The Amityville Horror house, one of the most infamous residences in American history, still stands today, but it is no longer the recognizable, unsettling Dutch Colonial immortalized in books and films. As of late 2024, the house is a private, occupied residence in Amityville, New York, and its owners have taken significant steps to erase its terrifying legacy, primarily by changing the address and completely renovating its iconic façade.
The original tragedy occurred exactly 50 years ago, and the house’s location remains a source of morbid fascination, drawing curious tourists and paranormal investigators. However, the exact address you see in the movies—112 Ocean Avenue—is now obsolete. The property's official location has been deliberately altered to protect the privacy of its current, anonymous residents and to discourage the relentless stream of sightseers.
The True Location and Identity of The Amityville House
The house at the center of the DeFeo murders and the alleged Lutz family haunting is a real structure located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. To understand its current location, one must first grasp its history and the strategic changes made by subsequent owners.
The Original and Current Address: 112 vs. 108 Ocean Avenue
The infamous residence is a 1925 Dutch Colonial Revival home. Its true, historical address at the time of the 1974 murders was 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York.
- Original Address: 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701
- Current Address: 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701
The address change from 112 to 108 Ocean Avenue was a calculated move by a post-Lutz family owner, the Cromarty family, in the late 1970s. This was done specifically to create a layer of anonymity and deter the constant flow of tourists, ghost hunters, and unwelcome media attention that plagued the quiet, residential neighborhood.
Despite the change, the house itself has not moved. It sits on a quiet street, approximately 30 miles east of New York City, and remains a private home occupied by residents who seek to live a normal life away from the spotlight of its terrifying past.
Architectural Transformation: The Missing "Eye" Windows
Perhaps the most significant change to the Amityville house is its physical appearance. The Dutch Colonial design was instantly recognizable due to its distinct, quarter-round windows on the third floor, which gave the house the appearance of having "evil eyes."
In the years following the original *Amityville Horror* film, the house became a global icon of horror. To further distance the property from its cinematic counterpart and discourage sightseers, the current owners have completely renovated the exterior. The iconic half-moon windows were replaced with standard, rectangular windows. This major architectural alteration means that if you drive by 108 Ocean Avenue today, you would likely not recognize it as the house from the movie, which has been a great success in allowing the residents to maintain their privacy.
The Amityville House Sale History and Current Status
The house has changed hands multiple times since the infamous events of the 1970s, with each owner attempting to move past its gruesome history. The property's value is constantly debated, with its notoriety both boosting its fame and deterring potential buyers.
Latest Sale Price and Date
The most recent confirmed sale of the Amityville house (108 Ocean Avenue) occurred in March 2017. The sale details were:
- Sale Price: $605,000
- Asking Price: It was originally listed for $850,000, meaning it sold for significantly less than the initial asking price.
- Previous Listing: The house was also listed in 2010 for $1.15 million and sold for $950,000.
The current owners remain undisclosed, a common practice for this property to shield them from unwanted attention. The house is a spacious five-bedroom, four-bathroom single-family home with a large backyard and a boat slip on the Amityville River, making it a desirable property despite its dark past.
The DeFeo Entity: The Murders That Started It All
The house's dark reputation began not with a haunting, but with a brutal crime. On November 13, 1974, Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr., then 23, murdered six members of his own family as they slept in their beds.
- Victims: Ronald DeFeo Sr. (father), Louise DeFeo (mother), Dawn DeFeo (sister), Allison DeFeo (sister), Marc DeFeo (brother), and John Matthew DeFeo (brother).
- The Crime: DeFeo Jr. used a .35 Marlin rifle to carry out the murders. He later claimed to have been driven by voices in the house, a defense rejected by the court.
- Conviction: Ronald DeFeo Jr. was convicted on six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to six consecutive life sentences. He died in prison in March 2021.
This tragic event is the undisputed foundation of the house's notoriety, a true-crime entity that predates any claims of the supernatural.
The Amityville Horror Entity: The Lutz Family Legacy
The house transitioned from a site of mass murder to a global paranormal phenomenon with the arrival of the Lutz family, whose brief 28-day stay inspired the famous book and subsequent film franchise.
George and Kathy Lutz's 28-Day Stay
In December 1975, George and Kathleen "Kathy" Lutz, along with Kathy's three children from a previous marriage, moved into the home, purchasing it for a drastically reduced price due to the DeFeo murders.
The family claimed to have experienced a series of terrifying, supernatural phenomena over the next 28 days, including:
- Green slime oozing from the walls.
- Unexplained cold spots and foul odors.
- George Lutz waking up every night at 3:15 a.m.—the alleged time of the DeFeo murders.
- Doors and windows opening and slamming shut.
- The appearance of a demonic, pig-like creature.
The family fled the house in January 1976, leaving all their possessions behind. Their story, chronicled in Jay Anson’s 1977 book, *The Amityville Horror*, became a cultural phenomenon, forever linking the house to the entity of a malevolent haunting.
The Skepticism and Hoax Claims
While the Lutz family's story is the basis for the multi-million dollar franchise, it is widely regarded by skeptics as a fabrication. The claims of a hoax gained significant traction after William Weber, Ronald DeFeo Jr.’s defense attorney, stated publicly that he and the Lutzes "created this horror story over many bottles of wine."
Despite the controversy, the legend of the Amityville haunting persists. The house's current location, 108 Ocean Avenue, is a testament to the enduring power of its story, forcing its owners to physically and legally camouflage the property to find peace. The true horror today is less about ghosts and more about the relentless curiosity of the public.
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