'The Amityville Horror' is a famous book, film and real life story that has left countless people guessing over the past thirty years. The story can be divided into two famous episodes; the murder of the De Feo family and the haunting of the Lutz family some months later. The murder of the De Feo family is unarguably true; the haunting of the Lutz, more controversial. However, both are dark, disturbing and leave many unanswered questions.
Both of these stories begin on the evening of November 13th 1974 when Ronald (Butch) De Feo Jr entered Henry's bar claiming that his parents had been shot. Bobby Kelske and five other men drove to the De Feo residence in a state of high agitation yet still unprepared for the true horror that was to greet them there. The men discovered not only the bodies of the parents in their bed, Ronald's mother covered as if she were sleeping, but also the bodies of De Feo's younger brothers aged 9 and 18. They immediately called 911.
After the police arrived two more bodies were discovered; Butch's 13 and 15 year old sisters bringing the total body count to six. The entire family apart from one member. All had been shot in their sleep, in their own beds. The remaining living member of the family, 23 year old Ronald De Feo Jr was charged with their murders on December 4th.
No clear reason has ever been given for the murders of the De Feo family. Ronald De Feo Jr himself confessed but his story has changed several times over the years leaving no clear, discernible truth. At trial, he claimed insanity blaming voices in his head for driving him to commit these murders. The psychiatrist for the prosecution claimed that despite an anti-social personality disorder, De Feo was aware of his actions and De Feo himself later said he was angry with doubts cast over his sanity at this time, leaving this defence looking extremely unreliable.
Butch De Feo has since claimed that he, two friends and his sister Dawn conspired to commit the murders. There is strong evidence to support the claim that more than one person was responsible for the deaths; no-one was sedated but no-one woke up. Each person was killed by one or two bullet wounds. A gun fired would certainly have awoken other people in the house. Powder burns, consistent with firing a gun, were also found on Dawn's nightgown.
De Feo also alleges that it was Dawn who was responsible for the murder of the children. He says that they had agreed to kill their parents after years of abuse. After shooting them, one of the accomplices had tried to run away. De Feo says that he went to get him back to the house to help with the 'clean-up' and during his time Dawn killed the three children to eliminate all witnesses. However, as Dawn is dead and De Feo has lied in several statements, as well as admitting taking heroin and LSD on the night of the murders, his version of events is unlikely to be believed. The two alleged accomplices did not corroborate this story; one is now dead, the other in witness protection.
Another, more disturbing twist in this story is Ric Oruna's claim to have discovered a seventh body. Oruna, writing a book on the De Feo murders was granted access to the crime scene photographs. He noticed suspicious bloodstains, and a seventh body that appeared to be in the basement of the house. This mystery remains unsolved but suggests cover-up, corruption or tampered evidence. Witnesses claim to have seen the police carrying large rubbish bags into the house the day after the murders; could they have contained the mysterious seventh body? It is unlikely now that we will ever know who this was.
Little after a year later the house was bought by Kathleen and George Lutz and her three children from a previous marriage. They were made aware of the murders yet decided to proceed with the sale. Even so, they were nervous enough to ask a catholic priest to bless the house before they moved in. While walking from room to room, splashing them with holy water, the priest heard a clear male voice telling him to "get out". He continued the blessing with no other abnormal events and told the Lutz' not to use this room as a bedroom. However, after visiting the house he suffered a high fever and blisters on his hands. When asked by the Lutz some weeks later to return to perform an exorcism, he refused.
Once they had moved into the house, the Lutz family noticed changes in their personalities. The children became increasingly obnoxious and on one occasion the parents beat them savagely, something that they would never have done before. The house also began acting strangely, with strange smells appearing in different areas of the house, green slime oozing down the walls, black stains appearing that could not be removed and hundreds of flies appearing in the sewing room, the room where the priest was told to "get out".
The strange events continued and increased. Kathleen claimed to be touched by unseen hands, at time passing out from the strange sensations. George began waking at 3.15 every morning, the approximate time of the De Feo's deaths. Missy, the youngest daughter, adopted an imaginary friend; Jodie, a pig with red eyes. However sightings of Jodie were also reported by other members of the family. Kathleen said she saw two red eyes outside Missy's bedroom window one evening and George also claimed to have seen Jodie standing behind Missy in her bedroom. Pig footprints were also found outside the house on January the 1st 1976.
Even the family dog was affected by the strange events at 112 Ocean Avenue. Kathleen discovered a room that was not in the original blueprints of the house; a small room off the basement with red painted walls. The dog refused to enter this room, cowering in fear whenever he was near. And events got yet stranger; George claimed to hear a German marching band playing in the living room. When he went downstairs to investigate he was greeted with total silence and rearranged furniture. Shortly after this the Lutz decided to leave the Amityville Horror House, a little after a year from moving in. Despite many accusations of fabrication both George and Kathleen passed lie detector tests on their versions of these events.
Many possible explanations have been given for the strange events of this "horror house". They have been attributed to the house's position on an Indian burial ground, an Indian mental sanatorium and past inhabitance by the witch John Ketcham. However, all have been disproved. In truth, it is unlikely that we will ever find out the true evil influences that this house has had over its owners. What we cannot argue is that it did.
