The Amityville Horror: Six Murders, 28 Days & a Haunted House

They knew six people had been murdered inside the house. They moved in anyway. Twenty-eight days later, they were gone. Before The Amityville Horror became a bestselling book and horror movie, 112 Ocean Avenue was the scene of a devastating true crime. In November 1974, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. killed his parents and four siblings inside their Long Island home. A little over a year later, George and Kathy Lutz moved in with their three children—and began reporting experiences that would make the address infamous. In this spooky-season episode of Kat Has Questions, we explore the DeFeo family murders and the Lutz family’s alleged haunting: the priest’s chilling warning, George’s 3:15 a.m. wake-ups, swarms of flies in winter, the mysterious red room, Missy’s invisible friend Jodie, and claims of levitation. Then we follow the story beyond those 28 days, examining Ed and Lorraine Warren’s involvement, the “ghost boy” photograph, allegations of a hoax, and how the book and movies changed the story. What happened inside the Amityville house—and how did a family tragedy become one of America’s most famous haunted-house legends? Follow Kat Has Questions for more true crime, unsolved mysteries, and strange history. Stay curious. Content note: This episode discusses family violence and the murder of children. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING ABC News. (2002, October 31). Amityville Horror: Horror or hoax? https://abcnews.com/Primetime/Story?id=132035 Associated Press. (2021, March 15). DeFeo, convicted killer in ‘Amityville Horror’ case, dies. KSL.com. https://www.ksl.com/article/50126381/defeo-convicted-killer-in-amityville-horror-case-dies Belanger, J. (2005, April 12). George Lutz’s Amityville Horror. Ghostvillage.com. https://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2005/legends36_04122005.shtml Biddle, K. (2022, January 5). The Amityville Horror photographs. Skeptical Inquirer. https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-amityville-horror-photographs/ Capitalizing on a tragedy. (n.d.). The Amityville Murders. https://amityvillemurders.com/the-haunting/capitalizing-on-a-tragedy.html DeFeo v. Artuz, 958 F. Supp. 104 (E.D.N.Y. 1997). https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/958/104/1881179/Lang, K. (2013, October 6). The Amityville Horror: History vs. Hollywood. History vs. Hollywood. https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/amityvillehorror1979.php Lutz v. De Laurentiis, 211 Cal. App. 3d 1317 (1989). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1760262.html Morris-Grant, B. (2024, November 17). The DeFeo family were murdered inside their Amityville home in 1974. What happened to them formed a ‘cottage industry’ horror franchise. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-17/amityville-anniversary-1974-defeo-murders/104590164 Nickell, J. (2015, March 27). Poltergeist at Amityville? Skeptical Inquirer. https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/poltergeist-at-amityville/ Stars and Stripes. (1980, March 26). From the Stars and Stripes archives: Amityville: Family’s 28 days of horror in ‘dream house’. https://www.stripes.com/news/1980-03-26/from-the-stars-and-stripes-archives-amityville-familys-28-days-of-horror-in-dream-house-1925101.html Suntup Editions. (n.d.). The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson. https://suntup.press/the-amityville-horror/Wilson, S. L. (2005a, April 9). Exclusive interview with George Lutz and Dan Farrands—Part three. Horror.com. https://www.horror.com/php/article-763-1.html Wilson, S. L. (2005b, April 9). Exclusive interview with George Lutz and Dan Farrands—Part two. Horror.com. https://www.horror.com/php/article-764-1.html Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/kat-has-questions-true-crime-and-unsolved-mysteries--7346258/support. ⸻ About the Show Kat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior. New episodes every week. ⸻ Support the Show Follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next. Want to support Kat Has Questions and listen ad-free? Join the Supporters Club for $2.99/month. ⸻ Contact 📩 ⁠[email protected] ⁠Instagram: @KatHasQuestions kathasquestions.com ⸻ 🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night Drift Licensed by Uppbeat License code: CAHWZR9T33BFXDNY