The Amityville Horror
Horror novel | |
Publisher | Prentice Hall |
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Publication date | September 13, 1977 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
Followed by | The Amityville Horror Part II |
Part of a series on the |
Paranormal |
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The Amityville Horror is a book by American author
Historical basis
On November 13, 1974,
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes fled the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.[3]
Plot
The book describes the house at 112 Ocean Avenue as remaining empty for 13 months after the
The Lutz family moved in on December 18, 1975.
Father Mancuso was a lawyer, judge of the
By mid-January 1976, after another attempt at a house blessing by George and Kathy, they experienced what would turn out to be their final night in the house. The Lutzes declined to give a full account of the events that took place on this occasion, describing them as "too frightening".
After getting in touch with Father Mancuso, the Lutzes decided to take some belongings and stay at Kathy's mother's house in nearby Deer Park, New York, until they had sorted out the problems with the house. They claimed that the phenomena followed them there, with the final scene of Anson's book describing "greenish-black slime" coming up the staircase towards them. On January 14, 1976, George and Kathy Lutz, with their three children and their dog Harry, left 112 Ocean Avenue, leaving all of their possessions behind. The next day, a mover arrived to remove the possessions to send to the Lutzes. He reported no paranormal phenomena while inside the house.[6]
The book was written after Tam Mossman, an editor at the publishing house Prentice Hall, introduced George and Kathy Lutz to Jay Anson. The Lutzes did not work directly with Anson, but submitted around 45 hours of tape-recorded recollections to him, which were used as the basis of the book. Estimates of the sales of the book are around 10 million copies from its numerous editions. Anson is said to have based the title of The Amityville Horror on "The Dunwich Horror" by H. P. Lovecraft, which was published in 1929.[7]
Other books
- The story of The Amityville Horror was continued in a series of books by John G. Jones, with Amityville: The Nightmare Continues by Robin Karl was published.[8]
- Ronald DeFeo, Jr. at his trial, recommended Holzer to DeFeo in 1979 as a way for DeFeo to obtain a book deal telling his side of the story.[9] The 1983 film Amityville 3-D was also turned into a novelizationby Gordon McGill. Mentally Ill In Amityville, a factual account of the case by Will Savive, was published in 2008.
Disputes over accuracy
The role of Father Pecoraro (Father "Mancuso" in the book) has been given considerable attention. Father Pecoraro stated in an affidavit during a lawsuit in the late 1970s that his only contact with the Lutzes concerning the matter had been by telephone.[10] Other accounts say that Father Pecoraro did visit the house but experienced nothing unusual there. In 1979, he described his experience while blessing the Amityville house during an interview for the television series In Search of... In the interview, he makes it clear that he did in fact enter the home and that he was slapped by an invisible force and told to "get out" by a disembodied voice.[11]
Jim and Barbara Cromarty rejected the claims of physical damage to doors, locks, and windows. They bought the house for $55,000 (equivalent to $277,000 in 2023) in March 1977. Barbara Cromarty argued that they appeared to be the original items and had not been repaired. The couple also revealed that the "Red Room" was a small closet in the basement and would have been known to the Lutzes because it was not concealed in any way. Local Shinnecock Indians rejected the claim made in chapter 11 of the book that the house was built on a site where the tribe had once abandoned the mentally ill and the dying.[12]
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.
Stephen Kaplan and other critics have pointed out that changes were made to the book as it was reprinted in different editions.[14][page needed] In the original hardcover edition, Father Pecoraro's car is "an old tan Ford", and he experiences an incident in which the hood flies up against the windshield while he is driving it. In later editions, the car is described as a Chevrolet Vega, before reverting to a Ford.[15][16]
In May 1977, George and Kathy Lutz filed a lawsuit against William Weber (the defense lawyer for Ronald DeFeo, Jr.), Paul Hoffman (a writer working on an account of the hauntings), Bernard Burton and Frederick Mars (both alleged clairvoyants who had examined the house), along with
George Lutz maintained that events in the book were "mostly true". In June 1979, George and Kathy Lutz took a polygraph test relating to their experiences at the house. The polygraph tests were performed by Chris Gugas and Michael Rice who were reportedly among the top five polygraph experts in America.
The debate continues concerning the accuracy of The Amityville Horror. The various owners of the house since 1976 have publicly reported no problems while living there. James Cromarty bought the house in 1977 and lived there with his wife Barbara for ten years; he commented: "Nothing weird ever happened, except for people coming by because of the book and the movie."[21][22][23]
Films
The people and events fictionalized in The Amityville Horror have been the subject of a number of films (many of which share no connection other than the reference to Amityville):
- The Amityville Horror (1979)
- Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
- 3-Dand has also been released as Amityville III: The Demon)
- Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
- The Amityville Curse (1990)
- Amityville: It's About Time (1992)
- Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
- Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
- The Amityville Horror (2005 remake)
- The Amityville Haunting (2011)
- The Amityville Asylum (2013)
- Amityville Death House (2015)
- The Amityville Playhouse (2015)
- Amityville: No Escape (2016)
- Amityville: Vanishing Point (2016)
- The Amityville Legacy (2016)
- The Amityville Terror (2016)
- Amityville Prison(2017)
- Amityville: The Awakening (2017)
- Amityville: Evil Never Dies (2017)
- Amityville Exorcism (2017)
- The Amityville Murders (2018)
- The Amityville Harvest (2020)
- An Amityville Poltergeist (2020)
- Witches of Amityville Academy (2020)
- Amityville Island (2020)
- Amityville Vampire (2021)
- Amityville Karen (2022)
- Amityville Thanksgiving (2022)
- Amityville Christmas Vacation (2022)
- The Amityville Slasher (2023)
- Amityville Apocalypse (2023)
- Amityville Shark House (2023)
- Amityville Bigfoot (2023)
- Amityville Emanuelle (2023)
The 1979 film, based on Jay Anson's novel, is the best known in the series.
One of the better known features of the Amityville Horror films is the distinctive
In 2005, a
The documentary My Amityville Horror was released in March 2013. It featured interviews with Daniel Lutz, one of the children who lived in the house during the period on which the book and films are based. Lutz echos the original story as told by his mother and step-father. He also makes additional claims that both he and George Lutz were possessed and that George Lutz demonstrated telekinetic abilities, and strongly suggests that George's dabbling in the occult may have initiated the demonic events.[27]
Legacy
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. The couple had divorced in the late 1980s, but remained on good terms.
During the period in which the Lutz family was living at 112 Ocean Avenue, Stephen Kaplan, a self-styled vampirologist and ghost hunter, was called in to investigate the house. Kaplan and the Lutzes had a falling out after Kaplan said that he would expose any fraud that was found. Kaplan went on to write a critical book titled The Amityville Horror Conspiracy with his wife Roxanne Salch Kaplan. The book was published in 1995.
On the night of March 6, 1976, the house was investigated by
George Lutz registered the phrase The Amityville Horror as a trademark in 2002 and it is referred to as The Amityville Horror™ on his official website.[30] Lutz claimed that the film producers embellished or fabricated events portrayed in the 1979 version and the 2005 remake. He also claimed that the producers of the 2005 film did not involve his family and that they used his name without permission.[31]
The house known as 112 Ocean Avenue still exists, but it has been renovated and the address changed to discourage sightseers from visiting it.[32] The quarter round windows have been removed and the house today looks considerably different from its depiction in the films. The house in Toms River used as the location for the first three films has also been modified for the same reason. For the 2005 film version, the house address was changed to 412 Ocean Avenue. The 2005 film remake says that the basement of the Lutz home was built in 1692, but 112 Ocean Avenue – also known as High Hopes – was built around 1924 for John and Catherine Moynahan.[22]
The local residents and authorities in
The episode of
In May 2010, the house was placed on the market with an asking price of $1.15 million. In August 2010, the house was sold to a local resident for $950,000.[37][38] On August 21, 2010, the departing owner held a moving sale at the house and hundreds of people turned up for the event. They were allowed to go inside the house, but not to visit the upstairs rooms or the basement.[39]
See also
Notes
a. ^ The Prologue of The Amityville Horror states that "they moved in on December 23". In Chapter 1, the date is given as December 18. This discrepancy was criticized by Stephen and Roxanne Salch Kaplan in The Amityville Horror Conspiracy.[40] Events in the book dated to the period before December 23 suggest that this date may be incorrect.
References
- ^ staff, Lexy Perez,THR; Perez, Lexy; staff, T. H. R. (October 14, 2022). "25 Horror Films Inspired by Real-Life Events". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Kreidler, Marc (January 1, 2003). "Amityville: The Horror of It All | Skeptical Inquirer".
- ^ "Amityville Horror: Horror or Hoax?". ABC News. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ Chapter 1.
- ^ "The Amityville Murders' Reference Material". Amityvillemurders.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "George Lutz interview – Amityville Horror". Ghostvillage.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Interview with George Lutz by Dan Farrands". Horror.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Hoax in Amityville: Part 5". Chatanuga.org. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "1979 letter from William Weber to Ronald DeFeo, Jr". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Amityville Murders". The Amityville Murders. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Real Amityville Horror: The Tragic Murder of the Ronald De Feo Family". Crimelibrary.com. February 16, 1976. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Amityville Murders". The Amityville Murders. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Amityville: Horror or Hoax?". Prairieghosts.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- OCLC 33826221.
- ^ "Amityville Horror or Fantasy?". BBC. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Amityville Truth". Amityvillefaq.com. October 20, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Amityville Murders". The Amityville Murders. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Hoax Arguments". Amityville FAQ. July 24, 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ Singh, Anita (May 25, 2010). "Original Amityville Horror house on sale for $1.15 million". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ^ "The Amityville Horror Official Website: Documents". amityvillehorror.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004.
- ^ 'Amityville Horror' house back on market, for $1.15M Newsday, May 24, 2010
- ^ a b "The Amityville Murders". The Amityville Murders. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Archive for May 10, 2006". Las Vegas Sun. May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Amityville Horror Official Website: John Ketcham – Man or Myth?". Amityvillehorror.com. November 13, 1974. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "George Lutz Labels Amityville Remake Drivel". April 21, 2005. Archived from the original on April 21, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Judge tosses haunted house owner's 'Amityville' defamation suit – CourtTV.com
- ^ My Amityville Horror IMDb. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "View the "demonic boy" photograph". Thedemonologist.net. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Cook, Tommy (March 26, 2016). "The Conjuring 2: James Wan Reveals the Sequel's Amityville Connection at WonderCon". Collider. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Latest Status Info". Tarr.uspto.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with George Lutz and Dan Farrands". Horror.com. March 6, 1976. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Bever, Lindsey (June 26, 2016). "The 'Amityville Horror' house is for sale: Five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and one bloody history". Washington Post.
- ^ "Why Hollywood's version of DeFeo murders isn't Amityville's". Amityvillerecord.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Mayhew, Malcolm (May 8, 2005). "The reel horror". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ "The Chronological History of Amityville". Amityvillehistoricalsociety.org. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Christian Höhne Sparborth (November 1, 2007). "'CSI: NY', Episode Guide – "Boo"". Csifiles.com. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Buyer found for 'Amityville Horror' house Newsday.com, August 5, 2010.
- ^ New 'Amityville Horror' house owners dread Halloween Newsday.com, September 27, 2010.
- ^ Toback, Rebecca (August 21, 2010). "Hundreds come for 'Amityville Horror' house moving sale". Newsday. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ "Amityville – The Real Horror Story Part Iv". Castleofspirits.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
Further reading
- Holzer, Hans: The Amityville Curse: Fact or Fiction? (a 2007 reprint of Murder in Amityville, The Amityville Curse and The Secret of Amityville). ISBN 978-0-7607-8535-5
- ISBN 978-0-9637498-0-2
- Osuna, Ric: The Night the DeFeos Died (2002) ISBN 978-1-59109-586-6
- Savive, Will: Mentally Ill in Amityville (2008) ISBN 978-0-595-50312-4
External links
- The Amityville Horror – website created by George Lutz and Tim Yancey: contains documents and interviews
- Amityville FAQ – FAQ on Amityville case with interviews and articles and message forum.
- The Amityville Files – The largest archive of Amityville-related research on the web
- The Murder of the DeFeo Family from Crime Library on truTV.com
- Reel or Real? The Truth Behind Two Hollywood Ghost Stories (Skeptical Inquirer)
- Investigative Files – Amityville: The Horror of It All
- Amityville: Horror or Hoax? Archived December 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- The Amityville Horror: Is The Amityville Horror based on a true story? (Snopes.com)