The MGM+ streaming service will kick off its “Halfway to Halloween” celebration on April 23rd. The night will start out with the premier of the second season of the sci-fi horror series “From.” Immediately followed by the new four-part docuseries “Amityville: An Origin Story” at 10 pm.
“Amityville: An Origin Story” is directed and executive produced by Jack Riccobono (“The Seventh Fire”) and seeks to tell the story behind the world’s most notorious haunted house. This will be the first elevated look at every aspect of this case. How the heinous murder of six members of the DeFeo family became overshadowed by claims about paranormal activity.
The series will feature first hand accounts from witnesses, family members, and former investigators, some appearing on-camera for the first time. These interviews will be shown along with exclusive archival footage, new images, and original photography. To give a comprehensive look at the compelling tale of the Amityville haunting. Viewers will be taken through the mythology, factual records, and the devastating human toll of this infamous home’s legacy. But the fascination with it goes all the way back to the 1970s.
In 1977 Jay Anson published the book “The Amityville Horror.” It tells the story of how 112 Ocean Avenue in Long Island, New York sat empty for 13 months after the DeFeo murders. That is until the struggling Lutz family scooped it up, for a whole 28 days, before the family had to flee due to alleged paranormal activity. To say the facts of this book is highly contested is an understatement.
Despite people calling shenanigans, the book was adapted into a film by director Stuart Rosenberg in 1979. As a horror film franchise, it spawned 30-50 films depending on your definition. Keep in mind, since you really can‘t really copyright a house/place plenty of filmmakers have slapped Amityville on unrelated horror films. This is to cause brand confusion and hopefully garner a wider audience. Few of these films are related to the alleged hunting at the house. Let alone the real-life murders, hence the counts being so wildly different.
“Amityville: An Origin Story” will primer on MGM+ on April 23rd at 10 pm. Check out the trailer below:
