The house on Long Island that inspired the book "The Amityville Horror" and the film of the same name has finally sold.
The house, which had gone on the market for $850,000 in June, went under contract this week, although no details of the sale were available, the New York Daily News reported. The home is 5,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, and a boathouse and slip on a quarter acre. It was last sold in 2012 for $950,000, although it was listed at $1.15 million.
The house was the site of the gruesome 1974 "Amityville Murders," when 23-year-old Donald DeFeo Jr. shot his parents and four younger siblings while they were sleeping. The family members were all found face down in their beds in the home. DeFeo is serving six concurrent 25 years to life sentences at Green Haven Correctional Facility for the murders.
The Dutch Colonial house is reported to be updated and restored while still maintaining a “late 1920s flair,” according to the Daily News. Period details include leaded glass and oak floors, according to Newsday, while newer installments include a security system.
The original “Amityville Horror” movie came out in 1979, but there have been 17 others since then. A new version, Franck Khalfoun’s “Amityville: The Awakening,” will release in January.
The movies both detailed and embellished the events surrounding the Lutz family, who moved into the house after the murders were committed there. The Lutzes claimed the house was haunted and only lived there for 28 days.