If you've never heard the lore, the Amityville massacre was a horrifying event that happened back in 1974. A lovely family by the name of the DeFeos occupied the house until one fateful night, on November 13th, when the oldest child, Ronald DeFeo Jr., inexplicably murdered his entire family. He killed 6 people, including his 4 younger siblings. When questioned as to why he committed such a heinous act, Robert could only say that, "The voices told me to do it..."
The Amityville Horror, then, follows the story of the next unfortunate family to reside in the house: the Lutzes, which include father George, mother Kathy, and their 3 young children. When they discover a 3-story, 6 bedroom Dutch Colonial, with a heated swimming pool and boathouse, for only $80,000 (about $455,000 today), they immediately move in without question! ðĪŠ
However, it doesn't take long for strange things to start happening, with perhaps the earliest signs manifesting within the family. George, a normally well groomed man, abruptly stops shaving, showering, and going into work. He begins waking up at 3:15AM every night, and reserves a strange obsession with the boathouse. The parents both become extremely moody, blowing up over the simplest things. They can never seem to get warm! The children fight with one another.
Other occurrences take place around the house. The toilets become stained with black paint. Doors and windows are blown off their hinges! Hundreds of flies show up in the dead of winter. The telephone line becomes obstructing, preventing calls from coming in or out. An unseen force attacks Kathy multiple times. Things mysteriously disappear, and inanimate objects move on their own! The sounds of an entire invisible marching band erupt from the living room. Kathy experiences physical alterations to her face and body! Green ooze leaks from the wall!
Perhaps worst of all is the daughter, Missy, becomes very susceptible to the spirits in the house. She repeatedly tells her family about "Jodie," a demon who takes on the form of a pig in order to communicate with her.
One day, George decides to look into the history of their home. He finds that "the Shinnecock Indians used land on the Amityville River as an enclosure for the sick, mad, and dying. ... they did not use this tract as a consecrated burial mound because they believed it to be infested with demons." On top of this, an infamous devil worshipper had "set up residence within 500 feet of where George now lived, continuing his alleged devil worship. ... he was buried somewhere on the northeast corner of the property."
It is only after the demons attack one of their sons that the family finally tries to leave. However, their car won't start, and a huge storm blows in, so they are forced to stay another night. While everyone is asleep, an unseen force pins George down on the bed and steps all over him!
In the morning, another demon tries to attack the children, so the family hurries into the car once more and are finally able to leave! ð
All in all, this was a great book! I remember first hearing about the Amityville massacre when I was a child, and I was always very intrigued by the event.
(Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C7gJHdR8x/)
