Today In History... with The Retrospectors

What Happened At Amityville

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Episode notes

Amityville is synonymous with horror movies, but that’s because of a real-life tragedy that happened on 13th November, 1974, when Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and his four younger siblings. Initially, he claimed a mob hitman was responsible, but later confessed to the crimes.

After the murders, newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz moved in to the DeFeo house, bringing along Kathy’s three children and their dog, Harry. Within 28 days, however, they’d fled, claiming paranormal experiences on the property, from swarms of flies to visions of a demonic pig.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal what happened when the Lutzes took a polygraph test; explain how their story snowballed into first a bestselling book, then a movie franchise; and consider how the town has coped with its consequent celebrity status…

Further Reading:

• ‘Amityville Murders: The True Story Of The Killings That Inspired The Movie’ (All Thats Interesting, 2022): https://allthatsinteresting.com/amityville-murders

• ’The Amityville Horror House’ (Long Island Guide): https://www.longislandguide.com/visit/amityville-horror-house/

• ‘THE AMITYVILLE HORROR’ (MGM, 1979): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbCJv_vWyQA

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