The trademark “The Amityville Horror” was federally registered in 2002 by George Lutz for a series of nonfiction books about the paranormal, but that registration was canceled in 2008, according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office spokesperson. It was. The trademark “The Amityville Horror” was federally registered by MGM for a series of horror films and television shows, and for the production and distribution of horror films, and remains in effect.
Since the first movie, the Amityville house has been renovated and its address changed. Now occupied and still visited by curious visitors, the Street View image on Google Maps is blurry. A Google Maps spokesperson declined to provide details about why or who made the request, citing privacy concerns.
Not everyone is excited about the expanding Amityville galaxy. “Please stop,” Amityville Mayor Dennis M. Schilley wrote in response to an email seeking comment on this story happening.
Film historian Brian Thomas Norton is not a fan of the new movie.
“In terms of reliable horror movie currency, ‘Amityville’ is basically worth a penny,” Norton said. Norton’s book about the canonical Amityville film, For Gods Sake, Get Out!, will be published this fall.
Paula M. Urbul, professor emeritus of literature and film at Hofstra University, grew up near her Amityville home and was friends with Dawn DeFeo as a teenager. A fan of the original film, she hopes the seemingly unquenchable thirst for an “Amityville” movie doesn’t overshadow the tragedy behind it.
“The real horror was that my family had been murdered and I went to the funeral and saw six coffins in the church,” she said.
Like it or not, Long Island’s beautiful village may become an abbreviation that sticks around forever, she added.
“Amityville means fear,” she said.
