MovieChat Forums > My Amityville Horror (2012) Discussion > was this entirely serious? And other iss...

was this entirely serious? And other issues...

posted 11 years ago by alanmck_666
9 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed the doc, was fairly interesting take on the subject but by the end I still have one huge question, was Daniel serious?

There are a fair number of moments even he rolls eyes before suddenly changing attitude. The scene at Warren house especially, he takes the whole thing as joke before launching into his tell the truth about your belief in god thing. It's very odd moment and not the only one.

A number of people seem to slate him as being not quite bright, I disagree, I saw a really clever man playing a part he has played all his life while hints of the real man bleed through occasionally.

But that's not the biggest issue, it comes down to the window and his hand story. That really happened, but not like he remembers (or pretends too). He states how his brother enters room then window shuts on his hand with no-one touching it. The documentary ignores one huge piece of proven fact with this - the older sash window he mentions closed because of the floorboard in room. It was proven when it happened later, shocking investigators, who checked and found that due to age a floorboard close to door had warped in a way that standing on it caused the window to slam down. Daniel states his brother entered room ergo he stood on that board and it shut on his hand.

[–] RHPSvegas 11 years ago

I think he's very serious about the issues; I think he also likes to joke a bit just to keep his sanity.

Also, that's a lot of speculation about the floorboard causing the window to slam. Just because the brother entered the room does not necessarily mean he stepped on that particular floorboard. Even if he did, it doesn't explained his hand going back to normal so soon.

Nons have ISSUES - the WM3 are INNOCENT.

[–] alanmck_666 11 years ago

I know the floorboard thing sounds like speculation but it really isn't. The paranormal investigators, plus a number of other people have reported the fact about the floorboard moving the window.

For me the rest of his story - the swelling going down fast and the ghost - are more speculative and I'm still not sure he even believes the story.

[–] belalugosilives 11 years ago

He clearly has emotional issues. I think the end of the film clearly illustrates the dilemma. When talking to the therapist, he touches on just wanting to be believed. Wanting anyone to believe his story, and he mentions several times he never got to say his part as a child. What this indicates to me is that George Lutz was possibly a very abusive person, and Danny is trying to tell people George is not the nice guy people think. So Danny himself is now twisted into the paranormal stuff when what he really wants/needs is closure on the neglect and abuse from both his parents and possibly the boarding school he was left at while his parents went on tour. And since all anyone asks him about is the paranormal story, he's now resentful and angry and doesn't know how to separate the stories himself. So when Danny is speaking of supernatural stuff, deep down he's trying to say George.

[–] tylerrabbit 11 years ago

So when Danny is speaking of supernatural stuff, deep down he's trying to say George.

Yes this is the exact same conclusion I've come to. He's angry and resentful about being abused and ignored, not about living in a haunted house- but who wants to hear a story about a kid with mean parents?

[–] Thebobo. 11 years ago

It would have been a nice documentary if the filmmakers and the therapist guided Danny into telling the truth. Giving a great hoax closure and maybe healing some of his own demons.

http://www.youtube.com/user/themisfitsmessiah?feature=mhee

[–] anglophilejen 11 years ago

I definitely feel like Daniel is something of a chameleon, slipping into roles as they suit him. Perhaps a result of having to keep himself protected from George, other kids, critics his entire life. Who knows...don't know the guy. Only see what's edited and shown, but he definitely had aggression, resentment and generally odd moments.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] alanmck_666 11 years ago

Wasn't there also a comment by police that the fly issue may have been due to the bodies lying there attracting insects plus the time gap of being empty for a long period?

[–] Slogutis 11 years ago

I think you are projecting.