Here’s a sarcastic blog post, stripped down to the essentials:
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the home at 112 Ocean Avenue for the asking price of $80,000, plus another $400 for some of the DeFeos family’s furniture. The Lutzs were informed of the DeFeo murders that had taken place the year before by their real estate agent, but the Lutz family wasn’t bothered by the house’s past. The new owners and their three children moved in on December 18 and reportedly quickly began noticing paranormal activity. According to Jay Anson’s 1979 book, The Amityville Horror: A True Story, the family began undergoing personality changes within days of moving in, including George Lutz waking up at 3:15 a.m. nearly every day. Anson writes that on December 22, 1975, Kathy Lutz found the toilets in the house had turned black, and a bedroom on the second floor was filled with flies. The family also reportedly found green slime oozing down the walls on multiple occasions, and George Lutz was said to have seen a terrifying vision of his daughter’s imaginary friend, a red-eyed pig named Jodie. George, Kathy, and their sons also claimed to see a white-hooded, horned demon, and Kathy and the boys were allegedly seen levitating from their beds.
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the home at 112 Ocean Avenue for the asking price of $80,000, plus another $400 for some of the DeFeos family’s furniture. The Lutzs were informed of the DeFeo murders that had taken place the year before by their real estate agent, but the Lutz family wasn’t bothered by the house’s past. The new owners and their three children moved in on December 18 and reportedly quickly began noticing paranormal activity. According to Jay Anson’s 1979 book, The Amityville Horror: A True Story, the family began undergoing personality changes within days of moving in, including George Lutz waking up at 3:15 a.m. nearly every day. Anson writes that on December 22, 1975, Kathy Lutz found the toilets in the house had turned black, and a bedroom on the second floor was filled with flies. The family also reportedly found green slime oozing down the walls on multiple occasions, and George Lutz was said to have seen a terrifying vision of his daughter’s imaginary friend, a red-eyed pig named Jodie. George, Kathy, and their sons also claimed to see a white-hooded, horned demon, and Kathy and the boys were allegedly seen levitating from their beds.
On January 14, 1976, 28 days after they moved in, the Lutz family fled the house at 112 Ocean Ave, leaving their possessions behind. That March, a group of psychics, demonologists, and other paranormal researchers was invited by a reporter from Channel 5 to investigate the reports that the house was haunted. Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research were part of this contingent. While in the home, the researchers conducted three séances. The Warrens also claimed to have captured a photo that they said depicted the ghost of John Matthew DeFeo during their visit.
Anson writes that the Lutzs moved to California in March of 1976 after signing the home over to the bank that held the mortgage.
## Is the Story of the Amityville Horror True?
The validity of the Lutzs’ story of paranormal activity has been called into question over the years, even by those involved. Ronald DeFeo Jr.’s lawyer, William Weber, told People magazine in 1979 that he and George and Kathy Lutz came up with the ghost stories. “I know this book is a hoax,” he said. “We created this horror story over many bottles of wine.” Subsequent owners have not experienced any of the same types of problems the Lutz family claimed to have experienced. The family’s account is now widely believed to be a hoax, but that hasn’t dampened the interest of the public—and Hollywood—in the alleged haunted house.
## What Movies Have Been Made About the Amityville Horror House?
James Brolin and Margot Kidder in a scene from the 1979 film The Amityville Horror.
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Getty Images
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the home at 112 Ocean Avenue for the asking price of $80,000, plus another $400 for some of the DeFeos family’s furniture. The Lutzs were informed of the DeFeo murders that had taken place the year before by their real estate agent, but the Lutz family wasn’t bothered by the house’s past. The new owners and their three children moved in on December 18 and reportedly quickly began noticing paranormal activity. According to Jay Anson’s 1979 book, The Amityville Horror: A True Story, the family began undergoing personality changes within days of moving in, including George Lutz waking up at 3:15 a.m. nearly every day. Anson writes that on December 22, 1975, Kathy Lutz found the toilets in the house had turned black, and a bedroom on the second floor was filled with flies. The family also reportedly found green slime oozing down the walls on multiple occasions, and George Lutz was said to have seen a terrifying vision of his daughter’s imaginary friend, a red-eyed pig named Jodie. George, Kathy, and their sons also claimed to see a white-hooded, horned demon, and Kathy and the boys were allegedly seen levitating from their beds.
On January 14, 1976, 28 days after they moved in, the Lutz family fled the house at 112 Ocean Ave, leaving their possessions behind. That March, a group of psychics, demonologists, and other paranormal researchers was invited by a reporter from Channel 5 to investigate the reports that the house was haunted. Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research were part of this contingent. While in the home, the researchers conducted three séances. The Warrens also claimed to have captured a photo that they said depicted the ghost of John Matthew DeFeo during their visit.
Anson writes that the Lutzs moved to California in March of 1976 after signing the home over to the bank that held the mortgage.
Is the Story of the Amityville Horror True?
The validity of the Lutzs’ story of paranormal activity has been called into question over the years, even by those involved. Ronald DeFeo Jr.’s lawyer, William Weber, told People magazine in 1979 that he and George and Kathy Lutz came up with the ghost stories. “I know this book is a hoax,” he said. “We created this horror story over many bottles of wine.” Subsequent owners have not experienced any of the same types of problems the Lutz family claimed to have experienced. The family’s account is now widely believed to be a hoax, but that hasn’t dampened the interest of the public—and Hollywood—in the alleged haunted house.
What Movies Have Been Made About the Amityville Horror House?
