The Amityville Horror - What's the Real Story?

The legitimacy of the Amityville Horror has been debated for decades but what is the real story that has been the inspiration to numerous books, movies and documentaries? Whatever the truth is I still won't stay there alone!

The quaint-looking house at 112 Ocean Avenue was the scene of the grisly DeFeo murders before the Lutz family claimed to endure paranormal experiences there that inspired The Amityville Horror. They claimed that doors slammed on their own. Beds moved. Ooze formed on the carpet. Strange smells came and went. And the house stayed extremely cold no matter how they tried to heat it. George said he would wake up at almost 3:15 am every night, the same time the murders happened. One night, he said he even woke to find Kathy levitating over the bed. Less than a month into living in their new home, the family fled, leaving everything behind.

It is true that the Lutz family only lived in the home for 28 days. It is true that investigators descended on the home. But what can’t be proven are the paranormal claims the family made. Many have determined that the Lutz family made it all up for financial gain, as the popular book is based on conversations with the family. Before speaking with the eventual book’s author, George Lutz contacted DeFeo’s lawyer, William Weber, who was trying to get a book written about his client. Weber told ABC how Lutz got drunk when telling his story and how he was just “creating ideas.” When asked if Weber believed Lutz, he said, “Absolutely not, because they were making a commercial venture.”

It was indeed such a venture, for the Lutzs' reportedly made $300,000 for Anson’s book. There are so many claims about the haunting all being a hoax for financial gain, from reports that the priest never visited the home to reports that the police were never called even though the book said that they were. It should be noted that no other family who has lived inside the home since (and a family lives there to this very day) have ever claimed to experience supernatural events there.

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