Amityville is a small, quiet village in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County located on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. The house at the center of the story stands at 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial–style residence built in 1927, with distinct quarter moon windows on the top floor. Over the years, the house gained notoriety not for its architecture but for the violent and paranormal events said to have occurred within its walls.
The DeFeo Murders (1974): Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife Louise, and their five children: Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), John Matthew (9), and the eldest son, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. (23 at the time). On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family: Each victim was shot with a .35 caliber Marlin rifle while lying in their beds. All were found face down, suggesting they may have been positioned that way after death or never woke up. No signs of struggle, sedation, or loud noises reported by neighbors, which added mystery. DeFeo initially blamed a mob hitman but later confessed. Claimed to hear voices urging him to kill his family. Found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder in November 1975 and sentenced to six consecutive life sentences.
The Lutz Family & Alleged Hauntings (1975–1976). George and Kathy Lutz purchased the house for $80,000 in December 1975 (a bargain, knowing its history). Moved in with Kathy’s three children from a previous marriage. They claimed to have experienced terrifying events almost immediately. According to the Lutzes and later books/interviews, the family encountered: Windows and doors slammed shut violently, sometimes nearly injuring people. Heavy furniture was reportedly moved on its own, and chairs were found overturned . The front door was ripped off the hinges, despite no signs of forced entry. Loud, untraceable banging reverberated through the house, often at night. A crucifix that Kathy hung in a room turned upside down by itself, and Kathy claimed it emitted a “foul smell”. Intense Cold spots and rooms that were consistently colder than the rest of the house. George Lutz became obssessed with the fireplace, constantly stoking it to stay warm. Green gelatinous slime oozing from walls and keyholes. Black stains appeared on toilet bowls and wouldn’t wash off. Unexplained odors (perfume, excrement or rotten meat) that would come and go inexplicably. Flickering lights, doors and windows slamming shut. Swarming flies in the sewing room even though the season was winter. The flies would return repeatedly, no matter how often they were killed or shooed away. George waking up at 3:15 AM nightly—close to the estimated time of the DeFeo murders. Kathy allegedly felt an invisible force embrace her in bed. She claimed to have been levitated off the bed and thrown to the floor. George described waking to find Kathy levitating and sliding across the bed. Kathy experiencing levitation and feeling an unseen force embrace her.
The family heard a marching band playing in the living room when it was empty. Kathy and the children claimed to hear whispering voices and a chain dragging. Kathy reportedly saw a shadowy figure standing near her children’s room. A figure wearing a hooded cloak appeared near the staircase, vanishing when approached. George and Kathy claimed to see a demonic pig-like creature with glowing red eyes peering into the bedroom windows. Their daughter Missy named it “Jodie; sometimes she said she saw Jodie as a pig, other times as a monstrous angel.” Invisible forces allegedly scratching and pushing family members.
George discovered a small hidden room, painted entirely red, in the basement, behind a shelving unit, which he claimed gave him an overwhelming sense of dread. The family dog, Harry, was terrified of it and refused to go near. The Lutzes believed this room had been used for occult rituals or as a portal for dark forces.
Kathy developed mysterious welts and red marks on her body overnight.One night, George reportedly woke up to see Kathy transformed: her face aged grotesquely into an old hag before returning to normal. George reportedly became increasingly angry, brooding, and obsessed with the house. He neglected his business, lost weight, and developed a foul temper. Kathy had nightmares about the DeFeo murders, sometimes waking up sobbing.
A local priest, Father Ralph Pecoraro (called Father Mancuso in the book), was asked to bless the house. During the blessing, he reportedly heard a deep, disembodied voice growl: “Get out!” Father Mancuso later suffered blistering on his hands, a high fever, and claimed he experienced unexplained disturbances at his own residence.
After 28 days, the Lutzes fled, leaving their belongings behind. They refused to return. The Lutze family sent a mover to pack all of their possessions. The house was put up for sale. The Lutzes claimed the house was haunted by violent suernatural forces. After fleeing, the Lutzes participated in a press conference and later a series of investigations with psychics and paranormal researchers, including Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed and Lorraine Warren, famed paranormal investigators, conducted an investigation in 1976. They claimed the house was infested by a “very powerful, very negative entity.” A particular investigation captured the famous photograph of a “ghost boy” peering from a doorway, who is said to resemble one of the murderd DeFeo Children, but later contested as possibly being a human boy.
Jay Anson’s 1977 book The Amityville Horror: A True Story became a bestseller. The 1979 film adaptation brought worldwide fame to the case, spawning sequels, remakes, and many films.
Journalists and researchers found inconsistencies in the Lutzes’ stories. Lawsuits emerged between the Lutz family, DeFeo’s lawyer William Weber, and others—during which Weber claimed they “created” the story; over bottles of wine to profit. Paranormal researchers like Joe Nickell and others concluded the story was exaggerated or fabricated. Subsequent owners of 112 Ocean Avenue reported no paranormal activity. George and Kathy Lutz, until their deaths, insisted they experienced real and terrifying event. The Amityville Horror became one of America’s most famous haunted house stories. It inspired over 20 films, documentaries, and countless books. Phrases like “the Amityville house” have become shorthand for paranormal horror. It sparked debates on belief vs. skepticism in paranormal phenomena.
The Amityville Horror remains a modern American legend blending true crime, alleged supernatural events, media sensationalism, and commercial storytelling.
Whether seen as a genuine haunting, a tragic consequence of mental illness, or an elaborate hoax, the story endures—both as a cultural cautionary tale and as a fascinating study of how myth can grow from tragedy.
The million dollar house, which is in a residential area, is currently occupied, no spectators are allowed inside, and the house has been renovated, the eye windows were removed, and the address was changed. No paranormal activities have been reported at the house since the Lutzes moved out.
