What Happened To The Real Amityville Horror House?
In a harrowing nocturnal rampage, Ronald Defeo Jr. executed his entire family in their sleep on November 13, 1974 in the stark black hours of the night. A little after 3am (3:15 to be exact), he went from room to room with a .35 caliber rifle and took the lives of his mother, father, two sisters, and two brothers. His alleged motive: malevolent spirits urging him to enact the bloodshed (via All That's Interesting – ATI).
The wake of the notorious murders gave birth to one of horror fans' most celebrated films, "The Amityville Horror" (1979), based on the book of the same title. Since then, the infamous residence at 108 Ocean Avenue (originally 112) in Long Island, New York has drawn endless numbers of bystanders who crave to see the site of one of America's most cold-blooded and fabled murders (per ATI). In the 43 years since the film's initial release, people often wonder what has become of the iconic Amityville homestead.
The house today
Since the grisly 1974 slayings of the Defeos, the Amityville house has circulated throughout the market, a home to numerous different residents, the most recognizable being the Lutz family. They moved in a year after the murders and were the first to report instances of paranormal activity that allegedly prompted their abandonment of the mansion after only 28 days. Following their untimely departure, the house went into foreclosure in 1977 (per All That's Interesting).
After the film's release in 1979, it didn't take horror fans long to start traveling various distances in order to gawk at what they believed to be a real hellmouth of demonic phenomenon. It was James and Barbara Cromarty who, while living in the house at the time, chose to change the address from 112 Ocean Avenue to 108 in an attempt to thwart unwelcome observers. It was last listed on the market in 2016 for $605,000 and sold in 2017 (via New York Post). In March of 2021, Ronald Defeo Jr. died in prison at the age of 69 (per Rolling Stone).