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The Amityville Murders (2019) movie poster

Timeline

The Amityville Murders (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 97 min · English
Echo score 37
Directed by
Daniel Farrands
Starring
Burt Young, Paul Ben-Victor, Rebekah Graf, Lainie Kazan, Kue Lawrence, Diane Franklin

A young man's peaceful life on Long Island is tragically disrupted when he begins hearing unsettling voices that compel him to commit a horrific crime. Ronald DeFeo Jr. finds himself consumed by a sinister force, leading to the brutal murder of his entire family. The events leave investigators and the community gripped by fear and desperate to understand the darkness that led to such a devastating loss.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Amityville Murders
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Amityville Murders (2019)

Where can you watch The Amityville Murders? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Google Play Movies and YouTube: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

The Amityville Murders Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Amityville Murders (2019) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. The DeFeo Family Massacre

    In 1974, the DeFeo family was brutally murdered in Amityville, leaving the town haunted by this horrific event. The memories of this tragedy linger on, overshadowing the area and filling it with a sense of dread.

    When
    1974
    Where
    Amityville, New York
  2. Father DeFeo's Demise

    Father Ronald DeFeo Jr., distressed by the aftermath of the massacre, tragically takes his own life in the parish church. His death further cements the church and its surroundings as a site of terror and sorrow.

    Where
    Parish Church, Amityville
  3. Marvin and Debbie Move In

    Twelve years later, Dr. Marvin and his wife Debbie buy the former clergy house, excited about their new beginning. However, the unsettling history of the house soon begins to cloud their happiness.

    When
    12 years later
    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  4. Debbie's Haunting Anxiety

    As they settle into their new home, Debbie feels an ever-growing unease, particularly drawn to the musty basement where the confession booth is located. Her anxiety escalates into nightmares that keep her on edge and fill her with dread.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  5. Friends Over for Renovations

    Marvin and Debbie invite friends Frank, Bill, and Abigail to help with renovations in their new home. This gathering only heightens the strange occurrences that begin to unfold within the house.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  6. Encounter with Mrs. Moriarty

    While renovating, the group meets Mrs. Moriarty, a former church secretary, whose cryptic words create a chilling atmosphere. Her presence amplifies the growing tension and unease in the house.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  7. An Ominous Warning

    Debbie encounters Mrs. Moriarty in the bathroom, where her cryptic remarks hint at the dark past of the house. This ominous encounter signifies the connection to the horrifying events that once transpired.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  8. Mrs. Moriarty's Death

    Disaster strikes when Mrs. Moriarty is found dead at the foot of the basement stairs, her fall inexplicably captured by Bill’s camcorder. The police investigation uncovers a disturbing link to the dead priest, intensifying the looming horror.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  9. Debbie's Haunting Visions

    As the haunting deepens, Debbie begins to have visions of a man hanging from a tree outside their home. The weight of these apparitions compounds the chilling atmosphere, pushing her mental state to its limits.

    Where
    Outside Clergy House, Amityville
  10. Marvin's Investigation

    In a desperate attempt to understand Debbie's escalating nightmares, Marvin examines the journals she has kept. Within them, he discovers dark incantations that hint at the true nature of their haunting.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  11. The Truth About the Priest

    Debbie's nightmares reveal the truth about the priest's demise—that he was shot by his illegitimate son in a tragic act of revenge. This horrifying revelation adds layers to the haunting, exposing deep-rooted pain.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  12. Confrontation with Frank

    In a terrifying twist, Frank becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of the priest's son and attacks Debbie. In a fight for survival, she manages to shoot him with a nail gun, but the horror escalates.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  13. Debbie's Final Stand

    As chaos ensues, Debbie stabs Frank with the processional cross, ending his reign of terror. This climactic battle signifies not just a fight for her life but also a fight against the dark legacy of the house.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  14. Escape from Horror

    With the haunting seemingly over, Debbie and Abigail are escorted from the house by police officers. Yet, a lingering sense of horror remains, as they realize the true price of their survival.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville
  15. Chilling Revelation

    Just when they think they have escaped, a detective shows Debbie a photograph of the priest’s illegitimate son, expressing the haunting's unending grasp. Debbie realizes that the true curse belongs not to them, but to the house itself.

    Where
    Clergy House, Amityville

Last updated: November 19, 2024 at 15:46

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Timeline questions answered

The Amityville Murders Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Amityville Murders (2019): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Debbie feel so anxious about the basement?

Debbie is immediately unsettled by the musty basement because it houses the forgotten confession booth where Father Ronald DeFeo Jr. took his own life twelve years earlier. The booth was moved there from the parish church after his death, making it a physical reminder of the tragic past. Her anxiety manifests as recurring nightmares centered specifically on that basement space.

Foreshadowing: The summary mentions Debbie's anxiety from the moment they move in, long before any supernatural events occur.

  • debbie anxiety
  • confession booth
  • basement
  • nightmares
  • priest death
Q2

How does Mrs. Moriarty die?

Mrs. Moriarty falls down the basement stairs and dies. Her death is captured on Bill's abandoned camcorder, which was recording when she tumbled. The police investigation later connects her death to the priest's past, discovering that a local teenager (later revealed to be the priest's illegitimate son) was the murderer the police were searching for.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Moriarty's ominous warning to Debbie about the priest's dark past foreshadows her own connection to those events.

  • mrs moriarty death
  • basement stairs
  • camcorder
  • police investigation
Q3

Who is the man Debbie sees hanging from the tree?

The man Debbie sees hanging from a tree outside the house is the vengeful spirit of the priest's illegitimate son. This vision represents the unresolved trauma connected to the property, the son was murdered (ironically, the summary says he shot the priest in revenge, but later shows his photo as an infant, creating a plot inconsistency). The apparition signals the deepening supernatural presence in the house.

Foreshadowing: Debbie's vision of the hanging man directly connects to the later revelation about the priest's illegitimate son seeking revenge.

  • debbie vision
  • hanging man
  • tree
  • spirit
  • illegitimate son
Q4

What is the truth about how the priest died?

Father Ronald DeFeo Jr. was shot and killed by his own illegitimate son, born from a forbidden affair. The son committed this act as brutal revenge against his father. This hidden family secret explains why the priest's spirit (and subsequently his son's spirit) remains tied to the clergy house, creating the malignant presence that haunts the new occupants.

Foreshadowing: The revelation comes through Debbie's nightmares, which gradually uncover the dark incantations and hidden truths about the priest's death.

  • priest death
  • illegitimate son
  • revenge
  • shot
  • confession booth
Q5

Why does Frank become possessed by the priest's son?

Frank becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of the priest's illegitimate son. The spirit targets Frank, manifesting through him to attack Debbie. This possession allows the spirit to physically harm the living while using Frank as a vessel. Debbie ultimately kills Frank by stabbing him with a processional cross, seemingly ending the possession.

Foreshadowing: Frank's severe migraine before the possession hints at the spirit's initial influence over him.

  • frank possession
  • priest son spirit
  • attack
  • processional cross
Q6

What does the photograph of the infant mean at the end?

The detective shows Debbie a photograph of the priest's illegitimate son as an infant, recovered from the crime scene. This chilling revelation implies the cycle of violence continues, the child's fate remains tied to the house. Debbie's response that the child belongs to the cursed house itself suggests the evil originated before the priest's death and will persist long after.

Foreshadowing: This ending connects back to the earlier revelation about the priest having an illegitimate son, completing the tragic backstory.

  • infant photograph
  • detective
  • cursed house
  • ending twist
  • priest son
Q7

What is the connection to the DeFeo family massacre?

The DeFeo family massacre from 1974 occurred in Amityville and is referenced as the tragic event that haunts the town. While the priest's story is separate, both tragedies occur in the same location, creating layered horror. The priest's demise happened in the parish church, and the clergy house where Marvin and Debbie live carries that darker history. The movie suggests Amityville itself is cursed by accumulated violence.

Foreshadowing: The opening references the DeFeo massacre as the阴影 (shadow) that still lingers over Amityville.

  • defeo massacre
  • 1974
  • amityville
  • connection
  • town history
Q8

What are the dark incantations in Debbie's journal?

The dark incantations Debbie writes in her journal are part of her nightmares, they contain elements meant for exorcism. Marvin discovers these journals while investigating Debbie's deteriorating mental state. The incantations suggest the house itself is attempting to use Debbie as a conduit to address the unresolved spiritual violence tied to the priest's murder.

Foreshadowing: The incantations foreshadow the supernatural battle Debbie will ultimately face.

  • incantations
  • journal
  • nightmares
  • exorcism
  • marvin investigation
Q9

How does Debbie survive Frank's attack?

Debbie survives Frank's attack by first shooting him with a nail gun during the confrontation. When Frank continues attacking, she stabs him with the processional cross, the religious symbol tied to the priest's past. This act not only kills Frank but also appears to banish the possessing spirit, ending the immediate threat.

Foreshadowing: The processional cross's significance comes from its connection to the priest and the church.

  • debbie attack
  • nail gun
  • processional cross
  • survival
  • frank
Q10

What does Mrs. Moriarty mean about the priest's past?

Mrs. Moriarty, as the former church secretary, knows dark secrets about the priest's past. Her cryptic warnings to Debbie allude to the priest's illegitimate son and the violent murder. She serves as a link to the buried history, and her death shortly after these warnings intensifies the mystery surrounding the priest's true past.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Moriarty's knowledge and subsequent death suggest she knows more than she's revealing.

  • mrs moriarty warning
  • priest past
  • cryptic
  • church secretary
Q11

How does Marvin die?

Marvin is found dead in the basement confession booth, the very location Debbie feared. His death occurs after he discovers the truth about the priest through Debbie's journals. The confession booth becomes the site where the priest's spirit enacts further violence, claiming Marvin as a victim before Debbie discovers his body.

Foreshadowing: Debbie's nightmares about the basement and confession booth foreshadow this tragic discovery.

  • marvin death
  • confession booth
  • basement
  • found dead

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Amityville Murders, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Amityville Murders tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about uncovering a haunted past like The Amityville Murders

Characters piece together the dark secrets of a location with a violent past. If you liked The Amityville Murders, explore more movies where characters uncover the dark history of a house or location. These films often involve a steady build of supernatural events, psychological unraveling, and the bleak realization that evil is tied to a place's past tragedies.

  • haunting
  • sinister
  • anxious
  • uncovering secrets
  • dreadful
  • oppressive
  • Tone: dark, dreadful
  • Pacing: steady escalation
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a linear path of discovery, beginning with subtle, unsettling occurrences that grow increasingly violent. Characters act as investigators, piecing together clues from the past that explain the present horrors, leading to a confrontation with an inescapable, cyclical evil.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on a location's cursed history as the central antagonist. They combine the dread of supernatural phenomena with the procedural tension of uncovering a mystery, creating a coherent experience of psychological and physical terror rooted in a specific place.

Psychological family horror movies like The Amityville Murders

A family unit is psychologically tormented and shattered from within by supernatural forces. Discover more films similar to The Amityville Murders that explore the horror of a family breaking down under supernatural pressure. These movies combine heavy emotional weight, dark themes of possession or influence, and a bleak outlook on the fragility of family in the face of evil.

  • claustrophobic
  • oppressive
  • dreadful
  • psychological horror
  • family trauma
  • sinister
  • Tone: dark, bleak, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories follow the gradual psychological erosion of a family member, often a male figure, who is influenced by a sinister presence. The narrative builds tension through domestic unease, nightmares, and escalating threats that culminate in violence against the family, leaving survivors traumatized and the family unit destroyed.

Why they belong together: They are linked by the core theme of a family being destroyed from within by an external evil. The shared experience is one of heavy emotional weight, claustrophobic settings, and a focus on the terrifying vulnerability of those who are supposed to protect each other.

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Every angle

The Amityville Murders (2019) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Amityville Murders in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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