You’ve heard the phrase “the devil made me do it.” But what happens when someone uses it to explain one of the most infamous family murders in American history?

We dig into the real events behind The Amityville Horror — the gruesome 1974 murders that inspired a best-selling book, a Hollywood franchise, and decades of ghost stories. But before the hauntings and horror-movie jump scares, there was a family: the DeFeos.

We unravel the disturbing home life behind the glossy façade of 112 Ocean Avenue, a mansion gifted by old New York money, ruled by abuse, addiction, and control. From Big Ronnie’s violent temper to Butch DeFeo’s spiral into heroin and paranoia, we trace how a toxic family dynamic became the foundation for a massacre. And when the gunfire finally shattered that “perfect” suburban home, the real horror had ...