Amityville Horror - Revision history

GaryJJSpate at 21:25, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T21:25:34Z

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	\|status = Widely regarded by researchers, journalists, and DeFeo's own attorney as a fabrication		\|status = Widely regarded by researchers, journalists, and DeFeo's own attorney as a fabrication
	}}		}}
			{{tick}}
	'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville]], [[:Category:New York\|New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real mass murder was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>		'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville]], [[:Category:New York\|New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real mass murder was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>

GaryJJSpate: /* The 1979 lawsuit and judicial findings */

2026-08-04T21:24:19Z

The 1979 lawsuit and judicial findings

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:24, 4 August 2026
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	=== The 1979 lawsuit and judicial findings ===		=== The 1979 lawsuit and judicial findings ===
	In May 1977, the Lutzes sued writer Paul Hoffman, William Weber, and two magazines over unauthorized use of their story, seeking $4.5 million for misappropriation, invasion of privacy, and mental distress — before Anson's book had even been published.<ref name="nyghosts">{{cite web \|title=The Amityville Horror Hoax \|url=https://nyghosts.com/the-amityville-hoax/ \|publisher=NY Ghosts \|date=2026}}</ref> The defendants countersued for fraud and breach of contract. Presiding over the case in Brooklyn's U.S. District Court, Judge [[Jack B. Weinstein]] dismissed the bulk of the Lutzes' suit on September 10, 1979, remarking that "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."<ref name="amityvillemurders"/> Weinstein additionally raised ethical concerns about Weber's dual role as DeFeo's attorney and a prospective literary agent, stating there was "a very serious ethical question when lawyers become literary agents," and indicated the matter could be referred to the New York State Bar Association.<ref name="amityvillemurders"/>		In May 1977, the Lutzes sued writer Paul Hoffman, William Weber, and two magazines over unauthorized use of their story, seeking $4.5 million for misappropriation, invasion of privacy, and mental distress — before Anson's book had even been published.<ref name="nyghosts">{{cite web \|title=The Amityville Horror Hoax \|url=https://nyghosts.com/the-amityville-hoax/ \|publisher=NY Ghosts \|date=2026}}</ref> The defendants countersued for fraud and breach of contract. Presiding over the case in Brooklyn's U.S. District Court, Judge Jack B. Weinstein dismissed the bulk of the Lutzes' suit on September 10, 1979, remarking that "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."<ref name="amityvillemurders"/> Weinstein additionally raised ethical concerns about Weber's dual role as DeFeo's attorney and a prospective literary agent, stating there was "a very serious ethical question when lawyers become literary agents," and indicated the matter could be referred to the New York State Bar Association.<ref name="amityvillemurders"/>

	=== The priest's affidavit ===		=== The priest's affidavit ===

GaryJJSpate at 21:23, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T21:23:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:23, 4 August 2026
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	}}		}}

	'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville]], [[:Category:New York\|New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real [[mass murder]] was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>		'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville]], [[:Category:New York\|New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real mass murder was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>

	== Background: the DeFeo murders ==		== Background: the DeFeo murders ==

GaryJJSpate at 21:22, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T21:22:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:22, 4 August 2026
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	}}		}}

	'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville, New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real [[mass murder]] was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>		'''The Amityville Horror''' refers to a claimed [[haunting]] reported by the Lutz family at 112 Ocean Avenue, [[Amityville]], [[:Category:New York\|New York]], beginning in December 1975 — thirteen months after a real [[mass murder]] was committed in the same house. Popularized by author [[Jay Anson]]'s 1977 book and its 1979 film adaptation, it became one of the most commercially successful haunting narratives of the 20th century. It also remains one of the most thoroughly disputed cases in American paranormal history, with the attorney who represented the convicted killer having publicly stated that key elements of the story were invented.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="howstuffworks"/>

	== Background: the DeFeo murders ==		== Background: the DeFeo murders ==

GaryJJSpate at 21:22, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T21:22:01Z

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	{{~~CaseInfobox~~		{{InfoboxCase
	\|name = Amityville Horror		\|name = Amityville Horror
	\|type = Alleged haunted house case		\|type = Alleged haunted house case
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	* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]		* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]

			[[Category:Cases]]
	[[Category:Ghosts and Hauntings]]		[[Category:Ghosts and Hauntings]]
	~~[[Category:Alleged hoaxes]]~~		[[Category:Amityville]]
	[[Category:Amityville~~, New York]]~~
	~~[[Category:Haunted locations in New York (state)]]~~
	~~[[Category:Paranormal legal disputes~~]]

GaryJJSpate at 21:17, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T21:17:17Z

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	{{CaseInfobox		{{CaseInfobox
	\|name = Amityville Horror		\|name = Amityville Horror
	~~\|image = 112_Ocean_Avenue_Amityville.jpg~~
	~~\|caption = 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York, photographed shortly after the 1974 murders~~
	\|type = Alleged haunted house case		\|type = Alleged haunted house case
	\|region = 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York, USA		\|region = 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York, USA

GaryJJSpate at 20:57, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T20:57:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 3 August 2026
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	* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]		* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]


	~~{{Amityville Horror}}~~
	~~{{Ghost hunting}}~~

	[[Category:Ghosts and Hauntings]]		[[Category:Ghosts and Hauntings]]
	[[Category:Alleged hoaxes]]		[[Category:Alleged hoaxes]]
	~~[[Category:1974 murders in the United States]]~~
	[[Category:Amityville, New York]]		[[Category:Amityville, New York]]
	[[Category:Haunted locations in New York (state)]]		[[Category:Haunted locations in New York (state)]]
	[[Category:Paranormal legal disputes]]		[[Category:Paranormal legal disputes]]

GaryJJSpate at 18:03, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T18:03:05Z

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	== Legacy ==		== Legacy ==
	Despite the substantial documentary evidence pointing to fabrication — Weber's own admission, the presiding judge's finding, the priest's sworn denial, and the uneventful decades-long tenancy of subsequent owners — the Amityville story remains a fixture of American popular culture. It has spawned more than a dozen sequel and remake films, a 2005 remake that itself drew an unsuccessful defamation lawsuit from George Lutz (dismissed on the grounds that the film was protected fictional speech),<ref name="titanicnews"/> and continues to be cited, often uncritically, as one of the best-known "true" haunted house cases in the United States.		Despite the substantial documentary evidence pointing to fabrication — Weber's own admission, the presiding judge's finding, the priest's sworn denial, and the uneventful decades-long tenancy of subsequent owners — the Amityville story remains a fixture of American popular culture. It has spawned more than a dozen sequel and remake films, a 2005 remake that itself drew an unsuccessful defamation lawsuit from George Lutz (dismissed on the grounds that the film was protected fictional speech),<ref name="titanicnews"/> and continues to be cited, often uncritically, as one of the best-known "true" haunted house cases in the United States.

			{{VaultEvidence
			\|rating=★☆☆☆☆
			\|classification=Confirmed murders; alleged haunting assessed as fabricated
			\|summary=The underlying 1974 mass murder is a matter of public record. The subsequent haunting claims, however, are contradicted by the defense attorney who helped originate them, by the presiding judge in related litigation, by the priest depicted in the account, and by the uneventful decades-long tenancy of later owners.
			\|supporting=George Lutz maintained the core events were true until his death. Ed and Lorraine Warren publicly affirmed a demonic presence for decades. The book and film present a detailed first-person account from the family.
			\|counter=Attorney William Weber stated on record that he and the Lutzes constructed the narrative "over many bottles of wine," and described specific plot elements as embellishments of mundane incidents. Judge Jack Weinstein found in a 1979 ruling that the book was "to a large extent...a work of fiction." Father Ralph Pecoraro stated in an affidavit that his contact with the family was limited to a phone call, contradicting the book's account. Subsequent owner James Cromarty reported no unusual activity across ten years of residence. Ronald DeFeo Jr. himself corroborated the fabrication in a written letter.
			\|conclusion=The consensus of court findings, participant admissions, and subsequent occupancy points to fabrication rather than an unresolved paranormal claim. This entry documents the case as a culturally significant example of an alleged haunting for which the fabrication itself is well-evidenced.
			}}

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	* [https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/amityville-horror-house.htm HowStuffWorks — The Real Story Behind the 'Amityville Horror House']		* [https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/amityville-horror-house.htm HowStuffWorks — The Real Story Behind the 'Amityville Horror House']
	* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]		* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-amityville-horror/ Snopes — Was 'Amityville Horror' Based on a True Story?]


	{{Amityville Horror}}		{{Amityville Horror}}

GaryJJSpate: /* See also */

2026-08-03T18:00:12Z

GaryJJSpate at 13:40, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T13:40:24Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{CaseInfobox
 |name           = Amityville Horror
@@ Line 16: / Line 10: @@
 |investigators  = New England Society for Psychic Research
 |status         = Widely regarded by researchers, journalists, and DeFeo's own attorney as a fabrication
 }}

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:00, 3 August 2026
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	== See also ==		== See also ==
	* ~~{{Ill\|~~Ronald DeFeo Jr.}}		* [[Ronald DeFeo Jr.]]
	* [[Ed Warren]]		* [[Ed Warren]]
	* [[Lorraine Warren]]		* [[Lorraine Warren]]