CASE FILE 001 — THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1975)

On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings inside their home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. A little more than a year later, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house with their three children. The Lutz family claimed they soon experienced disturbing phenomena, including unexplained noises and odors, doors opening on their own, extreme cold, strange apparitions, and other events they believed were paranormal. After only 28 days, the family fled the house, leaving many of their belongings behind. Their story became the basis for Jay Anson’s 1977 book The Amityville Horror and the films that followed. While the DeFeo murders are documented fact, the alleged haunting remains heavily disputed; critics have accused the Lutzes of exaggerating or fabricating the story, while George and Kathy Lutz maintained that they experienced genuine unexplained phenomena inside the house.