Poltergeists

A Poltergeist is a particularly unsettling type of ghost, said to make its presence known through loud, unexplained noises and alarming physical disturbances—objects flung across rooms, lights that flicker for no reason. The very word “poltergeist” comes from the German poltern, meaning “to rattle” or “make noise,” and geist, meaning “ghost”—a fitting name for something so unnervingly chaotic. Many who claim to have encountered one describe a creeping sense of dread, as if something unseen is always just out of sight, waiting to stir.

What is a ghost?  A Ghost is the energy of a person or animal that had died. Once the body of a living being dies, it’s energy, the soul, continues to exist.

This existence is one of a pure energy force – a higher living being that has capabilities beyond what most of us can fully understand and comprehend. A spirit ghost is what we are most familiar with and comfortable with and what we understand the most. They are our deceased family, friends,  and pets –  yes you read it correctly. That includes pets.

The existence of ghosts is a huge controversy in today’s society. Some believe that there is no way that a spirit can make itself appear in front of a person, and some believe that spirits show up on a regular basis in people’s lives.

They are also said to be capable of disturbing feats—moving or levitating objects like furniture and cutlery, or producing unnerving sounds such as knocking on doors when no one is there. Witnesses often report foul, inexplicable odors, spontaneous fires, and erratic electrical activity—lights flickering or going out without warning.

What’s even more unsettling is how widespread these reports are.

Accounts of poltergeist activity span cultures and continents—Brazil, Australia, the United States, Japan, and much of Europe. And this isn’t a recent phenomenon; some of the earliest known cases date all the way back to the 1st century, a chilling reminder that something strange may have always been with us.

Reported Poltergeist Activity (2020-2024) While comprehensive global statistics on poltergeist reports from 2020 to 2025 are not readily available, various sources provide insights into reported paranormal activities, including poltergeist phenomena, “ghosts,” “demons,” “monsters,” “paranormal phenomena,” “supernatural entities,” “poltergeists,” “apparitions,” during that period.

2019: 27 reports

2020: 43 reports

2021: 51 reports

2022: 42 reports

2023: 44 reports

2024: 26 reports

• Epworth Rectory, Site of paranormal hauntings in the mid-1710s
• Glenluce Devil (1654–1656)
• Drummer of Tedworth (1662)
• Mackie poltergeist (1695)
• Wesley poltergeist claim at Epworth Rectory (1716–1717)
• Hinton Ampner (1764–1771)
• Bell Witch of Tennessee (1817–1872)
• John Bovee Dods (1824)
• Bealings Bells (1834)
• Angelique Cottin (ca. 1846)
• Great Amherst Mystery (1878–1879)
• Gef the Talking Mongoose (1931)
• Borley Rectory (1937)
• Seaford poltergeist (1958)
• Matthew Manning (1960s–1970s)
• The Black Monk of Pontefract (1960s–1970s)
• Rosenheim poltergeist claim (1967)
• The Stambovsky v. Ackley poltergeist (1970s–1980s)
• The Amityville case (1975)
• Enfield poltergeist (1977–1979)
• Thornton Road poltergeist claim (1981)
• Ammons haunting case (2011)

In the end, it is up to you to decide if ghosts are real or not. There is no scientific evidence for ghosts. Is this because ghosts do not exist? Or do we simply not have the technology to detect them?

The Answer: Believe or not believe is the answer.

You Be the Judge

“Tell us your true ghost stories in the comments below. No Skeptics please – we know that you don’t believe 🙂