Beyond the Veil Magazine

The Warrens' Amityville Investigation

Issue #31: July 1981

No paranormal investigators in America are more famous than Ed and Lorraine Warren. Since the 1950s, this husband-and-wife team from Connecticut has investigated thousands of alleged hauntings, possessions, and demonic manifestations. Their most famous case, the Amityville Horror, has become a cultural phenomenon.

But fame brings scrutiny. And scrutiny has raised questions about the Warrens’ methods, their claims, and their role in creating one of America’s most enduring supernatural legends.

The Investigators

Ed Warren grew up in a haunted house, or so he claims. His childhood home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was the site of footsteps, strange noises, and a dark figure that appeared at the foot of his bed. These experiences led him to a lifetime of paranormal research.

Lorraine Warren possesses, by her own account, the gifts of clairvoyance and light trance mediumship. She can sense presences invisible to others and communicate with spirits that haunt the places they investigate.

Together, the Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952. They have investigated cases across the United States and abroad, building a museum of haunted objects in their Connecticut home.

The Amityville Case

In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into a Dutch Colonial house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. The previous November, Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered his parents and four siblings in the house. The Lutzes knew the history but believed they could live there regardless.

They lasted twenty-eight days.

According to George and Kathy Lutz, the house was infested with supernatural evil. They experienced cold spots, foul odours, swarms of flies in winter, and a demonic presence that terrorised the family. George woke at 3:15 each morning, the time of the DeFeo murders. Kathy dreamed of the killings. Their children spoke to invisible entities.

The Warrens were among the investigators who entered the house after the Lutzes fled. Lorraine Warren reported sensing a profound evil within. The investigation yielded photographs that allegedly showed a demonic boy peering from a doorway, though sceptics have questioned the image’s authenticity.

The Book and Film

Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror, was published in 1977 and became an immediate bestseller. The 1979 film adaptation grossed over $86 million, spawning a franchise that continues to this day.

The Warrens were not central figures in either the book or film, but they benefited enormously from the attention. Their involvement in the case established them as leading experts in demonic haunting. They appeared on television programmes, gave lectures, and attracted clients from across the country.

But the success also attracted investigation.

The Criticisms

Sceptics have raised numerous objections to the Amityville case:

The Lawyer’s Involvement: William Weber, Ronald DeFeo’s defence attorney, later claimed that he, George Lutz, and others had invented much of the story over several bottles of wine. Weber’s motivation may have been financial, but his admission casts doubt on the entire account.

Inconsistencies: The Lutzes’ story changed over time. Details that appeared in the book contradicted earlier accounts. The weather conditions described did not match meteorological records.

Subsequent Occupants: Families who lived in the house after the Lutzes reported no supernatural phenomena. The current owners have stated publicly that the house is not haunted.

The DeFeo Case: Some researchers have suggested that the “haunting” was invented to provide grounds for a civil suit or to profit from book and film deals.

The Warrens’ Defence

The Warrens have consistently defended the authenticity of the Amityville haunting. They point to their own experiences in the house, to the evidence they gathered, and to the Lutzes’ obvious terror.

Ed Warren has stated that demonic entities are adept at hiding their presence from those they do not wish to disturb. The fact that subsequent occupants experienced nothing may indicate that the entity departed with the Lutzes or that it chose to remain dormant.

The Warrens continue to investigate cases across America. They maintain that genuine evil exists and that their work is essential in combating it.

Other Cases

Amityville is only the most famous of the Warrens’ investigations. They have been involved in:

The Perron Family Haunting: A Rhode Island farmhouse plagued by spirits throughout the 1970s, which the Warrens investigated extensively.

The Annabelle Doll: A Raggedy Ann doll allegedly possessed by a demonic entity, now housed in the Warrens’ occult museum.

The Bridgeport Poltergeist: A 1974 case in Connecticut where furniture moved, objects flew through the air, and a young girl appeared to be the focus of violent supernatural activity.

Each of these cases has its supporters and critics. The Warrens attract controversy wherever they go.

Assessment

What are we to make of Ed and Lorraine Warren?

They are clearly sincere in their beliefs. They have devoted their lives to paranormal investigation, often without compensation. They have placed themselves in situations that others would flee.

But sincerity is not proof. The cases they champion are often supported only by eyewitness testimony, which is notoriously unreliable. Physical evidence is scant or disputed. And the commercialisation of cases like Amityville raises questions about motivation.

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between the Warrens’ claims and their critics’ denials. Perhaps something genuinely disturbing occurred at Amityville, even if the full story was embellished. Perhaps the Warrens have encountered genuine supernatural phenomena, even if not every case they investigate is authentic.

The supernatural does not yield easily to investigation. And those who investigate it will always attract both believers and sceptics in equal measure.

Readers with experiences of the Warrens’ investigations are invited to share their accounts with our research department.