ipl-logo

The Controversy Surrounding The Amityville Horror

1308 Words6 Pages

The Amityville Horror has long been one of the most extreme, popular, and controversial paranormal events in North America, especially within the last 40 years. It began on November 13, 1974 when Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr. murdered his father, mother, two sisters, and two brothers at their house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York. There is much controversy surrounding the 1974 murders because no one really knows exactly what happened, even though DeFeo was tried and found guilty on six counts of second-degree murder, leading to six sentences of 25 years to life. Thirteen months later the Lutz family bought the house at 112 Ocean Avenue because it was priced well below market value due to the murders associated with it. During the 28 days …show more content…

A piece of evidence from Lorraine’s team includes a famous photograph of a hallway which includes a little boy with glowing eyes in a doorway (Appendix A). In the documentary Lorraine mentions how her team made sure none of the Lutz children were in the house when they were present investigating the paranormal. If this is true, then who is the little boy in the picture? In 1979 it would have been very difficult to doctor photos such as this without the use of a computer, and there would be no real motive for the Warrens to do such a …show more content…

William Weber was Ronald DeFeo, Jr.’s lawyer after the Amityville murders and, soon after the hauntings, George and Kathy Lutz went to him with their story to get more information on what had happened prior to them living there. They had made a deal with Webber to make a novel before eventually going to Jay Anson. William Webber admits that their story is a hoax and that the three of them “created the story over many bottles of wine” (Lester). Webber ended up taking the two of them to court over breach of agreement and for a share of their profits (Lester). The account from Webber makes it seem as though the entire story is fiction, and that their accounts were made up in order to sell more books. This type of marketing has been used many times in history to promote films or generate a more emotional reaction from an audience. When people think what they are watching or reading actually happened, they will be more engaged with that material. The Blair Witch Project is arguably the most famous modern film for this type of marketing ploy. Found footage has saturated the horror film industry since The Blair Witch Project because these types of films make them seem more real and more believable. The Amityville Horror: A True Story even exploits this in the title, as well as some editions having quotes on the cover saying “More hideously

Show More
Related

  • The Dark Mind Woodsman Sparknotes

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Dark Minds” Woodsman case documentary examines the, at the time, unsolved connected murders of five main south women. These women were known prostitutes in the area, in which many of the were also hooked on drugs. Betzaida Montalvo and Carmen Rudy were the first to be discovered at the hillside school in Marlborough, which sparked the investigation, soon after. The documentary goes on to explore the three other deaths of Denelia Torres, found in Hudson, Wendy Morello, found in York, Maine, and Lineida Olivera found in Rutland. M. William Phelps, along with help from John Kelly, a criminal profiler, who profiled the woodsman case.

    Read More

  • Herb Clutter Film Analysis

    1237 Words  | 5 Pages

    The hunt for the Clutters’ killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, mesmerized the nation and left a lasting impact in Kansas, drawing journalists from across the country to the rural outpost on the Kansas prairie (Huffington Post). An unremarkable New York Times article, which was considerably small and short, at approximately 300 words, grabbed viewers and drew the audience. The column reported the Clutter family murder in the tiny farm town of Holcomb, Kansas on the Great Plains. “Popular headlines surrounding the Clutter family murders were often along the lines of ‘Wealthy Farmer, 3 Of Family Slain” with a photo of Herb Clutter which left residents in shock and dismay that a horrific crime marred the serene and presumably safe landscapes

    Read More

  • John Wayne Gacy Chapter Summaries

    1015 Words  | 5 Pages

    A friendly face in the Chicago community with a dark secret that will eventually play a part in his death. John Wayne Gacy was a key member in society and his business skills were highly respected by his peers. This book highlighted the brutal torture/murders that 33 young men had to endure. This book was written by an Illinois state attorney, Terry Sullivan with the help of Peter T. Maiken. With this being said, there is a lot of detail about the case and the murders.

    Read More

  • Nevada Taylor Research Paper

    496 Words  | 2 Pages

    Background: On January 23, 1906, Nevada Taylor was walking home from her bookkeeping job in Chattanooga to her small home in Forest Hills Cemetery, where she lived with her father, the groundskeeper (Pfeifer, “United”; “Shipp”). Before Nevada even entered the cemetery grounds, a man, who she later described to have a “soft, kind voice,” grabbed her (Pfeifer, “United”). He threateningly said, “If you scream, I will kill you” (Pfeifer, “United”). Then, everything went black for Nevada (Pfeifer, “United”).

    Read More

  • Summary: The Murder Of Elizabeth Short

    2136 Words  | 9 Pages

    For decades the journalistic adage “if it bleeds, it leads” has been practiced among news publications around the globe. The murder of Elizabeth Short in mid-January 1947 only helped confirm the success of this morbid creed. What should have been a simple homicide article on page three of the paper, quickly became one of the most sensational and frenzied murders of the century. Found in a vacant lot on the crisp morning of January 15th, 1947, housewife Betty Bersinger, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, spotted what appeared to be a dismembered store mannequin. However, upon further review, it was discovered that it was the mutilated remains of what was once Ms. Elizabeth Short.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Double Murder

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    On Sunday, November 13, 1842 a double murder occurred at Smith Farm in Old Fields, Long Island. The victims, Alexander Smith and and Rebecca Smith, were a wealthy, well- respected married couple who ran Smith farm. George Weeks, the Smiths farmhand, was reporting for work the monday after the murder and heard the dog barking from the work-shed by the Smiths house. George Weeks then became suspicious since the dog was usually inside with Mr. Smith. George then looked in the house and saw that the east room window was broken and Mr. and Mrs. Smith were lying on the floor covered in blood.

    Read More

  • The Accused: The Salem Witch Trials

    1772 Words  | 8 Pages

    of a mirror, stopped it with a touch of a finger, and then released it. As soon as it was released, the egg began to spin again, as if by magic.” Then they would stare into the mirror in hopes of seeing their future. During a session of this white magic, the group of girls, it is believed that Betty, Abigail, and other neighborhood teens played, one or two claimed they had seen a casket looking shape. Some historians believed that this was a basis of what happened in Salem with the girls.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In The Scream Image

    862 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wilmer Counts’s “The Scream Image” portrays opposing views on desegregation of education South during the era immediately following the Brown V. Board of Education decision. The actions captured by the photo demonstrate the opposing views on the ethical issue: Elizabeth Eckleford, the black woman in the foreground of the photo, is captured pursuing her recently gained right to unbiased education; the contrary position is shown by Hazel Bryan, the screaming white woman, who fights against Eckleford’s right because of a perceived threat to her white superiority. Hazel Bryan violates the ethical principle of this situation as the color of a person’s skin should not undermine a person’s intrinsic dignity, nor their opportunity to receive an education.

    Read More

  • Sociological Analysis Of The Movie Pleasantville

    1313 Words  | 6 Pages

    Throughout the movie “Pleasantville”, there are numerous social issues. This paper will look at and identify some of them, as well as defining the basic social issues and how they relate to the movie. Some sociological concepts found in the movie include Race and Ethnicity, Age Stratification, and Social Interaction. Throughout the movie, there are plenty of examples, but I will use the three main concepts I found. The example of Race and Ethnicity would be Discrimination.

    Read More

  • Virginia Woolf's Trailers: Comparing Bonnie And Clyde

    440 Words  | 2 Pages

    The trailers of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bonnie and Clyde both have very strange trailers as they have very little to do with the plots of the films. They both present the films in ways that it is if they are trying to brainwash the viewers to see these films. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’s trailer seems almost like for some kind of food commercial and even lists off all the reasons one would need to see it, though not of its substance but of its accolades.

    Read More

  • Black Dahlia Murders Research Paper

    1921 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Murder of the Hollywood Starlet A young hollywood starlet was brutally murdered in 1947 with no killer identified to this day. This is real case that still puzzles investigators today. The woman in question was named Elizabeth Short, but is more widely known as the “Black Dahlia.” She was given this nickname by the press because of the sheer, black clothing she tended to wear (“The Black Dahlia Murder - Read All about it in FBI Records.”).

    Read More

  • Textual Analysis Of The Movie Pleasantville

    523 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pleasantville is a movie in which the entire town is convinced that people are to abide by several ludicrous rules. Their ignorance is what leads them to their repression. Prior to David’s coming, the town was all black and white, where there are no fires, and there are no changes from the townspeople everyday activities. Although one might perceive it to be a boring lifestyle, the townspeople do not, and rather go about their everyday business, submitting to authority. They seem to enjoy it, even though it is just because they are ignorant of there being any other way or ways to live.

    Read More

  • Pleasantville Myths Of The 1950s

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    Unit Question: Myths of the 1950s 1. Pleasantville Pleasantville is a movie that depicts the life that most people had in the 1950s, except it does also deal with many things that are not true about that time. The most significant myth about the 1950s that was shown the movie was the myth that woman’s job in the house was to cook and clean and that they have to do these things.

    Read More

  • Conformity In The Film Pleasantville

    1383 Words  | 6 Pages

    Conformity is gradually oppressing the world in which we live in. This ideal is prominently illustrated in the film Pleasantville which is directed, and produced by Gary Ross. Pleasantville is a great demonstration of the dangers of abiding by society’s expectations, and the freedoms that come with rebelling to these expectations and embracing change. Gary Ross uses several literary techniques such as; colour (symbolism), and character development to indicate the lack of creativity, and originality in society. Throughout the film, Ross illustrates how obstructive conformity can be to society, and how rewarding rebelling to societal norms can be for not only self growth, but societal advancement as well.

    Read More

  • The Blockbuster Film: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    American cinema changed greatly after the United States vs. Paramount Pictures, Inc. decision which took control away from the major production companies in Hollywood. With the decline of the old studio system came the rise of the independent filmmakers, whose movies are geared more toward the art of filmmaking, employ unknown actors, have different themes and are made with a much lower budget than that of its counterpart, the blockbuster film. The blockbuster film is a big budget film that is enormously popular and financially successful.

    Read More

More about The Controversy Surrounding The Amityville Horror

Open Document