Introduction

In 1890, the tiny Greek village of Messeria on the island of Kithnos was plagued by something otherworldly. They named this creature Andelavirus, and it claimed it was of Rikalakis, a close cousin to the traditional European vampire. Between 1591 and 1923, people across Europe told similar stories, an invisible monster that raided their homes and destroyed their belongings. Today we see events like these play out across the screens of our local movie theater. Some are clearly hoaxes. But Poltergeist have a history that runs far deeper than just the 1980s.