Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Amityville Amityville Horror House

Amityville Horror House

The site of a tragic massacre that spawned a multimedia franchise.

Amityville, New York

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
112 Ocean Avenue in 1973.   BrownieCharles99 on Wikimedia
The “horrific” house gets ready for Christmas in 2005.   Seulatr on Wikimedia Commons
The large home and its accompanying boathouse.   Wikimedia Commons
10.23.2015   MandrewPatinkin / Atlas Obscura User
  lendog666 / Atlas Obscura User
  BrittanyZ / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On a cold November night in 1974, Amityville, New York resident Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family in cold blood at their 112 Ocean Avenue residence. Totaling six victims, these murders were just the beginning of the story. 

Although the brutal murders were sensational in their own right it wasn't until the house was purchased by the Lutz family that the home haunted its way into infamy. The Lutz family only lived in the Dutch Colonial house for less than a month, claiming that they were driven out by relentless paranormal events. Among the many claims made by the Lutz's were swarms of flies, walls that oozed slime, spectral voices, and multiple sightings of a demonic, pig-like creature. Their account was popularized by a book entitled The Amityville Horror which subsequently spawned a film franchise that continues to produce haunted tales of the house nearly 40 years later. While most of the details of the Lutzs' story have been refuted, true believers have blamed the haunting on everything from the vengeful spirits of the DeFeos to a Native American burial ground beneath the site. 

The house itself, with its distinctive gambrels and upper-story windows framing the brick chimney into something like a face, has become a horror icon and may be the distinctive ideal of a "haunted house" in American culture. The house at 112 Ocean Avenue is still a privately owned residence, and while signals of the paranormal have all but disappeared from the site as the years have passed, the memory of its tragic past will linger forever. 

Related Tags

Haunted Houses Hoaxes And Pseudoscience Film Locations Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

BrittanyZ, MandrewPatinkin, lendog666

  • BrittanyZ
  • MandrewPatinkin
  • lendog666

Published

October 17, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://voices.yahoo.com/the-truth-amityville-horror-hoax-534427.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horror
  • http://www.amityvillemurders.com/history.html
  • http://ghosts.wikia.com/wiki/112_Ocean_Avenue
Amityville Horror House
112 Ocean Avenue
Amityville, New York, 11701
United States
40.66651, -73.414323
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Baseball Fields at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage, New York

miles away

Jayne's Hill

West Hills, New York

miles away

Pan Am Museum

Garden City, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Baseball Fields at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage, New York

miles away

Jayne's Hill

West Hills, New York

miles away

Pan Am Museum

Garden City, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Related Stories and Lists

A Horror Buff's Great American Roadtrip

List

By Meg Neal

America’s Real-Life Horror Movie Houses, Mapped

film locations

By Eric Grundhauser

Related Places

  • The southward-facing entrance of the house.

    Jamestown, Rhode Island

    Conanicut Island Lighthouse

    This storybook New England home is actually a decommissioned lighthouse.

  • The long view of the living room.

    Los Angeles, California

    Lovell Health House

    The first all glass and steel residence in the United States.

  • The Rock House

    Thomson, Georgia

    The Old Rock House

    Built in 1785, this residence is the oldest stone house in Georgia.

  • The Gessner Mansion, locally known as the Georgetown Castle.

    Seattle, Washington

    Georgetown Castle

    An allegedly haunted mansion with a tragic, tawdry past.

  • The ruins in the wood.

    Bingley, England

    Milner Field Ruins

    A lavish Victorian mansion wound up inheriting a gruesome reputation that would be its demise.

  • The Karen Blixen Museum in Nairobi.

    Nairobi, Kenya

    Karen Blixen Museum

    The farmhouse owned by the Danish author who wrote "Out of Africa" is now a museum honoring her legacy.

  • Matmata underground house.

    Matmatat-Al-Qadimal, Tunisia

    Matmata Underground Houses

    Made famous by 'Star Wars,' these troglodyte homes face an uncertain future.

  • The stacked homes of the Monster Building.

    Hong Kong

    Quarry Bay 'Monster Building'

    This hulking behemoth is actually five interconnected towers built in the 1960s.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.