112 Ocean Avenue — the Amityville Horror House, Long Island, New York

The house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, is the most famous haunted house in America and the basis for the book and film series 'The Amityville Horror.' On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings in the house, shooting all six family members while they slept. In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the house and moved in with their three children. Within 28 days, the Lutz family fled, claiming they had been terrorized by a series of escalating paranormal events — green slime oozing from the walls, demonic voices commanding them to 'GET OUT,' levitation, swarms of flies in winter, and the transformation of George's appearance to resemble DeFeo. The subsequent book by Jay Anson became a bestseller, and the 1979 film launched a franchise. The Amityville case has been one of the most debated in paranormal history. Skeptics, including some of the Lutzes' own associates, have alleged the story was fabricated to generate book and movie revenue. Subsequent residents of the house have reported no paranormal activity. Despite the controversy, the Amityville Horror remains the most culturally significant haunted house case in American popular culture, influencing decades of horror fiction and paranormal investigation.