I read this book as a young teenager. I thought it was such a wonderful book. Since then, I have seen a movie re-make of it. It simply did not capture the essence of what I felt at the time of my reading. I think I will store this one in my mind as a" fun" memory. Rereading it, I have no doubt, would destroy the feeling I have of it as a "good read"!

Definitely a guilty-pleasure, but this book really is quite scary. I certainly had trouble falling asleep after my first night of reading before bed.

Of course the main question that always comes up in relation to this work is "Is it all true?" but I don't really see it as all that relevant. The answer is probably no, but that doesn't make the book any less spooky. Particularly, I found the DeFeo murders and the phenomena related to them the most disturbing aspects of the book.

I think fans of books like The Exorcist or The Shining or anyone with general interest in paranormal activity would probably also enjoy this one. ( )

OK, so the writing had too many exclamation points!!!! However, besides that, this was a classic, true, horror story that almost everyone I know has heard of. I started reading it on the bus, and didn't think I was scared. Then I read the last half of it in bed, by myself, in the dark last night and realized I was totally freaked out. Every little creak made me jump! And then the light came on! OH NO! Oh....it was C coming home. OK. I'm OK now. ( )

The Amityville Horror is the purportedly true story (since disputed as fraud) of the terrifying haunting of a Long Island home. Many readers will have seen one of the various movies, but the book is quite different. Reading about the phenomena that terrorised the Lutz family without all the Hollywood hype and exaggeration is certainly a far more chilling experience. Whether you believe the Lutz's story or subscribe to the theory fraud, this book is an interesting and absorbing read. It is worth noting here that, although 'haunted' houses and spiritual activity associated with a particular place or person is far more common than most people realise (or care to admit), this level of malignancy is decidedly rare. ( )

Unintentionally hilarious (the priest with the offensive gastroenteritis was funniest), sometimes creepy (need I mention the pig?), overall pretty silly. ( )