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Between 1977 and 1979, a family in a north London suburb experienced experiences so terrifying that they became one of the most documented paranormal cases in history.
The First Signs:
In August 1977, Peggy Hodgson, a divorced mother of four, called the police after hearing strange sounds and seeing a chest of drawers move by itself in the bedroom of her daughters Margaret (aged 13) and Janet (aged 11).
The Escalation of the Phenomena:
Doors slammed shut, chairs toppled over, rocks appeared out of nowhere and noises shook the walls.
Janet eventually floated out of bed, photographs showed her in mid-air, and audio was captured of a supposed spirit voice – “Bill Wilkins”, said to be a former tenant who had died there.
Researchers Involved:
The case attracted the urgency of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which sent Maurice Grosse – inventor and researcher – and Guy Lyon Playfair to document the phenomenon.
More than 200 hours of events, photographs and live testimonies were recorded.
Between Believers and Skeptics:
For Grosse and Playfair, many episodes were real, although they admit that the girls staged some antics to test credibility.
On the other hand, researchers such as Anita Gregory, John Beloff and skeptical magicians—Milbourne Christopher and Joe Nickell—suggest that Janet abused tricks, ventriloquism or exaggeration.
Fame and Interpretations:
Reports in newspapers such as the Daily Mirror, and reproductions in documentaries, books, series (such as The Conjuring 2) and plays intensified interest in the case.
In 2023, the series The Enfield Poltergeist (Apple TV+) reinterpreted the original accounts with disturbing dramatizations and immersive reconstructions.
The Legacy: Mystery or Hoax?
The family admitted that they faked about 2% of the events, but researchers like Nickell argue that this number could be much higher.
The truth remains hazy: not everything has been explained or denied, which keeps the phenomenon alive in the collective imagination.
The Enfield poltergeist remains one of the most intriguing cases of its kind. Between gravity and joke, faith and skepticism, what makes it fascinating is precisely this uncertain balance between the inexplicable and human persuasion.
Silvio Guerrinha
