The Amityville Horror

Jay Anson

49 pages 1-hour read

Jay Anson

The Amityville Horror

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

George is a 28-year-old land surveyor and the owner of a third-generation family business. He seeks to provide an ideal, upper-middle-class home for his new wife and stepchildren. He views the heavily discounted Amityville property as a sign of success despite its grim history. As unexplained events plague the house, he becomes increasingly sleep-deprived, irritable, and disconnected from his work. He develops a severe obsession with the home's fireplace in order to combat a supernatural chill only he can feel.

Key Relationships

Husband of Kathleen Lutz

Stepfather of Daniel Lutz

Stepfather of Christopher Lutz

Stepfather of Melissa Lutz

Parishioner of Father Frank Mancuso

Successor to Ronald DeFeo Jr.

Owner of Harry

Kathleen, a 30-year-old mother of three, is a devoted homemaker attempting to build a safe, happy environment for her newly blended family. She views the Amityville house as the foundation for their future and takes specific pride in her kitchen. Her domestic ideal shatters when she experiences deeply personal, invasive supernatural phenomena. These terrifying events transform her from a joyful mother into a highly cautious and fiercely protective survivor.

Key Relationships

Mother of Daniel Lutz

Mother of Christopher Lutz

Mother of Melissa Lutz

Daughter of Joan Connors

Sister of Jimmy

Father Mancuso is a Catholic priest with backgrounds in law and psychoanalysis who serves as a spiritual authority for the Lutz family. During his initial blessing of the house, a disembodied voice commands him to leave, initiating a series of distant supernatural attacks against him. He suffers from debilitating physical illnesses and unexplainable vehicular malfunctions. Furthermore, his rectory miles away from the property fills with a foul odor as he struggles to convince his bureaucratic superiors of the genuine demonic threat.

Key Relationships

Priest to George Lee Lutz

Priest to Kathleen Lutz

Colleague of Father Ryan

Acquaintance of Sergeant Al Gionfriddo

Jodie is an unseen entity residing in the Amityville house who presents itself to five-year-old Missy as a giant, friendly pig. Operating as an angelic figure to the child, the entity slowly reveals its demonic nature to the adults through terrifying physical manifestations. It leaves physical evidence of its presence in the snow and actively attempts to claim the house's youngest resident.

Key Relationships

Imaginary friend of Melissa Lutz

Tormentor of George Lee Lutz

Tormentor of Kathleen Lutz

Supporting Characters

Daniel is Kathleen's nine-year-old son from a previous marriage. Initially a typical, well-behaved child, he begins acting out and fighting with his brother after moving into the Amityville house. He suffers a severe, physically impossible injury when a window inexplicably slams on his hand.

Key Relationships

Stepson of George Lee Lutz

Older brother of Christopher Lutz

Older brother of Melissa Lutz

Christopher is Kathleen's seven-year-old son. Like his older brother, his normally calm demeanor vanishes upon moving into the new home. He becomes prone to sudden aggression and violent arguments, reflecting the corrupted atmosphere of the house.

Key Relationships

Stepson of George Lee Lutz

Younger brother of Daniel Lutz

Older brother of Melissa Lutz

Melissa, known affectionately as "Missy," is Kathleen's five-year-old daughter. Her innocence prevents her from recognizing the malevolence of the house, leaving her highly vulnerable to its influence. She forms a bond with a mysterious entity she believes to be a benign angel.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Kathleen Lutz

Stepdaughter of George Lee Lutz

Younger sister of Daniel Lutz

Younger sister of Christopher Lutz

Companion of Jodie

Ronald DeFeo Jr. is the former resident of the Amityville house who murdered his entire family a year before the Lutzes moved in. Although he is not physically present in the daily lives of the Lutz family, his legacy hangs heavily over the property. George Lutz discovers an unsettling physical resemblance to him and begins mimicking his erratic, isolated behaviors.

Key Relationships

Predecessor to George Lee Lutz

Son of Louise DeFeo

Harry is the Lutz family's Malamute dog. He acts as an early warning system for the property's malevolent energy, frequently exhibiting extreme lethargy and refusing to enter certain rooms. He demonstrates clear terror toward the basement and upper floors.

Key Relationships

Joan is Kathleen's mother. She visits the Amityville property and immediately notices the pervasive, unnatural chill in the house and George's unkempt physical deterioration. She acts as a grounded, outside perspective on the family's rapid decline.

Key Relationships

Mother of Kathleen Lutz

Mother-in-law of George Lee Lutz

Mother of Jimmy

Jimmy is Kathleen's brother. He maintains a connection with the family during their isolation in the house. The house's malevolent energy directly impacts him when an envelope containing a large sum of cash inexplicably vanishes from his coat pocket during a visit.

Key Relationships

Brother of Kathleen Lutz

Son of Joan Connors

Husband of Carey

Carey is Jimmy's wife and Kathleen's sister-in-law. During an overnight visit to 112 Ocean Avenue, she wakes at exactly 3:15 am and encounters the horrifying apparition of a sick young boy. Her experience forces George and Kathy to attempt a direct intervention against the entities.

Key Relationships

Wife of Jimmy

Sister-in-law of Kathleen Lutz

Sergeant Gionfriddo is an Amityville police officer familiar with the property's gruesome history. He provides Father Mancuso with details about the DeFeo murders but becomes inexplicably nauseated while discussing the case. He leaves their meeting abruptly when the physical symptoms overcome him.

Key Relationships

Observer of George Lee Lutz

Francine is a young medium brought in by George to assess the supernatural activity. During her visit, she detects numerous spirits, confirms the house is built on a burial ground, and falls into a deep trance in the sewing room. The overwhelming demonic energy terrifies her, and she flees the property.

Key Relationships

Hired medium for George Lee Lutz

Girlfriend of Eric

Eric is Francine's boyfriend who accompanies her to the Lutz home for the psychic investigation. He witnesses her terrifying trance firsthand and hastily evacuates the property alongside her when the energy becomes too dangerous.

Key Relationships

Boyfriend of Francine

Lou Zammataro is a police sergeant who responds to George's report regarding the torn garage door. While officially maintaining a skeptical, rational perspective as a law enforcement officer, he privately feels a deep, unnerving presence while standing on the property.

Key Relationships

Investigating officer for George Lee Lutz

George Kekoris is an investigator from the Psychical Research Institute. He advises George Lutz on how to test the house's energy, specifically recommending that George observe the family dog's reactions to different rooms as a barometer for supernatural activity.

Key Relationships

Advisor to George Lee Lutz

Father Ryan is a fellow priest who visits Father Mancuso during his severe illness. Representing the institutional skepticism of the Catholic Church, he suggests that Mancuso's ailments might be entirely psychosomatic and relays the Bishop's offer of psychiatric assistance.

Key Relationships

Lorraine Warren is a clairvoyant and demonologist who participates in a seance at the abandoned house. She senses a threatening presence and definitively categorizes the force occupying the home as a demonic, non-human entity.

Key Relationships

Wife of Ed Warren

Associate of Marvin Scott

Ed Warren is a demonologist who investigates the property after the Lutz family's departure. He works alongside his wife and a news crew to determine the exact nature of the lingering entity inside the home.

Key Relationships

Husband of Lorraine Warren

Associate of Marvin Scott

Marvin Scott is a reporter who takes an interest in the supernatural claims surrounding the Lutz family. He coordinates a formal investigation of the empty house involving prominent psychic researchers and a news crew.

Key Relationships

Employer of Lorraine Warren

Employer of Ed Warren

Aunt Theresa is Kathleen's aunt and a former nun. She senses immediate danger upon entering the Amityville property. She refuses to step foot in certain rooms and abruptly leaves after warning the family of the home's evil presence.

Key Relationships

Bobby is a neighborhood boy who pays a brief visit to the Lutz family. Like Aunt Theresa, he becomes overwhelmed by the atmosphere inside 112 Ocean Avenue. He refuses to go upstairs and leaves the property quickly.

Key Relationships

Neighbor of George Lee Lutz

Louise DeFeo is a former resident of the Amityville house who was murdered in her bed. Though deceased, her trauma lingers on the property, manifesting in intensely personal dreams that disturb Kathleen's sleep.

Key Relationships

Mother of Ronald DeFeo Jr.

Psychic link to Kathleen Lutz