The trailer for Amityville: An Origin Story ends with a man saying, “The Amityville Horror is called a true story. It’s time to set that record straight.”
At the same time, words flash up on the screen. First, “The Secrets,” then “Behind,” followed by “The Story,” before ending with “Revealed.”
“Is it truth or is it a hoax?” a man also questions during the trailer. That’s definitely something so many have wondered: what is the real story of this house?
Are we really going to get an answer when the four-part docuseries premieres on MGM+ on April 23? It’s not the first time I’ve asked that question around here. Other documentaries have made similar promises. Which also means none of them have fulfilled their assurance. So will this one definitively put the matter to rest?
I guess we’ll find out.
For now, let’s first take a look at what it’s about. Then we’ll compare it to a couple of other similar docs that have come out in recent years. We’ll also examine the one thing An Origin Story has that they didn’t.
Amityville: An Origin Story Synopsis
Here’s the synopsis posted in the description of the trailer on the MGM+ YouTube channel:
Rooted in the dark cultural undercurrents of the 1970s, the series features firsthand accounts from witnesses, family members, and former investigators appearing on-camera for the first time. Exclusive archival footage, newly unearthed images, and stunning original photography are woven together into the most compelling and comprehensive telling of the Amityville story yet, taking viewers on a heart-pounding roller coaster ride through the mythology, factual record, and devastating human toll of this notorious meta-narrative.
Amityville: An Origin Story vs. Other Docs
Almost 50 years after the murders that first put it on the map, the house in Amityville, New York, and what transpired there continues to fascinate. But it was The Amityville Horror, the 1975 book by Jay Anson, and the 1979 movie based on it, that cemented it in horror movie history and paranormal lore.
As mentioned above, it wouldn’t be the first time a documentary promised to reveal “the truth” about the infamous house. As recently as 2021, two Amityville house docs came out.
The first wasn’t as interested in revealing the truth of the house, though. The Amityville Horror House Shock Docs was heavily biased in favor of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s view that something demonic had taken up residence there. It used Travel Channel paranormal investigators and regulars, like Jason Hawes and Jess Belanger, to back that theory.
The Tubi original Famously Haunted: Amityville said it aspired to reveal the truth and did a little better job of it than the Shock Docs. But there was also a Ghost Hunters alum present in its assortment of talking heads to present a more “yes, it’s haunted” view. It also deferred to the research of a famed paranormal investigator who also examined the case, Hans Holzer, to steer viewers toward a “haunted” conclusion.
One person who appeared in both Amityville Horror House and Famously Haunted: Amityville was Laura DiDio. She worked as a reporter for a TV news station back then and was the one who picked up the story of how the Lutzes fled their home. She was also the one who contacted the Warrens and brought them into the case. She’ll appear in An Origin Story too. As will Marvin Scott, who appeared in the Shock Docs about the house.
What Makes Amityville: An Origin Story Different
But An Origin Story will have someone those other two didn’t: Christopher Quaratino (formerly known as Christopher Lutz), one of George and Kathy Lutz’s children. His brother, Danny, had appeared in My Amityville Horror, another documentary about the house on 112 Ocean Avenue. But as reported in a Daily Mail article about it, he never wanted to be “the Amityville horror kid.” It was his first time speaking publicly about his memories of it. His siblings, Christopher and Missy, didn’t want to participate in that one.
Missy still has never come forward publicly, but now Christopher is. We’ll find out his side of the story when the MGM+ original docuseries premieres on Sunday, April 23.
Amityville: An Origin Story Trailer
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Why do you think the fascination in the house has persisted after all these years? Especially when subsequent owners have never reported having any problems like the Lutzes claimed to have?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I think the original movie and book are responsible for the fascination with the house. I admit I’m interested to hear Christopher’s story.
Totally agree with you, Priscilla! About all of it. The book and movie being responsible and I’m SO curious to hear Christopher’s story. I recently subscribed to MGM+ to check out the series From. I’ll keep the subscription past the trial so I can watch this Amityville doc next month.
Well, if anyone knew, it was Ed & Lorraine Warren. They investigated that house! Does anyone know their findings? Have they documented them anywhere?
That’s a real hot potato, Troy. There are those who still believe in the Warrens, and those who have since debunked them and their work, including Amityville. But the Shock Docs about the house is definitely pro-Warrens. I’m curious if they come up in this newest doc.