Beyond the Veil Magazine

The Enfield Poltergeist Escalates

Issue #8: August 1979

The disturbances at 284 Green Street, Enfield, have intensified dramatically since our first report in Issue #6. Investigators Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair have now documented over 1,000 separate incidents, including phenomena that strain the boundaries of credibility, yet are witnessed by multiple reliable observers.

The Levitations

Perhaps the most extraordinary development has been the apparent levitation of Janet Hodgson, the eleven-year-old who appears to be the focus of the phenomena.

On the night of 15 December 1977, Janet was observed by both her mother and her sister Margaret to rise from her bed while apparently asleep. She floated horizontally, several feet above the mattress, before drifting towards the wall. Mrs. Hodgson screamed. Janet awoke in mid-air and fell, fortunately without injury.

This was not an isolated incident. On at least five occasions witnessed by investigators, Janet was thrown from her bed by invisible forces, sometimes travelling several feet before landing. Graham Morris, the Daily Mirror photographer who has documented the case extensively, captured a series of images showing Janet in flight across her bedroom.

The photographs have been analysed by experts. No wires are visible. The positions of Janet’s body are inconsistent with jumping. The images remain controversial but unexplained.

The Voices

Beginning in November 1977, a voice began speaking through Janet. It was not her voice. It was deep, gruff, masculine: the voice of an elderly man. It identified itself as “Bill.”

“Bill” claimed to have died in a chair in the corner of the living room. He said he had been blind and had haemorrhaged. Investigators traced a previous resident of 284 Green Street: Bill Wilkins, who had indeed died in the house in 1963. He had been blind in his later years. He had died in a chair in the living room, of a haemorrhage.

The family had no knowledge of Bill Wilkins before the voice began speaking.

Extensive audio recordings have been made of the voice. Analysis by speech specialists suggests that Janet would be physically incapable of producing the sounds: they appear to emanate from deep in her throat, using her false vocal cords, a technique that requires training and which causes considerable discomfort.

Yet “Bill” speaks for extended periods, answering questions, making threats, using obscene language that Janet would be unlikely to know. He speaks even when Janet’s mouth is taped shut or filled with water.

The voice phenomenon has been witnessed by over thirty visitors to the house, including journalists, clergy, and academics. All attest that they cannot explain what they heard.

Other Phenomena

The range of phenomena at Enfield continues to expand:

Object Movement: Marbles, Lego bricks, books, and furniture continue to move without visible cause. A heavy settee has been observed to slide across the room. Smaller objects fly through the air with considerable force.

Spontaneous Fires: On several occasions, small fires have appeared in the house without apparent source. These have been quickly extinguished, but their appearance has caused considerable alarm.

Equipment Malfunction: Electronic equipment brought into the house frequently fails. Tape recorders malfunction. Cameras jam. A BBC television crew spent time at the property and experienced repeated technical failures that their engineers could not explain.

Physical Assaults: Janet has appeared with scratch marks and bruises that she claims were inflicted by invisible hands. A lollipop lady who worked near the house reported being struck by an unseen force while walking past 284 Green Street.

Temperature Drops: Investigators have measured sudden, dramatic drops in temperature in specific areas of the house, sometimes by as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sceptical Challenges

Not all observers are convinced. Critics have suggested that the children, particularly Janet, are responsible for the phenomena, either through deliberate fraud or unconscious manipulation. Some visitors have reported catching Janet bending spoons herself or making sounds they believe came from her rather than from any supernatural source.

Maurice Grosse acknowledges that some incidents have been faked. He estimates perhaps two per cent of reported phenomena can be attributed to the children’s trickery, which he attributes to their desire for attention after months of disruption. The remaining ninety-eight per cent, he insists, are genuine.

Guy Lyon Playfair concurs. He has acknowledged that children in poltergeist cases sometimes fake phenomena, especially as genuine activity diminishes, a well-documented pattern. However, he maintains that the core phenomena (the levitations, the voice, the object movement) cannot be explained by fraud.

The Family’s Ordeal

The Hodgsons are exhausted. Peggy Hodgson has lost weight and appears perpetually anxious. The children struggle at school, unable to sleep properly in a house that offers no rest. Yet they cannot afford to move, and there is no guarantee that the phenomena would not follow them.

The family’s exhaustion is evident. They did not ask for any of this. They simply want to live normal lives.

The investigation continues. This magazine will provide further updates as warranted.

Readers with expertise in poltergeist phenomena or who have experienced similar disturbances are invited to contact our research department in confidence.