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Amityville Horror: Where Do You Stand?

Did Something Supernatural Happen in Amityville?

  • No, it's a Hoax all the way and the Lutz family lied through their teeth

    Votes: 43 46.2%

  • No, but the Lutz family convinced themselves & the Warrens it was real over the years

    Votes: 28 30.1%

  • Yes, but it wasn't at all to the level of the book, just a minor haunting

    Votes: 20 21.5%

  • Yes, and it was exactly what was in the book

    Votes: 2 2.2%

  • Yes, but only the psychic impressions of the case were real - no material haunting

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    93
MGM is going to produce a 4-part documentary called Amityville: An Origin Story. This is the description up at Fangoria:
AMITYVILLE: AN ORIGIN STORY tells the story behind the world’s most infamous haunted house tale: the Amityville murders. The project is the first elevated look at every aspect of this wildly layered story about the heinous murder of a family of six that became eclipsed by paranormal controversy. 

The 1979 blockbuster film, The Amityville Horror, inspired by the book of the same title by Jay Anson spawned an ever-expanding universe of movies, books, supernatural theories, and horror superfans. But the mass murder behind the hauntings—and its alleged ties to organized crime—left a long trail of questions that have never been fully explored. 

Rooted in the dark cultural undercurrents of the 1970s, the series features firsthand accounts from witnesses, family members, and former investigators appearing on-camera for the first time. Exclusive archival footage, newly unearthed images, and stunning original photography are woven together into the most compelling and comprehensive telling of the Amityville story yet, taking viewers on a heart-pounding roller coaster ride through the mythology, factual record, and devastating human toll of this notorious meta-narrative. 
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sherbetbizarre said:
The actual numbers on Ocean Avenue run 106, 108 (112) & 120...
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And for some reason Google maps labels the house 110. Probably to deter tourists. Not that the big blur on street views doesn't call attention to it.

Edit: And there's a #114 further down the shared driveway/cul de sac, before you turn around to get to 120.
 
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I know that someone removed the iconic 'eyes' windows from the front of the house a long time ago but I wonder what happened to those window frames?. I hope they didn't just get thrown away. They'd be worth a fortune to collectors.
 
Photos from outside and inside the house from 2010 when it was sold:
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/real-amityville-horror-house.php

I suspect the eye windows were reduced to scrap when they were removed, but considering the various remodeling I've seen done on the long-standing program This Old House, they could likely be restored fairly easily.

However, I found this at a wiki-edq fan site for the series Warehouse 13 - is this from an episode of the series? If not, it might indicate from the photo that somebody does own those windows!
https://warehouse-13-artifact-database.fandom.com/wiki/Amityville_House_Windows
 
MrRING said:
Photos from outside and inside the house from 2010 when it was sold:
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/real-amityville-horror-house.php

I suspect the eye windows were reduced to scrap when they were removed, but considering the various remodeling I've seen done on the long-standing program This Old House, they could likely be restored fairly easily.

However, I found this at a wiki-edq fan site for the series Warehouse 13 - is this from an episode of the series? If not, it might indicate from the photo that somebody does own those windows!
https://warehouse-13-artifact-database.fandom.com/wiki/Amityville_House_Windows
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From one of the comments at the bottom:

The Window pictured above is from the first film which is a Movie prop from when they filmed at the Peterson Home on Brooks Road in Toms River, NJ. The actual windows from the actual house were removed by the O'Reileys who installed the now current square windows. The wearabouts are unknown but believed toi have been destroyed by the O'Reileys.
 
"Amityville Horror House" from 2021 is a documentary, and is on our Travel Channel right now, a 2 hour factual show.
Amazing that the original priest, Father Ralph Pecoraro, states on camera that the very first day the Lutz family moved into the house, he went there to bless the home.
He states that he got to the 'sewing room' and it was horrendously cold and he wondered why.
George Lutz states that having the house blessed may have unleashed the evil there.
Really interesting.
Here it is if anyone is interested:

 
Swifty said:
I know that someone removed the iconic 'eyes' windows from the front of the house a long time ago but I wonder what happened to those window frames?. I hope they didn't just get thrown away. They'd be worth a fortune to collectors.
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Considering that none of the recent owners wanted the publicity, I doubt the value to collectors mattered. I'm sure they were thrown away.
 
More tragedy right on that old river across the street from where I lived at one time, this from 1944, a bus ended up in the river. Not sure exactly how many lost their lives.

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From March 25, 1944:
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I lived in the building next to the one at the far left of the photo.
 
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I was able to watch the 4-part series Amityville: An Origin Story. It featured discussion with friends of the DeFeo and the Lutz families as well as Christopher (Lutz) Quarantino and the various investigators (or their heirs) along the way. There were interviews (historic) with Ronnie DeFeo, Hanz Holzer, and recordings of Lorraine Warren.

There was quite a bit of new information about Ronnie DeFeo and George Lutz that I didn't know. Some of this content was aired for the first time.

It focuses heavily on the movie, the books, and the sequels. Not many of the people involved come out looking good. Being that's it's produced by MGM+, they had the rights to show many movie clips. This was well worth watching if you can rent it or eventually gain access on streaming.

The DeFeo and the Lutz families were both seriously messed up. At the end the suggestion is that not only was Ronnie DeFeo suffering from a serious personality disorder aggravated by the violence in his home and drug use that caused him to commit 6 murders, but that George, who also had a serious personality disorder, ended up believing he was possessed and destroyed his own family, albeit in a less horrific way. The idea that demons might be responsible for both men's experiences is left open, as is the idea that the next disturbed, antisocial person who moves into that house will start the process again.
 
I should look this up but I think Christopher has commented on this before. Details are struggling to come to my mind's fore, but I think it was a BBC documentary interviewing DeFeo before he died and the show touched on the ghostly aspects. One of the children was definitely interviewed. If it wasn't Christopher it must have been Danny.
I don't know if Missy has ever commented on the matter.
 
Amityville came from a heritage of ‘experience’ movies. We’d had big ticket sensurround movies like Earthquake and Jaws and Close Encounters. I cannot stress how highly these movies were publicised in not just the normal media but also in specialist magazines long faded into obscurity. Reports came from St.John’s Ambulance attending screenings of The Exorcist ( I needed one to stop me laughing but that’s another story). From what I remember from seeing it at the cinema, it was a solid 3.5/10 but media was totally revelling in the murder aspect.
 
Analogue Boy said:
Amityville came from a heritage of ‘experience’ movies. We’d had big ticket sensurround movies like Earthquake and Jaws and Close Encounters. I cannot stress how highly these movies were publicised in not just the normal media but also in specialist magazines long faded into obscurity. Reports came from St.John’s Ambulance attending screenings of The Exorcist ( I needed one to stop me laughing but that’s another story). From what I remember from seeing it at the cinema, it was a solid 3.5/10 but media was totally revelling in the murder aspect.
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Episode 3 of the new documentary touches on the movies around and being hyped, specifically The Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary's Baby.
 
Well that obviously proves I don’t need to see the documentary as those were reference points I was going to make except for Rosemary’s Baby which was way earlier.
These things were cultural reference points of the time and I guess to young people, as historical and relevant as the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
 
DrPaulLee said:
I should look this up but I think Christopher has commented on this before.
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Not to this extent. He always said the story was real, but this was his first time on camera actually giving details.

I wouldn't trust anything he says about his step-father though - especially his unhinged claim in episode 4.

Missy has never given an interview.
 
Analogue Boy said:
Amityville came from a heritage of ‘experience’ movies. We’d had big ticket sensurround movies like Earthquake and Jaws and Close Encounters. I cannot stress how highly these movies were publicised in not just the normal media but also in specialist magazines long faded into obscurity. Reports came from St.John’s Ambulance attending screenings of The Exorcist ( I needed one to stop me laughing but that’s another story). From what I remember from seeing it at the cinema, it was a solid 3.5/10 but media was totally revelling in the murder aspect.
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I was a St. John's Ambulance cadet at the time. We were asked for volunteers (over 18 years old natch' ) to attend the first screening in our area. The Brigade are happy to oblige when requested at public events - for a fee of course. All good publicity - none of us were convinced that there was a need.
 
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