Title: The Amityville Horror

Author: Jay Anson

Publication Date: September 13, 1977

Number of Pages: 400

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket Star Books

Genre: True Crime, Horror, Supernatural

Synopsis:

The shocking true story of an American dream that turned into a nightmare beyond imagining…

In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property – complete with boathouse and swimming pool – and the price had been too good to pass up. Twenty-eight days later, the entire Lutz family fled in terror…

This is the spellbinding, bestselling true story that gripped the nation – the story of a house possessed by spirits, haunted by psychic phenomena too terrible to describe.

Personal Thoughts:

Rating:

I remember having read and watched numerous articles, movies, and documentaries about the Amityville house as a teen, but this is the first time I read the actual book. Living in my country makes it so hard to acquire a copy and online shops weren’t a thing at the time, so imagine my excitement when I finally found a copy of this as an adult.

Here we follow the Lutzes, who, by now, we all know as the family of 5 that lived in the Amityville house where, less than a year before, Ronnie DeFeo killed his whole family. In this book, the story and experiences of the Lutzes in the murder house were laid out in detail.

I didn’t find this as scary as when I was younger, but some parts honestly still gave me the creeps. And it’s true that the more I read about it, the more questions I have. Did this really happen? If what the Lutzes said were true, why didn’t the succeeding tenants/owners of the house experience anything like that?

But setting all that aside, I think that regardless of the truth to this story, the book was very entertaining and such a page-turner. The movie also flashed back to me as I was reading this, so I’m planning to rewatch that some time soon. Overall, I recommend this for fans of true crime and a good horror book.