The Enfield Haunting - Sky Living

robfosters · 1 Apr 2015 at 17:07

looking forward to this. Was originally going to be a feature film I think, but that idea was dropped and now sky have picked it up for a 3 part series.

Based on the Enfield poltergeist case of the 70's. Hopefully should be good. Timothy Spalls in it and I like most of what he does. Also stars Juliet Stevenson and Matthew McFadyen.

Poltergeists and things. Dickybob will be beside himself

http://www.sky.com/tv/show/the-enfield-haunting/article/about

MookJong · 1 Apr 2015 at 20:33

I am fascinated by the case, there was a very good documentory a few years back where they spoke to the girls (now in their 40s). It was strange how they reflected back on it. They certainly didn't try to exaggerate or hype up the story...quite the opposite, they didn't really remember a lot of the facts and still seem as confused as anyone.

I feel I must add, I am not convinced it was anything paranormal but am interested to know was it purely attention seeking behaviour, a kind of mass hysteria or a genuine adolescent psychological problem.

robfosters · 1 Apr 2015 at 20:48

MookJong said:
I am fascinated by the case, there was a very good documentory a few years back where they spoke to the girls (now in their 40s). It was strange how they reflected back on it. They certainly didn't try to exaggerate or hype up the story...quite the opposite, they didn't really remember a lot of the facts and still seem as confused as anyone.

I feel I must add, I am not convinced it was anything paranormal but am interested to know was it purely attention seeking behaviour, a kind of mass hysteria or a genuine adolescent psychological problem.

Same here. I read Maurice Grosse's book about the case, This House is Haunted a while back. Very good indeed and plenty of spooky occurences. Hopefully, this will be as accurate as possible and not ridiculously embellished for TV like those awful Haunting in Connecticut films.

Spall and McFadyen playing Grosse and Playfair. Good casting imo.

MookJong · 1 Apr 2015 at 21:18

You can watch the documentary I mentioned above here:

Interview with a poltergeist

Lima · 2 Apr 2015 at 09:13

My gran used to live down the same street....I remember hearing stories about the place when I was a kid and that was years and years after it all happened (I'm 27). Don't know what to make of it all really. :/

ChroniC · 2 Apr 2015 at 09:21

I will be interested in it for a little bit of horror fiction, but the case itself was a huge pile of steaming fraud. They made it all up. Look at that documentary for instance, and tell me Janet Hodgson isn't mentally disturbed.

MookJong · 4 Apr 2015 at 16:42

ChroniC said:
I will be interested in it for a little bit of horror fiction, but the case itself was a huge pile of steaming fraud. They made it all up. Look at that documentary for instance, and tell me Janet Hodgson isn't mentally disturbed.

But if she was mentally disturbed maybe this wasn't fraud. Maybe these were the external symptoms of something she didn't have full control over.

Edrof · 4 Apr 2015 at 17:58

Fascinating case!

ChroniC said:
I will be interested in it for a little bit of horror fiction, but the case itself was a huge pile of steaming fraud. They made it all up. Look at that documentary for instance, and tell me Janet Hodgson isn't mentally disturbed.

Aren't there some things that can't be accounted for, though? Wasn't a witness a police offer - things like that?

robfosters · 4 Apr 2015 at 21:48

Edrof said:
Fascinating case!

Aren't there some things that can't be accounted for, though? Wasn't a witness a police offer - things like that?

Yes, a copper was one of the first to witness the events, and swore to what he saw. Copper's don't lie about such things imo. In danger of being ridiculed.

Might be worth you reading the book in preparation for the programme. It's on Kindle for about £6.50. It's called This House is Haunted.

Hades · 5 Apr 2015 at 19:07

I remember this in the news as a kid. Very strange case.

teejay73 · 5 Apr 2015 at 20:16

Edrof said:
Fascinating case!

Aren't there some things that can't be accounted for, though? Wasn't a witness a police offer - things like that?

Actually there were two officers who attended. As a Kid I grew up in Alma rd, which connects to Green st, and this story was well known by all the local folk. My mum was best friends with the wpc who attended, along with her male colleague. She did once say in conversation to my mum that she did indeed see a chair moving, and levitating when they visited, and she even signed an affidavit to confirm what she had seen.

It is a fascinating story. I remember a load of us once went down past the house in green st on Halloween, and kept shouting for Bill (The poltergeist) for a scary laugh

, that was a few years after the family had moved on though.

Was it real? Well I never doubted my mums friend account of what happened, so I do believe it, just not sure how much more of the story I believe.

Superficial · 5 Apr 2015 at 20:51

Yes I am fascinated by this case in particular because of all the 3rd parties that were involved:

1) The Police officers witnessed the chair moving across the floor - a subsequent test was done to se if there was any possibility of the floor being slanted or anything and they couldn't explain it.

2) The next door neighbour responded to their help, when in the house he witnessed a figure sat at a table that subsequently disappeared.

3) the reporters witnessed the flying objects

4) Neighbours witnessed the girl "flying" from across the street.

Other very strange things were the recorded(ghost) voice the girl was doing - very difficult to pull off for more than a few seconds without becoming painful and she even did it with a mouthful of water. not conclusive just really odd.

Has to be said the lady from The Society for Psychical research was not impressed.

Bottom line for me is that IF it was a hoax it was very good but I think it was just a set of very strange events. As said before one of the girls in question is clearly on mood stabilisers these days - the other seems ok.

No one in involved was ever a Mensa applicant though let's be honest.

robfosters · 5 Apr 2015 at 20:55

Doesn't the fact that the family weren't particularly bright, which they aren't if you look into it further, suggest against the young girls pulling such an elaborate hoax involving so many people?

Whatever, it seems like there's a few looking forward to this now. Keep an eye out for the airdate please as it's easy to miss things on Sky.

Superficial · 5 Apr 2015 at 22:17

oh and don't forget to watch Ghostwatch:

very obviously based on this case and great fun.

stoofa · 6 Apr 2015 at 12:59

Well as ghosts and spirits do not exist - it cannot be anything but a hoax.
Sorry, but really - how much of it is true? None of it is true.
Will I watch? Sure, it'll be a good bit of fiction and I'm sure it will make for interesting viewing. However to suggest that it's authentic is silly.
As to who perpetrated the hoax - well I doubt something really as interesting as that will be shown in this!

Gerard · 6 Apr 2015 at 20:03

Superficial said:
oh and don't forget to watch Ghostwatch:

very obviously based on this case and great fun.

That was freaky when it first aired, had everyone in school talking about it. Has anyone noticed whats on the right hand page at the 19:56 mark when sarah greene is flicking through the book? lol

Also they used to call the dark room the glory hole :eek:

, goes hand in hand with the drawing in the book.

Superficial · 6 Apr 2015 at 20:10

Gerard said:
That was freaky when it first aired, had everyone in school talking about it. Has anyone noticed whats on the right hand page at the 19:56 mark when sarah greene is flicking through the book? lol

Also they used to call the dark room the glory hole , goes hand in hand with the drawing in the book.

LOL - I hadn't but that is classic - I bet it was Craig Charles that drew that

Gerard · 6 Apr 2015 at 21:46

The moaning show after it aired with people complaining about the show:

Can't half tell it was the 90's with Mr Mullett in the audience talking about one of his kids vomiting.

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2015 at 15:17

Edrof said:
Fascinating case!

Aren't there some things that can't be accounted for, though? Wasn't a witness a police offer - things like that?

MookJong said:
But if she was mentally disturbed maybe this wasn't fraud. Maybe these were the external symptoms of something she didn't have full control over.

Come on now guys! You can't for one second think that there was anything other than a disturbed girl/family looking for some attention, I agree with both of you that there were things that can't be accounted for, and they were external symptoms but of rational problems,

1 - Family disturbance with father leaving, girl at pubery age.
2 - Girls were seen doing the acts, and pretended they were playing tricks like the ghost
3 - Youngest girl was making the noises/voices herself.
4 - Pictures were of her jumping off the bed (all the pictures are with her legs in a downward position, and with knees bent, a common position of a jump)
5 - Most other witnesses and authorities, said it was them doing it.
6 - Eye witness accounts did not always match and that eye witness accounts are often commonly unreliable (see documentary)

The documentary witnesses were trying to say they saw strange things, but also interlaced the documentary saying that it was the girls. Half of the examples the pseudo scientist in the video say they didn't directly see the incident or that they saw the girls do it.

And last but not least and the most important of all, "GHOST DO NOT EXIST"

robfosters · 14 Apr 2015 at 01:02

Starts 3 May. Looks bloody good from the new trailer just shown.