Christopher Lutz is a man who spent decades trying to escape the ghosts of his past. In his case, those ghosts were really ghosts…or at least some of them were, he says.
Lutz lived as a child in one of America’s most famous haunted houses — the ‘Amityville Horror’ House. It’s also the most commercially exploited haunted house of all time – several movies, documentaries and books.
Christopher Lutz changed his last name years ago to escape his past. But now he’s talking publicly–at least to FOX News–(using his former name) and separating his real home from the public image of the infamous haunted house. In other words, he’s separating fact from fiction, and says that much of what was depicted in film and in books was not real.
After 37 years, he remains haunted by chilling events that broke out in his home in 1975. But he’s also annoyed by the way Hollywood spun the story out of control.
“What the public was sold is not what happened. What really happened in that house is quite different from what people have been told all these years,” Lutz said.
Lutz said the book — billed as a true story — exaggerated the facts. By the time Hollywood dealt with the story, the story became ‘based on a true story’–in other much of it was fabricated. For example, there was no demon that took the form of a giant squealing pig.
Lutz maintains that the haunting was genuine. The story was not a hoax, as some have maintained. But it was nothing like the Hollywood version.He said unexplained phenomena in the house terrified him. “An apparition manifested just outside my bedroom door. It scared the crap out of me as a little kid,” Lutz said.
“This is something that happened to me as a kid that I would rather have forgotten about. Unfortunately, the way this was made public, I haven’t had the opportunity to leave it behind.”
Some blame the haunting on a mass murder in that home before his family moved there. But Lutz said his stepfather, George Lutz, was dabbling in the occult — reciting the names of demons after the family moved into the home.
“Had he done that in any other house — that wouldn’t have been an issue. But to do it in that house, that to me is what triggered events there,” Lutz said.
“There’s a lot of people that deal with the paranormal in their own homes. I believe this may provide answers for them as they search to find out what’s on the other side.”
I’d be very interested to hear what he has to say. Thanks for the post.
really interesting to hear his side of the story – brief as it is – but not surprising to hear of the inflation/exaggeration of things by hollywood – and i don’t have a question about why he’s waited till now to come forward – the same reason many of us have waited years and years to tell of our own personal experiences in a societal climate that is far less than receptive to such stories as credible and the person experiencing them as anything but a “nut case” – so that’s not an issue at all for me – we all choose our own time to reveal certain things and the time frame for each of us is different – anyway, i would love to hear more from him on the specifics of exactly what the hauntings/events were really like – neat post – thanks a lot –
oh, i guess my own thing is: FOX news??? really??? 😉
Ha! I thought the same thing about FOX news!
Once the likes of the film makers get a story I guess they add their input to make it more saleable. The truth is sometimes far removed.
So, why is he choosing to come out and speak now, 37 years later? I realize he was a child during the time of the incidents, but after going to the trouble of changing his name and separating himself from the story for so long, why now? Did the interview say anything about that? Is he working on a book, documentary, or something?