The Enfield Poltergeist

You're hurting me.

You're hurting me. You're hurting me.

-What's the matter? -I can't tell you.

This time, Janet was thrown right out of the room, onto the stairs.

I saw you banging on the floor, Janet.

I didn't bang.

I saw you bang.

Janet. Can you hear me, Janet?

Janet, can you hear me?

One time when we s--

Why didn't you spit the water out until I told you?

No, I don't want you to do anything until I tell you.

Janet. Janet. Janet.

Janet. Can you hear me? Janet? Can you hear me, Janet?

All right, Janet. Well done. All right, now, Janet.

There's a good girl.

There's a good girl. All right.

I blamed myself a lot.

The fact that I went into care alone and Margaret and Bill were still there.

It was my fault because I was the epicenter.

Why me?

Why did it happen to me, our family? Why?

I've never actually done that many interviews or documentaries.

And I was always very dubious about doing any of them

'cause it does bring it all back again,

and there's all the emotions that I've tried to escape all my life.

Yeah, I remember that one.

-The look of terror on Mum's face. -Yeah, I remember.

-That one. -Yeah.

When I was pulled out of bed.

And that distressed me to see you like that.

That distressed me terrible.

Yeah, I remember being turned off the settee.

Tipped upside down.

-It just turned over. And-- -Yeah.

And she'd run off it, and then it'd be over on the--

tip up on the floor.

Does feel strange though. Like going back in time.

Really does. All those years ago.

Looking back now,

something could come into our lives, into our house.

Could it have been something that drew energy from me?

June, 1978.

Janet has now spent six weeks in a home run by nuns.

We are redoubling our efforts to help her,

but none of the doctors, psychiatrists,

or psychologists who have witnessed her altered states

can agree on their diagnosis.

The psychiatrist consulted by the local doctor

suggested we simply go away and leave the family alone.

Maurice was a very compassionate man.

And there's no doubt that he cared about the family.

That's important because, as a psychical researcher,

you probably want the phenomena to go on as long as possible.

You know, this doesn't often happen, so you're quite keen to--

to sort of get evidence for this. On the other hand,

as a human being, you're dealing-- you realize you're dealing

with people who are going through a very traumatic state.

And so, from that point of view, you want the phenomena to stop.

I was having these bad nightmares.

Nights used to be so long.

When I look back now, I don't know how I stayed sane.

I just wanted to run away.

I do remember being concerned about Janet.

Just mentally and physically, emotionally.

To be screaming, hysterical,

to have that amount of tension, she needed help.

July the 26th, 1978.

We have finally got Janet admitted to the Maudsley Hospital

under the care of Dr. Peter Fenwick,

head of the neurological department.

Guy Playfair said to me,

"We've got this fascinating phenomena going on at Enfield. A poltergeist.

The girl, Janet, goes into strange, contorted positions.

And do you think that she has epilepsy?"

And so, I originally thought, "Well, poltergeists and epilepsy?

Doubt it.

But it's certainly worth looking at Janet."

I thought I was going home.

So, I was very surprised to be going to stay in a hospital.

Remember, it's 47 years ago,

but I do have Janet's permission to talk about her on camera.

I'm a neuropsychiatrist, which means "neuro" understand the brain--

-"psychiatrist"-- understand behavior. -If you looking at this…

People who had disorders of behavior used to be referred to me.

I was also interested in consciousness.

And so, my interests were wider

than just simple reductionist science.

What I was wanting to know is

whether you could separate poltergeist effects,

epilepsy, and behavioral changes in the person.

We ran a whole lot of tests on her to see, particularly,

if there was an organic basis for her behavior.

They wanted to see what was going on in me brain.

When you're that young, you know, you think,

"Psychiatry, what does that really mean?" You know?

People think, "It's madness.

They've gone into there because they're mad."

But there's different reasons.

Is it something in the body? Or is it in the brain?

Or is it something that's happened from the past?

All of the physical tests we did were normal.

And so we then wondered about the behavioral component.

What I did know about poltergeists

at this time was that they tended to occur,

usually, where there was a very high tension in the family.

I haven't really listened to the tapes up until now.

But it's like I'm meant to go back 'cause it's gonna teach me something.

Why do you think it's chosen you?

Why do you think it's happening to you?

Well, I can't directly answer that,

but there's been a lot of distress in the house before all this happened.

I think it goes right back to when her father was here.

And I mean, he wouldn't let those kids play.

He wouldn't let them have any toys out.

If there was a row outside, he used to bring them in.

He's been gone two years this month-- the 14th of this month.

I was in a very low state,

and I did feel very depressed after Mr. Hodgson went.

It all sort of bounded back on me, all the distress.

I suddenly realized how we'd been living and how hard it had been.

And it all built up, I suppose.

I think, between them, they've bottled up such a lot.

That might have had something to do with it.

That's the only reason I can think of.

Looking back now,

there was a lot of stress and tension in the family.

The upset of Johnny going away to school.

Mum and Dad had divorced.

I remember before I was ten,

my parents would regularly have rows.

And one day, I don't know what my mum done--

She went to open the front door,

and he shut her arm in it.

I remember this very well.

And I remember things getting a bit overheated,

and they were arguing and shouting at each other.

And I remember, my father sat me down,

and he said to me, "I won't be living here anymore, you know.

We're getting divorced, Mum and I."

Our lives changed then.

And then I don't remember much more childhood.

It did really affect me. I mean, my dad he was hotheaded.

He had no patience.

But then I cried when he left.

It was like there was an absence. Something was missing.

Did hit me hard, actually. It did. Yeah.

That's what I'm saying, right?

You go in the small bed, Margaret.

Trust you to say that.

There is a great deal of emotional stress in the family.

…you come back from the shops this afternoon.

But how is stress capable of physically affecting its surroundings?

How does all that fit into the picture?

The chair, which was standing by Janet's bed.

Mum, he's tricking me.

Christ! It's the ghost!

And there was a chest of drawers moving towards the door.

Bash the window!

What's happened?

Now the chair gone over.

It just tipped over the settee in front of us.

I've never used to like going upstairs on me own.

It was like there was something there.

It was a feeling like it was behind me.

Now, tell me, what are you doing here, and why are you here?

Shall I tell you really who I am?

Really?

Some people have to see it to believe it.

But once you've experienced it, you know that it's real.

27th, 1978, in the Maudsley Hospital.

Well, Janet, come over here and stick your mouth near the microphone

-so we can hear you. -Yeah.

That's all right.

Tell me-- You're saying when you're on your own,

you're not-- you're not--

Nothing happens when you're on your own.

I can guarantee that nothing will happen now.

-Really? -Just got that feeling.

But when you're with Margaret and your mum,

-you feel this sort of force building up? -Builds up, yeah.

Does it? What does it feel like? I mean--

Yeah, and in the end mum winds up by shouting at me over it,

'cause it's happening round me.

That's why I say the energy comes to me.

It all builds up around me.

I'd like to sleep in the little room on me own, you know what I mean?

You'd like to sleep on your own from now on?

Yeah.

-What, on your own, without anybody? -Yeah.

I could decorate me own bedroom and everything.

Yes. You should do that. That's very important actually.

You ought to do that as soon as you get home.

-Yeah. I was gonna get a paintbrush-- -Just get a brush and go…

I've got a radio.

I've got a radio. That'll keep me company of a night.

-Yeah. -What, on your own, without anybody?

Strange, sort of, listening to me at that age.

I seem quite determined. I think, "Wow.

Really? Was this me?"