The Enfield Poltergeist

Sep 15, 2025

In the summer of 1977, a London family reported bizarre occurrences, from moving furniture to disembodied voices. The tale of the Enfield Poltergeist captivated both skeptics and believers alike. Delving into family dynamics, the stress of financial instability, and emotional complexities amidst the chaos, the hosts explore the haunting impacts on the Hodgson family. A chaotic night of flying objects and mysterious disturbances escalated media interest and debate, revealing the emotional toll on young Janet and the lingering fascination with this notorious case.

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ANECDOTE

Daily Mirror Witness Account

Reporter Graham Morris and photographer Graham Morris spent the night and later said Legos struck a man in the forehead.
The Daily Mirror published the story and called the phenomena a possible poltergeist.

INSIGHT

Investigator's Personal Investment

Maurice Gross, an SPR member, took the case seriously despite being assigned as a newcomer.
His personal loss (daughter Janet) intensified his desire to find proof of life after death.

ANECDOTE

Apparent Sleep Phenomena Around Janet

Investigators reported chairs being thrown while Janet appeared asleep with eyes upturned.
Gross warned Margaret to watch Janet but publicly suggested a poltergeist rather than accuse the girl outright.

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In the summer of 1977, single mother Margaret Hodgson called the police to her council estate apartment in Enfield, London to report that she and her two daughters, Janet and Peggy, had seen furniture move in the apartment and were hearing strange noises coming from within the walls. That simple albeit unusual call set in motion a chain of events that would thrust the unassuming Hodgson family into the center of a debate about the existence of the supernatural and forever associate them with one of England’s most notorious paranormal cases, the Enfield poltergeist.

Over the course of roughly eighteen months, the family claimed they were subjected to a variety of supernatural harassment that ranged from moving furniture and knocking in the walls to disembodied voices and even involuntary levitation. Soon after the report was made to the police, the story attracted a variety of news outlets and paranormal investigators, all determined to either prove the case a genuine poltergeist or a hoax perpetrated by two adolescent attention-seeking girls.

Nearly fifty years later, the case remains controversial among skeptics and believers, all of whom want to know what exactly did happen in the Hodgson's apartment and who—or what—is to blame for the disturbances.

Thank you to the Amazing Dave White (of BRING ME THE AXE PODCAST) for research and writing assistance!

References

Amin, Meghna. 2022. "Man behind photos of the Enfield poltergeist ‘still can’t believe’ what he saw." The Metro, October 28.

Brimmer, Ryan. 1978. "Ghost Story." Daily Mirror, March 30: 20.

Cambridge Evening News. 1978. "Pitfalls facing psychic investigator." Cambridge Evening News, March 31: 18.

Couttie, Bob. 1988. Forbidden Knowledge: The Paranormal Paradox. Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth.

French, Chris. 2016. Five reasons why London’s most famous poltergeist case is a hoax. June 17. Accessed October 7, 2023. https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/five-reasons-why-londons-most-famous-poltergeist-case-is-a-hoax-061616.

Grosse, Maurice. 1977. "Poltergeist in Enfield." The Observer, November 20: 16.

Hyde, Deborah. 2015. "The Enfield 'poltergeist:' a sceptic speaks." The Guardian, May 1.

Nickell, Joe. 2012. "Enfield Poltergeist." Skeptical Inquirer 36 (4): 12-14.

Playfair, Guy Lyon. 1980. This House is Haunted. New York, NY: Stein and Day.