The Amityville HorrorClaim:

The Amityville Horror is based on a true story.

Status: False.

Origins: Some horrors just won't die, and The Amityville Horror is a case in point. The tale of a reportedly demon-infested house in Amityville, New York, became a best-selling novel in 1977 and a hit horror film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder in 1979. Several inferior movie sequels followed in its wake (including a 3-D version), and 15 April 2005 saw the debut of a remake, this one starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. Scary films are a dime a dozen, but what initially drew the public's interest to the original version of The Amityville Horror was the claim that it was based on real events.

The producers of the 2005 remake were also intrigued by the Amityville case not so much due to the horror film's scary details, but because the tale was allegedly true. "We were looking for truth in horror," co-producer Andrew Form told Fangoria magazine. "I grew up in Long Island, so I was familiar with this when I was a kid. I remember going by that house and how scary it was." Co-star Melissa George was attracted to the role because, she said, "If you're going to do a scary movie, you might as well do The Amityville Horror, a true story, a famous book, a well-known moment in American history."

A famous book, yes.

A moment in American history, perhaps.

But a true story? Not.

The history of The Amityville Horror, as with The Exorcist, began with a best-selling novel. A book entitled The Amityville Horror: A True Story, written by Jay Anson, was published in 1977 and quickly scaled the sales charts. Anson was not a resident of the infamous possessed house, but a professional writer hired to pen a book based on supposedly "true events" that had taken place there several years earlier. The story behind the story began on 13 November 1974, when six members of an Amityville, New York, family were killed. The parents, Ronald and Louise DeFeo, were shot in bed while they slept, along with their two sons and two daughters.

The sole remaining family member, Ronald Jr. ("Butch"), was arrested for the crime, convicted, and sentenced to prison. With the family dead (and Butch in no position to inherit the place), the house went up for sale. The horrific nature of the massacre unnerved the otherwise quiet Long Island neighborhood, though no supernatural activity was associated with the house at 112 Ocean Avenue. The following year, a new

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