The Amityville Horror House (Amityville, NY)

Dark House

House Beautiful/Hearst

Religion & Spirituality, True Crime, Society & Culture

4.4 • 757 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2023

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tackling the story most requested by Dark House listeners, Alyssa and Hadley come face to face with 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, the Dutch-Colonial house that inspired The Amityville Horror. The best-selling-book-turned-hit-movie tells the dramatic tale of George and Kathy Lutz, a young newlywed couple who purchased 112 Ocean Avenue in December of 1975, just a year after previous owners Ron and Louise DeFeo and four of their children were brutally murdered in the home. Having fled from the house only 28 days after moving in, the Lutzes told friends and neighbors that "unseen forces" drove them out. Looking to understand why today—despite the fact that the movie remains a classic—the Lutz's story is widely regarded as a hoax, the hosts dig for nuggets of truth buried under a mountain of lies and internet theories. They take a closer look at the DeFeo case and what could’ve possibly motivated Butch DeFeo, Ron and Louise’s eldest son, to commit such a heinous crime, as well as what exactly the Lutzes said happened to them in those 28 days living at the house, and how their credibility has been called into question since. Plus, they discover why the next family to move in after the Lutzes was also forced to abandon the home. CREDITS Alyssa Fiorentino - Co-host & Producer Hadley Mendelsohn - Co-host & Producer Jessy Caron - Producer & Audio Editor To advertise on the show: https://www.advertisecast.com/DarkHouse or email us at [email protected]. RELATED LINKS Amityville Horror (MOVIE): https://amzn.to/3EyXTgi ‘The Amityville Horror’ by Jay Anson: https://amzn.to/3ZbAqLP ‘The Golden Avenue: The History and People of Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY: The History and People of Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY’ by Doug Robinson: https://amzn.to/3RjQ9GC ‘My Amityville: Memories of a Golden Time’ by Doug Robinson: https://amzn.to/44JnJc8 ‘High Hopes: The Amityville Murders’ by Gerard Sullivan and Harvey Aronson: https://amzn.to/489vefp “Why Do We Have To Rely On The Federal Government To Protect Us?” United For Justice In Policing Long Island (BLOG POST): bit.ly/3PfN9ID “The Confession Takers” Newsday (ARTICLE PDF): bit.ly/45NfaOV “'Amityville' Prisoner Says Movie Money Tainted Defense” The New York Times (ARTICLE): bit.ly/3RjBrzA “BEHIND THE BEST SELLERS” The New York Times (ARTICLE): bit.ly/3PiVQlk The Amityville House of Horror (VIDEO): bit.ly/3EUTC7j “Ex-resident of house debunks much of Amityville ‘horror’” The Seattle Times (ARTICLE): bit.ly/3PBeLJC My Amityville Horror (MOVIE): https://amzn.to/45PCz22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.3	The only thing moving in her room was her little rocking chair by the window, which
0:34.4	rocked back and forth slowly despite being empty.
0:51.2	Okay. by the window, which rocked back and forth slowly despite being empty. Welcome back to Dark House. I'm Alyssa Furentino. And I'm Hadley Mendelsohn, we are your hosts. If you're new here in each episode, we dig into the
0:59.1	backstory of a house that is allegedly haunted or notorious for one reason or another. We talk about
1:04.6	who lived there, who died there, and all the events that led to its eventual infamy.
1:08.8	In honor of Halloween being less than a week away, we've got a real treat for you this episode.
1:14.4	Today we'll be talking about 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, better known as the Amityville Horror House.
1:21.3	The Amityville Horror is, of course, the title of the 1977 book and its movie adaptation, which tell the true story of George and Kathy Lutz, who fled
1:29.5	the home in January of 1976 just 28 days after moving in. They left all their belongings behind
1:35.3	and told friends and neighbors that a very strong force drove them to leave the house.
1:40.4	The Amityville Horror also briefly touches on the previous owners, Rod and Louise Defeo, who, along with four of their five children, were brutally murdered in the house one year before the Lutz has moved in.
1:50.8	But what the book in the movie don't tell you is what happened to the house after the Lutz's left and why the next family to own the home was also forced to leave.
1:59.2	But I will tell you about them.
2:01.6	I'll also tell you more about the Defeo family, including the strange circumstances of their
2:05.7	deaths that are still a mystery to this day.
2:08.5	And of course, we'll talk about the Lutz family.
	...

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