Highway to History #4 - The Truth About The Amityville Horror and The Warrens
Episode 4, Oct 30, 12:00 PM
Recorded on September 18, 2024.
There are a few foundational horror movies that live in the cultural consciousness of America, films that shocked and frightened the more innocent population of the United States of the past. The Exorcist awakened the fear of demons among us, not to mention within us, in 1973, while the Texas Chainsaw Massacre made travelers weary of stopping in small town America for gas and snacks the following year. From Rosemary's Baby to Halloween, the genre of horror took off in the 1970s, leading to the tremendous output seen in the 1980s. The Amityville Horror closed out the decade in 1979 with the terrifying tale of the Defeo Family murders on November 13, 1974 by troubled son, Ronald Defeo Jr. The Lutz Family moved in a little over a year later, and wove a tale so frightening millions of people bought the subsequent book, based on a "true" story, and flocked to the movie theaters a year later. Ed and Lorraine Warren had already achieved fame as America's favorite supernatural experts, and they made sure to capitalize off of America's most famous haunting. However, controversy surrounds the Warrens and the Lutz Family themselves. We dive into the mess, talking about the murders, alleged haunting, the controversy surrounding the story and the cultural phenomenon The Amityville Horror became, plus a few more horror movies. Happy Halloween!
There are a few foundational horror movies that live in the cultural consciousness of America, films that shocked and frightened the more innocent population of the United States of the past. The Exorcist awakened the fear of demons among us, not to mention within us, in 1973, while the Texas Chainsaw Massacre made travelers weary of stopping in small town America for gas and snacks the following year. From Rosemary's Baby to Halloween, the genre of horror took off in the 1970s, leading to the tremendous output seen in the 1980s. The Amityville Horror closed out the decade in 1979 with the terrifying tale of the Defeo Family murders on November 13, 1974 by troubled son, Ronald Defeo Jr. The Lutz Family moved in a little over a year later, and wove a tale so frightening millions of people bought the subsequent book, based on a "true" story, and flocked to the movie theaters a year later. Ed and Lorraine Warren had already achieved fame as America's favorite supernatural experts, and they made sure to capitalize off of America's most famous haunting. However, controversy surrounds the Warrens and the Lutz Family themselves. We dive into the mess, talking about the murders, alleged haunting, the controversy surrounding the story and the cultural phenomenon The Amityville Horror became, plus a few more horror movies. Happy Halloween!