Why am I fascinated by The Amityville Horror? I'm aware of all the facts and hoaxes surround the Lutz family's 28-day stay at 112 Ocean Avenue. I know author Jay Anson put his spin on Lutz's claims for his 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. I believe Ed and Lorraine Warren's investigation is questionable? No, I don't believe the ghost boy picture is of John DeFeo. Was George Lutz involved in the occult? Some facts point in that direction. Were George and Kathy Lutz in debt? Yep!
Like many horror fans my age, I first learned about the 112 Ocean Avenue murder house in the 1979 movie The Amityville Horror starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. Shortly after viewing the original film and the superior prequel, Amityville II: The Possession, I checked out the 1977 novel at a local library. I wasn't aware there were fictionalized sequels until I stumbled on a paperback of The Amityville Horror II by John G. Jones at a thrift store many, many later. The same author also wrote Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Amityville: The Final Chapter, and Amityville: The Horror Returns.
Recently, after watching a documentary on the 1974 DeFeo murders, I became interested in The Amityville Horror again. I dug through my paperback collection and located my copy of The Amityville Horror II, which has nothing to do with the sequel film Amityville II: The Possession.
The Amityville Horror II (also known as The Amityville Horror Part II) is a direct sequel to both the 1977 novel and the 1979 film. Upon its publication in 1982, Warner Books marketed it as a "true story." However, it's really a fictionalized story written by author John G. Jones, though he does interweave some so-called facts.
It's never a good sign when the first paragraph in the Forward has an error. It states that Ronald DeFeo, Jr. was twenty-two years old when he murdered his parents and siblings on November 13, 1974. The age isn't accurate. He was twenty-three years old when he committed the murders. I realize that the age probably won't bother other readers, but it does for me. Seriously, why didn't Warner Books hire a fact-checker?!
The first chapter retells the movie's ending, where the Lutzes hoped into a van in the dead of night and quickly drove away from the evil forces that lived inside their home. At least that's what the ending portrayed. Mr. Jones draws out their escape by creating a smoke-like entity that stalks the Lutz from their Amityville home to Kathy's mother's house in New York. Yeah, that happens! And guess who also followed them - spirit-pig Jodie or otherwise known as Amy Lutz's invisible friend.
Who is Amy Lutz? Well, according to the book, she's Kathy's youngest daughter. I don't know if there was a legal issue before the publication, but all three Lutz children have different names in the sequel. Jay Anson used the children's real names for The Amityville Horror. Why did their names have to be changed? Maybe somebody can enlighten me about this. Leave a message down in the comment section if you know the answer to this mystery.
Let's get back to the story.
The Lutzes stay at Kathy's mother's house for a brief period, but they soon realize that evil has followed them. Amy is talking to Jodie again. Mysterious hooded figures with glowing red eyes show up uninvited and quickly disappear. And the flies are back!
Besides the above, there are no other horror aspects in The Amityville Horror II. The book more or less tells a fictionalized version of the Lutzes' life after abandoning their home. A reporter becomes interested in their story, which leads to paranormal investigators wanting to investigate the so-called hauntings. All of this leads to the Lutzes hiring an author to tell their story. That book becomes a sensation and gets made into a Hollywood feature film - The Amityville Horror.
Final Thoughts
It's been over 20 years since I had read Jay Anson's The Amityville Horror, so I cannot tell you if the official sequel is better or worse. I will say that as an '80s horror novel, The Amityville Horror II is mediocre. John G. Jones tries his best to build suspense out of a half-concocted plot. There are only a few horror scenes, and the rest of the story is full of over-the-top melodrama that I could care less about, except for the paranormal couple. I'm taking a wild guess that these characters are representing Ed and Lorraine Warren. Their names were probably changed, just like the Lutz children. I still can't wrap my mind around why the children's names were changed.
Overall, The Amityville Horror II is a misguided sequel that's low on scares, in a similar vein to all the sequel films. Did I get some enjoyment out of reading it? Sure! I have a fondness for '80s horror, so I did enjoy it to some degree.
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