Horror fans are familiar with the activities caused by poltergeists. The movie Poltergeist, brought a fraction of truth to the big screen, but like so many things, the movie took dramatic liberties, and with sequels, turned the entity into more of a stalker.
The word poltergeist is German for noisy ghost. In some instances, this is quite true, however in most cases the activity is believed to derive from an agent unknowingly causing things to happen through subconscious psychokinesis. While it's possible for the agent to be anyone, more often than not, it's a pre-pubescent female, and generally she's emotionally troubled.
While Poltergeist and little Carol Ann brought the phenomena to the attention of the layman, poltergeist activity isn't a recent development. Historic records date back to Egypt in BC years with similar tales.
Such famous cases involving poltergeists are The Bell Witch and the happenings at The Borley Rectory, both of which are available for perusal here at The Cold Spot. Both are believed to be true poltergeist sources while others tend to leave room for doubt or can be blamed on involuntary psychokinesis.
At the end of August 1977, the lives of single mother Peggy Harper and her four children took a turn for the worse. A resident of Enfield, North London, Peggy was recently divorced and took on the challenge of raising her children by herself.
They ranged in age from 13 to 7, and it was 11 year old Janet that reported hers and her brother's beds shaking and acting funny. Peggy investigated, found nothing, and decided she was telling a tale. When night fell the next day, Peggy heard noises coming from the children's bedroom floor that sounded like a chair scraping across it. She removed the only chair in the room, but the noise continued.
The same night, she heard knocks on the wall and saw a heavy bureau move several feet on it's own. Fearful, they went to a neighbor's house and a circus ensued. Police were called and they investigated. They, too, heard the knocking, and one officer witnessed a chair slide several feet.
Newspaper personnel were called, and while visiting, they were assaulted with flying toys. Eventually, experts in the paranormal field were called in to gather evidence. In spite of bent and melted metal components in their equipment, they did manage a few photographs. Because the case involved two underage girls and emotional struggles with their new homelife, they discussed the commonly shared feelings about the female agent. Once Peggy realized this could cause the poltergeist-type phenomena, she sought closure. For awhile, the problems ceased, but resumed again with more focus around the girls. At one point, Janet was caught in the act of throwing an object. While most believe the Enfield case was legitimate at first, it seems the girls missed the attention when events stopped.
Most recently, Scotland has been plagued by an incredibly malevolent spirit believed to be "Bluidy MacKenzie." The Black Mausoleum is the final resting place of George MacKenzie, a ruthless man responsible for the executions of 18,000 Covenanters, a political force of the 17th centurey, simply for not accepting the Anglican Church.
In 1999, a homeless man sought shelter in the mausoleum, and for whatever reason, actually climbed into MacKenzie's coffin. Naturally, he wasn't aware of whose it was, though why he would climb into one at all is perplexing enough. It collapsed and ever since, weird and vicious attacks have taken place there.
Over 350 documented things have happened there. Some feel cold spots, hot spots; some feel as though they're being slapped and beaten, and later have the bruises to show for proof. In more severe cases, bones have been broken!
In the case of the mausoleum, there's no agent involved to be blamed. It continues to stump paranormal experts, and may, in fact, be what some consider the "wrath version." Some believe when a person dies in a powerful rage, they may return as a poltergeist to seek revenge. Sounds quite a lot like the plotline of The Grudge!
Quite differently, another thought is that like hauntings, a poltergeist is a type of "echo" that's on a loop to replay until the energy causing it is depleted. Whatever it is, there's something that causes the phenomena in isolated incidents that cannot always be blamed on a conducting agent or subconscious activity.
