There’s a new Amityville Horror project just about every year, since the first movie debuted in 1979. With so many adaptations, the number sitting at 20 as of right now, what else is there left to say about the “real-life” haunted house story that has long ago been debunked? Well, nothing, as it turns out. Even the upcoming movie, prequel Amityville 1974, is covering ground already seen in 1982’s Amityville II: The Possession.
The story goes that in 1975 George and Kathy Lutz moved to their new home on 112 Ocean Avenue in Long Island, New York. Weeks later they fled the house in terror, claiming all kinds of paranormal experiences. While numerous movies have sprung from this initial claim, the Lutz’s story is believed to be a bunch of bullshit, made up for publicity’s sake. Nobody who has ever lived there since has noted anything weird.
However, that doesn’t mean the house is free from its share of violence. Amityville 1974 will detail the very real story of the DeFeo family, who in 1974 saw six of its members murdered by the eldest son, Ronald DeFeo Jr., who claimed demons told him to do it. A fictionalized account of the murders was depicted in Amityville II: The Possession.
The new movie will be directed by Casey La Scala, who will also write the script.
“This is a story that takes its jumping off point from the true facts surrounding the Defeo tragedy, but also focuses on the human drama that took place inside a family as they were relentlessly stalked by a terrifying evil,” La Scala said.
