Maybe some dopers inclinded to the paranormal can answer these…
What has become of Doretta Johnson in the years since “The People in the Attic” was published? Does she still live in “THE” house?
Also, how about Ben and Jean Williams (of “The Black Hope Horror”)? I know they abandoned their house on Poppet’s Way and fled to Montana. What has become of them? What have subsequent occupants of the house had to say about it?
How about George and Kathleen Lutz? I know that subsequent occupants of 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY, have said that their house is just a beautiful old home. What have the Lutz’s themselves been up to lately?
Finally, are Ed and Lorraine Warren still “in business,” so to speak?
One finds so little useful information on the Web about these things :rolleyes: …
As it turns out, a little research turned up the very interesting fact that Mr. and Mrs. Warren are still “at it,” so to speak. And that they are as … well, I hesitate to say “full of shit” … ‘interesting’ as always.
As an addendum, andybody know what’s become of the Smurls (the family from West Pittson, PA)?
Thanks
Here’s some information on the Lutzes for you, or at least on the incident itself (from CSICOP):
“America’s most famous haunted house is located in Amityville, New York, where in 1974 a man murdered his parents and siblings. A year later the house was bought by George and Kathy Lutz who soon claimed they were driven out by spooky events, including demon tracks in the snow and damage to doors and windows. Investigation showed the events never transpired, and the murderer’s lawyers confessed how, for money, he and the Lutzes had “created this horror story over many bottles of wine.” Despite the admission, the story spawned the best-selling book Amityville Horror and a franchise of successful horror films that continue to be released on video today.”
Thanks for the info pldennison. I never knew that the stories were admittedly false. But I’m a little confused as to what you mean.
The murderer and the Lutzes conspired to make up a story? or was it the murderer’s lawyers and the Lutzes? How did they plan to make money, by selling the story rights?
In any case, it’s a good thing they were only drinking wine. Imagine what the movie would have been like of the merry pranksters who made up the hauntings had been taking LSD!
Arnold Winkelried: Here’s some further information and clarification for you.
The murderer’s lawyer (not the murdere himself, whom I assume is still locked up somewhere) and the Lutzes allegedly concocted the story over many bottles of wine. I say allegedly because the Warren’s, who were supposedly involved in the original case, hotly dispute this matter. They maintain that:
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The Amityville house was, indeed, haunted nay infested with all sorts of nasty entities from the other side, and that the Lutz’s barely escaped with their lives. They say that Jay Anson (author of the book) got some of his facts crossed and that later researchers used this as evidence against the Warren’s.
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The claim that the whole thing is a hoax is largely due to the work of one Dr. Steven Kaplan, whom the Warren’s claim has some personal problem with them and has thus sought to discredit them. The Warren’s also have some pretty nasty things to say about Dr. Kaplan. Basically, at this point, it’s all just a bunch of finger-pointing.
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The claim that the Lutz’s concocted the story to make money is wholly false, and that the Lutz’s didn’t make a dime. Jay Anson made the big bucks from the story.
Now, for my $.02 on the whole Amityville matter:
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The theory has been advanced that the Lutz’s fled because they realized they couldn’t make the mortgage payments. OK, but how is fleeing the house going to help?
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SOMEthing caused that family to flee that house with nothing but the clothes on their backs, after having lived their for only about six weeks.
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Either way, I don’t much care whether the case is for real or not. I just want to know where the Lutz’s are and what the current occupants of the home have to say about it.
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The Warren’s are weird. Although they’ve been involved in some pretty high-profile cases (at least, in the paranormal community), most serious paranormal researchers don’t take them seriously, largely because of the Amityville case. I don’t take them seriously because they write about “vortexes of psychic energy” and other such foolishness.
My $.02
Rastahomie: So you’re saying that the only reason we should believe that the Amityville horror is a hoax is because some doctor with an axe to grind says so? Interesting. You should be careful about unsupported claims, and unsupported claims of hoaxing are no exception. No doubt the Warrens are weirdos, but if Dr. Kaplan can’t offer anything more concrete than his naysaying, then I’d just dismiss him and make up my own mind based on the evidence.
Diceman, I think another reason to justify calling the Amityville horror a hoax might be because there is no such thing as ghosts.
[sock puppet, username “Spooky Ghost” ON]
Nnnoooo such thing as GHOSTS, ehh? oooOOOOOoooo <rattle chains> <mysterious thumping> Haven’t you ever heard of the ghost in the machiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIiiine?
[/off]
Hey, what about Space Ghost? He’s coast to coast…
Thank you, Velma. Now give Shaggy a Scooby Snack before he runs away in terror 
Personally, I think that ghosts exist, but I don’t believe that they are spirits of the dead. This is based on religous/theological reasons that I won’t bore you with. As to what ghost are: I don’t know. Some are tricks of the light, but many can’t be explained that easily. However, mainstream science has such a knee-jerk reaction to the subject that no serious research is ever done, so it will be a long time before we get a real answer to the question. In the mean time, the only people who are willing to even take a look are the guys that believe in plasma vortexes.
STOP THE PRESSES!!! According to one website I found, the Warrens claim that ‘Doctor’ Kaplan is a fraud who has no doctoral degree from any university! They claim he simply invented the evidence of a hoax to get some fame! If his doctor’s title really is phony, then Mister Steven Kaplan can be pretty much dismissed out of hand as a goldbricker.
Rastahomie: according to a photo at http://www.amityvillemurders.com, the Lutz’ rented a house in California at some point. It didn’t say if this was before or after the Long Island house, however.
What a thing to say! Next you’ll be insisting that Halley’s comet isn’t a harbinger of doom.