Damn It Janet - The Enfield Haunting, Ambassador's Theatre

Growing up as a theatre school kid close to North London, I was fascinated by the superstitions and ghostly tales that were associated with treading the boards. From ghostly spectres whose appearance prophesised a successful run to maintaining a ghost light on stage allowing the spirits of actors who have passed to continue their craft. Theatres are notoriously haunted with the theory that the presentation of so much emotion and a large gathering of people charges the space with so much energy that it allows spirits to be seen and recognised.

My love for the stage would see me often travelling by train up to the big smoke passing Brimsdown Station situated at the end of Green Street, Enfield, a short walk from number 284 – a three bedroomed, semi-detached council house. The same house that PC Carolyn Heeps and her colleague attended in the early hours of 1st September 1977 to reports of strange things happening that would go on to inspire polarising debate, documentaries, films, television series and even a play.

Credit: SJP

Fast forward to the present and I found myself outside the Ambassador’s Theatre looking up at the images of Catherine Tate and David Threlfall as Peggy Hodgson and Maurice Grosse respectively advertising Paul Unwin’s play based on what has been dubbed the Enfield Poltergeist. Taking my seat in the middle of the circle I had full view of the set in front of me. From a scenography standpoint the recreation of the Hodgson’s was well designed with the appearance of being ripped out of the street and deposited on a West End stage.

Credit: SJP

The events of the 75 minute Enfield Haunting take place over a day in the spring of 1978 at the climax of the entities activities. Although reviewers slated it, with one declaring it as “a candidate for the worst play of the year”, I very much enjoyed the performance. This was most likely due to having some prior knowledge and therefore able to see the connections from the case to the story as it unfolded.

The events of 1977 to 1978 are some of the most documented of all poltergeist hauntings due to the press coverage, number of witnesses, Peggy’s diaries and the effort that the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) undertook in their investigations. So before we look at Unwin’s story lets open the case file and have a look at some of the recorded evidence and the people involved.

Poltergeist activity usually has a specific person that it focuses on. In Enfield the entity had its sights on 11 year old Janet. Janet lived with her mother Peggy, older sister Margaret and younger brothers John and Billy, although John was only home during school holidays as he boarded at a special school.

The Hodgsons were surrounded by a close support network, Peggy’s brother John Burcombe lived with his family a few doors down and the Nottingham family consisting of Vic, Peggy and their adult son Gary who lived next door. It was through this support network that the Daily Mirror became involved, after they were contacted by Peggy Nottingham who believed the national red top could help them when visits from the clergy and the council could not deter the ongoing phenomena.

The reports of furniture moving, bangs and strange goings on piqued the interest of the tabloid, and sensing a scoop it was not long – 4 days since police attendance – that reporters and photographers were the ones knocking on the door. Their arrival saw Lego bricks and marbles being thrown, with

photographer Graham Morris reporting that one of the colourful plastic bricks had hit him so hard on the forehead that the bruise took several days to fade.

The Mirror had also contacted the SPR who dispatched rookie investigator, and inventor of the rotating advertising board, Maurice Grosse. Grosse arrived the day after Morris was hit. His advice to Peggy - Stay calm and make notes. Convinced of the activity after hearing a loud crash and discovering a chair had been overturned and moved in the girls room he took the case, and in the words of that famous detective “The game was afoot.” Such was the volume of activity (and press coverage) Grosse requested further assistance from the SPR which was answered by the arrival of renowned author and investigator Guy Lyon Playfair.

Stuff kept happening, chairs moved, beds continued to shake and the media spotlight was tightly following the chaos that was going on behind the front door. Fear caused the family to retreat to the safety of family and neighbours causing an impact on Janet’s schoolwork.

The fabric of the building was checked as were the pipes and lines feeding the home but as there was nothing wrong with the house the council refused to rehouse instead offering Peggy an all expenses paid trip over the October half-term family holiday to Clacton-on-Sea.

Whilst they were away Grosse continued his nocturnal visits to Green Street. Reporting and recording that he had established contact with the spirit through knocking. Asking specific questions, he received one knock for ‘No’ and two for ‘Yes’ (in answer to “what is 5 plus 5?” he received 10 knocks in reply).

Communication had been established, and if you subscribe to the theory proposed by Rupert Matthews in his book Poltergeists is the fifth stage of an “idealised poltergeist visitation”. The first four; 1 - faintly recognised sounds, 2 - noises, 3 - moving objects, 4 - apports and disports, had been ticked off the to do list within the first few days. Interestingly the apport of a toy at the Burcombe’s during one of the tactical withdrawals demonstrated that whatever was plaguing the Hodgsons could extend it’s reach from beyond the 4 walls.

As Christmas approached Janet continued to be subjected to all manner of issues. From being turned out of bed, moved whilst under the effects of Valium and even slid headfirst down the stairs whilst she slept.

December 10th was when the voices began, the first purporting to be Joe Watson but this character was replaced 3 days later by that of Bill Wilkins. Wilkins it would appear had not left his former home and now using young Janet as his mouthpiece. Wilkins, as the voice recorded interviews show is a G-H-O-S-T after dying of a haemorrhage in a chair (currently set stage left).

So as we approach Stage 6 (Climax) on the poltergeist check list we return to the Ambassadors Theatre.

Unwin attempts to convey this vast list of happenings to the audience through the script but fails to capture the magnitude of the report chaos the family has been through. In part this is due to the overbearing and opinionated (and repetitively so) character of Rey (played by Mo Sesay). Rey represents the neighbourly support network (but appears to have more amorous intentions towards Tate’s Peggy) but it is through him that we unleash the cynical argument – the girls are making it up.

By the admission of Playfair and Grosse, they were aware of the attempts by Janet and Margaret to pull the wool over their eyes. In later interviews Janet herself accepted that about 2% of what happened was invented due to the attention and pressure they felt to perform by the ever-growing

circus around them (here’s looking at you Most Haunted). However the investigtaors believed that any attempt to trick them had been discovered and was ruled out of the narrative. Rey also mentions the efforts the SPR went to to test the claims with psychics, mediums, magicians and ventriloquists joining the ever-growing guest list to Green Street – much to his and the other neighbour annoyance.

Catherine Tate’s Peggy, from the outset is frustrated. Frustrated by the interruptions and interference from her neighbour. Frustrated with her ability to keep her children safe. Frustrated by the clockwork appearance of her ex-husband (intoxicated, violent and demanding for money). Frustrated by the unseen entity causing issues. And mostly frustrated by the appearance of Maurice Grosse, ice creams in hand as she is trying to sort out the children’s dinner.

The relationship between Peggy and Maurice grows from the formal “Mr Grosse” at the start to calling him “Maurice” by the conclusion of this drama. She is clearly annoyed by his repeated and unexpected intrusion to her home and even more annoyed when motion sensitive cameras are set up in the bedroom. This negativity towards him fades as the story continues, not out of acceptance but he forms a protector-like character – a knight in shining armour if you will.

Credit: Graham Morris

The camera rig presents the opportunity to allude to the levitation episode initially reported by a lolly-pop lady, witnessing Janet at the window but further captured by a remote camera set-up in the girls bedroom. Janet (Ella Schrey-Yeats) dressed in red appears as the flashbulbs strobe to float through the air, echoing the poses from the infamous “jumping” photographs. From a staging perspective this is a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and would have benefitted with less audience distraction elsewhere on the set to direct the audiences attention to this key moment of the true-life recreation.

Maurice Grosse is an interesting character and his intentions and reasons for his almost permanent presence at Green Street are constantly questioned throughout. A sinister interpretation is mooted several times with references made to cameras being in the girl’s room, his specific interest in Janet and most uncomfortably the direct confrontation from Margaret – which in my opinion was unnecessary – who appeared to be forcing herself on the uncomfortable Grosse.

But Maurice’s sad truth is revealed through a poignant ‘possession’ scene. Grosse, taking responsibility for the protection of a sleeping Janet arranges her in Bill’s chair, wrapping her in a blanket. Here Janet – not Hodgson but Grosse calls out ‘Daddy!’ and sets in motion the emotional climax of the piece.

Maurice Grosse had a daughter also called Janet and it was after her untimely death in a motorcycle accident in August 1976, alongside a number of coincidental and paranormal happenings, that caused him to join the SPR. The sadness portrayed by Threlfall with a longing to hold his daughter for a final time in her blanket was tangible. This personal tragedy has been a key staple to the sceptic argument that Grosse wanted to believe, in fact needed to believe, in the events in Enfield. He had pretty much moved in with the Hodgson’s, a reality that Unwin makes plain by the inclusion of Betty Grosse (Neve McIntosh), whose interruption and admonishment of her husband, rushes the story back to its reality – This House is Haunted.

Credit: Fortean Times

The final reveal of the entity is a clever piece of direction, but the play appears to be following the stages of poltergeist hauntings (7- Decline and 8 Endings) rather than dramatic convention. This left the conclusion of Unwin’s version with more of a whimper than a bang.

After applause and bows I was soon emerging into the sunlight of London. My thoughts turning in my head. I had enjoyed the performance, the effects were good and the presentation of a family in crisis was established. The story was there, but vaguely and relied heavily on prior knowledge or exposition from an irritating Rey. Taking 10 years from conception to its first appearance at Brighton’s Theatre Royal It was an ambitious project to undertake.

I enjoyed the production, and in fact recommended it to a friend who promptly bought a ticket for that every evening. But as the curtain fell on the fictional 284 Green Street the question remains, what happened to the real Hodgsons?

2 years and 1 month after PC Heeps reported that she saw a chair inexplicably move the final religious intervention of 284 Green Street took place. The activity although never ceasing entirely did become less and less frequent. The family did eventually move from Enfield and Janet made a full recovery (however she has not fully remembered all the events that occurred in her trance-like state). Peggy passed away in 2004 and Maurice followed her off the mortal coil 2 years later. Janet and Margaret maintain that 98% of what was reported actually happened although admitting some trickery in later interviews.

The Enfield Poltergeist, however, has continued to haunt the imagination inspiring the infamous ‘mocumentary’ Ghostwatch, several documentaries and a few television series. Even the tentative link to Ed and Lorrain Warren, who wrote to Peggy and even visited the house a couple of times, inspired the events of The Conjuring sequel – inventively called The Conjuring 2.

We will never know the full truth of what occurred to this ordinary working-class family in a North London suburb, but what we do know is that what they experienced polarises the paranormal community – much like the opinions of those of us who have witnessed The Enfield Haunting on the West End stage.

Have you seen The Enfield Haunting? Were the events experienced by the Hodgsons real? Was Maurice’s grief influencing his investigation? I would love to hear your opinion. Leave me a comment or message me on Instagram @SamuelJamesParanormal. Happy Hunting.