in ,

Review: Mentally Ill In Amityville (BOOK)

MentallyIllinAmityvilleTitle: Mentally Ill in Amityville: Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem at 112 Ocean Ave (second edition)
Author: Will Savive
Pages: 253
Published By: Del-Grande Publishing, Inc

After visiting the infamous Amityville Horror House (yes, it’s a REAL house) several weeks ago, I felt compelled to get as much information as possible in regards to one of the most well known mass murders and unbelievable hauntings in American history.

We all know the basic details. November 13, 1974 Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six family members in their home in New York. Mother, father, siblings – all shot point blank in their beds. Mysteries surrounded the brutal slayings – questions such as how did none of the soon to be deceased relatives hear gun shots downstairs – were rampant, but eventually the public started forgetting the murders. Started. Thirteen months later, the same location would make headlines again when the Lutz family moved into the residence at 112 Ocean Ave…and were forced out by evil spirits only 28 days later. Had evil spirits convinced Ronald Defeo Jr. to murder his family? All is revealed in this factual and opinion based book.

There are two major selling points in Mentally Ill in Amityville that make it a must read. Firstly, it has so much background information in it, most of which the average reader would not know unless they dug through the internet for hours. Some of the things I was amazed to read – and caution, spoilers are coming – include the fact that Ronald DeFeo’s sister often talked about murdering her family members so she could move away with her boyfriend to Florida, that Ronald DeFeo Sr. was a drunk and pyhsically abused every member of the family, and that the well known psychics Lorraine and Ed Warren were attacked by a powerful, sinister force at their home just after investigating the horror house in Amityville.

The second selling point is that the book offers rumors and theories as well as crushing some misconceptions about the murders and hauntings at 112 Ocean Ave. Basically, it gives both sides of every possible arguement. It dives into ideas that Ronald DeFeo did not act alone, that the Mob conducted the murders and blaimed Ronald (who was high and drunk all the time), that the Lutz had stated in confidence that the hauntings weren’t real, and everything in between. Mentally Ill in Amityville will provide all the facts and theories about the two famous incidents and lets YOU decide what you think really happened to the Defeo and Lutz families.

Some reviews on Amazon.com rate the book lowly because it is written cheaply. I sincerely disagree. There is literally hundreds and hundres of tiny facts and details on every page. It would be impossible to write the book as a novel, with every aspect being given long, expressive details. Mentally Ill in Amityville is not a book that aims to paint a picture, you can find real life crime scene photos online. The aim of this book is to educate you on one of the most famous murders and hauntings in American history, and let you decide what you believe. Most educated people can look past plain language when doing research.

I would give Mentally Ill in Amityville 4.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to anyone interested in horror, famous murders, famous hauntings, or about these tragic real life events.

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.