Research Proposal

Working Title: Amityville Horror: Hoax or Not

Topic
In this research proposal, I will look into the controversy about the Amityville Horror. Arson and residents of this haunted house wrote a book about their experiences and it later got a movie adaptation. But because of its paranormal nature and other circumstances, people question the truthfulness of the story.

Research Question
Why did people speculate that the Amityville Horror story was a hoax? What inconsistencies in the Lutz family story made it seem like a hoax? Was there an evil force behind the dark history of the house?

Theoretical Frame
The Amityville Horror became known as a haunted house because of the detailed documentation from the Lutz family. Before the Lutz family moved into the house, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed both his parents and four siblings while they were asleep in the Amityville house. DeFeo claims that an evil spirit possessed him and made him kill his family. The DeFeo family murder should be straightforward, but there are some inconsistencies. One of the most puzzling pieces of evidence is when Robert used a shotgun as his choice of weapon. The sound from the shotgun should have been heard from at least four to five blocks away. Not to mention that when they found the gun there was no suppressor (a gun attachment to lessen the sound of a gunshot).

After the murders, the Lutz family moved into the same house, but after 28 days, they fled from their home because of the paranormal hauntings caused by an evil entity. They documented their experiences by writing and selling a book that became an international bestseller, The Amityville Horror: A True Story. Despite the success of the bestseller and movie adaptation, the Amityville Horror went under scrutiny of the legitimacy of the events in the house. There have been no further reports of paranormal activity in the Amityville house from other residents since the Lutz family moved. Even William Weber, the lawyer of DeFeo, admitted that he helped write the story with the Lutz family while intoxicated. Not to mention that the subsequent owners of the house reported that they did not experience any paranormal activities that happened with the Lutz family. These conflicting revelations suggest that the Lutz family and Weber fabricated or exaggerated some if not all of the horror story. People have accused that the family was trying to profit off their embellished lies.

Some of the inconsistencies include the Lutz claiming to find a demonic hoofprint in the snow, but this is false because the weather records showed that it hasn’t snowed during the time they had stayed in the house. Throughout their book, they said that the evil spirit broke their locks, doors, and windows. However, the people who later bought the house said that the original fixtures were still intact, and they found no evidence of repairs. The chances of this story could be a hoax because of the inconsistencies of the Lutz family’s story and Weber’s confession. Or it could only be an exaggeration of the Amityville Horror. Because when the Lutz family obtained the house, George Lutz had some financial problems. So there is a chance that the family experienced paranormal activity (even if it isn’t real), but they exaggerated their story to appeal to the audience.

Research and Plan
I learned the whole story about the events surrounding Amityville Horror through Lutz’s bestselling book The Amityville Horror: A True Story. The book recounts how the house already had a bad reputation with Ronald DeFeo murdering his family. DeFeo said that he murdered his family because an evil spirit made him commit the act. Then it goes into detail about how the Lutz family bought and lived in the house. However, they had to leave the house because of the paranormal events that happened in it: hearing voices, foul odors, even green slime oozing through the walls, saw eyes watching them, and more incidents. Another book called Ghost Stories from the Uncanny Valley by Tok Thompson talks about the reason behind why people believe in ghosts. It gives insight into why people believe in the supernatural elements of Amityville Horror.

The Real Amityville Horror (Full Documentary) gives viewers an inside view of the haunted house. It also interviewed people who were related to the case and have them explain their side of the story. They interviewed the neightbors, people working on the DeFeo murder case, Robert DeFeo, George Lutz, William Weber, and more. It covers the history of the DeFeo murder, the Lutz family’s 28-day stay at the house, and the creation of a book and movie, and other people’s experiences with the house.

While finding sources for this research proposal, I found an Amityville Forum page that featured a series of posts about the Amityville Horror. The thread had detailed police evidence which included Robert DeFeo’s testimony for the DeFeo Murders, Rick Moran’s proposals, and other topics related to The Amityville Horror. Dan the Damned (the account user) explains the incident extensively, and it matches with the official sources themselves (books and documentaries). They have also compared Rick Moran’s interviews about the incident and found some inconsistencies.

The article Was ‘Amityville Horror’ Based on a True Story?, by Snopes Staff, draws attention to the inconsistencies within the retelling of the Amityville Horror. They have also mentioned how DeFeo’s lawyer, William Weber, and the Lutz family created “this horror story over many bottles of wine.” The article also lists their references at the end of the text.

Bibliography