The Amityville Horror, written by Jay Anson, was undoubtedly a great piece of American literature. He has inspired many to write successful books and others to create many excellent films. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Amityville Horror is its staying power. There are many possible explanations for why Amityville Horror was so popular in the 1970s, and it's no surprise that it's still in print today. The most shocking part of this book's story is that it is based on a true story. The story behind the story began on November 13, 1974, when six members of an Amityville, New York, family were killed. This was one of the most shocking events that happened in America in 1974. This is one possible explanation for the popularity of this book. America was changing dramatically from 1960 to 1970 and people were beginning to open their minds to new ideas. One reason people open their minds to new things could be explained by the increased rate of drug use during this time period. There can be many explanations as to why Amityville Horror was so popular, but the two main causes of this film's high popularity can only be explained because of what was currently happening in America. The two events in history that may have had the greatest impact on this book are the creation of the film, The Exorcist, and the Vietnam War. To fully understand how popular Amityville Horror was, a brief history of the story and the book must be revealed. This book has sold nearly ten million copies from the time it was written in 1977 to the present day. This is an extraordinary number and continues to grow today. According to Benjamin Radford, a film critic, this book has spawned many different film versions and has at least seven different spin-offs from the original story. Only a few of these stories were continued in a series of books by John G. Jones. These are The Amityville Horror Part II (1982), Amityville - The Final Chapter (1985), Amityville - The Evil Escapes (1988) and Amityville - The Horror Returns (1989). In 1991, Amityville - The Nightmare Continues, by Robin Karl, was published. The original film grossed nearly $402,500,000 worldwide.