Amityville the real horror

A much sadder view of the Amityville Horror

Overview

As a kid, I grew up with The Amityville Horror, through books and it's various movies.  Although I didn't fully ever believe that demon's had haunted the Lutz family, it seemed fun to think that these events could not be explained.  It was not until I watched a documentary entitled "My Amityville Horror", in which Danny Lutz (child of George and Kathleen Lutz) tried to explain in his own words what happened.  From this documentary, I saw a person who was quite disturbed, but not from how I had seen others who had witnessed poltergeists (or their belief of poltergeists).  I quickly saw a person whose childhood had been taken from him, similar to an abused child, who has grown up without seeking help from mental health professionals.   

If you now go back and analyze the movie events, from the original book and Danny's film, from the perspective of parental abuse, you can quickly correlate the events to various types of abuse, including sexual abuse.   It is too easy to look at the Amityville Horror and conclude that it was just a tale of fiction, and stop at that point.  But looking at Danny's film, and how it had such a negative impact on him, his life and his family life, you only need to analyze the events with the perspective of abuse instead of poltergeist.  

The following are my conclusions and analysis of the events which are from both the original movie, as events or stated facts and from "My Amityville Horror" documentary.  More analysis can be done, but for me, enough of the evidence is available to draw the right conclusions.

Background

·       Kathleen Theresa Lutz (October 13, 1946 – August 17, 2004) died of emphysema and George Lee Lutz (January 1, 1947 – May 8, 2006) died of heart disease. The couple divorced in the late 1980s

·       George and Kathy married in July 1975 – Unknown how long George had access to Daniel and other children, but at least 7 months until they moved out of the Ocean Avenue home.

·       George was an ex-marine, and had a carry permit (handgun).

·       Kathy had three children from a previous marriage: Daniel, 9, Christopher, 7, and Melissa (Missy), 5

·       Daniel Lutz was born in 1965 

·       Events took place between Dec, 1975 and ended when they left on Jan 14^th, 1976 (28 days in the house)

Analysis:

By watching the documentary shots of "My amityville horror", you can see the far eyes of Danny, as he looks far past the camera, like he is in another world.  In one of the interviews on a talk show with George and Kathy, where they are sitting on the couch, being interviewed, you can see how Kathy is still away from George, and her body is as far away from George as possible on the couch, almost as if she is afraid of him.

Daniel insists that the Amityville haunting was real and blames it largely on his stepfather, George Lutz, whom he loathed. He says that George dabbled in the occult and was capable of telekinesis;

You must ask yourself, why does Daniel loath George so much, and mentioned all too often in the movie.  There are few reasons which Daniel gives for his dislike of George.  If in face George was telekinetic, why would Daniel dislike him so much?  It only begs for a different reason.

Daniel also claims that he himself was possessed by a spirit a la "The Exorcist," complete with a violently shaking bed.

Here is the mention of the violently shaking bed.  Notice the word violently, not just shaking.  If this was from sexual abuse, it would be an obvious conclusion of what went on in Daniel’s bedroom during these times, and of course the utter hatred for George by Daniel.

Walter acknowledges that Daniel's memories -- such as a visiting priest being swarmed by flies -- sometimes mimic the movie version a little too closely. And skeptics may raise an eyebrow when Daniel refuses to take a polygraph test. What's irrefutable is Daniel's enduring emotional pain, though its cause may never become clear.

If the family did sit down at some point, and decide to come up with such a story, for publicity or fame, why would part of the story include Danny running away from home, wanting to stay in the boathouse, away from his stepfather?

If after all of these years, you do not want the to truth to come out, then this might explain why Daniel does not take a polygraph.  I can’t image a worse situation of covering up a lie, then with abuse and trying to keep this in.

Events from the Amityville horror book and movie:

Some of the experiences of the Lutz family at the house have been described each (when analysed) with a plausible explanation substantiating the "rape" claims.

·       Kathy would feel a sensation as if "being embraced" in a loving manner, by an unseen force.

(Rape by George)?  Possibly George forcing himself on Kathy.

·       George discovered a small hidden room (around four feet by five feet) behind shelving in the basement. The walls were painted red and the room did not appear in the blueprints of the house. The room came to be known as "The Red Room." This room had a profound effect on their dog Harry, who refused to go near it and cowered as if sensing something ominous.

Quite possibly the “Rape” room, in which the dog senses (heard screams) that something very bad happened to the Lutz children, in this room.

·       The Lutzes' 5-year-old daughter, Missy, developed an imaginary friend named "Jodie," a demonic pig-like creature with glowing red eyes. 

The father was transformed into this pig-like creature, a result of the horrific abuse against the children.  Children may tend to create an imaginary character (or animal) in order to rationalize the abuse, and hide it from their mother

·       In the early morning hours of Christmas Day 1975, George looked up at the house after checking on the boathouse and saw the pig standing behind Missy at her bedroom window. When he ran up to her room he found her fast asleep with her small rocking chair slowly rocking back and forth.

Most likely George confirming the “Pig” face, as this would have been the image the children created as a dark George character.  This might have originally came from the daughter, who as stated above, created the pig like creator to replace her step father during abuse.  Thus George Lutz using the same creator to explain the situations which were actually his abuse

·       George would wake up to the sound of the front door slamming. He would race downstairs to find the dog sleeping soundly at the front door. Nobody else heard the sound although it was loud enough to wake the house.

George continues to propagate the notion of demon's, to deflect from the idea that he is the horror in the house

·       George realized that he bore a strong resemblance to Ronald DeFeo, Jr., and began drinking at The Witches' Brew, the bar where DeFeo was once a regular customer.

Reason for George’s drinking habit.  Alcohol abuse is a prime reason for domestic abuse and it’s victims. 

·       When closing Missy's window, which Missy said Jodie climbed out of, Kathy saw red eyes glowing at her.

Most likely the eyes of George, glaring down to scare the children and the wife into coming upstairs to the room. 

·       While in bed, Kathy received red welts on her chest caused by an unseen force and was levitated two feet in the air.

Red welts would be a way of explaining abuse or forced sexual acts by George.  Also, levitation can be attributed to violence in the bed, with a supernatural explanation.

·       Locks, doors and windows in the house were damaged by an unseen force.

If there were locks on doors, especially internal doors, this would have been a way for the children and/or wife to try to keep George out of their rooms.  George would have damaged and broke them, to unhampered access to the children.

·       Cloven hoofprints attributed to an enormous pig appeared in the snow outside the house January 1, 1976.

Another created event, to explain the Pig/stepfather analogy.

·       George tripped over a 4-foot-high (1.2 m) China lion ornament in the living room and found bite marks on one of his ankles. Later this lion would reappear in the living room after George had moved it back upstairs into the sewing room.

Most likely the dog, having seen or viewed the abuse of the children, by the father, had bite the father in the leg (later George retaliates against the dog).  Bite marks from the abuse children or wife, fighting back from their attacker (George)

·       George saw Kathy transform into an old woman of 90, "the hair wild, a shocking white, the face a mass of wrinkles and ugly lines, and saliva dripping from the toothless mouth."

Again, most likely from abuse, and signs of extreme stress of her inability to handle the abuse situation.

·       Missy would sing constantly while in her room. Whenever she left the room, she would stop singing, and upon returning, she would resume singing where she left off.

Singing could be attributed to when Missy was frightened, singing would put her into another "world"

From the movie “My Amityville Horror” - 2012

Summary from imdb.com

Daniel Lutz recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975. George and Kathleen Lutz's story went on to inspire a best-selling novel and the subsequent films have continued to fascinate audiences today. This documentary reveals the horror behind growing up as part of a world famous haunting and while Daniel's facts may be other's fiction, the psychological scars he carries are indisputable. Documentary filmmaker, Eric Walter, has combined years of independent research into the Amityville case along with the perspectives of past investigative reporters and eyewitnesses, giving way to the most personal testimony of the subject to date.

Quotes from Daniel Lutz in the movie

·       It’s not easy to tell somebody how you got thrown up a staircase  

- Abuse from George, unless it was a ghost

·       Your bed is bouncing off the ceiling, because the headboard posts are jammed into the sheet rock 

– Rape from the step father, in Daniel’s bed

·       I am getting a little tight right now, it is not something I enjoy discussing 

– who would enjoy discussing an adult predator

·       you know my mom used to tell me that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people and sometimes bad things happen to good people too. 

– Can be read as abuse happens to good people.

·       My children feel that at some point I get past it 

– His children are 17 and 19.  They may know what really happened to their father in that house.

From the narrator:

·       Jolting sounds would wake the family during the night – Goes along with the bouncing on the bed and headboards.

Jolting sounds likely from George who was raping Danny, or also could have been heard only from the children, with George and Kathy having sexual relations.  If the children heard these, most likely it was that George was forceful in bed.

·       My son Danny’s hands were caught inside the window in the sewing room and they were flattened.  Was mushed in such a way, that his hands were actually deformed flat.  It was impossible to calm him down. – Father George of course abusing his son Danny.

Never heard of any “spirit” forcing a window to close and smash a child’s hands.  If it was not a spirit, then two options come to mind.  1, old windows which have a counter balance (weight) in them to help them slide up and down, could have come loose, which if the window was open, would cause it to come down at quite a fast and physical force to smash young hands.  Or 2, George would have done this to punish or as a form of abuse to Danny.  No other scenario is likely.

·       How fresh or dim is it in your mind now (Danny)? – Reporter.  It’s all there, I wish I could get rid of it. – Danny. 

Reading this as abuse case, it again fits into what a child would remember his entire life.

·       I thought I could like it here I thought that the doc was gonna be my hang out on the boathouse and you know I I was really anxious and looking forward to be I figured it was big enough to keep George do away from me. - Danny

As a young boy, it seems odd that Danny would say he would stay in the boathouse, to keep away from his stepfather.  Most victims of child abuse or sexual abuse, are fearful of the abuser, and state one of their goals is to stay away from the offender. 

After moving out of the home, and the parapsychologists are investigating the home, Kathy and George ask that they children be left out of investigation, meaning not interviewed.  As young children, did any of the children have an independent interview to ask them what really happened, or to compare statements to their parents?  This has never been stated, that they were interviewed by either detectives or social services.

The abuser (George) being bitten previously by the dog, retaliatory and kills the dog????

Questions remaining

1.     Why would Kathy Lutz not protect her children, from George Lutz’s abuse?  Why would she hide it and go along with George’s alibi that these events are demon driven?

2.     Why do Danny’s siblings not want to talk about Amityville?  Why will they not go on camera?

3.     Why had no social service organization investigate these events, ones that obviously negatively affected young children, to the point where Danny was running away?

Additional material

Kaplan had discovered that the "Amityville Horror" was pure invention. In 1979, attorney William Weber confessed to his part in the hoax during a paranormal radio show hosted by author Joel Martin. Weber admitted that he and George Lutz had concocted the story of the haunting over a few bottles of wine. Weber's motive was to get a new trial for DeFeo, using a "Devil made him do it" defense. According to Weber, Lutz merely wanted to get out from under a mortgage that he couldn't afford. His business was in trouble and he needed a scheme to bail him out. Weber later filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Lutz's, charging them with reneging on their book deal.

If the Amityville horror story was fabricated, why would Daniel Lutz continue to make these claims today, about what happened?  Maybe because he believes after all these years, the real reason would not be supported by the public and his claims (given both parents are now dead, and peers (brother and sister)), would not be founded. 

Could this story of sexual abuse be true, with a large cover-up by family members?  One only has to look at the story of the Freemen’s, which took place in Long Island NY.  Mr. Freemen was convicted of sexually abusing students in his house, with his son (also convicted).  A story so unnatural that without the policy and jury conviction, would seem as absurd as the Lutz’s.  If it were not for the victims of the Freemen’s, there would never have been convicted nor suspected in any abuse case.