Hoffman, Paul, 80, 84, 86, 90–91
Hollywood claims. See “Based on a true story” genre
Holzer, Hans, 44
Hornby, Sir Edmund, 73
Houdini, Harry, 31
Houran, James, 130
Huelman, Patrick, 111
Hughes, E. Albert, 26
Hughes, James, 36
Hurd-Wood, Rachel, 1
Ice damming, 110–12
In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (Garton, Snedeker, Snedeker, Warren, and Warren), 119, 121, 123–25
In the Grip of Evil, 29–30
Ingram, Martin, 2, 4, 6, 8–18, 141n9, 148n119
Jackson, Andrew, xiii, 7–9, 11, 144n60–61
Jones, Warren, 72
Jordan, Peter, 83–84, 86, 89, 93–95, 103, 117
Journalists: Amityville Horror, unimpressed by, 82, 95–96; Bell Witch, fabrications about, 14, 147n111; deception, lack of expertise in, 137; maverick scientists, gravitation to, 133; Poltergeist, coverage of, 49, 54; Popper the Poltergeist and, xiii, 34, 43–44
Kaplan, Stephen, 93, 97
Keenhold, Dave, 105–6, 109–10, 112–15
Keiffer, Bob, 104–8, 111, 112, 115
Keiffer, Jeannie, 104–8, 115
Kekoris, George, 83
Kenny, Michael, 133
Kenyon, Mr. (previous owner of Perron house), 58
Kishaugh, James, 103–4
Latah, 132–33
Lee, Wen Ho, 87
Liar's Clubs, 15
Lie detector tests, 86–87
Lilienfeld, Scott, 86–87
Linder, Mike, 83
Lippmann, Walter, 101
Literary hoaxes, 16
Livingston, John, 14
Lowe, Ed, 86, 91, 100–101
Luther, Martin, xi
Lutz, Daniel “Danny,” 80, 98–99, 158n9
Lutz, George, xiv, 79–91, 93–95, 97–99, 158n9
Lutz, Kathy, xiv, 79–87, 89–91, 93–94, 97–98, 158n9
Lutz, Melisssa “Missy,” 80–81
Masons, 7–8, 143n52, 144n61
Matthews, Arthur, 39
McCloud, William, 39
Miller, Yvonne, 101
Moberly, Chester, 49
Moran, Rick, 83–84, 86, 89, 93–94
Mossman, Tam, 96
Moye, David, 34
Mullally, James, 89
Murrow, Edward R., 34
Murtha, Marie, 37
My Amityville Horror, 98–99
Nassau County Police Department, xiii
Nickell, Joe: The Amityville Horror, 89, 91, 97; the Bell Witch, 9–11; The Exorcist, 28; The Haunting in Connecticut, 121–22; Ingram book, edition used, 142n30; on the Warrens, 135
Night-Side of Nature, The (Crowe), ix
Norman, Michael, 34
Novella, Steven, 134–35
Opsasnick, Mark, 29–30
O’Rourke, Heather, 33
Osis, Karlis, 42–44, 49, 51, 53–54, 136
Osuna, Ric, 85
Ouija boards, 23–24, 60, 70, 149n14
Our Family Trouble (play: Campbell), 3
“‘Our Family Trouble’: The Story of the Bell Witch as Detailed by Richard Williams Bell” (diary: Bell), 4–10, 14, 17–18, 142n29
Paranormal Witness, xiv
Parapsychology: controversy and conflicting claims regarding, x; Pratt's claims and, 43, 52; skeptics and, 137
Parr, Jack, 35
Pascarella, Mary, 83
Pecoraro, Ralph, 83–84, 98
Perron, Andrea, 57–69, 71–74, 76–77
Perron, April, 59, 61, 72
Perron, Carolyn, xiii, 57–63, 69–76
Perron, Christine “Chrissy,” 60–61, 65, 72, 75
Perron, Cynthia “Cindy,” 58, 60–61, 64–68, 72, 75–76
Perron, Nancy, 60, 65–66
Perron, Roger, xiii, 57–59, 62–63, 68–69, 71–72
Perron haunting, xiii, 57; Carolyn's influence, 61–65; cast of characters, 59–61; dreams of evidence, 72–76; poltergeists, 65–68; prelude to, 58–59; revelations by the new owner, 76–77; the séance, 71–72; witches and demons, 68–71
Petropolis, Steve, 83
Pinkerton, Alan, 9
Plante, Lori, 116
Playfair, Guy, xii, 72
Poltergeist (movie: Spielberg), xiii, 33, 55, 137
Poltergeist faking syndrome, 129, 136–37
Poltergeists and hauntings, ix; belief and, 135–38; epidemic of, 47–49; evidence lacking for, 129–32, 136; fraud and deception behind, 132–34, 137 (see also Hoaxes); people who attract, xii; religious element of, 133–34; social history of, 130–32; typical events, xi–xii, 131; the Warrens and, 134–35 (see also Warren, Ed; Warren, Lorraine). See also individual cases
Polygraph tests, 86–87
Popper the Poltergeist, xiii, 33–35; epidemic of poltergeists following, 47–49; as a hoax, 41–42; investigative errors, 45–47, 49–55; Jimmy as, 41–42, 50–54; press coverage of, 42–44; story of, 35–39; theories about, 39–41, 44–45
Possessed (Allen), 22, 29
Pratt, J. Gaither, 37–38, 42–47, 49–54, 136
Pribyl, Frank, 53
Price, Harry, ix
Quarantino, Christopher, 80, 94
Random House, 95–96
Religion: poltergeists and, 133–34
Rice, James, 10
Riley, Mrs. Albert, 83
Ritter, Joseph, 27, 29
Roberts, Gary, 105, 107, 109, 114
Roggenkamp, Karen, 16
Rolater, Fred, 2, 13
Roll, William: deception, lacking knowledge of, 45, 49; findings of, 42–45, 52–54; investigation by, 37–38, 41, 45, 47, 50, 53; objectivity, loss of, 52–53, 136; poltergeists, belief in, 38
Rundle, John, 105, 115
Santayana, George, 31
Satel, Sally, 86–87
Schlan, Louis, 21
Schmicker, Michael, 3
Schulze, Luther, 25–26
Scott, Beth, 34
Scott, Marvin, 83
Scovel, Jim, 95–96
Scrofano, Pam, 108, 115
Séances: at the Amityville house, 82–83; at the Perron house, 71–72
Self-mutilation, 115–17, 123
Settle, W. B., 15
Shakespeare, William, 75
Sherman, Bathsheba, 69, 75, 77
Sleep paralysis, 62–63
Snedeker, Alan, xiv–xv, 119–21, 126
Snedeker, Brad, 122
Snedeker, Carmen, xiv–xv, 119–21, 123–27
Snedeker, Philip, xv, 120, 122–23, 126–27
Snedeker, Tammy, 120, 123, 126–27
Spacek, Sissy, 1
Spielberg, Steven, xiii, 33, 55, 137
Spirit: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee (Alford), 3
Spottswood, Kent, 77
Spraggett, Alan, 3
Stall, Sam, 34
Stansfield, Charles, Jr., 3
Stone, Alex, 54
“Strange, True Story of the Bell Witch, The” (Wick), 8
Sucking cure, 132
Suplee, Curt, 96
Sutcliffe, Norma, 76–77
Sutherland, Donald, 1
Tatu, Christina, 109, 112
Telekinesis, 140n9
Thamos, William Isaac, 30
Thorndyke, W. L., 16
Tozzi, Joseph, 36–40, 43–44, 46, 49
Trotta-Smith, Susan, 127
Underhill, Ruth, 132
Van Roo, William, 28
Van Why, Romayne, 105–7, 115
Van Why, Ron, 104–8, 115
Vargas, Elizabeth, 97
Vasquez, Tim, 87–88
von Sydow, Max, 21
Wagner, Stephen, 3
Waite, Arthur, 7
Wall, Susan, 48
Wallace, Robert, 34, 41, 43–44, 49
Warren, Ed: Amityville horror, 82–83; evaluation of, 134–35; Perron haunting, xiii, 57, 61, 69–74, 77; Snedeker haunting, 119–24, 135
&nbs
p; Warren, Lorraine: Amityville horror, 82–83; evaluation of, 134–35; Perron haunting, xiii, 57, 61, 66, 69–74, 77; Snedeker haunting, 119–24
Way, Harold, 12–13
Weber, William, 82, 85–86, 93
Weinstein, Jack, 86
Wesley, John, 141n9
Wick, Don, 8
Wilkinson, C. A., 48
Wilkinson, Shirley, 48
Wilson, Colin, 140n6
Witchcraft, 2
Witnesses: reliability of, 106–10, 114–15
Wolbert, Richard, 105, 115
Zider, Robert, 40
Zusne, Leonard, 72
About the Authors
ROBERT E. BARTHOLOMEW is a medical sociologist specializing in paranormal claims. He has published books addressing topics on the margins of science including UFOs (Prometheus), lake monsters (The State University of New York Press), Bigfoot (Hancock House), and strange customs (University Press of Colorado). He has published sixty articles in science journals ranging from the British Medical Journal to the International Journal of Social Psychiatry. A high school social studies teacher, he has been interviewed in the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and on the History and Discovery channels. He is featured in a new eight-part National Geographic series on UFOs.
JOE NICKELL is a prominent investigator of the paranormal who holds a PhD in English, focusing on literary analysis and folklore. A former private investigator, he is the author of two dozen books on historical, paranormal, and forensic mysteries, myths, and hoaxes. Joe served as the resident magician at the Houdini Hall of Fame, and he is a respected historical document consultant who has helped to expose famous forgeries, including the purported diary of Jack the Ripper. He has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, CNN with Anderson Cooper, and Dateline NBC.
American Hauntings: The True Stories behind Hollywood's Scariest Movies—from The Exorcist to The Conjuring: The True Stories behind Hollywood’s Scariest Movies—from The Exorcist to The Conjuring Page 24
