You've seen the movies. The bleeding walls, the swarms of flies in the dead of winter, and that creepy red-eyed pig named Jodie. It’s the quintessential American ghost story. But if you drive down to Ocean Avenue in Amityville today, you won’t find a dilapidated mansion dripping with gore. You’ll find a beautiful, well-maintained Dutch Colonial that looks... normal. This creates a massive disconnect for true crime fans and paranormal junkies alike. People constantly ask: is the Amityville house still haunted, or was the whole thing just a clever 1970s hoax designed to pay off a mortgage?
The truth is messier than a Hollywood script.
To understand if the "High Hopes" estate—now rebranded with a new address to deter looky-loos—is still active, we have to strip away the cinematic fluff. We have to look at the people who actually lived there after the Lutzes fled in terror in 1976. Because, honestly, if a house is truly "evil," it doesn't just stop being evil because the cameras stopped rolling.
The Brutal Reality of 112 Ocean Avenue
Before the ghosts, there was a ghost-maker. Ronald DeFeo Jr.
On November 13, 1974, "Butch" DeFeo used a .35-caliber Marlin rifle to execute his parents and four siblings in their beds. This isn't paranormal speculation; it's a grisly historical fact. The murders are the foundation of every haunting claim that followed. When George and Kathy Lutz moved in thirteen months later, they knew about the murders. They bought the place for a steal—$80,000 for a waterfront property with a heated pool.
They lasted 28 days.
They claimed they were terrorized by unseen forces. They spoke of cold spots, green slime, and George waking up at 3:15 AM every night—the supposed time of the DeFeo murders. But here is where the "is the Amityville house still haunted" debate gets complicated. William Weber, DeFeo’s defense attorney, later famously admitted that he and the Lutzes "created this horror story over many bottles of wine." They needed a way to explain DeFeo’s actions as "demonic possession" for his appeal, and the Lutzes needed a way out of a house they couldn't afford.
But wait. If it was all a scam, why does the legend persist?
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What the Subsequent Owners Say
Since the Lutzes ran away in a cloud of controversy, several families have called 112 Ocean Avenue (now 108 Ocean Avenue) home. If you're looking for proof of a lingering curse, these are the people you need to listen to.
James and Barbara Cromarty bought the house in 1977. They stayed for ten years. Ten years is a long time to live with a demonic pig. Their take? They hated the fans, not the ghosts. Barbara Cromarty once told the press that the only "weird" thing about the house was the constant stream of tourists trespassing on their lawn and peeking through the windows. They even sued the Lutzes and the publishers of the book for "nuisance and invasion of privacy." They lived there peacefully, raised a family, and eventually sold it without a single report of a bleeding wall.
Then came Peter and Edith O'Neil in 1987. They lived there for a decade too. No ghosts.
Next was Brian Wilson, who bought it in 1997. He did some massive renovations, including filling in the infamous boathouse. He stayed until 2010.
Then came Caroline and David D'Antonio.
If the house were a portal to hell, you'd think at least one of these families would have mentioned a levitating bed or a scary voice in the basement. Instead, they all reported the same thing: it’s a lovely house in a quiet neighborhood that happens to have a very dark history.
The Psychological Weight of a Crime Scene
Even if the "paranormal" stuff was a hoax, a house where six people were murdered doesn't just feel like a Starbucks.
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There is a concept in real estate and psychology called "stigmatized property." When you ask is the Amityville house still haunted, you might be sensing the heavy residue of trauma rather than actual spirits. Science tells us that humans are incredibly sensitive to the "vibe" of a space where violence occurred. It’s why some people can’t sleep in a room if they know someone died there.
Christopher Quaratino (formerly Christopher Lutz), who was a child when the family lived there, has maintained a more nuanced view. He doesn't necessarily buy into the "green slime" Hollywood version, but he has stated in interviews that his stepfather, George, was dabbling in the occult and that something oppressive was definitely going on in that house. He describes it more as a psychological haunting fueled by George's personality rather than a demonic infestation of the soil.
Why the Haunting Legend Refuses to Die
Google searches for "is the Amityville house still haunted" spike every single year around Halloween. It's a permanent fixture of American folklore.
The haunting stays alive because we want it to be true. It’s a perfect ghost story. It has a beautiful setting, a tragic backstory, and a visual icon—those quarter-moon windows that look like eyes. Even though those windows have been replaced by square ones to make the house less recognizable, the image is burned into our collective consciousness.
The house sold again in 2017 for $605,000. The new owners, like those before them, have kept a very low profile. They don't give interviews. They don't let paranormal investigators in. This silence is often misinterpreted as "they're hiding something," but honestly? They’re probably just trying to eat dinner without a YouTuber drone hovering over their backyard.
The Evidence for "No"
If we look at the cold, hard facts, the evidence for a continued haunting is basically zero.
- No Police Reports: There have been no emergency calls involving "supernatural" disturbances in the house for 50 years.
- Long-Term Residents: Multiple families lived there for 10+ years. Most people don't stay in a haunted house that long unless they're the Addams Family.
- The Hoax Confession: The legal admission by William Weber cast a permanent shadow over the Lutz's claims.
- The Physical Changes: The house has been gutted, renovated, and re-addressed. In "ghost logic," major renovations are often said to stir up spirits. If that were true, the house should have been a literal war zone in the late 90s. It wasn't.
The Nuance of the "High Hopes" Legend
Is it possible that the Lutzes experienced something? Maybe.
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Paranormal researcher Lorraine Warren, who investigated the house shortly after the Lutzes left, remained a firm believer until her death. She claimed the house was one of the most terrifying places she ever visited. She famously took a "ghost photo" of a young boy looking out of a doorway—believed by some to be the ghost of John DeFeo. Skeptics, however, point out that the "ghost" looks remarkably like one of the investigators on the team, Paul Bartz.
It’s a classic "he said, she said" scenario that relies entirely on whether you believe the Warrens were legitimate researchers or master promoters.
Final Verdict on the Amityville Haunting
Basically, the Amityville house is a beautiful home with a horrific past.
If you mean "haunted" in the sense that ghosts are throwing plates and screaming "GET OUT" at the current owners, the answer is almost certainly no. There hasn't been a credible report of paranormal activity from a resident in nearly five decades. The house has moved on.
However, if you mean "haunted" by its history, then yes. It will always be the DeFeo house. It will always be the place where a family was destroyed. That kind of stain doesn't wash off with a new coat of paint or a change of address.
What You Can Do Next
If you’re still fascinated by the Amityville case, don't just watch the 2005 remake. Do some real digging.
- Read the Trial Transcripts: Look into the Ronald DeFeo Jr. trial. It provides a sobering look at the actual tragedy without the supernatural filter. It's much more harrowing than any ghost story.
- Check Local Records: Research the history of the land itself. Some theories suggest the haunting predates the DeFeos, involving a "Shinnecock burial ground" (though this is largely debunked by local historians).
- Respect the Privacy: If you decide to visit the town, remember that Amityville is a real village with real people. Don't go onto the property. The current owners are known to call the police on trespassers, and frankly, you can't blame them.
- Look Into the "Amityville Horror" Court Cases: The legal battles between the Lutzes, the Cromartys, and the publishers are a goldmine for anyone trying to separate fact from fiction.
The Amityville house remains a monument to our fascination with the macabre. Whether or not spirits dwell within its walls, it has successfully haunted our culture for half a century—and shows no signs of leaving.