The Enfield Poltergeist: True Story behind The Conjuring 2

The grating voice of Bill Wilkins describing his death & his return from his Grave in The Conjuring 2 is going to make everyone inquisitive; after all this movie is based on true events from the files of Ed and Lorraine Warren - The Paranormal Investigators. This scary voice didn't come from a 11 year old girl but from a 72 year old man. So who was Mr. Wilkins? What is the story all about? Let us find out about the Enfield Poltergeist.

Poltergeist is a word used for any ghost that announces its presence with rapping and the creation of disorder. The Enfield Poltergeist is the name given to the claims of poltergeist activity at a council house in Enfield, England from 1977 to 1979 involving two sisters (11 and 13 years old). The British Press gave good coverage to this story and since then it has been the subject of many books and even featured in several TV documentaries as also in various horror films.

What Happened in August 1977?

Single parent Peggy Hodson lived in a rented home in Enfield. One day she called the police to her home after 2 of her 4 children claimed that the furniture was moving and unusual knocking sounds were coming in from the walls. The children included 13 year old Margaret, Janet (11), Johnny (10) and 7 year old Billy.

When the police constables went to investigate, even they noticed something paranormal. They were witness to a chair sliding on the floor and it was difficult to determine if it moved by itself or was pushed by someone. Reports of further paranormal activities attracted considerable press attention in British Newspapers.

The incidents inside the Enfield home were investigated by Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon, the paranormal investigators who were convinced by the evidence which they encountered during their investigation.

Interviewing a Poltergeist (Mr. Bill Wilkins):

During the investigation, Maurice Grosse challenged the ghost to speak with him and it did not take long before the poltergeist started communicating openly with the investigators. As investigators documented the ghost had a habit of making nasty jokes, a bad temper, and chose to swear at Maurice by calling him “A f*cking old sod".

After a long investigation and interviewing the ghost, the spirit revealed itself to Maurice as a man named Bill Wilkins. In a grating voice, the man described the details of his death.

“Just before I died, I went blind, and then I had a hemorrhage and I fell asleep and I died in the chair in the corner downstairs.”

One day, the investigators saw one of the 4 children pinned to the bed screaming, “I can’t move!  It’s holding my leg!”  The investigators and the family tried to wrestle the child from the invisible grip and everyone involved in that incident insisted it was the grip of invisible hands. The most horrifying incident was that of a man's voice coming from the body of a 11-year-old girl, Janet Hodgson. She appeared to be possessed and in one case even levitated across the room.

A few weeks after the Poltergeist revealed himself as Mr. Bill Wilkins, a man (Terry Wilkins) contacted Maurice and claimed to be Bill’s son.

The internet is filled with stories about the Enfield ghost. Have a look at this documentary below about The Enfield Poltergeist and post that we highly recommend you to watch The Conjuring 2. Also read our The Conjuring 2 Review and also have a look at The Conjuring 2 Warning in Indian Theaters and The Making of The Conjuring 2: Behind The Scenes but let us check out the documentary first: