When I was a kid (like 11 years old) I found a copy of The Amityville Horror in my local library and brought it home. I can still see the monsters I created in my imagination, even after seeing the movie several times. It was bone chilling.
Of course the book I read was about the family who moved into the home after the horrific murders that, to be fair, are the only known acts of horror to happen in the home.
Back in 1974, Ronald DeFeo took a shot gun and methodically went around his house and murdered his entire family. Six people in all.
One year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house. They reportedly lasted only 28 days there, claiming to have witnessed paranormal activity like odd noises, voices and green slime oozing from the walls.
Their experiences inspired the 1976 novel The Amityville Horror: A True Story, which was turned into a horror film in 1979 and remade in 2005 starring Ryan Reynolds.
No word on what caused DeFeo’s death.
BTW, the home still stands, but the current owners removed the “eyes” of the house. The creepy windows on the third floor.
