On December 18, 1975, a young family of five moved into their new home, complete with finished basement, swimming pool, and a boathouse. Twenty-eight days later, they fled in terror, leaving most of their belongings behind.

The fantastic story of their experiences was widely publicized on network television, newspapers, and national magazines. But the Lutz family never disclosed the full details to the media. Now their own carefully-reconstructed memories--and independent interviews with local clergy and police--reveal their entire harrowing story.

George and Kathleen Lutz were aware that the house of a mass murder--Ronald DeFeo, 23, was convicted of shooting his parents, brothers, and sisters. But it seemed an ideal home for them and their three children, and the price was right. ON the day they moved in, a priest invited to bless the house was told by an unseen voice to "Get Out!" At his rectory, he began to suffer a series of inexplicable afflictions. Meanwhile, alone in their new home, the Lutz family were embarking on the most terrifying experience of their lives. It began when their five-year-old daughter boasted of her new playmate, someone--or something--named "Jodie."

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR is an unforgettable book with all the shocks and gripping suspense of The Exorcist, The Omen, or Rosemary's Baby--but with one vital difference! As the author reports, "To the extent that I can verify them, all the events in this book are true."
--front flap