George Lutz, the real man behind Horror in Amityville, dies

George Lee Lutz, whose brief stay in a home in Amityville, N.Y., spawned one of the most famous haunted house stories, the basis for the "Amityville Horror" novel and movies, died here on Monday. He was 59. The cause was heart disease, according to the Clark County coroner.

Mr. Lutz, a former land surveyor, moved his new bride and three children into a three-story home on Long Island in 1975, about a year after six members of the DeFeo family had been shot and killed there. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the eldest son, was convicted of the murders.

According to Mr. Lutz's account, his family lived in the home for 28 days before being driven out by the spirits of the DeFeos. Mr. Lutz's story has been challenged by some who accused him of intentionally moving into the home to profit from the DeFeo murders, but he stuck by his version.

The family's tales of eerie feelings and the waking dead became the source for Jay Anson's 1977 book, "The Amityville Horror", a 1979 film of the same title and a 2005 remake of the movie.

The book and movies had visions of walls oozing slime, moving furniture and a visit from a demonic pig named Jodie.