The Amityville Horror: Behind the Haunting
The Amityville Horror reached audiences through a best-selling novel in 1977 and a hit film in 1979. James Brolin and Margot Kidder starred in that film, which was followed by several sequels, including a 3-D version. A remake starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George debuted on 15 April 2005. The promise of real events helped distinguish the original film from other scary movies. That promise also interested the remake's producers, giving a story about a reportedly demon-infested house in Amityville, New York, an appeal that extended beyond its frightening scenes and into its supposed connection with real life.
Co-producer Andrew Form told Fangoria that the filmmakers were seeking truth in horror. Having grown up on Long Island, he was familiar with the house from childhood and recalled passing it and finding it frightening. Melissa George also connected her interest in the role with the story's reputation as a true event, a famous book, and a well-known moment in American history. Jay Anson, the professional writer behind the novel, was not a resident of the house. He was hired to turn supposedly true events from several years earlier into a book, which quickly climbed the sales charts after publication.
The tragedy at the house preceded the supernatural claims. On 13 November 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were killed in Amityville. Ronald and Louise DeFeo were shot in their beds while sleeping, as were their two sons and two daughters. Ronald Jr., known as Butch, was the surviving family member. He was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison. The house then went up for sale, with the family dead and Butch unable to inherit it. The killings unsettled the quiet Long Island neighborhood, but no supernatural activity was associated with the home at 112 Ocean Avenue.
George and Kathy Lutz moved in the following year with their three children. Their claims transformed a six-bedroom home into the setting for the Amityville Horror tale: doors torn from hinges, cabinets slamming, and green slime dripping from ceilings. They also described a swarm of insects and a demonic face with glowing red eyes outside at night. Cloven-hoofed prints supposedly appeared in the morning snow. A priest brought in to bless the house was said to have developed painful blisters on his hands and been ordered away by a demonic voice. These were the family's reported experiences, rather than established events.
A local television crew brought ghost hunters, including Ed and Lorraine Warren, and other alleged psychics to the house. The visitors agreed that a demonic spirit was present and that an exorcism was necessary. After leaving the home, the Lutzes collaborated with Anson on the Amityville Horror book. Anson defended the truthfulness of the narrative by appealing to what he characterized as independent corroboration. Researcher Rick Moran, however, compiled more than a hundred factual errors and discrepancies. His objections extended beyond the spectacular haunting scenes to the background that gave the story its supposed roots in the area's earlier inhabitants.
The remake planned to explore Anson's book more deeply than earlier screenplays, including material about early Indians and devil-worshipping settlers. Moran said experts identified the tribe mentioned as inhabitants of the eastern tip of Long Island, 70 miles away, rather than the Amityville area. The settlers mentioned had never been local residents either. Moran also interviewed Father Pecoraro, the priest associated with the blessing scene. Pecoraro said he had never seen anything in the house.
Joe Nickell visited Amityville and interviewed later owners of the home. His findings challenged several concrete details of the Amityville Horror story. Weather information showed no snowfall at the time the Lutzes said they found the hoofprint. Despite the book's extensive damage to doors and hardware, the original locks, doorknobs, and hinges remained untouched. The book and film also depicted police visits, yet Nickell said the family never called police during the 28-day period that ended with their departure. The Lutzes continued to defend their story while receiving tens of thousands of dollars from the book and film rights.
William Weber, Butch DeFeo's lawyer, said he and the Lutzes created the horror story over bottles of wine. Weber intended to use the haunting claim to obtain a new trial for his client; Anson added embellishments for the book. George Lutz reportedly continued to maintain that most events were true without presenting evidence. The effects reached people beyond those involved in making the Amityville Horror story. Subsequent occupants of the house endured a continuing stream of curiosity seekers, horror fans, and gawkers.