The Amityville House

The Amityville Horror is a haunting tale that has captured the attention of paranormal enthusiasts and skeptics alike. The story is centered around the infamous Amityville house, located in Long Island, New York, which has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and movies over the years. The Amityville house has become synonymous with horror, but what is the truth behind this eerie tale?

The Amityville house gained notoriety in 1974, when six members of the DeFeo family were brutally murdered in their sleep by their eldest son, Ronald DeFeo Jr. The murders were a shocking and tragic event that left the entire community reeling. DeFeo was eventually convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison.

The house remained vacant for over a year after the murders, until the Lutz family moved in. The Lutzes claimed that they experienced a series of terrifying events during their short time in the house. They reported seeing strange apparitions, hearing unexplained noises, and feeling a general sense of unease throughout the house.

The family eventually fled the house in the middle of the night, claiming that they could no longer bear to live there. They’re story caught the eye of Jay Anson, who was an American author. Anson was born in New York in 1921 and began his writing career as a copywriter for various advertising agencies. He later turned his attention to writing novels and non-fiction books.

Jay first learned about the Amityville house from an article that appeared in Newsday, a local Long Island newspaper. The article detailed the experiences of the Lutz family, who had moved into the house after the tragic murders of the DeFeo family.

According to Anson, he was immediately intrigued by the story and saw its potential as a book. He contacted the Lutz family and began conducting interviews with them, as well as with other individuals who had been associated with the house.

Anson spent several months researching and writing the book, which was published in 1977. The book was an immediate success and quickly became a bestseller. The story of the Amityville house and its alleged haunting captured the public's attention and became a cultural phenomenon.

The success of the book led to a number of movies based on the Amityville haunting. The first movie, "The Amityville Horror," was released in 1979 and starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The movie was a hit at the box office, grossing over $86 million worldwide. The movie followed the basic plot of the book, with the Lutz family moving into the house and experiencing a series of terrifying events. Over the years, there have been a number of other movies based on the Amityville haunting, including a remake of the original movie in 2005. There have also been numerous documentaries and TV specials about the house, all of which have helped to keep the legend alive.

But the hauntings have been (and continue to be) heavily debated among paranormal investigators, spiritualists, mediums and occultists. Take, for example, Hans Holzer who was a renowned paranormal researcher who investigated the Amityville house in the 1970s. Holzer had a long and distinguished career as a paranormal investigator, and he wrote over 120 books on the subject.

Holzer was one of the first investigators to look into the Amityville haunting, and he visited the house on several occasions. Holzer believed that the house was indeed haunted and that the Lutz family had experienced genuine paranormal activity.

Holzer's investigation of the Amityville house was chronicled in his book, "Murder in Amityville," which was published in 1979. In the book, Holzer described his experiences investigating the house and his interactions with the Lutz family. Holzer's investigation focused on the history of the property and the surrounding area, as well as on the alleged paranormal activity that had been reported by the Lutz family.

Holzer believed that the negative energy left behind by the murders had created a "psychic residue" in the house, which had attracted malevolent spirits. He also believed that the Lutz family had unwittingly stirred up the spirits when they moved into the house, which had resulted in the intense and terrifying paranormal activity they reported experiencing.

Holzer's theory that the haunting was linked to the murders appeared to be supported by other investigators who had reported similar phenomena in the house. For example, in 1979, a team of paranormal investigators led by Ed and Lorraine Warren also claimed that the haunting was linked to the murders.

And if you follow the paranormal, you’ve no doubt heard about Ed and Lorraine Warren, a husband and wife paranormal team whose stories have been told in movies such as The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Devil Made Me Do It.

The Warrens spent several days in the house, conducting interviews with the Lutz family and investigating the supposed paranormal activity. They claimed to have found evidence of a demonic presence in the house and to have communicated with the spirits of the murdered DeFeo family.

One of the most famous pieces of evidence that the Warrens claimed to have found in the house was a photograph that showed what appeared to be a ghostly boy peering out of one of the windows. The photograph became one of the most famous pieces of evidence of paranormal activity at the Amityville house, and it has been the subject of much debate over the years.

The Warrens also claimed to have experienced a number of paranormal phenomena during their time in the house, including strange smells, cold spots, and unexplained noises. They believed that the house was one of the most haunted places they had ever investigated, and they continued to speak about the Amityville haunting for many years afterwards.

However, like many aspects of the Amityville haunting, the Warrens' findings have been the subject of much controversy. Critics have accused the Warrens of being frauds and of fabricating evidence in order to support their claims of paranormal activity. Some have also pointed out that the Warrens had a vested interest in promoting the Amityville haunting, as it helped to promote their career as paranormal investigators.

In fact, the last two owners of the Amityville house have claimed that there is no paranormal activity in the house whatsoever. In an interview with Newsday in 2010, the then-owner, Brian Wilson, stated that he had never experienced any paranormal activity during his time in the house. He went on to say that the house was "just a house," and that the supposed hauntings were nothing more than a hoax.

The current owner of the house, however, has had a different experience. He has been so fed up with onlookers and paranormal enthusiasts coming to the house that he had the house remodeled to no longer resemble the way it did in the 70s, when word of the supposed hauntings got out. This has not stopped people from coming to the house, however, as the legend of the Amityville haunting still persists.

So, what is the truth behind the Amityville haunting? While it is impossible to say for sure, it is clear that there are many skeptics who believe that the hauntings were a hoax perpetuated by the Lutz’s in an attempt to be released from their mortgage, which they couldn’t afford.

The legend of the Amityville house has become deeply ingrained in popular culture, and that it continues to fascinate and frighten people to this day. While the truth behind the supposed paranormal activity may never be known, it is clear that the legend of the Amityville house will continue to endure. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there is no denying the power of a good ghost story, and the Amityville haunting is one of the best.