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The Amityville Horror - A True Story is a best-selling book by the author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. The book has also formed the basis of a series of films made between 1979 and 2005. The story is said to be based on actual paranormal events, but has led to controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness.[1] Image File history File links Amityvillecover. ...
Jay Anson (4 November 1921-12 March 1980) was an American author whose first (and most famous) work was The Amityville Horror. ...
For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ...
A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ...
Pearson can mean Pearson PLC the media conglomerate. ...
is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
Jay Anson (4 November 1921-12 March 1980) was an American author whose first (and most famous) work was The Amityville Horror. ...
// Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of reported anomalous phenomena. ...
For the Wikipedia policy regarding controversial issues in articles, see Wikipedia:Guidelines for controversial articles. ...
It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ...
Plot summary In December 1975, George and Kathleen Lutz and their children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, a suburban neighborhood located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Thirteen months before the Lutzes moved in, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. had shot dead six members of his family at the house. After 28 days the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there. This biography cites very few or no references or sources. ...
Poster advertising the 1979 film The Amityville Horror. ...
Example of Dutch Colonial Revival, Plainfield, NJ. Dutch Colonial is a style of American domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves on the long sides. ...
Amityville is a village in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. ...
This article is about the island in New York State. ...
“NY†redirects here. ...
Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
// Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of reported anomalous phenomena. ...
The book - This section is based on the version of events in Jay Anson's 1977 book The Amityville Horror - A True Story.
 Jay Anson (1921-1980) was the author of The Amityville Horror
 How 112 Ocean Avenue was advertised 112 Ocean Avenue remained empty for thirteen months after the DeFeo murders until December 1975, when George and Kathleen Lutz bought the house for what was considered to be a bargain price of $80,000. The six-bedroomed house was built in the Dutch Colonial style, and had a distinctive gambrel roof. It also had a swimming pool and a boathouse, since it overlooked a river. George and Kathy had married in July 1975 and had their own homes, but wanted to start afresh with a new property. Kathy had three children from a previous marriage, Daniel, 9, Christopher, 7, and Melissa (Missy), 5. They also owned a crossbreed malamute/labrador dog named Harry. During their first inspection of the house, the real estate broker told them about the DeFeo murders the previous November, and asked if this changed their opinion about wanting to buy it. After discussing the matter, they decided that it was not an issue. Jay Anson (4 November 1921-12 March 1980) was an American author whose first (and most famous) work was The Amityville Horror. ...
Image File history File links Jay_Anson. ...
Image File history File links Jay_Anson. ...
Jay Anson (4 November 1921-12 March 1980) was an American author whose first (and most famous) work was The Amityville Horror. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...
Example of Dutch Colonial Revival, Plainfield, NJ. Dutch Colonial is a style of American domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves on the long sides. ...
A gambrel is a symmetrical two sided roof with two slopes, the upper slope being less steep. ...
This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...
Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, USA. Rowing boats stored inside a boathouse in Israel. ...
This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...
The Labrador Retriever (Labrador or Lab for short), is one of several kinds of retriever, and is the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
A real estate broker is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy. ...
The Lutz family moved in on December 18, 1975. Much of the furniture of the DeFeo family was still in the house, since it had been included as part of the deal. A friend of George Lutz learned about the past history of the house, and insisted on having it blessed. At the time, George was a non-practicing Methodist and had no experience of what this would entail. Kathy was a non-practicing Catholic and explained the process. George knew a Catholic priest named Father Ray who agreed to carry out the house blessing. (In Anson's book the priest is referred to as Father Mancuso. This was done for reasons of privacy and the now-deceased priest's real name was Father Ralph J. Pecoraro).[2] is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ...
Father Mancuso was a lawyer, a Judge of the Catholic Court and a psychotherapist who lived at the local Sacred Heart Rectory. He arrived to perform the blessing while George and Kathy were unpacking their belongings on the afternoon of December 18, 1975, and went in to the building to carry out the rites. When he flicked the first holy water and began to pray, he heard a masculine voice say clearly Get out! When leaving the house, Father Mancuso did not mention this incident to either George or Kathy. On December 24, 1975 Father Mancuso telephoned George Lutz and advised him to stay out of the room where he had heard the unearthly voice telling him to get out. This was a room on the second floor that Kathy planned to use as a sewing room, and had formerly been the bedroom of Marc and John Matthew DeFeo. The telephone call was cut dead by static, and following his visit to the house on Ocean Avenue Father Mancuso allegedly developed a high fever and blisters on his hands similar to stigmata. Image File history File links Pecoraro. ...
Psychotherapy is a set of techniques believed to cure or to help solve behavioral and other psychological problems in humans. ...
is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Francis of Assisi, an early stigmatic. ...
At first, George and Kathy Lutz experienced nothing unusual in the house. Talking about their experiences subsequently, they reported that it was as if they "were each living in a different house."
Some of the experiences of the Lutz family at the house have been described as follows:
- George would wake up around 3:15 every morning and would go out to check the boathouse. Later he would learn that this was the estimated time of the DeFeo killings.
- The house was plagued by swarms of flies despite the winter weather.
- Kathy had vivid nightmares about the murders and discovered the order in which they occurred, and the rooms where they took place. The Lutzes' children also began sleeping on their stomachs, in the same way that the dead bodies in the DeFeo murders had been found.
- Kathy would feel a sensation as if "being embraced" in a loving manner, by an unseen force.
- Kathy discovered a small hidden room (around four feet by five feet) behind shelving in the basement. The walls were painted red and the room did not appear in the blueprints of the house. The room came to be known as "The Red Room." This room had a profound effect on their dog Harry, who refused to go near it and cowered as if sensing something negative.
- There were cold spots and odors of perfume and excrement in areas of the house where no wind drafts or piping would explain the source.
- The Lutzes' five year old daughter, Missy, developed an imaginary friend named "Jodie," a demonic pig-like creature with glowing red eyes.
- George would be woken up by the sound of the front door slamming. He would race downstairs to find the dog sleeping soundly at the front door. Nobody else heard the sound although it was loud enough to wake the house.
- George would hear what was described as a "German marching band tuning up" or what sounded like a clock radio playing not quite on frequency. When he went downstairs the noise would cease.
- George realized that he bore a strong resemblance to Ronald DeFeo, Jr., and began drinking at The Witches' Brew, the bar where DeFeo was once a regular customer.
- While checking the boathouse one night, George saw a pair of red eyes looking at him from Missy's bedroom window. When he went upstairs to her room, there was nothing to be found. Later it was suggested that it could have been "Jodie".
- While in bed, Kathy received red welts on her chest caused by an unseen force and was levitated two feet off the bed.
- Locks, doors and windows in the house were damaged by an unseen force.
- Cloven hoofprints attributed to an enormous pig appeared in the snow outside the house on January 1, 1976.
- Green slime oozed from walls in the hall, and also from the keyhole of the playroom door in the attic.
- A 12-inch crucifix hung in a closet by Kathy revolved until it was upside down and gave off a sour smell.
- George tripped over a four foot high china lion which was an ornament in the living room, and was left with bite marks on one of his ankles.
- George saw Kathy transform into an old woman of ninety, "the hair wild, a shocking white, the face a mass of wrinkles and ugly lines, and saliva dripping from the toothless mouth."
 George and Kathy Lutz surrounded by media coverage of the case After deciding that something was wrong with their house that they could not explain rationally, George and Kathy Lutz carried out a blessing of their own on January 8, 1976. George held a silver crucifix while they both recited the Lord's Prayer, and while in the living room George allegedly heard a chorus of voices telling them “Will you stop!” Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
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January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Crucifix, a cross with corpus, a symbol used in Catholicism in contrast with some other Christian communions, which use only a cross. ...
The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch. ...
By mid-January of 1976, and after another attempt at a house blessing by George and Kathy, they experienced what would turn out to be their final night in the house. The Lutzes declined to give a full account of the events that took place on this occasion, describing them as "too frightening."
After getting in touch with Father Mancuso, the Lutzes decided to take some belongings and stay at Kathy’s mother’s house in nearby Deer Park, New York until they had sorted out the problems with the house. On January 14, 1976 George and Kathy Lutz, with their three children and their dog Harry, left 112 Ocean Avenue leaving most of their possessions behind. The next day, a mover came in to remove all of the possessions to send to the Lutzes. He reported no paranormal phenomena while inside the house. [3] Deer Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. ...
is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The book was written after Tam Mossman, an editor at the publishing house Prentice Hall, introduced George and Kathy Lutz to Jay Anson. The Lutzes did not work directly with Anson, but submitted around 45 hours of tape recorded recollections to him which were used as the basis of the book. Estimates of the sales of the book are around ten million copies from its numerous editions. Anson is said to have based the title of The Amityville Horror on The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft, which was published in 1929. 1. ...
Pearson can mean Pearson PLC the media conglomerate. ...
The Dunwich Horror is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. ...
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ...
The story of The Amityville Horror has been continued in a series of books by John G. Jones. These are The Amityville Horror Part II (1982), Amityville - The Final Chapter (1985), Amityville - The Evil Escapes (1988) and Amityville - The Horror Returns (1989).
In 1991, Amityville - The Nightmare Continues by Robin Karl was published. [4]
Criticisms
 This cover of The Amityville Horror stresses its claim to be based on fact Much of the controversy surrounding The Amityville Horror can be traced back to the way that it has been marketed over the years. The cover of the book shown on the right implies that it is based on verifiable events. A quote from a review in the Los Angeles Times displayed on the front cover states: "A FASCINATING, FRIGHTENING BOOK... THE SCARIEST TRUE STORY I HAVE READ IN YEARS", while the tagline at the bottom states: "MORE HIDEOUSLY FRIGHTENING THAN THE EXORCIST BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!" The reference to The Exorcist is revealing, since the 1973 film had been a huge box office success and was one of the major cultural events of the 1970s. Many of the incidents in the book recall the style of The Exorcist, and this is one of the reasons why it has aroused suspicion. Image File history File links AmityvilleHorrorCover. ...
Image File history File links AmityvilleHorrorCover. ...
This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ...
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ...
The Exorcist is an Academy Award-winning 1973 American horror and thriller film, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted...
In the afterword of The Amityville Horror Jay Anson states: "There is simply too much independent corroboration of their narrative to support the speculation that [the Lutzes] either imagined or fabricated these events", but some people remained unconvinced. Almost as soon as the book was published in September 1977, other writers and researchers began looking into the events at 112 Ocean Avenue, and the conclusions that they reached were often at odds with those that had appeared in Anson's book.
The role of Father Pecoraro in the story has been given considerable attention. During the course of the lawsuit surrounding the case in the late 1970s, Father Pecoraro stated in an affidavit that his only contact with the Lutzes concerning the matter had been by telephone. [5] Other accounts say that Father Pecoraro did visit the house but experienced nothing unusual there. [6] Father Pecoraro gave what may have been his only on-camera interview about his recollections during an edition of In Search of... broadcast in 1980. In Search of.. was a series of half-hour television documentaries about the paranormal, and was narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Father Pecoraro's face was obscured during the interview to preserve his anonymity. In the interview, he repeated the claim that he heard a voice saying "Get out", but stopped short of giving it a paranormal origin. He also stated that he felt a slap on his face during the visit, and that he did subsequently experience blistering on his hands. As with many areas of The Amityville Horror, the inconsistent accounts given by Father Pecoraro about the extent of his involvement with the Lutz family lead to more questions than answers. An affidavit is a formal sworn statement of fact, signed by the declarant (who is called the affiant), and witnessed (as to the veracity of the affiants signature) by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public. ...
In Search Of . ...
Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. ...
 Barbara Cromarty points out an apparently undamaged window at 112 Ocean Avenue The claims of physical damage to the locks, doors and windows were rejected by Jim and Barbara Cromarty, who moved into the house after the Lutzes. In a television interview filmed at the house for That's Incredible!, Barbara Cromarty argued that they appeared to be the original items and had not been repaired. The That's Incredible! feature also showed that the "Red Room" was a small closet in the basement, and was known to the previous owners of the house since it was not concealed in any way. The claim made in Chapter 11 of the book that the house was built on a site where the local Shinnecock Indians had once abandoned the mentally ill and the dying was rejected by local Native American leaders. [7] The claim of cloven hoofprints in the snow on January 1, 1976 was rejected by other researchers, since a check on the weather records showed that there had been no snow in Amityville on the day in question. Neighbors reported nothing unusual during the time that the Lutzes were living there. Police officers are shown visiting the house in the book and 1979 film, but records showed that the Lutzes did not call the police during the period that they were living on Ocean Avenue. [8] There was no bar in Amityville called The Witches' Brew at the time, and Ronald DeFeo, Jr. was a regular at Henry's Bar, a short distance from 112 Ocean Avenue. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Thats Incredible! was a television show that ran on the ABC television network from 1980 to 1984 in the USA. In the tradition of Ripleys Believe It or Not and Real People, this television show had people perform stunts or descriptions and reenactments of allegedly paranormal events. ...
The Shinnecock Indian Nation is an Algonquian tribe in Southampton (town), New York on the east end of Long Island in the Hamptons. ...
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ...
is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
In May 1977 George and Kathy Lutz filed a lawsuit against William Weber (the defense lawyer for Ronald DeFeo, Jr. at his trial), Paul Hoffman (a writer working on an account of the hauntings), Bernard Burton and Frederick Mars (both alleged clairvoyants who had examined the house), along with Good Housekeeping magazine , the New York Sunday News and the Hearst Corporation, all of which had published articles related to the hauntings. The Lutzes alleged invasion of privacy, misappropriation of names for trade purposes, and mental distress, and claimed $4.5 million in damages. Hoffman, Weber, and Burton immediately filed a countersuit for $2 million alleging fraud and breach of contract. The claims against the news corporations were dropped for lack of evidence, and the remainder of the lawsuit was heard by Brooklyn U.S. District Court judge Jack B. Weinstein. In September 1979 Judge Weinstein dismissed the Lutzes' claims and observed in his ruling: "Based on what I have heard, it appears to me that to a large extent the book is a work of fiction, relying in a large part upon the suggestions of Mr. Weber." In the September 17, 1979 issue of People Magazine, William Weber wrote: "I know this book is a hoax. We created this horror story over many bottles of wine." This refers to a meeting that Weber is said to have had with George and Kathy Lutz, during which they discussed what would later become the outline of Anson's book. Judge Weinstein also expressed concern about the conduct of William Weber and Bernard Burton relating to the affair, stating: “There is a very serious ethical question when lawyers become literary agents.” [9] It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ...
Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
Paul Hoffman has been publisher of Encyclopædia Britannica since June 1997. ...
Clairvoyance is defined as a form of radio waves). ...
A cover of Good Housekeeping from 1908. ...
The Hearst Corporation is a large privately-held media conglomerate based in New York City. ...
Invasion of privacy is a legal term essentially defined as a violation of the right to be left alone. ...
In law, damages refers to the money paid or awarded to a claimant (as it is known in the UK) or plaintiff (in the US) following their successful claim in a civil action. ...
Breach of contract is a legal concept in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other partys performance. ...
This article is about the borough of New York City. ...
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ...
Jack B. Weinstein (pronounced WINE-STEEN) (born 1921, Kansas) is a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York [1]. (The Eastern District covers Brooklyn and Long Island). ...
is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...
A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...
Kathy Lutz died of emphysema on August 17, 2004 and George Lutz died of heart disease on May 8, 2006. The couple were divorced in the late 1980s, but remained on good terms. George Lutz maintained that events in the book were "mostly true" and denied any suggestion of dishonesty on his part. In October 2000 The History Channel broadcast Amityville - Horror or Hoax?, a documentary made to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the case. George Lutz commented in an interview for the program: "I believe this has stayed alive for 25 years because it's a true story. It doesn't mean that everything that has ever been said about it is true. It's certainly not a hoax. It's real easy to call something a hoax. I wish it was. It's not." Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
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James Brolin (born on July 18, 1940) is an American television, film, character actor, producer, and director. ...
Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. ...
is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The History Channel is a cable television channel, dedicated to the presentation of historical events and persons, often with frequent observations and explanations by noted historians as well as reenactors and witnesses to events, if possible. ...
The debate about the accuracy of The Amityville Horror continues, and despite the lack of evidence to corroborate much of the story, it remains one of the most popular haunting accounts in American folklore. The various owners of the house since the Lutz family left in 1976 have reported no problems while living there. [10] [11] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The films
 Poster advertising the 1979 film version, showing the tagline For God's sake, get out!, and the characteristic "glowing eyes" of the house. The Amityville Horror has been the subject of nine films, which are as follows: Image File history File links Amityville_poster. ...
Image File history File links Amityville_poster. ...
The best known of these films is the first version, which was released in July 1979. The film was made by the independent production company American International Pictures headed by Samuel Z. Arkoff, and directed by Stuart Rosenberg. It starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathy Lutz. The part of the priest who blesses the house was played by Rod Steiger, whose name in the film is Father Delaney. The 1979 version and its two sequels were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey which had been converted to look like 112 Ocean Avenue after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for location filming. The music score for the film was composed by Lalo Schifrin and nominated for an Academy Award, but lost out to the score for A Little Romance by Georges Delerue. The Amityville Horror was a 1979 film based on the book of the same name by Jay Anson. ...
Amityville 3D (1983) is the third film in The Amityville Horror movie saga, released in 3D. // Spoiler warning: John Baxter, separated from his wife, moves into the infamous Amityville House with plans to debunk the haunting myth for a newspaper article. ...
In film, the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images of the third dimension, the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer. ...
Released in 1989 to TV was Amityville 4 - The Evil Escapes. ...
Released directly to video in 1990 was the fifth installment to The Amityville Horror saga entitled The Amityville Curse. ...
Amityville 1992: Its About Time! was the sixth installment to The Amityville Horror saga. ...
Amityville Dollhouse is the eighth and final installment in the Amityville Horror saga, released directly to video in 1996. ...
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 horror film directed by Andrew Douglas for United Artists and Dimension Films. ...
The early AIP logo. ...
Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918–September 16, 2001) was an American producer of B-movies. ...
Stuart Rosenberg (August 11, 1927 – March 15, 2007) was an American film and television director whose notable works included the movies Cool Hand Luke (1967), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). ...
James Brolin (born on July 18, 1940) is an American television, film, character actor, producer, and director. ...
Margot Kidder (born October 17, 1948) is a Canadian-American film and television actress who achieved fame playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s. ...
Rod Steiger (April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American Academy Award-winning actor best known for his intense performances in such films as In the Heat of the Night, On the Waterfront and Doctor Zhivago. ...
The Township of Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, and the county seat of Ocean CountyGR6. ...
Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin (born on June 21, 1932) is an Argentine Jewish pianist and composer, most famous for composing the burning-fuse theme tune from the Mission:Impossible television series. ...
Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...
A Little Romance is a 1979 film starring Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Arthur Hill, Sally Kellerman and Thelonious Bernard in the role of Daniel Michon. ...
Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (March 12, 1925 Roubaix - 20 March 1992 Los Angeles) was a renowned French film composer who composed over 500 scores for cinema and television. ...
The 1979 version took $86 million at the box office in the USA, making it one of the most successful films produced by an independent studio at that time. The film received poor reviews from professional critics, with Roger Ebert describing it as "dreary and terminally depressing". [12] The film grossed more at the US box office than the similar 1980 Stanley Kubrick film The Shining (source: Box Office Mojo). [13] [14] [15]. Image File history File links Amityville_main_theme. ...
Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...
“Kubrick†redirects here. ...
The Shining is a 1980 British horror film by Stanley Kubrick based on Stephen Kings novel of the same name. ...
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ...
Amityville II: The Possession was directed by the Italian horror film specialist Damiano Damiani and released in September 1982. The film was based on the book Murder in Amityville by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer. It is a prequel set at 112 Ocean Avenue, featuring the fictional Montelli family who are said to be based on the DeFeo family. The story introduces speculative and controversial themes, including an incestuous relationship between Sonny Montelli and his teenaged sister, who are based loosely on Ronald DeFeo, Jr. and his sister Dawn. This film set the pattern for low budget sequels with little reference to real life events in Amityville, and is the only other film in the series to feature music composed by Lalo Schifrin. [16] Horror Movie redirects here. ...
Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ...
Hans Holzer(b. ...
A prequel is a work that portrays events which include the structure, conventions, and/or characters of a previously completed narrative, but occur at an earlier time. ...
Incest is sexual activity between two persons related by close kinship. ...
The first three films received a theatrical release while the sequels from the 1990s were released direct to video. Some of the direct to video films contain virtually no material relating to the Lutz family or the DeFeo murders, and concentrate instead on paranormal phenomena caused by cursed items supposedly linked to the house, such as the clock in Amityville 1992 - It's About Time and the dollhouse in Amityville Dollhouse from 1996. The Amityville Curse from 1990 is one of the most loosely based of all the films, since it deals with events at an unspecified haunted house in Amityville rather than the house on Ocean Avenue. A film that is released direct-to-video (also known as made-for-video, straight-to-video and, more recently, straight-to-DVD) is one which has been released to the public on home video formats (historically VHS) before or without being released in movie theaters or broadcast on television. ...
Look up Curse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
One of the famous features of the Amityville Horror films is the distinctive pumpkin head appearance of the house, which was created by two quarter round windows on the third floor attic level. The windows are often illuminated in the films, giving the appearance of malevolent eyes. Although not all of the films in The Amityville Horror series are set at the former Lutz home on Ocean Avenue, the distinctive Dutch Colonial house is traditionally used as the main image in promotional material. For the film, see Pumpkin (film). ...
Example of Dutch Colonial Revival, Plainfield, NJ. Dutch Colonial is a style of American domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves on the long sides. ...
In April 2005 MGM Studios released a remake of the original 1979 film (see The Amityville Horror (2005 film). George Lutz described the remake as "drivel" and sued the makers for defamation, libel, and breach of contract. [17] For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ...
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 horror film directed by Andrew Douglas for United Artists and Dimension Films. ...
In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...
In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...
Breach of contract is a legal concept in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other partys performance. ...
He objected particularly to the scene in the film where the male lead - named as George Lutz and played by Ryan Reynolds - is shown killing the family dog with an axe. The film also shows the George Lutz character building coffins for members of his own family. The defamation claim was dismissed by a Los Angeles court in November 2005, while other issues related to the lawsuit remained unresolved at the time of George Lutz's death. [18] Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian born actor. ...
Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ...
The tagline for the 2005 version was Katch em and kill em. This refers to the claimed link between the house in Ocean Avenue and John Ketcham, whose name has been linked to witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts but remains a controversial and elusive figure. [19] The house used in the 2005 version was in Silver Lake, Wisconsin, while other location work was shot in Antioch, Illinois. A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ...
John Ketcham (also spelt Catchum or Ketchum) is a possibly fictitious man whose name appears in the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror. ...
For other uses, see Witchcraft (disambiguation). ...
Nickname: Location in Essex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Essex County Settled 1626 Incorporated 1626 Government - Type Mayor-council city - Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Area - City 18. ...
Silver Lake is a village in Salem Township,Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. ...
Antioch is a suburban village in Lake County, Illinois, USA. The population was 8,788 at the 2000 census. ...
The child character Jodie DeFeo, who appears in the 2005 film, is fictional and was not one of the victims of the shootings by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in November 1974. Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
The 2005 film version of The Amityville Horror exaggerates the isolation of 112 Ocean Avenue by depicting it as a remote house similar to the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. In reality, 112 Ocean Avenue was a suburban house within 50 feet of other houses in the neighborhood. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
Additional information
 The 1995 book The Amityville Horror Conspiracy by Stephen and Roxanne Kaplan was critical of the Lutzes' version of events During the period that the Lutz family was living at 112 Ocean Avenue, Stephen Kaplan, a self-styled vampirologist, was called in to investigate the house. Kaplan and the Lutzes fell out and Kaplan went on to write a critical book entitled The Amityville Horror Conspiracy with his wife Roxanne Salch Kaplan. The book was published in 1995 and Stephen Kaplan died of a heart attack in the same year. Image File history File links Amityville_kaplan. ...
Image File history File links Amityville_kaplan. ...
Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. ...
On the night of March 6, 1976 the house was investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, a husband and wife team described as demonologists, together with a crew from the television station Channel 5 New York. During the course of the investigation Gene Campbell took a series of infra red time-lapse photographs. One of the images allegedly showed a "demonic boy" with glowing eyes who was standing at the foot of a staircase. [20] The photograph did not emerge into the public domain until 1979, when George and Kathy Lutz and Rod Steiger appeared on The Merv Griffin Show to promote the release of the first film. 112 Ocean Avenue was also investigated by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer. The Warrens and Holzer have suggested that the house is occupied by malevolent spirits due to its past history. is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Ed Warren (born 1926) is a world-famous demonologist, paranormal investigator, author and lecturer. ...
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. ...
Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ...
The flower of a geranium opening over a period of about two hours. ...
The Merv Griffin Show was a long-running American television talk show, starring singer Merv Griffin. ...
Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ...
Hans Holzer(b. ...
For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ...
In recent years many websites devoted to The Amityville Horror have been created, often taking a strong stance either for or against the events. Virtually every aspect of the story has been disputed at some point, and rivalry between researchers has been a longstanding feature of the case. A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML...
The house known as 112 Ocean Avenue still exists, but has been renovated and the address changed in order to discourage sightseers from visiting it. The famous quarter round windows have been removed, and the house today looks considerably different from its depiction in the films. The house in Tom's River used as the location for the first three films has also been modified for the same reason. For the 1979 and 2005 film versions, the house was renamed 412 Ocean Avenue. The 2005 film remake says that the basement of the Lutz home was built in 1692, but 112 Ocean Avenue - also known as High Hopes - was built around 1924 for John and Catherine Moynahan. [21]
The local residents and authorities in Amityville, New York are unhappy with the attention that The Amityville Horror brings to the town, and tend to decline requests to discuss it publicly. [22] The website of the Amityville Historical Society makes no mention of the murders by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in 1974, or the period that the Lutz family lived at 112 Ocean Avenue. When the History Channel made its documentary about The Amityville Horror in 2000, no member of the Historical Society would discuss the matter on camera. [23] Amityville is a village in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. ...
Ronald (Butch) Joseph DeFeo Junior (born September 26, 1951) is an American murderer. ...
The History Channel is a cable television channel, dedicated to the presentation of historical events and persons, often with frequent observations and explanations by noted historians as well as reenactors and witnesses to events, if possible. ...
- George Lutz registered the phrase The Amityville Horror as a trademark in 2002, and it is referred to as The Amityville Horror™ on his official website. [24]
- One of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Peter O'Neill, lived in the house from 1987 to 1997. [25] Also, the actress Christine Belford lived in the house from 1960 to 1965. [26]
- Eminem recorded a song called Amityville for his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP. The lyrics of the song are controversial and contain strong language.
The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ...
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known as Eminem or Slim Shady, is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning American rapper, record producer and actor from the Detroit, Michigan area. ...
Alternate covers Alternate cover Limited Edition cover Singles from The Marshall Mathers LP Released: May 16, 2000 Released: October 17, 2000 Released: January 9, 2001 The Marshall Mathers LP is the second album from American rapper Eminem. ...
See also Borley Rectory, in the village of Borley, Essex, United Kingdom, had the reputation of being the most haunted house in England and, possibly, the world. ...
For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
“Fiend†redirects here. ...
Saint Francis exorcised demons in Arezzo, fresco of Giotto Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure, correctly pronounced exercism) is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed (taken control of). ...
References
External links The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...
Skeptical articles | v • d • e Amityville Horror saga | | Amityville Horror (1979 original) | Amityville II: The Possession | Amityville 3-D | Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes | The Amityville Curse | Amityville 1992: It's About Time! | Amityville: A New Generation | Amityville Dollhouse: Evil Never Dies | The Amityville Horror (2005 remake) Amityville Horror is a series of horror films based on and around Amityville and a haunted house. ...
The Amityville Horror was a 1979 film based on the book of the same name by Jay Anson. ...
Amityville 3D (also known as Amityville III: The Demon) is the third film in The Amityville Horror movie saga, released in 3D in 1983. ...
Released in 1989 to TV was Amityville 4 - The Evil Escapes. ...
Released directly to video in 1990 was the fifth installment to The Amityville Horror saga entitled The Amityville Curse. ...
Amityville 1992: Its About Time! was the sixth installment to The Amityville Horror saga. ...
Amityville Dollhouse is the eighth and final installment in the Amityville Horror saga, released directly to video in 1996. ...
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 horror film directed by Andrew Douglas for United Artists and Dimension Films. ...
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