The Amityville Horny: How ‘The Amityville Horror’ Led Me to Erotica Writing

The house said to get out, but the muse’s desire was all in

When you ask many indie erotica authors what inspired them to start writing sexy stories, they’ll tell you Fifty Shades of Grey*. And it’s no wonder: This trilogy by E.L. James was wildly popular when it came out in 2012, and it inspired many people to both read and write erotica.

But my muse is a lot less sexy. If you ask me where I got my inspiration to start writing erotica, I’ll sum it up in three words: The Amityville Horror. And I’m sure this is when you scratch your head and ask how.

It was a dark and stormy night.

I know, I know, that sounds corny. But bear with me because in this case, it happens to be true. It really was a dark and stormy night — the perfect night to go out with the family for a fright at a horror movie. At least my mother thought so, and she decided to go see the hot, new horror movie everyone was talking about with a little Kiki Wellington in tow.

I was a little kid witnessing bloody toilets, terrorized priests, and a whole lot of flies.

And little Kiki Wellington was scared shitless. How could I not have been? I was a little kid witnessing bloody toilets, terrorized priests, and a whole lot of flies. I was an absolute mess by the end, and then I was told something that made it even worse: “This is a true story, you know!”

I remember crying all the way home after hearing that piece of news. The booming, menacing voice yelling “Get out!” reverberated in my head. I was scared enough when I thought it was just a fictional movie, but the thought that someone in the real world actually experienced something like that was horrifying to me. I simply couldn’t believe anyone actually went through that.

And of course, many people don’t believe the Lutzes actually went through it. To this day, the debate rages on about whether their story was true, a complete hoax, or a tale that had a kernel of truth that was fertilized to the point where it grew into a forest so dense people could no longer see any trees.

But that’s a discussion for another day. I’m sure you’re wondering at this point what the hell any of this has to do with erotica.

Well, it turns out, The Amityville Horror planted a seed. After that night, horror movies and novels became my primary go-to entertainment source for many years, and although they made for many sleepless nights, I couldn’t stay away from them.

And I still can’t — especially when the scary stories deal with hauntings. When you throw paranormal podcasts that feature stories of real ghost hunters into the mix, you have an imagination that is fertile ground for curiosity about all things paranormal.

The booming, menacing voice yelling “Get out!” reverberated in my head.

Including paranormal sex.

When I decided to give erotica writing a shot, the first thing I thought was to write about ghost sex. I don’t know why exactly; the idea just popped into my head after watching a few of my favorite paranormal shows. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over a dozen paranormal erotic stories later, I can tell you they are among my favorite to write and are definitely a hit with readers who love a sexy story and a ghost story.

As for the Lutzes’ story, I have no idea if it was a hoax or not. But what I do know is the movie that claimed to be based on their true story has definitely earned a special place in my heart. A scary place, but special nonetheless.

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