The Enfield poltergeist

[elprup]

I’ve just been reading this (probably not the best timing as I’m about to go to bed 😳) I can’t believe something like this could happen, but there do seem to have been a number of witnesses! What do you all make of it?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12686497/Enfield-Poltergeist-child-TERRIFYING-ordeal-haunted-house.html

The photographer on uncanny said he saw objects flying around and it couldn't have been faked. I am completely team sceptic though. Feel the same about the Battersea poltergeist. That's a good listen on BBC sounds.

It was debunked as fake years ago.

Came on to suggest the Battersea Poltergeist and follow it up with the Uncanny podcast - perfect creepy stories for this time of year

PS totally team sceptic here but love learning about the psychological effects that cause these experiences

I'm very open-minded about woo but I think this case was about a little girl that loved the attention.

I listened to an interview on the Uncanny podcast with one of the kids, now grown up and in her 70s. That's not what she said on the podcast.

It's my understanding that they admitted to faking some of the phenomena. Of course that, along with Maurice Grosse's uncritical approach all the menstruation stuff and their response when faced with Anita Gregory's more no-nonsense approach, means the entire thing lacks plausibility. I am a sceptic but there's intriguing stuff going on, nonetheless, whether it's paranormal or psychological, it remains an interesting case.

I don't think the girls ever admitted it was faked. One of them was on This Morning a few years ago, still standing by the story.

I read the book about it back in the 80s. I found it so fascinating, it sounded so scary with the voice emanating from the girl. Then a couple of years ago on You Tube I found a clip of a news feature at the time, showing her doing 'the voice'. It's laughable, it's so clearly fake, even her sister can't keep a straight face.

I fully believe it. None of the family received any payments for the story so what incentive did they have to make things up.
I was once talking a man who was literally the definition of a sweet old man. Who proceeded to tell me about how they had a Poltergeist when their son was in puberty. He was one of those people where if everyone was like him it'd be a lovely but also a very boring world. He certainly wasn't the type to crack jokes.

I don't think they interviewed the Enfield girls on Uncanny, pretty sure Danny said Janet was obviously troubled so they would leave her alone.

Yep, you can literally see the muscle in her leg and the way her hair is higher than it should be 😆

Was coming on to say this. The DM article literally quotes the girl in the photo. People go to great lengths to "prove" supernatural stuff, but others go to equally great lengths to "disprove" it and they will make up anything to make it fit their preferred theory.

It looks like she jumped off the orange sheet as it's rumpled. Her eyes don't look scared in the photo.

I go past this house quite often. Whoever lives there now must believe it was real because it’s got loads of crucifixes and “Jesus lives here” bits and bobs in the windows etc., as if they’re trying to ward bad spirits away (or at least it did the last time I paid it any attention, which I reckon was around a year ago). I have no idea who lives in there now but I’d love to speak with them if they were willing. I’m a sometimes sceptic, sometimes believer in these sorts of things (depending on my mood and the story), but definitely sceptical about this one.

With the whole world to choose from it seems unlikely that a visitor from the afterlife would plump for holidays in Enfield.

Exactly! I escaped from there ( only over to the other side of the m25!) and I never ever go back if I can help,it!!!

I'm a sceptic but what does this actually mean? After decades of speculation someone eventually swooped in and said, 'Nah, it's all fake,' and that's it, debunked just like that?

It’s actually called The Enfield Poltergeist. Four episodes, actors lip synching the recordings and interspersed with interviews from the time and now. Very well done and, as I said, very obvious what/why it happened. From the perspective of the children and the investigator Maurice Grosse. Found it very sad.

And also on other people’s fascination and willingness to believe it at the time I imagine.

Didn’t one of those American movie franchises make a film based on it? I can’t remember which one. Insidious or The Conjuring or something. It was shit, either way (and definitely not filmed in Enfield 😄)

@Judashascomeintosomemoney why was it sad/obvious. I haven't seen it, just wondering what your overall take was on it?

Hello fellow Enfieldians!! The conjuring film was called The Enfield Haunting I think? I also think was all faked, but I do love a spooky story!

Well, suppose I have to do this as I’m talking about a current TV show - SPOILERS FOLLOW…

As it uses not just their own words, but their actual voice recordings, it’s quite apparent how vulnerable they were and how things that had happened in their family life may have shaped them. It’s easy to understand why they craved the attention - not necessarily of the media btw - in fact I’m not sure they wanted that at all - but just of someone willing to listen to them and care about them. There girls also appear as adults, now, and it’s obvious that one of them at least is still extremely fragile. It’s also totally understandable why Maurice Grosse became so entangled and believed everything they said and wanted to protect them, once you hear his background story. The younger girl, as an adult, recollects how Mr Grosse (as she still refers to him) cared about them and still came to see they were all ok long after everything was over. Also, just to note, contrary to other comments saying the girls admitted they had made it all up - that certainly isn’t what they said then and it isn’t what they are saying now as adults either. Though they don’t really ever clearly state what their explanation for everything was.

It’s still council owned. The lady is a church goer. The council told her about its past when they offered her the tenancy. The Daily Mail have photos of the inside of the house now.

Does anybody remember Hazel the lollipop lady?. She witnessed the levitation and has appeared on TV shows about it. I googled her the other day and the last pic I found was in 2016.

What was their background of sad things? And what was Maurice grosses background that made him care for them?