Prompt Cast
The True Story Behind the Amityville Horror
TLDR The Amityville Horror is based on the true story of Ronnie Butch DeFeo Jr. who killed his family in their home in Amityville. The story gained popularity through a book and movie adaptation, but there is speculation that it was a hoax.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The hosts introduce themselves and talk about their new website before getting into the topic of the episode.
05:06
On November 13th, 1974, Ronnie Butch DeFeo Jr. killed his entire family in their home in Amityville, which is the true horrific event that the Amityville Horror is based on.
10:18
Ronnie DeFeo Jr. killed his family because he felt his parents treated his siblings better than him, and he claimed to hear voices telling him to do it.
15:14
The priest brought in to bless the house experienced strange occurrences, such as a cold chill, a voice telling him to get out, and his car acting weird, which were also portrayed in the movie adaptation of the story.
20:33
The family experiences a dramatic event where their door blows off the hinges and windows blow out, leading them to leave the house and leave all of their possessions behind.
26:15
The Lutz family forms a business relationship with William Weber to make money off of the Amityville horror, but later cut ties with him and join forces with Prentiss Hall and Jay Anson, who eventually publish the Amityville horror book.
31:17
The movie adaptation of the Amityville horror book was a huge hit and made the Lutz family household names, solidifying the story as part of American popular culture and cementing the belief that it was based on a true story.
36:08
The neighbors claim that the Lutz family left the house after only a week and a half, while the Lutz family themselves said they stayed for 28 days, leading to speculation that they made up the story because they couldn't afford the house.
41:38
The attorney for the Lutz family claimed that the Amityville Horror story was a hoax concocted by George and Kathy Lutz, while George Lutz maintained that the events were true until his death in 2006.
46:39
Numerous lawsuits were filed by various parties involved in the Amityville Horror case, indicating that the entire story was likely a hoax.
51:36
The hosts discuss the lack of police involvement in the Amityville Horror case and speculate on the existence of bad energy in a home where a brutal murder took place.
Categories:
Society & Culture
