For just $850,000, an infamous Dutch Colonial in Long Island, New York can be yours. That's right, the Amityville Horror House is up for sale. Those of you who loved the Murder House season of American Horror Story should start taking notes now.
It all started on November 13, 1974, when Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered his parents and siblings in their sleep. He is currently serving a life sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York.
The Lutz family moved into the DeFeos' home in 1975. They soon claimed that DeFeo had been driven to murder, not by something in his own mind, but by the demons who haunted his home. The Lutzes told a string of frightening stories, which included:
[a]n unseen force [that] ripped doors from hinges and slammed cabinets closed, noxious green slime ooz[ing] from the ceilings, a biblical-scale swarm of insects [that] attacked the family, and a demonic face with glowing red eyes peer[ing] into their house at night, leaving cloven-hoofed footprints in the morning snow.
In 1977, Jay Anson published The Amityville Horror: A True Story. The novel hit bestseller lists, and spawned a terrifying film adaptation in 1979. In it, Anson wove a story that grounded its occult narrative in stories of maligned Native American tribes and devil-worshipping early settlers.
The truth, as it turns out, was much less scary. DeFeo's attorney, William Weber, later admitted to concocting the story with the Lutz family "over many bottles of wine," with the intention of using the haunting to craft a new case for the convicted killer.
For decades, the subsequent owners of the Amityville Horror House were hounded by horror fans and ghost hunters eager to get a few snapshots of the home. The intrusions led to the replacement of the house's signature "eye-shaped" windows with nondescript ones, as well as a change of address.
As much as the Amityville Horror House might draw gawkers, it does little to attract buyers, who may be put off by its grim past, horrific legacy, legions of fans, or some combination of the three. It last sold in 2010 for $950,000, but, despite the buyers' improvements, is listed for $100,000 less today. This is not the first time the current owners have attempted to sell their piece of movie history.
It seems the only horror here is the housing market. Check out the Amityville Horror House listing on Zillow, and let me know if you make an offer.
