Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders is a documentary trilogy into horror, homicide and hoax; mob, murder, mayhem; death,dysfunction; forensics and fraud. Nearly six years in the making, Shattered tell... more »s the story behind one of America's most infamous mass murders - the DeFeo family slaughter in November 1974 which spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise of haunted house books and movies. PART I - FROM HORROR TO HOMICIDE chronicles the genesis of the DeFeo family, the acquisition of their now infamous Dutch Colonial home and its history while capturing an intimate narrative of a dysfunctional family on the verge of disaster. Joining in the narrative are some of the DeFeo's friends, including Louise DeFeo's good friend Gloria Gangitano, Marc DeFeo's childhood friend Anthony Gangitano, and Roger Nonnewitz who was the husband of Linnea Nonnewitz. Linnea was the DeFeo's maid and close confidant of Louise DeFeo for 6 years at the time of the murders. She and her husband knew firsthand of the insanity that went on in the house. Roger Nonnewitz breaks a 37 year silence and gives his account via his first ever on-camera interview. The film features Geraldine Gates, a very controversial figure in the Amityville story. Allegedly married to Ronald DeFeo Jr. before the murders happened, Gates recalls what she saw as a member of the family. Many claim that Gates was never married to DeFeo at the time of the murders. Was she? The Shattered trilogy will reveal the truth. Shattered, through its recreated scenes of life at 112 Ocean Avenue, coupled with the gripping narratives by those who were there and tell their stories firsthand, will leave you on the edge of your seat. The film pushes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking to the edge.« less