THE AMITYVILLE HORROR 1979
The Amityville Horror is a 1979 American supernatural horror film directed by Stuart Rosenberg (Murder Inc. 1960, Cool Hand Luke 1967, The Laughing Policeman 1973). The story is based on the alleged experiences of the Lutz family, who moved into a house in Amityville, New York, where a mass murder had occurred the year before.
The film stars James Brolin as George Lutz and Margot Kidder as Kathy Lutz, the newlyweds who purchase a house so cheap it is too good to be true. Rod Steiger, as Father Delaney, comes in contact with the dark energy in the house that ultimately destroys the poor priest after being attacked by flies and told to GET OUT! by a nefarious, growling voice.
It follows the Lutz family as they move into their new home and begin experiencing a series of disturbing paranormal events, including George waking up at 3:15 AM – the time of the DeFeo murders. Doors that blast off the hinges with force, blinking red eyes at the window, devilish flies, black sludge, and a demonic entity – Jody the Pig.
The backstory of the true event involves the DeFeo murders, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family in the house in 1974 when he blasted them with a shotgun. The Lutz family moved in a year later but ultimately fled after only 28 days, leaving everything behind, claiming to have experienced severe paranormal activity.
The Amityville case has been the subject of significant controversy. While the Lutz family maintained the truthfulness of their experiences, many have speculated that the story was fabricated for financial gain. Some investigators, including the psychic/demonologists the Warrens, supported the Lutzes’ claims, while others dismissed the case as a hoax. The debate continues to this day, with conflicting accounts and investigations casting doubt on the veracity of the alleged hauntings.
