Case file · Haunting
Amityville haunting
A New York family claimed demonic phenomena in a house where a mass murder occurred.
1975 CE · 40.67, -73.42 · status: hoax
The sceptical view
Widely regarded as a hoax; principals later admitted the story was 'created over wine'.
The researched reading
A real mass murder followed by a commercial horror story that its own co-creator described as invented. There is nothing independent to support the haunting.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A hoax or fabrication | 78% | Defence lawyer William Weber, who represented the murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr., said he and the Lutzes “created this horror story over many bottles of wine”; checks found no storm on the night claimed, no damage to doors and windows, and later owners reported nothing. |
| A cultural story | 10% | The 1977 book and 1979 film turned a family’s brief stay into a franchise; many details belong to the book, not to any record. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 7% | Moving into a murder house under financial strain could prime a family to read ordinary events as sinister. |
| Something in the surroundings | 2% | Drafts and noises in an old house; no evidence they mattered. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 2% | The Lutzes maintained their story, but nothing independent supports it. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 1% | Nothing natural is claimed. |
Official position: No official investigation; courts dismissed the Lutzes’ and others’ lawsuits over the story.
How the account grew
After the 1974 DeFeo murders, the Lutz family moved into the house in December 1975 and left 28 days later. A press conference, a bestselling book and a hit film grew the account, while lawsuits, later owners and family members contested it.
| Year | Who | Added |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Ronald DeFeo Jr. | Six family members killed at 112 Ocean Avenue, giving the house its dark reputation. |
| 1976 | George and Kathy Lutz; Newsday; press conference at William Weber's office | The family says they fled after 28 days; a priest heard a voice say 'get out'. (dropped: A friend told reporters the heating had failed and the family could not afford repairs.) |
| 1976 | Ed and Lorraine Warren with a TV crew | A televised investigation of the house. |
| 1977 | Jay Anson, The Amityville Horror | A full narrative built from about 45 hours of the Lutzes' taped recollections; the priest becomes 'Father Mancuso'. (dropped: The next owners disputed the claimed physical damage.) |
| 1979 | AIP film; William Weber in People | The hit film fixes the story in popular culture. (dropped: Weber says the story was invented over 'many bottles of wine'; a judge dismisses the Lutzes' suit; they reportedly conceded parts of the book were fiction.) |
| 1982 | Sequels in print and film | A long franchise, most later titles loosely or not at all tied to the Lutz account. |
| 1995 | Stephen and Roxanne Kaplan, The Amityville Horror Conspiracy | A critical book-length examination. |
| 2012 | My Amityville Horror (Daniel Lutz) | A stepson recounts his memories on camera. (dropped: His brother Christopher says events were exaggerated for financial gain.) |
Connections in the atlas
- Amityville house
- The Amityville Horror (film)
- The Smurl haunting
- William Weber’s admission that the story was invented
- The Amityville Horror Conspiracy
- The Conjuring 2
- The Amityville Horror
- Joe Nickell’s investigations for CSICOP
- Ed and Lorraine Warren and the NESPR