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The Enfield Poltergeist: 7 Shocking Facts And Latest Updates On Britain's Most Terrifying Haunting (2025)

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Decades after the terrifying events in a council house in North London, the Enfield Poltergeist case continues to be the most documented and debated paranormal investigation in history. Despite being the inspiration for major films like The Conjuring 2 and recent stage productions as of 2024, the truth behind the rocking furniture, disembodied voices, and levitating children remains elusive and deeply unsettling. As of December 23, 2025, the case is being revisited by podcasters and paranormal researchers, who are scrutinizing the original tape recordings and photographic evidence with modern eyes, reigniting the fierce debate between believers and hardened skeptics.

This deep dive into the 1977–1979 haunting at 284 Green Street reveals the key players, the most compelling evidence, and the surprising current status of the family at the center of the storm. Prepare to examine the facts of the case that cemented the UK's place in paranormal folklore, where admitted fakery coexists with phenomena that even the most rigorous investigators could not explain.

The Key Entities: The Hodgson Family and the Investigators

The Enfield Poltergeist case is defined by the lives of the working-class family tormented by the phenomena and the dedicated (and often criticized) investigators who documented nearly every moment. Understanding these central figures is crucial to analyzing the evidence.

  • Peggy Hodgson (Matriarch): A single mother of four, she was the anchor of the family who first called the police after her children reported furniture moving on its own.
  • Janet Hodgson (The Focus): Aged 11 (later 12) at the time, she was the primary focus of the alleged activity. She was famously photographed levitating and was the source of the gruff, disembodied voice believed to be the spirit of "Bill."
  • Margaret Hodgson: Aged 13, Janet's older sister who was the first to experience the phenomena when her bed began to shake.
  • John Hodgson and Billy Hodgson: Janet and Margaret's younger brothers, who also lived in the house during the terrifying 18-month period.
  • Maurice Grosse (1919–2006): A successful engineer and inventor who became a paranormal investigator after the tragic death of his own daughter. He was the first investigator from the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) on the scene and spent hundreds of hours documenting the case.
  • Guy Lyon Playfair (1935–2018): A British writer and SPR member who co-investigated the case with Grosse. He was convinced of the haunting's authenticity and later wrote the best-selling book, This House is Haunted (1980), which detailed their experiences.
  • Bill Wilkins (The Alleged Spirit): The gruff voice captured on tape, claiming to be an old man who died in the house of a hemorrhage.

7 Shocking Facts That Keep the Enfield Poltergeist Debate Alive

The enduring power of the Enfield case lies not just in the sensational claims, but in the specific, documented pieces of evidence that continue to defy easy explanation. These facts highlight why the case is still actively discussed in 2025.

1. The "Bill" Voice Was a Major Breakthrough and a Major Problem

Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair recorded hours of audio, but the most compelling evidence was the deep, guttural voice of "Bill." The voice was too low for an 11-year-old girl to produce naturally, and a speech therapist who analyzed the tapes suggested it originated from Janet's larynx, but the pitch was unnaturally low. However, a crucial detail emerged: Janet was caught on camera bending a spoon and later admitted to faking some of the poltergeist activity to see if the investigators would catch her. This single admission by Janet—that about two percent of the activity was faked—has been the primary weapon for skeptics, casting a shadow over all the other unexplained phenomena.

2. The Levitation Photo Remains Undebunked by Some

One of the most iconic images from the case shows Janet Hodgson seemingly being thrown across her bedroom and levitating in mid-air. Skeptics argue this was a simple jump from the bed, but the investigator who took the photo, Graham Morris, was positioned outside the room and could not have staged it. The photograph has been analyzed countless times, and while it is possible to replicate the motion, the context—taken during a sudden outburst of activity—makes it a powerful piece of circumstantial evidence for believers.

3. The Current Resident Must Keep the Curtains Closed

The house at 284 Green Street in Brimsdown, Enfield, is still occupied today. The current owner, a woman named Clare Bennett, has reported her own unsettling experiences, including strange noises and the feeling of being watched. A particularly eerie detail is that she reportedly keeps the curtains permanently closed to deter the constant flow of curious tourists and paranormal enthusiasts who visit the home, a testament to the case's lasting cultural impact.

4. Skeptics Observed Nothing During Their Visits

While Grosse and Playfair documented over 1,500 incidents, prominent skeptics from the SPR, such as Anita Gregory and John Beloff, spent time at the house and reported experiencing absolutely nothing paranormal. This inconsistency fuels the debate: was the activity genuinely sporadic, or was it only performed when the primary, more sympathetic investigators (Grosse and Playfair) were present? This lack of consensus among the SPR members is one of the most frustrating aspects of the case for those seeking a definitive answer.

5. The Warrens' Involvement Was Controversial

Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous American demonologists (made popular by *The Conjuring* franchise), visited the Enfield house briefly. Their involvement is highly contested, as many critics argue that their presence sensationalized the events and they spent very little time at the house compared to Grosse and Playfair. The depiction of their role in *The Conjuring 2* has been widely criticized for exaggerating their influence on the original investigation.

6. The Case is Being Re-examined with New Media in 2024–2025

The story is not just history; it is a current topic of analysis. In early 2024, the *Fortean Times* magazine published a "redux" of the case, and a May 2025 episode of the popular podcast "Last Update on the Left" offered a comprehensive re-analysis, suggesting that modern scrutiny of the original evidence—especially the hundreds of hours of Maurice Grosse's tape recordings—continues to reveal nuances missed in the 1970s. This ongoing media attention proves the case's relevance.

7. Janet Hodgson Stands by the Majority of the Story

Despite her admission of faking a small percentage of the events, Janet Hodgson (now Janet Winter) has consistently maintained that the vast majority of the phenomena—the furniture moving, the knocks on the walls, and the terrifying voice—were absolutely real. She has stated that the need to fake a few things stemmed from the pressure of constant surveillance and the desire to give the investigators *something* when the poltergeist was quiet. Her unwavering testimony, even decades later, is a powerful factor for those who believe the haunting was genuine.

The Enduring Legacy: Why the Enfield Poltergeist Still Matters

The Enfield Poltergeist is more than just a ghost story; it is a case study in human psychology, media sensationalism, and the difficulty of proving or disproving the paranormal. The sheer volume of evidence—audio recordings, photographs, police reports, and witness statements from neighbors and journalists—sets it apart from almost any other poltergeist case.

The debate today centers on the "two percent" of admitted fakery. For skeptics, this admission invalidates the entire case, arguing that if the children were capable of faking some events, they could have faked all of them. For believers, the two percent is a distraction from the 98 percent of unexplained phenomena witnessed by multiple independent adults, including police officers who saw a chair move on its own.

As new generations discover the story through contemporary media like the 2025 podcast updates and the 2024 stage productions, the core mystery of 284 Green Street remains intact. Was it a genuine, terrifying encounter with a non-human entity, or was it an elaborate, sustained hoax perpetrated by two bored, traumatized young girls? The enduring lack of a definitive answer ensures that the Enfield Poltergeist will continue to haunt the public imagination for decades to come.

poltergeist in enfield
poltergeist in enfield

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