10 True Stories Behind Famous Horror Movies

10. The Amityville Horror

You know this story, and it is the quintessential haunted house tale.

A family move into a house that’s beyond their affordability, they got a cheap deal because the house has a dark past. In this case, the murder of an entire family by eldest son Ronnie DeFeo Jr.

That’s pretty much exactly what happened to George and Kathy Lutz, as well as Kathy’s children, when they moved into 112 Ocean Avenue, a house that would become infamous around the world.

The Lutz family lasted 28 days in their dream house, during which they heard strange bangs and scrapings, found it impossible to heat the house, and felt besieged by something strange. A catholic priest came to bless the house but fled in terror, claiming to have heard a demonic voice telling him to get out. George became irritable, short-tempered and even downright nasty – all apparently out of character for him. George and Kathy refused to ever tell the story of what happened on their last night in the house, but heavy speculation has it that George was driven to hurt the family in some way. Whatever happened, the family chose to flee, leaving behind all of their possessions and never returning for them.

The story exploded into nationwide attention following the publication of The Amityville Horror. Shortly afterwards, the movie of the same name was released.

Over the years, the story has altered slightly - many believe that the whole thing was a hoax, whilst others swallow it whole-heartedly - and, in the later years of their lives, George and Kathy were more open and, whilst they always maintained that the haunting did happen, they felt the media had exaggerated the events for entertainment purposes.