This is the Amazing Story of the Enfield Poltergeist
On August 31st 1977, normal life ended for Mrs Harper and her four children in their modest council house in a hitherto quiet corner of the north London suburb of Enfield.
Compared to what was to come, the initial phenomena were relatively minor - knockings on the walls, and pieces of furniture moving in ways that did not seem normal.
The neighbours came in and searched the house, finding all in order, though they too heard the knocking. The police were called, and were able to witness a chair sliding along the floor. The disturbances went on, getting more intense and more frightening. They were eventually witnessed by at least thirty people.
They included examples of everything a poltergeist can do - overturning chairs and tables, flinging things about, whipping off bedclothes, levitating one of the girls in full view of passers-by, making her speak with the voice of an old man and defying the laws of physics by passing matter through solid matter.
Much of this bewildering and often terrifying activity was captured on tape and film by Maurice Grosse of the Society for Psychical Research and his colleague Guy Lyon
Playfair, who were on the case within days of its outbreak stayed on it until it finally came to an end, with a twist as unexpected and surprising as in any detective story.
No other case of its kind has been so well witnessed from start to finish or so thoroughly documented. Incidents are described as they happened, without embellishment, from some six hundred pages of transcripts of live tape recordings. The story of the Enfield poltergeist is already regarded as a classic in the annals of psychical research. It has been the subject of worldwide press coverage and several radio and television documentaries.
Industry Reviews
D.Scott Rogo FATE - an excellent blow-by-blow description of what life with a poltergeist is like. I know of no other book that gives such a detailed account - A wonderfully human document. Brian Inglis WHAT'S ON - a mass of corroborative evidence - backed by months of observation, supplemented by tapes and film and a variety of sophisticated gadgets - Unquestionably it was a genuine haunting. Bob Rickard FORTEAN TIMES A thoroughly commendable effort, providing us with a unique record of a poltergeist which, I am sure, will stimulate analysis and debate for years to come. Richard Whittington-Egan CONTEMPORARY REVIEW The log of events is meticulous and provides the reader with an exceptionally full and satisfying account of what must regarded as an extremely important record of a contemporary outbreak of poltergeist activity. Isa Gray THE STAR, JOHANNESBURG Brilliantly written book of compelling interest throughout. Alan Gauld PSYCHOLOGY NEWS My sympathies lie with Mr Playfair and with his colleague Mr Grosse, whose perseverance and resourcefulness in the face of numerous problems impressed me more and more as I read on. Sam Syers HAMPSTEAD & HIGHGATE EXPRESS A classic of its kind.
