The Amityville House has been part of horror folklore ever since Ronald DeFoe Jr. killed his entire family in the home in 1974. The family who moved in after the murders claimed the house was haunted and moved out after only 28 days before books and movies kept the tale of horror alive.
Hoax or not, the Amityville House will forever be known as America’s most haunted house. Thanks, in large, to a multitude of movies, people still flock to the house on 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. You can’t visit the house as it’s on private property, no tours exist, and the owners don’t entertain curious visitors.
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What Is The Amityville House Famous For?
The Amityville House is famous for being a haunted house, a house where Ronald DeFeo Jr. Shot four of his siblings and his parents to death in 1974. DeFeo Jr. claimed that he was instructed by voices in his head to kill everyone in the house.
The Lutz family moved into the home a year after the horrific massacre and famously moved out after only 28 days, selling the property at a loss, claiming that the paranormal activity in the house was too much to bear.
When a book, The Amityville Horror, written by Jay Anson (after consultation with the Lutz family), was released in 1977, it purposefully started the Amityville House franchise. Many movies, series, and documentaries have kept the story relevant for many a generation.
Is The Amityville House Murderer Still Alive?
Ronald DeFeo Jr. was sentenced to 6 consecutive life sentences of 25 years in a maximum-security prison in Sullivan County, New York. He died at 69 while still incarcerated for the crime of killing his family.
What Is The Adress Of The Amityville House?
You will find the Amityville House at 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, on the southern shore of Long Island, New York.
Has The Address For The Amityville House Been Changed?
The real address for the Amityville House was 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York. The address was later changed to 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York, in a deliberate effort to confuse and deter tourists from visiting the privately owned house.
What Does The Amityville House Look Like Today?
The Amityville House is a huge Dutch Colonial House with 5 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms, a double garage, and a beautiful boat house. Here are some photos of the Amityville House from when it went on sale for $850,000 in 2016.
Can You Take A Tour Inside The Amityville House?
The only way you will ever be allowed to tour the house is when you buy it. Or if you know the current owners (who, by the way, are not fond of people constantly knocking on their door asking for a house tour.)
Can You Take Photos Of The Amityville House?
Seeing that you’re not allowed on the property and cannot pay for a tour, a couple of photos of you in front of the property is as legally close as you may get to the famous “haunted” house. Respect the owner’s privacy, and remember that trespassing on private property is an offense.
Is The Amityville House On The Market?
The last time the Amityville House was listed was in 2016. The current owners bought the house for $605,000 in March 2017.
How Many Families Have Lived In The Amityville House?
Several families, notably George and Kathy Lutz (1975), Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1977-1987), Peter and Jeanne O’Neil (1987-1997), Brian Wilson (from 1997-2010), and Caroline and David D’Antonio (2010-2016) lived in the house before selling it to the current owners.
Have Any Other Amityville House Owners Reported Paranormal Activity?
After the Lutz family fled the house in January of 1976, no other owner has ever reported any paranormal activity. It appears that only the Lutz family was “afflicted” by the Amityville House.
Has The Amityville House Been Renovated?
“The Amityville Horror” movie perfectly portrays the house as an evil living entity. The two windows on the side of the house looked like “evil eyes” and were later changed by the owners, along with other renovations to throw off curious fans.
What Did The Sign In Front Of Amityville House Read?
When the DeFeo family moved into the Amityville House, a sign in front of the house read “High Hopes.”
Why Did The Lutz Family Sell The Amityville House?
George Lutz claimed that since his family moved into the Amityville House, they immediately started to notice green slime oozing out keyholes and walls, strange odors, cold spots in certain areas, swine-like red-eyed creature staring through windows, and Kathy Lutz levitating off a bed.
The family decided to get a priest to come to bless the house and chose Father Ralph J. Pecoraro to perform the blessing. According to George, the priest heard a masculine voice that demanded him to “get out” before suffering from a type of “stigmata.”
All in all, the flies during wintertime, black stains in the toilets, demonic marching bands, moving furniture, shifting crucifixes, clove prints in the snow, and overall paranormal madness made the Lutz family act weird, and they moved to escape the “evil.”
How Much Did George Lutz Make From The Amityville House?
According to the Washington Post, George Lutz admitted to being paid $100,000 in the book deal and a further $100,000 when the first movie was released.
What Happened To The Amityville Houses’ Lutz Family?
George Lutz died in 2006 after his ex-wife Kathleen died in 2004. In 2012, the very private Daniel Lutz (Who was ten years old when the Lutz family moved into the Amityville House) was convinced to participate in a documentary called “My Amityville Horror.”
How Many Amityville Horror Movies Are There?
The first movie about the haunted house in Amityville was released in 1977, fittingly called “The Amityville Horror.” The movie starred Josh Brolin and Margot Kidder. The most recent movie was made in 2017, titled “Amityville: The Awakening.”
The Amityville list of movies is extensive, with some movies being spin-offs of the original story, prequels, and remakes. The collection of movies that combine to make the Amityville series doesn’t rhyme or reason and makes no chronological sense.
Was The Original Amityville House Used In The Movies?
After officials in Amityville, New York, refused permission to shoot at 112 Ocean Avenue, the movie’s on-location sequences were shot at a private mansion in Toms River, New Jersey, which had been transformed to resemble the real Amityville House.
For the 2005 remake, starring Ryan Reynolds, an authentic Victorian property from the 1800s was used. The house was given a makeover to include the now-iconic quarter-moon “eye” windows. Located at 27618 Silver Lake Road, the home is in Salem.
Is The Story Of The Amityville House A Hoax?
The DeFeo family died at the hand of their son and brother Ronald DeFeo Jr. who claimed he heard voices at the time of the murders. This part of the story is set in stone. On the other hand, the Lutz family story has been debunked as a hoax.
