AMITYVILLE HORROR
Will be devoted to the fact and fallacy of the most famous haunted house feaured in the Amityville Horror!
Horror stories based true events always have that extra bite, and the Amityville horror earned top dollars as a bestseller and hit movie because of its alleged “truth in horror” claim.
The Real Horror Story
The house’s true horror story started on November 13, 1974, when six members of the DeFeo family were killed in the house. The surviving member, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr., was convicted of murder. With “Butch” in jail and no other surviving family to inherit the house, it went up for sale. Soon after to moving into their new home in December 1975, the Lutzes experienced hellish happenings including forces breaking down doors, oozing slime from walls, and unleashing swarms of insects. The house’s happenings brought priests, news reporters and ghost hunters.
Telling the Tale
After they fled this Hell house, the Lutzes worked with author Jay Anson. He told their tale in The Amityville Horror: A True Story, published in 1977, which became a best-seller and brought fame to the haunted house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville New York. But other researchers and authorities questioned the authenticity of the events. Despite eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence that refuted the Lutzes’ claims, the couple stood by their story.
The Truth Comes Out… or Does It?
The truth came out when Butch’s lawyer apparently admitted that he and the Lutzes fabricated the story. The Lutzes benefited from the fame, and the book and movie rights. Butch’s lawyer, William Weber, had hoped that the supernatural tie-in would provide an opportunity for a retrial.
Despite the revelation of the hoax, people still want to believe the “true story” of Amityville!
