Murder in Amityville
True Crime Horror Occult Paranormal Non-Fiction Supernatural Thriller Ghost Stories History Vintage Paperback
Murder in Amityville is the scarce 1982 Pinnacle paperback that started the true-crime/paranormal publishing phenomenon tied to the legendary horror film. Written by legendary ghost-hunter Hans Holzer, this vintage first-edition is the only mass-market volume that combines on-site psychic investigations, courtroom transcripts, and never-before-published photographs of the Ocean Avenue house. For collectors of 1980s horror ephemera, it remains the fastest way to own the original Amityville story in its most collectible format—illustrated, unfiltered, and straight from the era when the case was still front-page news.
Inside, Holzer reconstructs the 28-day nightmare that drove the Lutz family from their dream home, blending police reports with mediums’ séance transcripts and his own infra-red photographs of the infamous “red room.” The result reads like a real-time dossier for fans of The Conjuring or Ghost Adventures—every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger pulled from actual witness statements, making it impossible to stop turning the yellowed, dog-eared pages that smell of 1980s paperback nostalgia. Readers discover why the book was banned in some school libraries: the documented voices captured on tape, the hoof-print evidence in the snow, and the priest’s secret exorcism notes that never made it into the movie.
What makes this copy special is its vintage authenticity: the pulpy Pinnacle cover art, the cracked spine that proves it was devoured by past readers, and the illustrated plates still intact despite four decades of flashlight-under-the-covers use. Condition notes—edge wear, page toning, a single dog-ear—only enhance its survivor charm and keep the price accessible for gift-givers, horror buffs, and true-crime completists. Whether you’re filling a shelf of 1980s horror movie tie-ins or hunting the definitive Amityville text that predates all the sequels, this affordable, well-loved copy delivers the original chills without the collector-grade price tag.
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