Amityville: Truth or Fiction?
What is the truth behind the tale? Is it really based on actual events, or was it all just a hoax? Well, the makers of the new film seem sure of the details. 
"We were looking for truth in horror," co-producer Andrew Form told Fangoria magazine. "I grew up in Long Island, so I was familiar with this when I was a kid. I remember going by that house and how scary it was."
Co-star Melissa George was attracted to the role because, she said, "If you’re going to do a scary movie, you might as well do The Amityville Horror, a true story, a famous book, a well-known moment in American history."
The tale of Amityville all began with a best selling novel in 1977, titled The Amityville Horror: A True Story, written by Jay Anson. Anson was a professional writer hired to pen a book based on events that the Lutz family claimed occurred. The story behind the story began, however, in 1974 when the DeFao family were murdered in the house, the only survivor being Ronald Jr. aka Butch, who was arrested and sentenced for the murders. The horrific murders unnerved the quiet community, but no supernatural activity was associated with the house at 112 Ocean Avenue. Then the Lutzes moved in…
According to the novel, shortly after moving in, the house became a hell-house. Doors were ripped from hinges, slime dripped from the ceilings, swarms of insects attacked, and a demonic face with glowing red eyes watched them at night through the windows. Attempting to follow the face, George reported only finding a trail of hoof-prints in the snow outside. On one occasion he threw a chair at the face, and the squealing of hogs could be heard. A priest was called to bless the house, and fled with painful blisters after being famously attacked and told to “Get Out!” The Lutzes left the house, and rather than getting back to normal, chose to sell the tale to the media and Anson. A TV crew brought in ‘ghost-hunters’ who all said they could feel the presence of the malevolent spirit. Anson himself, in a manner similar to William Blatty did when promoting the Exorcist, vouched for the truth in the tale, "There is simply too much independent corroboration of their narrative to support the speculation that [the Lutzes] either imagined or fabricated these events."
Many people disputed the ‘truth’ of the tale. Researcher Rick Moran compiled a list of many factual errors and discrepancies between the ‘true story’ and reality. One such inaccuracy is the reported early Indians and devil-worshipping settlers that the book says were responsible for the curse. "Experts told me that the tribe mentioned was not from the Amityville area at all (actually, they had inhabited the eastern tip of Long Island, 70 miles away) and that the settlers mentioned were never local residents either. Anson’s tactic was clear—when strapped for good material for a book, pad it with quasi-factoids."
But surely the priest involved, Father Pecorado, wouldn’t lie? Well, seeing as he was stripped of his priesthood, and moved away from the area, it seems that the church itself didn’t have faith in the priest’s testimony. Moran interviewed Pecorado and was told that the priest "never saw anything in the house." Joe Nickell, another investigator of events, visited the house and spoke with later owners (who have never encountered any problems aside from the hassle of ‘believers’ rushing to see the house). A few of the holes in the tale he found are:
- The Lutzes could not have found the demonic hoofprint in the snow when they said they did, because weather records showed there had been no snowfall to leave prints in.
- Though the book details extensive damage to the home’s doors and hardware, the original locks, doorknobs, and hinges were actually untouched.
- The book and film show police being called to the house, instead, Nickell writes, "during the 28-day ‘siege’ that drove them from the house, they never once called the police."
Over and over, both big claims and small details were refuted by eyewitnesses, investigations, and forensic evidence. The Lutzes, however, stick to their story to this very day, to the point that George Lutz has written a letter to MGM criticizing their ‘trivialising’ of his families tale, and simply telling them to “f**k themselves” at the idea that their names can be used in sequels to the film. The biggest revelation came when Butch DeFao’s lawyer admitted that he, along with the Lutzes, "created this horror story over many bottles of wine." The haunting was made up! Anson further embellished the story to create a thrilling read, and by the time the transition to film occurred, there was little in the way of truth at all. Weber planned to use the haunting to get a retrial for his client.
The Lutzes, who were struggling with money at the time of events, have profited well from the story, true or not, and George Lutz is very vocal about how the events are “mostly true” – note the word mostly…at the time of the books original release he stated it was all true – but has never offered any proof or evidence to back up his claims. The tale was escalated into ‘truth’ probably by the fascination many people had at the time for possessions, after all The Exorcist had sparked a wave of so called demonic possessions across America. Was the Lutz family just cashing in on this hysteria?
Even though so many people have stated that the whole tale was a hoax, it still doesn’t stop the story from being believed. Another similar tale of hoax that people believe in is the ‘fairies at the end of the garden’ photos from early last century. In the late 80s, one of the girls from those photos, now in her late years, admitted it was all faked, and the mystical beings were simply pictures, lit to give an otherworldly feel. However, facts get in the way of a good yarn, and so people believed the tales simply because they want to believe in them.
There are many books and websites which discuss the events at the house, and both sides of the argument are proffered. With so much in dispute, should the film advertise itself as “Based on a true story”? Well, only in the manner that Star Wars claims it was from “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”!
Andy Meakin, with reference to Joe Nickell’s article in January/February 2003 issue of Skeptical magazine, and the January 2005 issue of Fortean Times.
For further reading check out http://www.amityvillehorrortruth.com/ http://www.prairieghosts.com/amityville.html or search Google forAmityville Truth