For Sale: One Haunted House

Put it on the list of things my wife won't buy me. . .

• I ask for a Pennywise Action Figure -- no.
• A first edition gunslinger -- no.  Apparently she is not excited about a first edition, since it is exactly like the second edition I already own.  She can't see paying $600+ for a page that says "First Edition."  Sigh.  I do suffer in life.
• And, AND. . . she won't even consider buying the Amityville house.  Imagine that.  Sure, it's pricey -- but there wasn't even a conversation: "How our family could raise a million dollars to buy the Amityville house."  She just said "no."  

It is suddenly important, as I read her this post, that I note that she does let me buy all kinds of crazy Stephen King stuff.

CNN.com reports that the Amityville house is up for sale:

The decision wasn't triggered by demonic activity, however. Apparently, another frightening "D" word was to blame. 

"My husband and I are getting a divorce," said Odalys Fragoso, who bought the house with her husband Jose Fragoso in 2001. "It's not that the house is haunted or anything. We had wonderful times in that house." 

Hold on. . . They are  getting divorced and selling the house, But, "we had wonderful times in that house." Huh?  They had such wonderful times, they decided to sell the wonderful house?

Interesting Stats:
The house is 3,370 square feet.  The Fragoso's bought it for $795k, and are selling it for $955k.  That's a hefty increase in the current housing market!  Aren't most houses selling for less?  But then, most  houses don't come with pig-ghosts and walls that ooze.  I think denying the haunted house story misses a great sales opportunity.

Broker Donna Walesiewicz was quoted as saying, "It is what it is, a nice old stately home."

That's what it is?  No it's not!  It's a house where several people were murdered, and the next  couple  moving in reported some crazy demon activity.  It's a house that was the basis for a best selling book, major movie, and endless spin-offs.  It's not just a nice old house!

There is one thing that would  be really annoying. . .  unwanted visitors.  The CNN story notes,

Dozens of fans of the movie have appeared at her doorstep over the years, taking pictures and asking questions. "They were thrilled that they filmed the movie there," Fragoso said.

The Book
I read the Amityville Horror as a teen.  I think it's scary.  I also think the movie is scary; partly just because the house has eyes and the soundtrack (children singing) is haunting.  By the way, the house no longer sports those freaky windows.

The book is not only scary, it's funny.  When not trembling in fear, I was laughing out loud.  It's like a bunch of kids are telling this story.  "And then, she was levitating off the bed. . . and then this pig was running through the snow. . . and then, really, George heard a band playing in the living room. . . and then the toilets oozed black stuff. . . and then we couldn't find the money we were supposed to watch. . . and then . . .

I heard one of my favorite preachers, Calvin Miller (who died this year) talk about reading Amityville Horror.  He said he was getting on a plane, and a friend said, "You've got to read this book."  So he takes the book and reads it on the plane.  When he got off the plane, he drove to the Seminary he would be speaking at.  The guest house was a huge Victorian home -- and he was the only one staying in it.  Miller said, "Honestly, as those Godly people showed me to that house on the rainy night -- all I could think was AMITYVILLE, AMITYVILLE!"  (That's so funny!)

Miller says he lay in bed terrified in that big empty house.  Then he just started shouting Scriptures  out into the darkness.   That's great!

What makes the book scary is that it is written in something of a documentary fashion.  It moves day by day and chronicles the families terrors.

Ryan Turek at Shock Till You Drop has a nice review of the movie, as well as some Stephen King quotes about it (which you can also find in Danse Macabre).