed
Don Stark (who played Bob in That '70s Show) had a small role. It’s one of those "wait, is that him?" moments. You also had Val Avery and Elsa Raven. These character actors filled out the world of Amityville, making the town feel lived-in and mundane.
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The contrast between the "normal" people—the realtors, the bartenders, the cops—and the Lutz family’s spiraling insanity is what gives the movie its pace. The Amityville Horror 1979 cast wasn't just the people in the house; it was the whole community that stood by and watched (or refused to believe) as a family fell apart.
Legacies and Career Paths
After the film, the cast went in wildly different directions.
James Brolin continued to be a staple of TV and film, and eventually married Barbra Streisand. He’s often asked about Amityville during interviews, usually with a smirk. He knows it’s the role that defined a specific era of his career.
Margot Kidder’s life was more turbulent, marked by her public struggles with mental health and her tireless activism. She remained a cult icon until her passing in 2018. To many horror fans, she will always be the definitive Kathy Lutz—tough, scared, and fiercely protective.
Rod Steiger kept working until his death in 2002, leaving behind a massive filmography. His role in Amityville remains one of his most recognizable, even if it wasn't his most "critically acclaimed" work.
How to Revisit the Amityville Horror Today
If you're looking to dive back into the 1979 classic, don't just watch it for the scares. Watch it for the performances. Look at the way Brolin’s eyes change over the course of the film. Notice the subtle ways Kidder tries to keep her "cool" while everything around her is literally rotting.
Practical Tips for Fans:
- Watch the 2005 Remake for Comparison: Ryan Reynolds plays George Lutz in the remake. It’s much more "action-heavy," which makes you appreciate the slow, psychological grind of the 1979 original even more.
- Read the Jay Anson Book: If you want to see what the actors were working from, the book is a fast, terrifying read. Just keep the lights on.
- Check out the Documentaries: My Amityville Horror (2012) features Daniel Lutz (the real-life son) talking about his trauma. It provides a harrowing real-world context to the "kids" roles in the 1979 film.
The Amityville Horror 1979 cast succeeded because they didn't play it like a ghost story. They played it like a tragedy. Whether you believe the Lutz story or think it was a clever hoax to get out of a bad mortgage, the performances in this film are the reason we're still talking about that house on Ocean Avenue almost fifty years later.
To get the most out of a re-watch, pay close attention to the sound design and how the actors react to noises that aren't there. It’s a masterclass in reactive acting. If you’re a collector, look for the Scream Factory Blu-ray releases; they usually have the best interviews with the surviving cast and crew about what it was really like on that New Jersey set. Take a look at the "making of" features to see just how much of the "horror" was just clever camera angles and a very dedicated group of actors.