Poltergeist

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For other uses, see Poltergeist (disambiguation).
[show]Part of a series of articles on the paranormal
Artist conception of poltergeist activity claimed by Therese Selles, a 15-year-o
ld domestic servant of the Todescini family at Cheragas, Algeria. From the Frenc
h magazine La Vie Mysterieuse in 1911.
In folklore and parapsychology, a Poltergeist (German for "noisy ghost") is a ty
pe of ghost or other supernatural entity which is responsible for physical distu
rbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. They are purp
ortedly capable of pinching, biting, hitting, and tripping people. Most accounts
of poltergeists describe the movement or levitation of objects such as furnitur
e and cutlery, or noises such as knocking on doors.
They have traditionally been described as troublesome spirits who haunt a partic
ular person instead of a specific location. Such alleged poltergeist manifestati
ons have been reported in many cultures and countries including the United State
s, India Japan, Brazil, Australia, and most European nations. Early accounts date
back to the 1st century.
Etymology[edit]
The word poltergeist came from the German language words poltern ("to make sound
" and "to rumble") and Geist ("ghost" and "spirit"), and the term itself transla
tes as "noisy ghost", "rumble-ghost" or a "loud spirit".
Suggested explanations[edit]
Natural phenomena[edit]
Many claimed poltergeist events have proved on investigation to be pranks.[1] Sk
eptic Joe Nickell says that claimed poltergeist incidents typically originate fr
om "an individual who is motivated to cause mischief".[2] According to Nickell:
"In the typical poltergeist outbreak, small objects are hurled through the air b
y unseen forces, furniture is overturned, or other disturbances occur -- usually
just what could be accomplished by a juvenile trickster determined to plague cr
edulous adults."
Nickell writes that reports are often exaggerated by credulous witnesses.[3]
"Time and again in other poltergeist outbreaks, witnesses have reported an object
leaping from its resting place supposedly on its own, when it is likely that the
perpetrator had secretly obtained the object sometime earlier and waited for an
opportunity to fling it, even from outside the room thus supposedly proving he or
she was innocent."
According to research in anomalistic psychology, claims of poltergeist activity
can be explained by psychological factors such as illusion, memory lapses, and w
ishful thinking.[4] A study (Lange and Houran, 1998) wrote that poltergeist expe
riences are delusions "resulting from the affective and cognitive dynamics of pe
rcipients' interpretation of ambiguous stimuli".[5]
Attempts have also been made to scientifically explain poltergeist disturbances
that have not been traced to fraud or psychological factors. Skeptic and magicia
n Milbourne Christopher found that some cases of poltergeist activity can be att
ributed to unusual air currents, such as a 1957 case on Cape Cod where downdraft
s from an uncovered chimney became strong enough to blow a mirror off of a wall,
overturn chairs and knock things off shelves.[6]
Unverified natural phenomena[edit]
In the 1950s, Guy William Lambert proposed that reported poltergeist phenomena c

ould be explained by the movement of underground water causing stress on houses.

[7] He suggested that water turbulence could cause strange sounds or structural
movement of the property, possibly causing the house to vibrate and move objects
. Later researchers, such as Alan Gauld and Tony Cornell, tested Lambert's hypot
hesis by placing specific objects in different rooms and subjecting the house to
strong mechanical vibrations.[7] They discovered that although the structure of
the building had been damaged, only a few of the objects moved a very short dis
tance. The skeptic Trevor H. Hall criticized the hypothesis claiming if it was t
rue "the building would almost certainly fall into ruins."[8] According to Richa
rd Wiseman the hypothesis has not held up to scrutiny.[7]
Michael Persinger has theorized that seismic activity could cause poltergeist ph
enomena.[9] However, Persinger's claims regarding the effects of environmental g
eomagnetic activity on paranormal experiences have not been independently replic
ated and, like his findings regarding the God helmet, may simply be explained by
the suggestibility of participants.[10][11]
David Turner, a retired physical chemist, suggested that ball lightning might ca
use the "spooky movement of objects blamed on poltergeists."[12]
Paranormal[edit]
Parapsychologists such as Nandor Fodor and William G. Roll wrote that poltergeis
t activity can be explained by psychokinesis.[13][14]
Poltergeist activity has often been believed to be the work of malicious spirits
. According to Allan Kardec, the founder of Spiritism, poltergeists are manifest
ations of disembodied spirits of low level, belonging to the sixth class of the
third order. Under this explanation, they are believed to be closely associated
with the elements (fire, air, water, earth).[15]
Famous cases[edit]
Epworth Rectory
Drummer of Tedworth (1662)
Islandmagee witch trial (1710-1711)
Epworth Rectory (1716 1717)
Sampford Peverell (1810-1811)
Bell Witch of Tennessee (1817 1872)
Angelique Cottin (ca. 1846)
Great Amherst Mystery (1878 1879)
Caledonia Mills (1899-1922)
Gef the Talking Mongoose (1931)
Borley Rectory (1937) investigated by Harry Price who called it "the most haunte
d house in England".[16]
Thornton Heath poltergeist (1938)
Robbie Mannheim (1949), claimed to be demonically possessed after using a Ouija
board.
Seaford poltergeist (1958)
Matthew Manning (1960s 1970s)[17]
The Black Monk of Pontefract (1960s 1970s)
Rosenheim Poltergeist (1967) investigated by Hans Bender who claimed that a law
firm located in Rosenheim in southern Germany experienced disruption of electric
ity and telephone lines, swinging lamps, and the rotation of a framed picture ca
used by a 19-year-old secretary who he alleged called "a typical poltergeist."[1
8][19]
The Enfield Poltergeist (1977)
The Thornton Road poltergeist of Birmingham (1981)
Tina Resch (1984)
"The Stone-Throwing Spook of Little Dixie" (1995)[20]
The Canneto di Caronia fires poltergeist (2004 5)[21]

In fiction[edit]
Lithobolia, a narrative folk tale by "Richard Chamberlayne" first printed in Lon
don 1698 has been compared to modern poltergeist stories and considered an early
example of esoteric literature and supernatural horror writing.
In the 1941 Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit poltergeist activity is due to the gh
ost of the central character's first wife and later to the ghosts of both wives. A
successful movie in 1945, and a musical (High Spirits) in 1963, besides enjoyin
g multiple adaptations to radio.
An episode of Lost Tapes featured Charles' ghost who is haunting the house as a
poltergeist in Lakeview, Colorado.
William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel The Exorcist and its 1973 film adaptation depi
ct demonic possession.
In the Poltergeist movies (1982, 1986, 1988) poltergeist activity in a family ho
me was caused by the ghosts attracted to the youngest daughter.
A poltergeist named Peeves appears in the Harry Potter series, who is described
by the series author J.K. Rowling as not a ghost but an "indestructible spirit o
f chaos."[22]
The 2015 film Poltergeist, a remake of the 1982 film.
The 1990 film Ghost features the "Subway Ghost", a poltergeist that haunts the N
ew York City Subway. The poltergeist shows Sam Wheat how to manipulate objects w
ith his mind.
The anime, Ghost Hunt focused on possible poltergeist activity in an old schoolh
ouse.
In the 2D shooting series, Touhou Project there are three characters who are pol
tergeists, named Merlin Prismriver, Lunasa Prismriver and Lyrica Prismriver. Thr
ee of them are featured in the game Perfect Cherry Blossom (2003 game of the Tou
hou Project series).
In the anime Occult Accademy (episodes 9 and 10), Akari is a young poltergeist w
ho died freezing in the snow in front of her house on Christmas Eve while waitin
g for Santa. She appears before the students during an unsuccessful summoning th
rough ectoplasm and they decide to help her.