TOMS RIVER – What better way to celebrate the 45th anniversary of “The Amityville Horror” than to watch it in the building where a scene was filmed?
The Bishop Building is next door to the Toms River branch of the library. It was the town’s original library. In the movie, James Brolin’s character steals a book while researching something about his house’s mysterious past.
This is the house as it appears today, not very creepy, but those windows are iconic. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
Notably, there was a display of Native American artifacts in a case during the filming, and they are seen in the movie. Today, the Bishop Building had artifacts from the filming, such as photos. Visitors were encouraged to take freebies like pins that hearkened back to the days when downtown Toms River had transformed into a movie set.
A few dozen patrons got in on the fun – some watching it for the first time. One had even worked on the set, and spoke about his experiences with other visitors.
They needed a way to signal that a person walking on the set was supposed to be there. They gave people these pins, so that any normal resident wouldn’t know what they meant and wouldn’t think to copy them. Also, the parking pass that would allow the production crew to identify vehicles on the set. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
As the movie played, whenever a familiar location was shown, the audience chuckled or whispered to their neighbor. They watched the bridge to Seaside, the church in Point, Georgian Court (then College) University, and some local roads.
Of course, the house itself still stands where they filmed exteriors. Some people who had been inside the local house noted how different it was inside so they surmised those scenes must have been filmed in a studio.
The film presentation was done in partnership with the Toms River Education Foundation, a fundraising group dedicated to helping provide students with educational and extracurricular opportunities. Learn more about them by searching “Toms River Education Foundation” on Facebook.
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