US house of horror up for sale

The five bedroom house at 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, gained notoriety from the film which was based on the story of the Lutz family, who claimed the house was haunted after they moved into it 1975.
 
Several months earlier, six members of another family had been shot and killed as they slept in the house. The family’s eldest son, Ronald DeFeo Jr, was convicted of the 1974 murders.
 
The Dutch Colonial style home overlooking a canal has had several owners since the 1970s and the address has been changed from the original 112 Ocean Avenue in an effort to keep onlookers away. But locals say there are still crowds of people around Halloween.
 
But it was a bad buy for George and Kathleen Lutz and their three children. They claimed that they were subjected to a terrifying supernatural ordeal with walls oozing slime, sinister images appearing on the walls, a plague of flies and a crucifix turning upside down before their eyes.
 
Mr Lutz said he was awoken every night at 3.15am, the time of the DeFeo killings, and that he had seen his wife levitate from the bed. He also reported that his five year old daughter was visited by a demonic, pig like creature with glowing eyes.
 
The couple called in a Catholic priest, Father Ralph Pecoraro, who insisted he had heard a man’s voice telling him to get out as he sprinkled holy water and began to pray.
The family fled the house after only 28 days.
 
Their story was turned into a best selling book by Jay Anson and the 1979 film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder led to a dozen sequels.
 
Sceptics immediately cast doubt upon the story and the Lutzes fought persistent rumours that it was a money spinning hoax. However, both passed a lie detector test.
 
Other owners have not been troubled. James Cromarty, who lived in the house from 1977 to 1987, said nothing weird ever happened, except for people taking pictures because of the book and the movie.
 
The house has under gone extensive renovation including the removal of the distinctive quarter windows in the attic that were made to resemble eyes on the film’s poster.