The Enfield Poltergeist: The True Story Behind One of the Most Famous Hauntings in History

The Enfield Poltergeist is one of the most infamous cases of paranormal activity in modern history. Taking place between 1977 and 1979 in a suburban home in Enfield, North London, the haunting involved terrifying phenomena that targeted a family, especially two young girls. The case attracted widespread media attention and was investigated by multiple paranormal researchers. The story was later adapted into the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2. While skeptics argue that the events were either fabricated or exaggerated, those involved insist that something truly unexplainable occurred in that modest British home.

1. The Hodgson Family and the Start of the Haunting

The haunting began in August 1977, when Peggy Hodgson, a single mother of four—Margaret, Janet, Johnny, and Billy—noticed strange disturbances in her council house at 284 Green Street in Enfield. Peggy was initially skeptical, but she became alarmed when furniture began moving on its own. On one occasion, a heavy chest of drawers slid across the room seemingly by itself, and when Peggy tried to move it back, it resisted, as if being held in place by an invisible force.

The activity centered around 11-year-old Janet Hodgson, who began experiencing frightening episodes, including levitation, strange voices, and violent disturbances in her bedroom. The family would hear knocking on the walls, and objects were seen flying across rooms without explanation.

2. Paranormal Phenomena Intensify

The disturbances quickly escalated. Janet reported being physically attacked by an unseen force, and witnesses claimed to see her levitate from her bed. Neighbors, police officers, and even reporters who visited the house saw furniture being overturned, toys thrown around by unseen hands, and loud knocking sounds coming from within the walls. In one instance, a police officer who was called to the scene reported seeing a chair move across the floor without anyone touching it.

The activity would often happen at night, with Janet speaking in a deep, gravelly voice that didn’t sound like her own. She claimed to be possessed by the spirit of Bill Wilkins, a man who had previously lived and died in the house. In recordings, the voice of Bill Wilkins said, "Just before I died, I went blind, and then I had a hemorrhage, and I fell asleep, and I died in the chair in the corner downstairs."

3. The Investigation by Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair

The haunting attracted the attention of Maurice Grosse, a member of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), who began investigating the case in September 1977. He was later joined by Guy Lyon Playfair, an author and paranormal investigator. Together, they spent months documenting the strange events in the Hodgson home, capturing photographs, audio recordings, and witness testimonies.

The researchers witnessed firsthand many of the disturbances, including objects being thrown, strange knocking sounds, and Janet speaking in the deep voice of Bill Wilkins. Grosse and Playfair believed that the events were genuine, and they accumulated a wealth of evidence to support their claims. However, the case remained controversial, with some suggesting that the children were fabricating parts of the story for attention.

Playfair later published a book on the haunting titled This House Is Haunted: The True Story of a Poltergeist, in which he argued that while some of the incidents may have been exaggerated or misinterpreted, the core events were genuinely paranormal.

4. Skepticism and Controversy

The Enfield Poltergeist case has been the subject of intense debate. While the Hodgson family, along with investigators like Grosse and Playfair, insisted that they were experiencing genuine paranormal activity, skeptics have pointed to several instances where the children, particularly Janet, were caught faking phenomena.

In one case, Janet admitted to bending spoons and bouncing up and down on her bed to make it look like she was levitating. However, she and her family maintained that while some pranks occurred, the vast majority of the events were real and beyond their control.

The British media played a significant role in the controversy, with tabloids often sensationalizing the story. Critics have argued that the case may have been amplified by the public's fascination with the supernatural and the family’s need for attention in difficult circumstances.

Despite the skepticism, many of the strange events in the Hodgson house remain unexplained, and the case continues to be one of the most well-documented hauntings in history.

5. The Spirit of Bill Wilkins

The alleged spirit of Bill Wilkins became one of the most famous aspects of the Enfield Poltergeist case. Bill, who had lived in the house before the Hodgsons, had reportedly died of a brain hemorrhage while sitting in a chair in the living room. This matched the details given by the deep voice that would speak through Janet, describing how he had died.

Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair both claimed that they had extensive conversations with the spirit of Bill Wilkins through Janet. The voice would sometimes speak for hours, leaving those present both fascinated and disturbed by the phenomenon. A speech therapist who analyzed the recordings of Bill's voice concluded that it was being produced through Janet’s false vocal cords, which would be extremely difficult for a young girl to maintain for an extended period.

6. The Aftermath and Legacy

The Hodgson family continued to experience paranormal activity until 1979, when the disturbances slowly subsided. Janet, who was the primary target of the haunting, reported that the activity had lessened after she reached her teenage years. She later said in interviews that while some of the events were exaggerated by the media, much of what happened in the house was real and beyond explanation.

After leaving the house, Janet tried to move on from the experiences, but the case continued to follow her. In 2016, The Conjuring 2 reignited interest in the story, introducing a new generation to the haunting of the Hodgson family. The film took some creative liberties but remained largely faithful to the core events of the haunting.

The Enfield Poltergeist case remains one of the most well-documented poltergeist hauntings in history. It has been the subject of countless books, documentaries, and investigations, and it continues to be a focal point for both paranormal researchers and skeptics alike.

The Enfield Poltergeist stands as one of the most compelling and controversial cases in paranormal history. The haunting captured the attention of the world and left a lasting mark on those involved. While skeptics have raised valid questions about the veracity of some of the events, the sheer volume of evidence and eyewitness testimony makes it difficult to dismiss the case entirely. Whether one believes in the paranormal or not, the Enfield Poltergeist continues to intrigue, perplex, and frighten those who seek to understand the unknown.