Amityville Horror House Sold

The Long Island home where six people were slaughtered in 1974, in a gruesome familial crime known as the "Amityville Murders," has been purchased. The 1927 Dutch Colonial house is where, in '74, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., then 23, shot and killed his parents and four younger siblings while they were sleeping. DeFeo is serving six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life. He shot his family members with a .35 Marlin rifle and each victim was found face down in their beds inside the home. DeFeo is imprisoned at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County. Regardless of its storied past, it seems to have a new taker in 2016. The home went into contract this week. Coldwell Banker Harbor Light Listing Agent Jerry O’Neill said, “We don’t discuss the terms of a sale until it’s closed.”

The 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, 3 1/2 bathroom house on 0.27 acres on the Amityville River, went on the market in June with a listing price of $850,000. The current owner bought the property in 2010 for $950,000. It was listed at $1.15 million. The recognizable home comes with a boathouse and a slip, both of which can be seen in the original film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The home has been restored and updated. However, it still carries a late-1920s flair. The older features mix with newer installments, including a security system operated by cameras around the property. The home was the focus of Jay Anson’s book “The Amityville Horror” and Stuart Rosenberg’s film of the same name because of the gruesome DeFeo murders that unfolded within its walls. Following the first film, 17 others have been made about the home’s spine-chilling past, making it one of the most identifiable settings in the horror genre. The next film to carry the torch is Franck Khalfoun’s 2017 project, “Amityville: The Awakening,” out in January.