Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders - Part I: From Horror to Homicide (2011)

A docudrama exploring the infamous 1974 mass murder of the DeFeo family by their eldest son and sibling. The case went on to spawn the "Amityville Horror" franchise of films.

Director:

Ryan Katzenbach

Writer:

Ryan Katzenbach

Stars:

Edward Asner, Remy Bogna, Don Bonander

Cast

Credited cast:
Edward Asner	...	Narrator
Remy Bogna	...	Allison DeFeo
Don Bonander	...	Juror
Wendy Bonander	...	Jury Forewoman
Shawn Bordoff	...	William E. Weber
Josh Bower	...	Gerard Sullivan
D.T. Carney	...	Detective
Chris Connell	...	Billy Davidge
Terra Davenport	...	Juror
Geraldine DeFeo-Gates	...	Herself
Agnes Dosio	...	Juror
Robin Fernandez	...	Juror
Josie Franzia	...	Juror Rosemary
John Gray	...	Frank Boyde
Lindsey Hager	...	Dawn DeFeo

Storyline

In the sweat of an autumn night in November 1974, Ronald DeFeo gunned down his entire family -- father Ronald Sr., mother Louise, brothers Marc and John, and sisters Allison and Dawn as they slept. Within 48 hours, DeFeo had been arrested and was convicted the following year of the mass murder. Today, DeFeo remains incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Shattered Hopes initially explores the "official" widely accepted account of the murders while conducting an extensive forensic analysis of the case which clearly suggests that DeFeo could not have committed the crime alone. For nearly four decades, DeFeo has maintained that his sister and another party played a role in the events that transpired at 112 Ocean Avenue. Now, for the first time ever, Shattered Hopes strips away the hazy of mystery behind the infamous Dutch Colonial home and investigates those claims. Pairing vivid reenactments of life in the DeFeo home with extensive and often exclusive ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | mass murder | reenactment | november | louise | 

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Taglines:

For God's Sake, They Were Trying to Get Out.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Amityville, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

KatcoMedia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders - Part II: Mob, Mayhem, Murder (2012)

User Reviews

From Horror to Homicide to Lies and More Lies!

This DVD totally stinks of BS, and how could it not? The entire DVD is based off of the fictional book The Night the Defeos Died. The quality of the film is barely amateur, as is the acting. The soundtrack is just awful, and kind of sounds like the xylophones we played in kindergarten. Most of the "actual" footage, if any, is readily available on the internet along with documents proving that this film is a total farce and full of lies. So if you enjoy watching a toothless hag chain smoke and lie about innocent dead peoples lives, buy the DVD. If not, save your money! If you do choose to make the purchase, make sure you leave the DVD package outdoors for a few days to rid it of the awful smell that comes with it. BS maybe?