The Amityville Horror is one of the most famous alleged haunted house cases in American history, centred on a real mass murder in 1974 followed by sensational claims of demonic activity in 1975–1976. It inspired a bestselling book, a blockbuster film, and a long-running franchise of movies and sequels. While the underlying murders are undisputed facts, the supernatural elements have been heavily disputed, with key participants later admitting much of the story was fabricated or exaggerated for profit. Here is the complete story based on court records, police reports, contemporary accounts, and later investigations.
The DeFeo Murders (November 13, 1974)
The story begins at 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial Revival house in the suburban village of Amityville on Long Island, New York. The home had been occupied since 1965 by the DeFeo family: Ronald DeFeo Sr. (43, a car dealership worker), his wife Louise DeFeo (43), and their five children—Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John Matthew (9). Their eldest son, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. (23), lived with them and worked as an auto mechanic. The family was known locally as affluent but troubled; Butch had a history of drug use (including LSD and heroin), violent outbursts, and conflicts with his father. In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974 (around 3:00 a.m.), Butch DeFeo used a .35-caliber lever-action Marlin 336C rifle to systematically shoot all six family members while they were in their beds. The parents were each shot twice; the children received single shots. All victims were found face-down in their beds with no signs of struggle or forced entry. Physical evidence suggested that Louise and Allison may have been awake at the time of their deaths. There were no reports of gunshots from neighbours, and no silencer was used on the rifle. Later that evening, around 6:30 p.m., Butch walked into Henry’s Bar in Amityville and told patrons, “You got to help me! I think my mother and father are shot!” He led a small group (including a friend) back to the house. Police were called and discovered the bodies. Butch initially claimed the killings were a mob hit carried out by a man named Louis Falini. The story quickly fell apart under questioning. The next day, he confessed: “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. It went so fast.” He admitted to drugging the family (though no drugs were found in their systems), bathing, changing clothes, disposing of evidence, and going to work as usual that day. Prosecutors suggested a possible motive involving life insurance money and family tensions.
DeFeo’s seven-week trial began in October 1975. His lawyer, William Weber, mounted an insanity defense, claiming Butch heard voices commanding the killings and had no memory of the acts. Psychiatric experts disagreed; one diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder. On November 21, 1975, a jury convicted him on six counts of second-degree murder. In December 1975, he was sentenced to six consecutive terms of 25 years to life.
Over the decades in prison, DeFeo gave multiple conflicting accounts—sometimes claiming his sister Dawn was involved, sometimes implicating friends or family plots—but none were substantiated, and appeals were denied. He died in prison on March 12, 2021, at age 69.The house sat empty for 13 months after the murders, becoming known locally as “the murder house.”The Lutz Family Moves In (December 1975)In December 1975, George Lutz (a 28-year-old land surveyor and former Marine) and his wife Kathleen “Kathy” Lutz (with three young children from her previous marriage—Daniel, 9; Christopher, 7; and Melissa, 5) purchased the house at a bargain price of $80,000 (well below market value, sold “as-is” with most furnishings still inside). They moved in on December 18, 1975, along with their dog, Harry. The family was unaware of (or undeterred by) the house’s recent violent history, though they later said they had been told about the murders.Before moving in, they had the house blessed by a Catholic priest, Father Ralph J. Pecoraro (called “Father Mancuso” in later accounts).
According to the Lutzes’ later claims, strange things began almost immediately after the blessing.The Alleged Paranormal Activity (28 Days of Terror)The Lutzes claimed they endured 28 days of escalating demonic activity that forced them to flee on January 14, 1976, abandoning most of their belongings. They described the phenomena in interviews and later to author Jay Anson, who turned their 45 hours of taped recollections into the 1977 book The Amityville Horror: A True Story. Key claims included:Auditory and physical disturbances: Doors and windows slamming shut on their own, mysterious footsteps, a marching band sound in the living room, and a child’s voice saying “Daddy, help me” or similar pleas.
Olfactory and visual horrors:
A pervasive stench like rotting meat or excrement; swarms of flies appearing in the winter; green or black slime oozing from walls, ceilings, and staircases; and a “Red Room” in the basement that caused intense fear.
Apparitions and entities: A demonic pig-like creature with glowing red eyes named “Jodie” that spoke to the family and could become invisible; shadowy figures; a levitating Kathy Lutz above her bed; and a ghostly boy figure (later captured in a controversial infrared photo during an investigation).
Time-specific phenomena:
George waking up at exactly 3:15 a.m. every night (roughly the time of the murders); cold spots; objects moving or being thrown; and the family dog becoming aggressive or terrified.
External effects:
The priest allegedly heard a voice saying “Get out” during the blessing, suffered a high fever and blisters afterward, and had his car break down repeatedly near the house. Phenomena reportedly followed the family to Kathy’s mother’s home in Deer Park after they fled.
The Lutzes said the activity intensified to the point that they feared for their lives and sanity. They consulted paranormal investigators, including Ed and Lorraine Warren, who visited on March 6, 1976, and claimed to confirm demonic infestation through infrared photography and other methods.
Public Revelation, the Book, and the FilmThe Lutzes first went public in a February 1976 Newsday article. In September 1977, Jay Anson’s book was published and became a massive bestseller (estimated 10 million copies sold). It was marketed as a true story and portrayed the events as a battle against demonic forces tied to the house’s violent past (and, in some versions, an ancient Shinnecock Indian burial ground or satanic rituals—claims later rejected by the tribe and historians).The 1979 film adaptation, starring James Brolin as George and Margot Kidder as Kathy, with Rod Steiger as the priest, was a huge commercial success and one of the top-grossing independent films of its era. It spawned numerous sequels, remakes (including a 2005 version with Ryan Reynolds), and spin-offs, many of which fictionalized or dramatized elements further. The franchise continues to this day.
Controversies, Lawsuits, and the Hoax Revelations
Almost from the start, scepticism surrounded the story. Investigators found numerous inconsistencies: no snowfall occurred on the date claimed for cloven hoofprints in the snow; the Lutzes never called police despite the alleged terrors; subsequent owners (including James and Barbara Cromarty, who lived there for 10 years starting in 1977) reported no unusual activity whatsoever and even sued the Lutzes over damage claims that proved false. The “Red Room” was just a known basement closet. Father Pecoraro later provided an affidavit stating his only contact with the Lutzes was by telephone—he denied entering the house or experiencing most of the events attributed to him.In 1977, the Lutzes filed a $4.5 million lawsuit against William Weber (DeFeo’s former lawyer), various media outlets, and others, alleging invasion of privacy and mental distress related to the story’s exploitation. Weber countersued. During the legal proceedings, Weber publicly admitted in a September 1979 People magazine interview: “I know this book is a hoax. We created this horror story over many bottles of wine.” He claimed he, George Lutz, and others had concocted the tale as part of a book deal scheme tied to DeFeo’s defence. Judge Jack B. Weinstein dismissed the Lutzes’ case in 1979, noting that the book appeared to be largely fictional and relied heavily on Weber’s suggestions. The Lutzes themselves reportedly admitted in court that “virtually everything in The Amityville Horror was pure fiction.
”George Lutz maintained until his death in 2006 that the core events were “mostly true” but possibly exaggerated, while Kathy (who died in 2004) largely stood by the story. Polygraph tests taken by the Lutzes in 1979 were interpreted by some experts as showing no deception, but polygraphs are not considered reliable. Later owners, police records, and independent probes (including by sceptics like Stephen Kaplan) found no evidence of hauntings. The house has changed hands multiple times since; the address was eventually altered to deter tourists, and no credible paranormal activity has been reported by residents.
Legacy and the Real Horror
The DeFeo murders remain the only verified tragedy at the house—a brutal family annihilation with no supernatural explanation required. DeFeo’s changing stories, drug use, and family dysfunction provide a grim but earthly motive. The Lutz family’s brief occupancy and dramatic exit turned a local crime into a global phenomenon, but the weight of evidence, legal admissions, and lack of corroboration from later occupants strongly indicate the “haunting” was a hoax or gross exaggeration born from financial motives, sensationalism, and the era’s fascination with the occult.
The Amityville story endures as a cultural touchstone for haunted-house lore, even as most serious researchers classify it as one of the great literary hoaxes of the 20th century. The true horror lies in the real loss of six innocent lives in 1974, not in demons or slime. The house still stands today, a quiet suburban home whose infamous past continues to draw curiosity seekers despite efforts to move on.
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