Laura Wright 
There is a structure on Long Island that has probably gained more notoriety in the paranormal world than any other typical residential home. Where is this? Amityville.
Amityville was a legend of a home and during the late 1970s and early 1980s, scared the life out of everyone.
The majestic mansion on Ocean Avenue has seen its share of controversy. Locals have became so jaded with curious visitors through the years that some have called the tourists, “Amityville horrors.”
Is there really anything of substance to this legend? Evidence suggests negatively. The story began with the DeFoe family. This family of seven moved into the home and there weren’t particularly any alarming events. Yet, one night, the eldest son fled the home screaming. He had killed all six members of his family. What was his motive? The prosecution tended to believe the $200,000 life insurance policy as the reason. The defense said otherwise. They claimed it was temporary insanity due to demonic possession.
The house went up for sale quickly, and cheaply. Apparently, the real estate agents assumed everyone would know it was a “murder house,” and sold it at a low price. The next family to get the home was the Lutz family, as portrayed in the first, “Amityville Horror.”
The Lutz family claimed many dramatic and horrific phenomena occurred in the home, yet many spots of their story wore thin over time. Jay Anson jumped on the bandwagon and wrote the best-selling novel, The Amityville Horror, based upon the Lutz family’s claims.
What was the result? Millions of fantastic rumors and not one real, documented paranormal event. The Lutz family appeared to simply be far in debt with no hope of recovery.
Is this all? Apparently so. The only people who seemed to witness anything were the Lutz family themselves. There was no relative left alive to corroborate Defoe’s claims. Relatives, friends, and their parish priest denied ever experiencing anything abnormal. The house was renovated in the 2000s and the characteristic “quarter-moon” windows on the top story were replaced with conventional windows.
You should draw your own conclusions on this story. Adequate proof has yet to be ascertained.
Further reading:
- The Amityville Horror
- The Amityville Horror @ Wikipedia
- The Amityville Murders
- Amityville @ TruTV.com
- Amityville Horror or Hoax? Praireghosts.com
