The Real Amityville Horror
America's most popular true ghost story was a hoax.
Filed under Paranormal
| Skeptoid #20 January 11, 2007 Podcast transcript | Listen | Subscribe |
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In the small town of Amityville on New York's Long Island, on a dark evening in 1974, 23 year old Ronald "Butch" DeFeo burst into a bar and declared that his entire family had just been shot. Police discovered six bodies in the DeFeo home at 112 Ocean Avenue, and what's more, the subsequent investigation revealed that Butch DeFeo had himself killed them all: both his parents, and his four younger siblings, with a Marlin rifle. Despite DeFeo's claim that strange voices in his head compelled him to commit the murders, he was convicted of all six murders and remains imprisoned to this day.
Just over a year after the murders, the home was purchased by newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz, who moved in with their three children. The house was sold furnished so all of the DeFeo's furniture was still there, just as it had been on the night of the murders. George Lutz had heard of the murders, so just to be on the safe side, they called a priest whom Kathy knew, to bless the house. The trouble began when the priest was driven out of the house by an angry disembodied voice, and received stigmatic blisters on his skin. The family daughter reported a friendly pig named Jodie, who later began making appearances to the rest of the family through windows. A sculpted lion came to life and walked around the house, and even bit George Lutz. The apparition of a demonic boy appeared and was photographed, which you can find online. Angry red eyes looked into the house at night, and left cloven footprints in the snow. George Lutz woke up in a sweat every night at the same hour the DeFeos were murdered. Stephen Kaplan, a local parapsychologist, was called in to investigate. Powerful forces caused doors to explode off their hinges. Kathy developed strange red marks on her chest and levitated two feet off her bed, and George saw her transform into a hideous old hag. Green slime oozed from the walls of the house, and a crucifix on the wall constantly rotated itself upside down. And, in one final night of terror that the Lutzes have never even been able to describe, the family was driven out of the house, never to return. Their stay had lasted only 28 days.
The events are not surprising, since a few hundred years before the Defeos were murdered, the local Shinnecock Indians used the same property as a sort of insane asylum for their sick and dying. Negative demonic energy was nothing new to the Amityville Horror house.
So what happened next?
George Lutz, whose business was failing (ostensibly as a result of the distraction of the haunting), hoped to find a silver lining and called up the publisher Prentice-Hall. The Exorcist had come out only two years before and had been wildly successful, putting things like demons and abused priests firmly in the public consciousness, so Prentice-Hall was keen to capitalize on the Lutzes' experience. The publisher engaged author Jay Anson to write the book The Amityville Horror, and the rest is history. The book and subsequent nine motion pictures were highly successful, though most critics agree that the movies were all stupid.
Where it started to get murky was a meeting that George Lutz had during his 28 days in the house. The man he met with was William Weber, who was no other than Butch DeFeo's defense attorney. Who initiated the meeting is not clear. According to William Weber's admission in later years, what transpired in that meeting was an agreement that served both men's interests. The story of the haunting was concocted, based in part upon elements from The Exorcist. George Lutz stood to gain from the potential commerciality of a ghost story based upon the DeFeo murders, and Weber would have a new defense for his client: Demons, as evidenced by the Lutzes' experience, caused Butch DeFeo to murder his family, at least in Butch's own mind.
Prior to the publication of the book, Lutz and Weber set out to publicize the haunting to the best of their ability. The most notable success they had was a television crew from Channel 5 in New York who brought a pair of psychics, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who reported on camera that the house was plagued with malevolent spirits. Other psychics also visited the house on different occasions, and by the time the book came out, the groundwork for a bestseller was well laid. To this day, the Warrens maintain that the Amityville Horror was a genuine haunting, and they describe their experience on their website warrens.net.
Once enough money had been made by the book, the lawsuits began. Lutz and Weber sued each other and just about everyone else under the sun, with claims such as breach of contract, misappropriation of names, and mental distress. The judge eventually threw everything out of court, along with a stern lecture about the book being a work of fiction based in large part upon Weber's suggestions and the popularity of The Exorcist.
Let's back up a moment to Stephen Kaplan, the parapsychologist whom the Lutzes called in during their brief stay in the house, per Lutz and Weber's marketing plan. As it turned out, Kaplan didn't buy the Lutzes' story, and concluded while he was there that he was being hoaxed. Later, when Anson's book became so popular, Kaplan became concerned that the Lutzes' story, which he considered bogus, would give paranormal research a bad name, so he wrote his own book called The Amityville Horror Conspiracy in which he laid out more than 100 factual inconsistencies.
Among these inconsistencies was that the Shinnecock Indians, or any other native tribes, never lived anywhere near present-day Amityville. The nearest Shinnecock settlement was 70 miles away, even according to the Shinnecocks themselves, and you can find their web site at shinnecocknation.com.
Father Pecoraro, the priest who tried to bless the house when the Lutzes moved in but was allegedly attacked, reports that nothing unusual happened during his visit and no attack or evil threat of any kind took place, although he did express a concern about evil spirits to George Lutz based on the house's history. Some reports, including one affidavit by Pecoraro himself, state that he never visited at all but only spoke to the Lutzes over the phone. As a result, author Jay Anson created a new priest for the book, Father Mancuso. The only priest who ever got blisters and a ghostly warning was a fictitious character.
There were many other inconsistencies. No doors or windows in the house were found to have ever been ripped off their hinges; all were found undamaged and securely mounted with their original hardware. The local police department records indicate no calls or visits to the property during the 28 days, despite a number of such events in the book. The same goes for disturbances affecting the neighbors. No snow fell during the period, which strains the cloven hoof prints in the snow. In short the book was full of episodes that created physical evidence, but none of that alleged evidence has ever withstood any scrutiny. Indeed, everything that was falsifiable was easily falsified by Kaplan and numerous other investigators. It should be noted that the Warrens, who enjoyed their best public exposure during their televised visit to the house, consider Kaplan's book to be false and to be simply his own attempt at self-serving publicity.
If you've ever listened to this podcast before, you know what my recommendation is when you encounter claims that are far fetched or that violate physical laws: Be skeptical. In the case of the Amityville Horror, plenty of evidence exists to indicate that none of the events in the book happened, and the only evidence that anything did happen are anecdotal personal accounts by parties with clearly vested commercial interests. If you want to read the book — and most readers report that it is a great scary story — enjoy it for a work of fiction that launched one of pop culture's most engaging and long-lived ghost stories.
You should follow me on twitter here.
© 2007 Skeptoid Media, Inc. Copyright information
References & Further Reading
Anson, Jay. The Amityville Horror. New York: Pocket Books, 1977.
Carroll, Robert Todd Carroll. The Skeptic's Dictionary: A collection of strange beliefs amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 158-159.
Kaplan, Stephen, Kaplan, Roxanne Salch. The Amityville Horror Conspiracy; 2nd Edition. Laceyville: Toad Hall / KatcoMedia, 1995.
Osuna, Ric. "Revealing the Facts." The Amityville Murders. The Amityville Murders, the Official Website for the Amityville Murders, 8 Mar. 1999. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.amityvillemurders.com/facts.html>
Radford, Benjamin. "The Amityville Horror." Snopes.com. Snopes.com, 15 Apr. 2005. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/amityville.asp>
Reference this article:
Dunning, Brian.
"The Real Amityville Horror." Skeptoid Podcast. Skeptoid Media, Inc.,
11 Jan 2007. Web.
10 Sep 2010. <http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4020>
Discuss!
Remember, you should always read with skepticism the comments of anyone too lame to put their real name & city.
Maybe the "haunting" was a crook trying to scare away the Lutzes and get the treasure hidden on the property. Jinkies!
Cambias, Amherst, MA
January 18, 2007 5:55am
I checked out the official Amityville Horror site and they claim that the film was based on the true story. If the story is a hoax, must they change their claim to match that?
Pat, Australia
May 04, 2007 4:13pm
What? Like the bible does?
Marius vanderLubbe, australia
May 30, 2007 9:42pm
That was pretty scary and messed up for a family like that get killed..Y would they put this as the best scary story when all it is is a story bout a family getting killed...but--it had something in it that made so horrifying and real...and TRUE!!
Taylor, East Ridge,Tennessee
December 09, 2007 8:24am
that was the scariest thing that i have ever read through out my whole life. it is ever scarier because it is true and that it could happen agian.
makenna jenkins, farmington, new mexico
February 04, 2008 11:23am
IF THE STORY IS TRUE WHY DONT THEY STUDY MORE ABOUT IT.
THEY SHOULD PUT SCIENTISTS AND OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE IF HE ACTUALLY HEARD VOICES. BUT THAT IS JUST MY OPPINOIN AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
Cody T
CODY T, IL
February 04, 2008 2:10pm
I tried to fake a haunting at my house once when I was eight using a torch and sheet. If only I knew how to turn it into profit...
They need more geiger counters!
Paul, Adelaide, Australia
April 07, 2008 6:54am
I have been reading everywhere to find the exact truth to this story. I don't believe the hollywood version, but wish that the real truth would come out. It is very scary and in my opinion, not impossible that demonic entities could have played a part in this.
Something made the Lutz's leave their home and belongings. Why won't they tell us what happened on that last day? Ron DeFeo Jr. Was already known as a liar and into drugs, but it just seems so impossible that he could shoot each person without them waking up or running away. Something is missing from this story... something that doesn't quite fit and that is what intrigues us.
Marlene T., Modesto, CA
April 16, 2008 12:17am
i think that this is the most scariest story ever and this is a very interesting story i wold love to know the truth about amittyville horror and if this is what really happend this kinda stuff interest me a lot i really like scary stories and real life storys like this one i would love to see some rael photoson this web pic
yoannalopez, losangeles ca
June 05, 2008 10:23am
yes it is a scary story.but there are lots of other scary as well.like the one of excorcism of emily rose.do read that as well with pics and her voice during excorcism.i bet u wont be able to sleep whole nite after hearing her voice
ayesha, islamabad,pakistan
June 11, 2008 11:51pm
i think that these things really happen to people because my family have had experinced with sprits ghost and even myself had experinced the same things so i believe this is true because i knew if it was to happen to me and my family i would want some one to beleive me..and wouldnt think i was crazy.And sinced all this have happened it has made changes in our lives.
keykey, danville,va
June 26, 2008 10:16pm
i think u might need 2 do recherch befor coming 2 a concluson.
cristal, okc
July 01, 2008 11:05am
i love this story and i really think you should do a little more reseach but i think you did a really good job!!!!
laken, kentucky
July 08, 2008 11:23am
i thought the book was very interesting ans very believeable and good lol!!!!!
spud!, hulllllll
July 11, 2008 6:15am
i think the house is cool i would love to live in it
kennedy, ohio
August 10, 2008 7:37am
I first saw the movie Amityville at the suggestion of a friend. I thought it was pretty good as a movie, but with no real facts behind it. But my friend insisted that this is actually true, that most of the things that happened in the movie are true, because he saw it on a show on Discovery. I also saw that show, it was very entertaining, but I haven't changed by opinion after watching it. I just tried to explain those events with logical assumptions, but without success. My conclusion was NOT that the events were true, but that the logical explanation was beyond my reach because I didn't know all the facts. And I was right.
After hearing this episode a lot of things made sense. I can't say 100% sure that that's what happened, but it's a lot more plausible than the official version.
Now I want to show this episode to my friend and ask him : "What do you think ?". He'll probably start doubting the "truth" behind the story, because he's an intelligent person.
One more note, a suggestion about a possible episode, being skeptical about the "scientific facts shown on the Discovery channel". I noticed that, on some occasions, they leave out all scientific facts and logical explanation for the sake of entertainment. Stories about psychics, haunted houses are told as if they were 100% true, and that is very annoying.
Well, sorry for the very long post, but I just wanted to tell you that what you do on this site is useful to a lot of people. Keep up the good work !
Vlad Preda, Bucharest, Romania
August 21, 2008 9:37am
can we visit the house!
Kimberly, eagle pass
August 27, 2008 10:26am
Thank goodness for a voice of reason. I'm sick of driving around dodos who stop to film the house with their camera phones - especially since they now find the hosue with GPS. And whenever I posted comments on YouTube refuting the ridiculous claims, they've been deleted. Amityville is a lovely community where the main activities are raising families and sailing. It's time these hoaxters get a life and leave this town alone. Thanks for helping, Skeptoid.
I'm a huge fan of your intelligent, critical thinking. I'm sending everyone I know to your website. Keep up the good work!
E Ilyes, Amityville, NY
September 03, 2008 6:57pm
I agree. I doubt most of the so-called events too. But I also believe that paranormal things can happen. Although I know most of the things probably never happened in the house in Amityville, I still think the story can be a good thing. Everyone loves a good ghost story and if the book had never come out, who would have ever remembered Amityville?
Whitney, Ohio
September 15, 2008 12:55pm
I would love to go see the house because i believe every word of it. I too have had things like this happen to me. I have found myself floating in midair, seen shadows in my room and have been held to my bed by some kind of force that I could not see and it did not let me go until I asked for god to protect me. People like all of you who are skeptical and are very closed minded are stupid and very ignorent.
claudia, norwalk ca
October 13, 2008 6:59pm
Claudia, does HAARP send you messages through your sprinkler?
Just curious...
Brenton, New Zealand
October 13, 2008 7:05pm
I can tell, this story about Amityville makes me sick.
I've been around and when i'm looking at this... "tale" i can only come up whit one this. "H O A X"
From where i'am standing, this type of bednight strory is like watching a comedy.
In the real world of ghost... This is nothing
Mr X, UKNOWN
November 03, 2008 7:41am
SCARY!!!!
Willy E, Wilmington
November 05, 2008 6:32am
Well, hey, it's a great read. I'm not sure why they claimed it was true when it is so great as a novel on its own.
Darik, Worcester
November 09, 2008 6:50pm
I think this is all fake.
It can`t be real..the movies are fake the people are fake. All of you people just need to go see Psycho doctors. YOUR CRAZY !
Cara, Worcester
November 15, 2008 4:02pm
Such a sad event for the Defeo family, but the writers for the Lutz story were bloody brilliant. We're still talking about it here in 2008..
Fake? Probably. Interesting? You bet!
Scary Story Lover, Amityville
November 30, 2008 9:37pm
I Dont Know Bowt This I Mean Just Because Theres No Evidence
To Prove That It Was Haunted Doesnt Mean It Really Wasnt
I Mean People Believe Their Are Pychics And Ghosts And Angels
And God Just Because Theirs No Evidence Their To Say
Its Real Doesnt Mean It Doesnt Exist.
I Mean Maybe People Just Dont Want To Believe The Story
Because Its Never Happened To Them Or Maybe
Because People Dont Want To Believe That Such
Evil As They Say Could Exist In Such A World...
Evidence? None. Hoax? Perhaps.
The Truth?? Who Knows........
Vanessa, Sydney
December 12, 2008 6:51pm
you guys are stupid this story is true have u seen the paranormal investigation pictures? there was no one in the house besides the investigators. they set up motion senser cameras and got a picture of a little boy that looks just like the boy in the defeo family that was murdered. you guys are idiots if you dont believe this story.
ryan, hamilton
December 14, 2008 7:53am
Very Very Interesting
Quiah, Charlotte
December 17, 2008 10:36am
Ryan = If your evidence for the veracity of the Amityville story is one unconvincing and easily fakable photo, and you choose to ignore the large volume of solid evidence that suggests the story is a load of bunk, the I put it to you that you are, in fact, the idiot.
Nick D, Birmingham UK
December 30, 2008 4:51pm
I would like to know if the movie amityville story was true and if they came out of it alive.
MICHEAL ANTHONY, GreatFalls MT
January 02, 2009 12:59am
Do people still believe haunted houses, paranormal investigators, goasts and seances to be real? It has been scientifically proven to be the work of clever con-artists and mentalists ages ago.
William, South Africa
January 03, 2009 6:36am
Interesting read. All I wanna know is how that boy got into that picture...
Mr. Anonymous, NY
January 13, 2009 8:09pm
We think the evidence is compelling, although you must use more evidence to show your point.
How can such evidence be concluded as "Aload of Bunk" when it is so well known??
Luvzluvzxxx
Madeley Kids, England
January 21, 2009 1:40am
I occasionally post short humor videos on You Tube. In 2007, I made a 1 minute video about Amityville, which periodically gets comments from angry believers. Having made the video as a one-off humor piece, I've been surprised by the stength of the emotions and attachment that believer have toward the "horror". Having lived on LI when the "horror" supposedly went down - & having been to Ocean Ave - I found lots of factual errors when I read the Anson book. I'd also like to note that the photos I've seen of the house don't give the sense of how close the neighboring houses are - and how hard it would have been for the supposedly noisy events to have gone unnoticed by neighbors.
Trish, Vancouver WA
January 31, 2009 1:21am
Can anyone please piont me in the direction of some of the Lutz crime scene photos please.
Wiahn, South Africa
February 23, 2009 3:06am
Actually there is no Lutz crime scene photos Wiahn, unless he's guilty of a hoax. you're thinking of Defeo.
I'm fairly certain Loraine Warren is making it all up. she has been recently asociated with a popular TV show about the Paranormal, a show whos former clients have come forward about the investigators faking evidence.
What I want to know is how Defeo shot 6 people in their beds in that house, without any one of them waking up. I believe they were all found face down in their beds with one bullet each. seems strange, at least.
Meinmar, USA
March 09, 2009 2:49pm
i am really interested about amityville iam wonerding what does amityville stll do today? and does anybody live there? and people please don,t destoy the house.
vanessa, bayshore
March 22, 2009 9:03am
I HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT THIS WASNT REAL BUT NOW THAT I HAVE READ MORE ABOUT IT IT REALLY SPOOKES ME OUT
JONNY JENSON, INDIANAPOLIS.INDIANA
March 29, 2009 12:54pm
ha now the story makes more sense to me thanks
rosy, california
April 06, 2009 9:07pm
So wait, I am confused, are the supernatural happenings real or fictitious?
Shayde, Vermont
April 22, 2009 5:05pm
thanks for the help on my report!
Forrest Gump, Djiboui
April 23, 2009 3:47pm
I think that the person who made-up the stories in the book is a pimp who just wants money.
>:(
:(
Kasey, Dallas, Texas
April 25, 2009 7:36am
I think people should just lay off and tell the truth. Like Brian here. Thank you so much.
Britney Spears, Hollywood
May 01, 2009 6:51am
I do believe in the paranormal but I first and foremost, I try to find a logical explanation for things.
What I find the most interesting about the claims about the house being infested with "demons" (note how EVERY supposed haunting investigated by the Warrens turns out to be demons....), is that no one else living in that house since then, has reported anything out of the ordinary. In fact, the family that moved in after the Lutzes, found that there was nothing wrong with the house, despite the book stating that doors and windows had been damaged.
B. Moondragon, Denmark
May 04, 2009 4:47pm
thanks for the help dude
pics would have been nice
the kid, awesome
May 19, 2009 8:33am
When I was younger, my young lodger and some friends of hers decided to have a séance. When they were pretty well scared (There own imaginations) I turned on my guitar amp and turned up the reverb and spoke through my mic " Who calls me "
Several minutes later I received a phone call from Tracy telling me to hurry up and get out of the house they had summoned a ghost!
Needless to say I will never stop poking fun at her or let her live it down :-)
Andrew Brierley, Wollongong, Australia
May 19, 2009 7:39pm
i dont really think that the lion thing was true, and the priest got driven out by an angry swarm of bees. and jodie was NOT a pig, she was the young girl who got shot in the head in the closet. you know? Jodie DeFeo? well, nice try. and you couldve put in some pictures to prove some of this stuff. but really, the lion makes everyone know at least that part is FAKE. i hope u didnt put that in your book, or youll be getting alot of complaints! -Amy Johanson, Author of MARLEENA
Amy Johanson, West Virginia
May 25, 2009 6:45am
dude i love horror things and this jsut popped up on the search thing so i read it it was very good i wish ppl would stick to the true facts cause if you read between the lines you can find a horror in that
sara gurl, south carolina
June 11, 2009 7:10pm
i really believe that something happened there.
most of it will be fiction but its a fact that scarry, unexplainable things happen
but i watched the film amityville horror and i really enjoided it!
:p
Yoni, Belgium
July 02, 2009 12:21am
As a young teenager living on Long Island, we all believed parts of the story. Some older friends used to take great pleasure in driving us past the house at night.
Brigitte, Long Island, New York
August 04, 2009 8:52pm
ok i dont know if it true or not but i seen the old vergion n the new vergain i been a hug fan of that movie cent i waz 8 year old n i been looking up it pic. story, shit like that some part i dont belife but i do belive this it hunnted but u or i have to live in that house 28 n see what happen i can gave u some thing but "on" if u step foot on that land u will be hunned or some something that shit lol but u guy/chickz have to see that 4 your self u dont no if u tried it that all i have to say but it a kool movie to see n the book to peace :D
vickie, erie pa
August 13, 2009 9:29pm
i watched this movie with a friends last night ammiyiville horror. the movie was very good my firend said its a true story and i said no its based on a book i didn't beileve this could be real. but then i decieded to research this and it turns out to be party true but some stuff was made up. and jodie is not a PIG. shess the young girl and in the movie there was also a babbysitter that was not mentioned here.
India Efron, Los Angeles
September 02, 2009 7:34am
i watch the amityville movie whith y friends and i wonder what was it ws like to live in that house then i always thought to mysef if the things that the last family that lived there is still moving from then on today and i think if anybody checks on the house or they just look at it from outside i really feall bad that the famelys that lived there
clair, las vegas
October 11, 2009 11:32am
Really fun topic, sad about what happend, I would love to live or vist in that home
elizabeth, ga
October 12, 2009 11:26am
I would love to visit this house. For me this story is so interesting. But at the same time sad&Teriffying, I'm just wondering how did this curse come in the house? Were there other murders in the house before the De Feos?
Dulce Delao-Luna, Las Vegas
October 27, 2009 7:07pm
If you went in the house what would do....would you be scared..or would you run out as fast as you can.....THINK ABOAT IT.
Symphony.A., Martinsville
November 07, 2009 7:13pm
i think this movie is not scary and i would love to visit the house if i had the chance to
Gabriel kangen, Addis Ababa
November 17, 2009 6:09am
I would be thrilled to visit that home.
This is the best fictious story that seem real.
sammybigevil, nyc queens
November 17, 2009 12:05pm
i think the defeo murders are tragic but i dont think the house had anything to do with anything
sueann, tn
December 06, 2009 2:01pm
OK,ENOUGH!YEARS AGO I VISITED THE HOUSE TWICE.IN 1979,AND THEN AGAIN IN 1985 WHEN THE NEW OWNERS AT THE TIME (THE CROMARTY'S)WERE THERE.THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO LET ME IN AND I CHECKED THE WHOLE HOUSE OUT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AND I WILL SAY THIS,I WOULDN'T EVER BUY OR SLEEP IN THAT HOUSE,PERIOD!!!!!!IT WAS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND ALOT BRAVER BUT SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS THERE LEFT NO DOUBT THAT THERE CERTAIN DOMONIC SPIRTS IN CONTROL OF THAT HOUSE AND IT'S OCCUPANTS.DEPITE WHAT THE GRACIOUS CROMARTY'S TOLD ME.THEY TOO,I FELT,WERE UNDER IT'S GRIP WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT.I TRIED TO WARN THEM BUT TO NO AVAIL.THE SEWING ROOM IS WERE I FELT VERY WIERD AND KIND OF SICK.BUT AS SOON AS I LEFT THE ROOM I WAS FINE.VERY STRANGE!!!THE BASEMENT IS NO PICKNICK EITHER.
DJ Legend, Lacaster,PA
December 20, 2009 9:32am
jodie wasnt a demonic pig but the name of the cat next door.thats repoted as fact i hear and its a lovey house.even the neighbor adjacent to the house said its only a movie and to leave the guy alone to thrill seekers!i know someone who met george at hauntcom in 2005.he says lutz had a table set up in the back.they conversed for almost 30 minutes or so and my pal got georges phone # and lutz said to call him if hes ever in las vegas.and that they woud meet for coffee.thats so awesome but unfortunately he died in 2006 and what a darn bummer.only he and kathy knew the exact going ons.maybe the kids to a point but weber and kaplan what the frak did they know?weber contradicted himself and anson changed many things about the story according to lutz.it seems the biggest hoax but im ready to believe it somewhat,ony somewhat.george never said the windows blew out like that and thats all jay supposedly.the screen door in the boathouse it happenned to.anfd with winds from the lake obviously!or was it the front door to i forgot?anyways its an entertaining concept many want to be factual but i also have my doubts.i saw the thats incredible,in search of,hard copy shows and always the same thing retold.but at first the lutxs couldnt stick to the same story.so unless they have differing views then thats certainly very suspicious.but the pic of the boy atop the stairs is evidence of either a hoax or something real.warrens caim its genuine and ok maybe unless they were lying for prestige!
edward bliss, worcester,mass
December 25, 2009 4:26am
having lived in amityville for three generations i will tell you nothing strange happened at that house. it's just a ploy to draw in the money. amityville was always a nice place to live and ronnie was a good guy in high school. who knows maybe it was drugs that made him do it. it was that time when we were all trying new things. i can think of worse horrors here such as high taxes too many strip malls. also we have a middle school named after a child molester.
L, amityville
January 01, 2010 4:59pm
it would be so cool if i could visit that house i am so interested in this story and would love to go there :)
Emily, St. Catharines
January 06, 2010 11:46am
i am a huge skeptic. i believe hauntings can happen but this was not one of them. it was just a big fraud. anyone who has gone in and said they felt a presence is wrong. it is a proven fact that magnetic fields, infrasound and even contextual cues can make you feel things that arent there. if someone tells you somewhere is haunted you are more likely to 'experience' something because you want it to happen and be true. unfortunately in most cases, like this one, the experience you have is not real.
Jade, UK
January 08, 2010 8:43am
@DJ Legend
LOOOOUD NOISES!
But yeah, I know how you feel, man! I feel sick going into this one sewing room, too, but then I'd feel nice when I left it!---who'da thunk I was allergic to the liquor the old woman was drinking in her chair while sewing?
You met certain Domonic Spirits? How is Domonic, the silly bastard? Tell him he owes my aunt fifty bucks, and that business plan of his is not going too well.
Basements are indeed no picnic! How are you supposed to sit in a basement and have a picnic with no sun to shine in your eyes and no ants to eat your potato salad? Of course, who CAN eat a picnic there when there are SPOOKY LIGHTS AND NOISES DOWN THERE!---I think the cat had some babies and left them under the heater, so when they started to walk, they scratched it some and now it makes these ominous "thoomp-thoomp, thoomp-thoomp..." noises.
Andariel Halo, Miami, Florida
January 12, 2010 10:03am
There are no haunted houses, only haunted imaginations. What a great example DJ Legend is.
William, South Africa
January 17, 2010 7:47am
i love this kinda of stuff i am into ghost and parnormal stuff i love it and just reading about this is amazing
suezann, North America
February 02, 2010 6:29am
I think that it would be cool if I had the chance to visit the house.By the way can it really happen?I'm really excited!I don't believe in hauntings so much, but this one seams really peculiar.
mariya, sofia
February 02, 2010 6:52am
If it was true how come after they left not 1 more thing ever happened. i've been to the house and the people that live there have never had 1 single thing happen to them. makes you think?????
MATT, CAPE COD
February 11, 2010 12:56pm
i love everything about amityville horror! i would love to live in the house.
kelly, sloan,new york
February 26, 2010 6:36pm
I believe in the amityville. I believe its all real i love to read about it. I would love to live and experience what all has happened in that house. Ive had ghosts attack me i was scared at first but i soon realized that they were only asking 4 help in there own little way. They wont hurt you, unless u make them mad. Or they want you to leave out of there home... I got scares from ghosts,and demons... But I love every bit of it... I wouldnt change anything that has happened to me in my past.
Clarissa Winston, New boston/ohio
April 15, 2010 8:49am
i believe in the murders and i do believe that the Lutz's had made it all up. They're just a bunch of lieing scammers. Sure it would be intresting if something paranormal did take place in the house, but this isn't the case. I am doing a huge essay on The Amityville Horror, trying to determine what is fake or not, and i have found this site very helpful.
thank you
Alyssa AB, Illinois USA
April 27, 2010 9:14am
I'm Canadian but have been interested in the Amityville house for a while.. I'm turning 18 in a few years and might visit it. 108 ocean avenue, Amytiville, NY ... anybody that visits tell me what its like . kaii? ..
Natasha, Calgary,AB
May 10, 2010 10:01pm
Amittyville is defintely interesting. I do indeed want to visit and see if the paranormal is really occuring. I am doing a final project on this topic and if anyone has any recommended cites that would be great
Alicia, Binghamton,NY
May 12, 2010 9:42am
I have visited the house - be aware though that when you go up to Amityville the people there see people coming to view the Amityville House as kind of "crazies". Know exactly where you are going and don't stop to ask anyone for directions or tell them where you are going. The house really looks nothing like the house in the movie although going to see it was really a great experience. I love the whole story too even if it isn't true.
Pamela, Philadelphia, PA
May 28, 2010 6:25am
Teh house is for sale.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1281233/Amityville-Horror-house-sale.html
Reichart, Maui
May 30, 2010 9:07pm
I visited new york last month, my third time, and this time I hired a car and visited the amityville house. It looks very different from the film. There was a 'for sale' sign outside so i contacted the agents and made an appointment for a viewing the next day. As i walked around the house it felt very spooky but i was surprised to see the flies were still in the small room. As i walked into the basement the stairs gave way and i fell through into buckets of red paint. Luckely the neighbours dog was there to assist me up. I went into the kitchen where the agent realising i was waisting his time told me to get out. I left in a hurry but forgot about the dog. i drove down the road but felt a little bad i had left that dog in the basement all by itself so i parked up and ran back for him. It was a good experience and i must admit after seeing the house i felt it was about time i watched the film. Lots of love, bobby
Bobby Lally, Reading, UK
June 23, 2010 9:22pm
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A good example of this kind of nonsense, but at least this one was blatant. What worries me more are the insidious little "haunting" stories that are believed by otherwise apparently rational individuals. I'm thinking particularly about the notion that transplant recipients take on some of the personality traits of the doner. This, of course, is impossible but it gives many people a queasy feeling about registering as doners. I must declare an interest here, as I am a transplant recipient and, naturally, I have no idea whatsoever what the doner was like, except that he was male, and his liver and kidneys were in excellent condition for which I am eternally grateful.
Looking forward to the next one.
Anne r, Nr Chantilly, France
January 14, 2007 9:40am