This is a story that simply refuses to go away, and unfortunately, many people believe that it is true.
The Amityville Horror was published in 1977, and immediately seized the interest of readers throughout the United States. An all-American family's dream home had turned out to be haunted! No, possessed! Kathy Lutz levitated in her sleep one night; George Lutz began to display violent behavior; green goo oozed from the ceilings; flies infested the house; the front door was ripped from its hinges.
Author Jay Anson was hired to write the book, and it became a best-seller. A movie was made in 1979, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. In the film, the house was photographed so that two windows just below the roof looked like eyes, as if the house had a personality of its own.
The Lutzes had moved out of the "cursed" house, and they profited handsomely off the book and the movie. Soon - very soon - cracks appeared in their story of horror. For example, they claimed to have called the police multiple times due to the disturbances, but the police had no record of any calls. The front door showed no signs of damage, let alone the kind of damage that would result from being ripped from its hinges. The priest who was called to bless the house (and allegedly became very ill afterwards) saw nothing unusual.
The real Amityville horror is very different, and tragic. Before the Lutzes bought the house, it was owned by the DeFeo family, consisting of Ronald DeFeo, Sr., his wife Louise, and their five children. The oldest of these, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., was a problem child, and no wonder. His father was an angry and violent man, with apparently no clue as to how to raise children. Butch was often in trouble, and his parents finally took him in for counseling.
Counseling didn't help, so the DeFeos began offering Butch cash rewards for good behavior. He promptly took the money and used it to support his heroin habit. He was expelled from school, and DeFeo, Sr. gave him a job in the Buick dealership that he (Ronald, Sr.) owned. Butch was paid weekly, even if he didn't show up for work. The money went towards heroin and a chilling new hobby - guns.
It wasn't long before Butch's job at the dealership didn't provide him with enough money, so he began a side career of embezzlement. During this time, he threatened - and even tried - to shoot his father, but the gun failed to fire.
The embezzlement was discovered quickly, and the police came to the dealership to question Butch.
Around 3:00 a.m. on November 13, 1974, "Butch" DeFeo murdered his entire family in their beds. It is thought that Louise and Allison DeFeo were awake when they were shot. Butch then showered, dressed, and went to work, pretending that all was well. The police soon focused on the sole surviving member of the family as the murderer, and Butch's story changed constantly. He was tried for the six murders and received six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life.
This is the true horror of Amityville - the slaughter of six people. Ronald DeFeo is still in prison. His attorney, William Weber, admitted that he and the Lutzes made up the story of the haunting. Many "experts" in parapsychology, including the infamous Ed and Lorraine Warren, "examined" the house and claimed that it was badly haunted.
This, despite the fact that no other inhabitants have ever had any problems there - apart, of course, from the endless gawkers who want to see the "evil" house. There's nothing to see; the owners - current and future - need to be left in peace.
The Amityville Horror was published in 1977, and immediately seized the interest of readers throughout the United States. An all-American family's dream home had turned out to be haunted! No, possessed! Kathy Lutz levitated in her sleep one night; George Lutz began to display violent behavior; green goo oozed from the ceilings; flies infested the house; the front door was ripped from its hinges.
Author Jay Anson was hired to write the book, and it became a best-seller. A movie was made in 1979, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. In the film, the house was photographed so that two windows just below the roof looked like eyes, as if the house had a personality of its own.
The Lutzes had moved out of the "cursed" house, and they profited handsomely off the book and the movie. Soon - very soon - cracks appeared in their story of horror. For example, they claimed to have called the police multiple times due to the disturbances, but the police had no record of any calls. The front door showed no signs of damage, let alone the kind of damage that would result from being ripped from its hinges. The priest who was called to bless the house (and allegedly became very ill afterwards) saw nothing unusual.
The real Amityville horror is very different, and tragic. Before the Lutzes bought the house, it was owned by the DeFeo family, consisting of Ronald DeFeo, Sr., his wife Louise, and their five children. The oldest of these, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., was a problem child, and no wonder. His father was an angry and violent man, with apparently no clue as to how to raise children. Butch was often in trouble, and his parents finally took him in for counseling.
Counseling didn't help, so the DeFeos began offering Butch cash rewards for good behavior. He promptly took the money and used it to support his heroin habit. He was expelled from school, and DeFeo, Sr. gave him a job in the Buick dealership that he (Ronald, Sr.) owned. Butch was paid weekly, even if he didn't show up for work. The money went towards heroin and a chilling new hobby - guns.
It wasn't long before Butch's job at the dealership didn't provide him with enough money, so he began a side career of embezzlement. During this time, he threatened - and even tried - to shoot his father, but the gun failed to fire.
The embezzlement was discovered quickly, and the police came to the dealership to question Butch.
Around 3:00 a.m. on November 13, 1974, "Butch" DeFeo murdered his entire family in their beds. It is thought that Louise and Allison DeFeo were awake when they were shot. Butch then showered, dressed, and went to work, pretending that all was well. The police soon focused on the sole surviving member of the family as the murderer, and Butch's story changed constantly. He was tried for the six murders and received six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life.
This is the true horror of Amityville - the slaughter of six people. Ronald DeFeo is still in prison. His attorney, William Weber, admitted that he and the Lutzes made up the story of the haunting. Many "experts" in parapsychology, including the infamous Ed and Lorraine Warren, "examined" the house and claimed that it was badly haunted.
This, despite the fact that no other inhabitants have ever had any problems there - apart, of course, from the endless gawkers who want to see the "evil" house. There's nothing to see; the owners - current and future - need to be left in peace.
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