On a cold wet night in November 1974, twenty-two-year old Ronald DeFeo woke from a disturbed sleep, got out of bed zombie-like, and took down his .35 caliber rifle. He then went from room to room in his suburban home and methodically killed his entire family.
Within minutes, his father, mother, eleven-and nine-year-old brothers, and thirteen- and eighteen-year-old sisters lay dead in their own blood. DeFeo telephoned the police, and calmly reported finding his family murdered upon returning home from work.
Forty hours later, DeFeo confessed to the killings. He was convinced of second-degree murder and sentenced to six consecutive terms of twenty-five years each--a total of 150 years in prison. Though he knows he did the shooting, he still does not know why.
No paranormal events in American history have gripped the public imagination more than the so-called “Amityville episodes.” These incidents, which occurred over several decades, include a mysterious family massacre, a credible case of spirit possession, and unexplained voices and visitations. It should surprise nobody that these “horrors” have spawned several best-selling books and no fewer than nine movies.
No one has followed the Amityville story longer than famed author/investigator Dr. Hans Holzer. This veteran researcher of the supernatural has written three books, including two novels, about these ghastly events and their terrifying aftermath. For the first time, these three related works are collected in a single volume. The books are:
• Murder in Amityville, anonfiction examination of the case that brought this quiet suburban town and its most infamous house to the world’s attention. This captivating book explains the seemingly inexplicable DeFeo family murders through a combination of historical background, insightful analysis, court transcripts and exclusive interviews, including prison conversations with the perpetrator.
• The Amityville Curse, a supernatural thriller that ventures into the eerie realm of an age-old horror that refuses to be buried. This riveting novel describes what happens when seven friends dare to tempt the spirits.
• The Secret of Amityville conjures up a tale of anguished ghostly spirits who continue to wreak savage revenge on all those who desecrate their holy ground. Though fictional, this scintillating story is based on local folklore, fact, and expert supposition.
Whether you accept the Amityville supernatural claims or merely yearn for a spellbinding read, The Amityville Curse will keep you awake—and alert all night.
I find it hard to believe that this book had an editor other than the author himself, simply because there are so many grammatical errors involved. Just a few would be one thing, but I found so many that it became a bit distracting.
In the fictional books, Holzer seems to forget some of his timeline and events because there are quite a few contradictions even just a page or two after they happen. Also in the fictional books, the I found to the characters to be highly stupid and lacking in even the slightest common sense even if in mundane matters. Who in the world would see a person pointing a gun at them in their home and think, "oh well, I must be hallucinating?" Sure, your first thought might not be "omg a ghost!" but it sure as heck would probably be something like, "omg an intruder!" instead. Their reaction to it isn't my problem, so much as their thought process and logic.
Also, any answers we get to tie up events tend to be vague and make no sense if you think about them for two seconds. Not even skeptically speaking, but just they make no sense for the characters /themselves/.
And to wrap it all up, there's a ritual scene near the very end of the book where sex takes place, but I find it really hard to consider the sex to be consensual. It felt more like the woman was tricked into it and decided to go along with it at the last minute because she'd already promised and the man who'd tricked her into it was hot. He didn't tell her until the last possible second that the ritual involved sex, but he had no problem making her promise to go through with "the willing and symbolic sacrifice" right from the start. Coercion is not consent.
In addition to ALL of that, I think it seems at best to be culturally insensitive to Native Americans.
That said, despite all of that, it can be an entertaining read so long as you don't expect too much out of it once you realize what it is but I probably wouldn't recommend it. ( )