It’s arguably one of the most iconic haunted houses in the world, having spawned best-selling books and films in the wake of the events there. The house is currently on sale and could be yours for $850,000. It stands on 108 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York and first rose to infamy in 1974 as the scene of the brutal murders of six members of the DeFeo family by the son Ronald DeFeo.
The house was then bought by the Getz family who moved in to the property in December 1975. They only managed to stay in the house for 28 days, driven out by what they claim were paranormal phenomena. Their experiences were the basis for Jay Anson’s book The Amityville Horror which went on to be a huge international best-seller which was then translated into a hit film and a number of less successful sequels, which are still being made to this day.
The Lutzs claimed they were plagued by dreams of the killings of the DeFeo family, unearthly noises and swarms of flies in the winter. More sinisterly their daughter developed and imaginary friend who was a pig, named Jodie, and cloven hooved footprints would appear around the property. Glowing eyes were also spotted outside one window, and a host of other freaky and unexplained events spooked the family enough to make them leave.
A number of people say the whole thing was a cynical hoax aimed to make money on the backs of the DeFeo family’s murders, with the real Amityville Horror being Ronald DeFeo himself. It’s true that a number of families have lived there since the events of 1975/76 without any paranormal issues, but others claim that what happened is real, and strong proof of the paranormal in action.
Either way, the house’s legacy in both history, folklore and paranormal importance is cemented. People continue to remain fascinated by the house and the events that have happened there, and words, film and TV continue to be created about the house. As it’s currently available to buy, there’s a chance for one of those fascinated people to own it and who knows, maybe one day get to the bottom of what happened there in a way that proves the paranormal. Maybe a paranormal research group could kickstart the funds to buy the house themselves and investigate further.
Personally, I think it’s a gorgeous house, but given how much the book scared the hell out of me as a 10 year old, I don’t think I could ever live there myself! If you want to take a look at the property, the listing is here, and there’s a good documentary on the house that looks at its history and the claims of paranormal activity made there.
!['Cardiff Castle keep' by [Duncan]](https://strangespookyweird.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/cardiff-castle.jpg)
A paranormal research group could kickstart the funds to buy the house themselves and investigate further. Thanks for sharing this.