112 Ocean Avenue

The house at what was long numbered 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island, is a large Dutch Colonial Revival dwelling built in 1927, distinguished by its gambrel roof and quarter-round windows. Its notoriety dates to November 1974, when Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family inside the home, a documented crime for which he was convicted of murder. The property's fame grew a year later when a new family, the Lutzes, purchased the house and left after 28 days, later describing frightening experiences that were popularised in Jay Anson's 1977 book and the films it inspired.

According to the accounts that made the address famous, occupants reported cold spots, foul odours, moving objects and oppressive presences. These claims have been widely disputed, and several people connected to the case later suggested the story was substantially embellished. The reported phenomena remain anecdotal and contested, and no supernatural cause has been established.

The enduring interest in the house says as much about American popular culture and the appetite for haunted-house narratives as it does about the building itself. It is, in truth, a handsome and well-kept private home whose real significance lies in a genuine tragedy that deserves to be remembered with restraint rather than sensation.

This is a private residence and is not open to the public in any form. To discourage sightseers, the street address was changed years ago and the distinctive quarter-round windows were altered, so the house no longer closely resembles its film depictions.

Visitors are asked to respect the privacy of the current owners and neighbours: there are no tours, no parking provision and no visitor facilities. Please do not trespass, loiter or photograph the property from close range; view it, if at all, only as an ordinary home on a quiet residential street.