The peaceful waterfront town of Amityville, Long Island, became infamous after a brutal family killing that later inspired The Amityville Horror film franchise.
On the night of Nov. 13, 1974, residents awoke to the shocking news that six members of one family had been murdered inside their home.
Ronald DeFeo Jr., then 23, used a rifle to kill his parents and four younger siblings as they slept.
“It all started so fast,” DeFeo told police after his arrest, according to Newsday. “Once it started, I just couldn’t stop. It went so fast.”
DeFeo confessed to killing his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43; his mother, Louise, 43; his sisters, Dawn, 18, and Allison, 13; and his brothers, Marc, 12, and John Matthew, 9. Despite his confession, he never gave a clear motive.
During his trial, he claimed insanity, alleging he heard voices urging him to kill. He was sentenced to 25 years to life at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, N.Y., where he died in 2021 at age 69.
For a time, life in Amityville seemed to return to normal — until George and Kathy Lutz moved into the same home a year later. During the 28 days they lived there, they claimed to have seen green slime oozing from the walls, heard strange noises, and experienced unexplained phenomena.
Their story inspired the 1976 bestselling book The Amityville Horror: A True Story, which became a 1979 film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The movie was later remade in 2005 with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George.
Now, another movie about the events surrounding the home is reportedly in development, with production expected to begin later this year, according to Deadline.
The upcoming project from BoulderLight Pictures and Divide/Conquer is said to stand apart from previous Amityville films. It will focus on the real-life crimes and aftermath rather than adapting the original novel.
Since the Lutz family’s time in the house, the property has been sold several times — including a 2016 listing for $850,000. At the time, listing agent Gerald O’Neill told local outlets the tale was known around town as “The Amityville Hoax.”
“The whole story was made up,” he said. “It was orchestrated to help with a potential demonic defense for the son who murdered his family.”
George Lutz later told ABC News that certain scenes from the book and film — such as the green slime — were exaggerated.
