Amityville Horror House The Scene Of The 1974 DeFeo Murders

Table Of Content

• The chilling true story of the Amityville horror house, and what really happened there
• Frank Sinatra's former NYC townhouse lists for the first time in more than 50 years
• For $1.7M, you can buy an entire Wild West-themed town in Montana
• The Legend of the Amityville Horror Is Built on Lies. This Is the Twisted Truth.
• Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush make red carpet debut at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Two months later, a local TV crew did a segment on the house, bringing in so-called “ghost hunters” and paranormal experts to evaluate the couple’s claims. In December 1975, a month after DeFeo was convicted of the murders, the Lutz couple and their three young kids moved into the house, which they had reportedly snatched for $80,000. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the notorious killer at the “Amityville Horror” house — a dwelling whose mystique continues to fascinate the public in the wake of a subsequent book and film franchise — died in prison Friday at 69. Jay Anson's 1977 book The Amityville Horror was based on these reported events and served as the foundation for the 1979 film of the same name, which was remade in 2005. The book became a bestseller, while the film grew into a classic — and legions of horror aficionados flocked to town. But it wasn't until after the Lutz family moved into the house in December of 1975 that the purported haunting of the Amityville Horror house allegedly set in.

The chilling true story of the Amityville horror house, and what really happened there

Ronald DeFeo Jr. then 23, gunned down his parents and four siblings there on November 13, 1974. The three-story colonial  — its original address was 112 Ocean Ave. but was changed to 108 to deter tourists — was the site of a brutal slaughter. After an uneventful decade living within its walls, they sold it to Peter and Jeanne O'Neill in 1987. The O'Neills sold in 1997 for $310,000, to Brian Wilson — not the Beach Boys singer.

Frank Sinatra's former NYC townhouse lists for the first time in more than 50 years

There have been countless books and documentaries that have tried to both confirm and dismantle the stories. The films are entirely entertainment with some origin details about the DeFeo murders being correct, while the rest of the plot points and supernatural elements were presented as fictions that have increasingly departed from reality. Thirteen months later, the Lutz family purchased the home at a drastically reduced price of $80,000 (due to the murders) but only lasted 28 days before leaving it.

For $1.7M, you can buy an entire Wild West-themed town in Montana

The psychics agreed that there was some kind of demonic force present in the house. On Nov. 13, 1974, DeFeo — who was 23 at the time — shot and killed his parents, Ronald and Louise DeFeo, both 43, and his two brothers and two sisters, ranging in age from 9 to 18. He later claimed that there were voices in his head urging him to kill, and some believe to this day that he was indeed hearing evil spirits that resided within the so-called Amityville Horror house at 112 Ocean Avenue.

In the New York village of Amityville sits arguably the most infamous murder-scene house to have ever stood. The Amityville Horror House has been the subject of over twenty movies, and a number of different books and documentaries. According to Weber, he and the Lutzes had a creative brainstorming session over "many bottles of wine." The Lutzes shared the story of the unsettling things that they felt and saw at the house and Weber shared details about the DeFeos and the killing that only he knew. Weber claimed that several of these details were spun into the book and the movie. In all versions, there is a local Catholic priest whom the Lutzes ask to bless the house, due to its earlier reputation. According to one story, the priest sensed a sinister presence in one of the upstairs bedrooms and warned the Lutzes not to sleep in that room.

Scroll through the photos below to see both past and present shots of the infamous home. Kathleen Theresa Lutz (October 13, 1946 – August 17, 2004) died of emphysema and George Lee Lutz (January 1, 1947 – May 8, 2006) died of heart disease.

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And one of the three Lutz children, Christopher Quaratino, confirmed that the hauntings happened. However, he also said that the events were exaggerated by his stepfather, George Lutz. Researchers Rick Moran and Peter Jordan rejected the claim of cloven hoof prints in the snow on January 1, 1976. Their investigation revealed that there had been no snowfall at that time.[2] No neighbor reported anything unusual during the time that the Lutzes were living there. Police officers are depicted visiting the house in the book and 1979 film, but records showed that the Lutzes did not call the police.[13] There was no bar in Amityville called The Witches' Brew at the time.

When John and Catherine Moynahan died, their daughter, Eileen Fitzgerald, moved in with her own family. She lived there until October 17, 1960, when John and Mary Riley bought the house. Because of marital problems, the Rileys divorced and sold the house to the DeFeo’s on June 28, 1965.

Many question the validity of the Lutz's story

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Situated sideways on a narrow plot in Amityville, New York, is a 1925 Dutch Colonial that’s arguably Long Island’s most notorious residence. While the movie remains a horror classic, it hardly depicts the real history of the house, which most likely was never haunted at all. In the ensuing years, the Lutzs, including their children who were present in the house, defended most of the details of the hauntings that made them flee.

A wave of fellow Catholic-tinged, counterculture-combating horror films emerged in the wake of The Exorcist, like The Omen and The Sentinel. But perhaps the story most indebted to The Exorcist is that of the "Amityville Horror," which is why it's not surprising to discover that the author of The Amityville Horror had a connection to the making of The Exorcist. William Friedkin's 1973 film The Exorcist, based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, was a cultural lightning rod like no other. Films had addressed America's anxiety about the late 1960s counterculture from a practical policing perspective in films like Dirty Harry and Electra Glide in Blue. They depicted a conflict between youthful rebellion run amok and the firm, harsh hand of the law. But those films also suggested to the parents in the audience that their long-haired hippie kids they didn't understand were criminals deserving of prison, or even death.

Over a year after the unexpected murders, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the historical house with their three young children and dog, although the family’s time in the house was surprisingly short-lived. During their brief stay in the house, Lutzes insisted they had experienced a variety of paranormal encounters first-hand — including swarms of flies all over the house and a mysterious slime oozing from the cracks in the walls. After the film's release in 1979, it didn't take horror fans long to start traveling various distances in order to gawk at what they believed to be a real hellmouth of demonic phenomenon. It was James and Barbara Cromarty who, while living in the house at the time, chose to change the address from 112 Ocean Avenue to 108 in an attempt to thwart unwelcome observers. It was last listed on the market in 2016 for $605,000 and sold in 2017 (via New York Post).