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For other uses, see Poltergeist (disambiguation).
Artist conception of poltergeist activity claimed by Therese Selles, a 15-year-old domestic servant of the Todescini family at Cheragas, Algeria. From the French magazine La Vie Mysterieuse in 1911.





Suggested explanations[edit]

Natural phenomena[edit]

Many claimed poltergeist events have proved on investigation to be pranks.[1] Skeptic Joe Nickell says that claimed poltergeist incidents typically originate from "an individual who is motivated to cause mischief".[2] According to Nickell:


Nickell writes that reports are often exaggerated by credulous witnesses.[3]


According to research in anomalistic psychology claims of poltergeist activity can be explained by psychological factors such as illusion, memory lapses and wishful thinking.[4] A study (Lange and Houran, 1998) wrote that poltergeist experiences are delusions "resulting from the affective and cognitive dynamics of percipients' interpretation of ambiguous stimuli".[5]


Unverified natural phenomena[edit]

In the 1950s, Guy William Lambert proposed that reported poltergeist phenomena could 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 hypothesis 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 distance. The skeptic Trevor H. Hall criticized the hypothesis claiming if it was true "the building would almost certainly fall into ruins."[8] According to Richard Wiseman the hypothesis has not held up to scrutiny.[7]

Michael Persinger has theorized that seismic activity could cause poltergeist phenomena.[9] However, Persinger's claims regarding the effects of environmental geomagnetic activity on paranormal experiences have not been independently replicated and, like his findings regarding the God helmet, may simply be explained by the suggestibility of participants.[10][11]



Parapsychologists such as Nandor Fodor and William G. Roll wrote that poltergeist 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 manifestations of disembodied spirits of low level, belonging to the sixth class of the third order. They are believed to be closely associated with the elements (fire, air, water, earth).[15]

Famous cases[edit]

In fiction[edit]

  • Lithobolia, a narrative folk tale by "Richard Chamberlayne" first printed in London 1698 has been compared to modern poltergeist stories and considered an early example of esoteric literature and supernatural horror writing.
  • In the 1941 Noël Coward play Blithe Spirit poltergeist activity is due to the ghost 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 enjoying 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 depict demonic possession.
  • In the Poltergeist movies (1982, 1986, 1988) poltergeist activity in a family home 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 of chaos."[22]
  • The 2015 film Poltergeist, a remake of the 1982 film.
  • The anime, Ghost Hunt focused on possible poltergeist activity in an old schoolhouse.

See also[edit]


  5. ^ Lange, R., Houran, J. (1998). Delusions of the paranormal: A haunting question of perception. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 186 (10), 637–645.
  10. ^ French, CC., Haque, U., Bunton-Stasyshyn, R., Davis, R. (2009), "The "Haunt" project: An attempt to build a "haunted" room by manipulating complex electromagnetic fields and infrasound", Cortex 45 (5): 619–629, doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2007.10.011, PMID 18635163 
  14. ^ James Houran, Rense Lange. (2007). Hauntings and Poltergeists: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. McFarland. p. 290. ISBN 978-0786432493
  20. ^ "WorldWide Religious News-Devil in the detail of Sicily's mysterious village fires". Wwrn.org. 2004-02-11. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 
  21. ^ "The Stone-Throwing Spook of Little Dixie"
  22. ^ "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two". 2005. Retrieved 2007-06-01. 

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]