49 Years Ago, The Most Chilling Ghost Story Changed The Horror Genre Forever

Few horror touchstones have been as profound as the most chilling ghost story of all time, which still influences the genre 49 years later. The written horror genre has changed dramatically since the first officially recognized horror novel, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, was released in 1764. However, one thing has stayed the same: our fascination with ghost stories. Ghost stories actually predate the first formal horror book by thousands of years, dating back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

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They passed down through oral tradition, which is still kept alive today through campfire tales and stories told in the middle of the night during sleepovers. Think about folklore like The Crying Woman (aka La Llorona), Bloody Mary, or the Candyman. Now we also have written ghost story books that draw in readers. Perhaps the best-known are The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. However, another book is more disturbing and has had a more profound influence than either of those titles, though Jackson’s book certainly comes close.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, released in 1977, tells the story of the Lutz family, who move into a Long Island home for 28 days, during which they are tormented by supernatural forces. At the end of that period, they flee the home, unable to bear it anymore. The haunted house story is so influential that it continues to shape the horror genre 49 years after its release.

How The Amityville Horror By Jay Anson Became A Global Phenomenon

Before the movie franchise even started, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson was a pop culture phenomenon. The 1977 book became an instant bestseller and landed on the New York Times bestseller list after its release. It stayed on the list for 42 weeks. In the first six months, the original publisher, Prentice-Hall, ordered 13 hardcover printings. The first movie was released in 1979. By 1981, the book had been printed 37 times. Several factors influenced the novel’s success and staying power, the biggest of which was that it was marketed as a true story and written in a journalistic style.

The location is real, and it was the site of a brutal murder a year before the Lutzes moved there. The couple really did buy the home and only stayed for 28 days before leaving, claiming they were terrorized by ghosts and paranormal phenomena. Ed and Lorraine Warren, of the Conjuring Universe fame, visited it and said it was haunted, though they’re widely seen as grifters, even by paranormal investigators. The Lutzes recorded hours of tape for author Jay Anson to use in his book. The haunting? Well, there’s plenty of evidence that it was a hoax and very little to support it.

Regardless of the truth, though, The Amityville Horror blurred the line between reality and fiction enough to convince readers it actually happened to the Lutz family and could happen to them too. Suddenly, home wasn’t a sanctuary or a safe place. Add to that the 1970s wave of media about the occult and demonic forces, and The Amityville Horror was bound to succeed. It was the perfect book for true crime aficionados and horror lovers alike.

Over Four Dozen Movies & A Dozen Novels Are Based On The Amityville Horror

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The Amityville Horror franchise obviously includes Jay Anson’s book, the two direct movie adaptations from 1979 and 2005, and the official movie prequel and sequels. That makes one book and eleven official movies. However, the story’s influence in Hollywood doesn’t end there because of an IP loophole. Amityville is a real place, so the name stays in the creative commons. Similarly, historical events can’t be copyrighted. The Lutz family shot themselves in the foot by presenting their story as real and then sticking to that claim under scrutiny. Now, anyone can recount the events of the Lutz family’s 28-day stay.

Beyond the 11 official movies, over 40 films have the name “Amityville” in the title, many of which retell or reimagine the haunting hoax. This number keeps growing, and there are already more on the horizon. A new Lionsgate movie, Amityville: Where the Echo Lives, comes out October 29, 2029. A new Amityville spin-off is in development with directors Joseph and Vanessa Winter. Also, Amazon MGM Studios is developing a reimagining of The Amityville Horror with the Conjuring team.

Meanwhile, the literary world seems just as enthralled by the events of The Amityville Horror, though no books other than the original are endorsed by the Lutz estate. Over the years, ten prequels and sequels have been written.

The most popular is Murder in Amityville, a prequel written by parapsychologist Hans Holzer, who investigated the home. John G. Jones also wrote several continuations, the best-known of which is The Amityville Horror Part II, a direct sequel to Anson’s book. Several true crime books have also highlighted the original murder and the Lutz family’s experiences. Additionally, investigative books such as The Amityville Horror Conspiracy by Stephen Kaplan and Roxanne Salch Kaplan examine the accuracy of the story Anson presented.

Two of the most recent books are Amityville Awakens by Robert P. Ottone, a fiction story that uses the lore, and Amityville Horror: The Whole Story by Anthony Lupine, a nonfiction investigation into the events. While they aren’t nearly as frequent as movies, I have no doubt books heavily influenced by, or directly about, The Amityville Horror will keep coming out.

Other Popular Horror Novels Credit The Amityville Horror As Inspiration For Their Novels

The influence of The Amityville Horror reaches even further than just those movies and books. Many great horror writers have directly credited The Amityville Horror as inspiration, whether the book or the movie. Rachel Harrison, who is best known for her 2021 book Cackle, explained that her book Play Nice was heavily influenced by the 2005 adaptation of The Amityville Horror. Stephen King spent a good portion of his 1981 book Danse Macabre analyzing The Amityville Horror book. Author Robert P. Ottone revealed to The IndieView that he lived about 20 minutes from the Amityville Horror House, which influenced his writing.

Those are just a few of the authors who have explicitly taken inspiration from the franchise. Plenty of other horror books have obvious parallels. The reality of The Amityville Horror is that it’s such a huge cultural touchstone that it has influenced stories that have influenced stories which have influenced more stories. It shaped the larger ghost story/haunted house genre, so authors can be shaped by The Amityville Horror even if they don’t realize it. All in all, The Amityville Horror may be the greatest ghost hoax in history because, even if little to none of it was true, it shaped an entire section of the horror genre.