MovieHole.net interview

(April 7, 2005)

In the early hours of the morning on November 13 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr., then aged only 23, took a high powered rifle and shot to death his father Ronald, mother Louise, sisters Dawn and Allison, along with his two younger brothers, Mark and John. A little while later, the family abode was back on the market.

Just a few short days before the release of The Amityville Horror, Clint Morris catches up with George Lutz, the real-life chap whose life was forever changed when he invested in that same property. There's not a soul that's not familiar with what happened after the murders ­ thanks to a legion of films using the designate Amityville Horror, including the new remake ­ but no one knows what really went down in that apparently haunted house of horrors better than Lutz. In this one-on-one chat, Lutz speaks about those infamous 28 days and reveals his feelings about the new film starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George.

CLINT MORRIS: Okay, what happened in the house?

GEORGE LUTZ: There is a reliving of some of these events that comes with the retelling. I have not tried to write out all that happened the last night we were there for just this reason. We felt that if the book was done, we would not have to put ourselves through this. I have made attempts to discuss this at various times and always it is an experience that is less than pleasant....and even energy draining. When the last night was going on, there was a progression of events that seemed to build without end. Even after leaving there was more to come for some time.

CLINT MORRIS: Were you a skeptic before entering the house?

GEORGE LUTZ: Skeptical is certainly the correct way to describe all of us as a family. We talked over the idea of buying the house with each of the children, individually and as a family, and each of us fell in love with the house and we all really wanted to live there. Not a one of us expressed a concern about the house having a memory of some kind, let alone a presence of evil or energy.

CLINT MORRIS: When were you told about the murders that had taken place at the house?

GEORGE LUTZ: We were told about the murders there just before walking through it for the first time. The realtor was someone that we never felt anything but respect for because she had the integrity to do this. She said to us that she was not sure if she should tell us what house it was before or after we had walked through it. She told us before and reminded us of the events a year before. We were forearmed or fore warned in this way and felt nothing ­ it was a beautiful house.

CLINT MORRIS: You had the house blessed, right?

GEORGE LUTZ: Father Ray was interviewed on camera and in court later and confirmed his being slapped and told to get out and the cold he suddenly experienced there, he had been asked by us to come and bless the house on the day we moved in. A friend of mine that I am grateful to every day, made me promise to have this done when I explained to him what house we had bought. I was a Methodist at the time and did not understand that people did this. Kathy was Catholic and she helped with the decision to ask for the blessing.

CLINT MORRIS: What kind of evidence do you have?

GEORGE LUTZ: There were four investigations done in the house, all with results that verified a presence or a force that made it uninhabitable. Father Malachi Martin spoke of it on the Art Bell Show and confirmed it contained evil known to the church for some time, polygraph or lie detector tests were conducted of Kathy and I by the number two man in the profession, Chris Gugas, two additional non-fiction books were researched and published by us about the events that took place to various people that helped us or were involved back then, and the research and documentation that we did back then still exists and is held by one news researcher to this day, Father Ray was interviewed on the In Search Of program, as well as numerous interviews by Ed and Lorraine Warren and Mary Downey. There are also the pictures taken during the investigation of March 6, 1976 several separate photographs have images that can only be said to highly unusual and startling. We are currently working on a book of these that contains commentary of two of the psychics that reviewed these photos with me and shared their own reactions to various places within the house.

CLINT MORRIS: What's your take on the new "Amityville Horror" film?

GEORGE LUTZ: I was excluded from any participation that might have allowed for accurate depictions in this film. My family was not consulted and when I asked my attorney to inquire about the intent the producers had about this remake, MGM sued me in federal Court in Las Vegas. Anyone familiar with the statements the cast has made about the accuracy of this film will find this question quite entertaining. There is a craft to acting. An art. Some actors are more serious about their art. They take time to research a part. In the case of retelling an actual event, they look into the history. Research the people involved. That just didn't happen here. Based on what I've read from his interviews, this kid thinks his script is the true story because that's what he's been told. He's quite happy to look no further than that. I do not mean to belittle this because it has serious repercussions that will continue far past the time anyone remembers the names of these people. A tremendous disservice has been orchestrated here. The filmmakers have fabricated many incredibly inaccurate statements made during promotion interviews and press packs. These serve to misinform with a drivel that is pure sophistry. I am appalled at the lack of personal integrity in the name of hype and promotion. What I mean by this is ­ this is supposed to be about my family and the 28 days we lived in the house, instead it is something formed in the minds of others not concerned with anything more than box office numbers and self import. When you make a movie about real events and living people, there should be a concern for the effects of what you do. There should be a relationship with these people that includes dialogue and responsible portrayals. There should be a moral desire to reach the public with an accurate historical presentation.

CLINT MORRIS: So you haven't been shown the film yet?

GEORGE LUTZ: I can only imagine that when you have done something shameful, you would wish to hide it from those that would expose it as such. I am aware of much of the content in the film. It seems to bear little resemblance to any of the actual events we experienced. The more I learn about what has been done by the filmmakers, it seems they have made a concerted effort to trivialize, demean, defame and shed false light upon one of the most documented true stories ever published. This movie trades on the name ­ after it is seen we will understand if it informs or does something less.

CLINT MORRIS: How's life treating you these days?

GEORGE LUTZ: Life only gets better when you allow it to and find some faith that it will. This is not a Pollyanna approach or philosophy, it is instead an observation built on retrospection. For each seemingly terrible event that one goes through, each problem, there is a wealth of learned lessons that accompany the time to follow. Hopefully we get better from this. We learn to understand more if we choose to and we get smarter if we allow ourselves to. There is nothing profound in this ­ it is just the way of life, what really matters are the choices we make. Some readers of this may think this is about money and that my answers somehow include a reference to this. We have probably had a net spendable income ­ after tax and lawyers from all this ­ in the area of $300,000, this works out to about $10,000 a year. We were forced to file bankruptcy in the 80s and early 90s. We have had numerous lawsuits about all this and always the underlying issue has dealt with our right to tell even one day of our story...The Amityville Horror. We lived through this and we know it to be a true story and I appreciate the opportunity to try to explain some of what has happened.

CLINT MORRIS: Ever encounter anything as scary since?

GEORGE LUTZ: Nothing even close to the time back then, but I have also had to remind myself that it is only by the Grace of God that we escaped, survived, and have been allowed the time to heal.

The Amityville Horror commences this week