The story of “the most famous poltergeist haunting in history” came my way first in the form of a trailer Apple TV+ dropped Tuesday for The Enfield Poltergeist documentary series. I hadn’t heard of the case it covers.
The trailer delivers a chill or two, but it’s kind of over-the-top with the spooky narration. The four-part documentary series debuts October 27.
The Enfield Poltergeist trailer sparks creeping dread and a bit of a chuckle
It might be “the most famous … in history” to Brits and perhaps Europeans, but I suspect legions of Americans would think of The Amityville Horror or The Exorcist or any number of other horror stories before they’d think of the Enfield, England, poltergeist. They might even think of The Conjuring 2, which is based on the investigation in the 1977 Enfield case.
In the trailer, you see the dramatized investigation unfolding, with real recordings of voices and sounds as well as photos of a girl levitating. And an investigator explains that a deep, frightening voice on tape — declaring its intent to torment — actually comes an 11-year-old girl.
It’s spooky, but the British-Vincent-Price voiceover narration is borderline campy.
Here’s how Apple describes the documentary series:
The Enfield Poltergeist tells the riveting story of the most famous poltergeist haunting in history. Combining more than 250 hours of rare audio archive, meticulous recreation of the setting of the haunting and original interviews with the people impacted by the case, the series is an ambitious, genre-bending story that explores the human fascination with the unexplained and its impact on those who live it.
In 1977, the terrifying haunting of an everyday family in Enfield, London dominated headlines across the United Kingdom and had a tremendous impact on an entire generation of children. The mysterious case forever changed ideas about the supernatural, and showed that it wasn’t just restricted to castles and stately homes but could be experienced by anyone, anywhere. The chilling story has inspired fictionalized versions of the case, including the film The Conjuring 2, a television series and two stage plays.
Throughout four episodes, the events at Enfield are reconstructed using the real recordings captured by Maurice Grosse, a paranormal investigator who archived all of his interviews with those affected by the phenomenon. Building a replica of the house where the incidents took place, performers reenact what is heard on the actual tapes, allowing an interplay by the archival voices and appearances of those originally involved in the incident through present-day interviews.
Watch the trailer
From the makers of Apple’s Michael J. Fox documentary
MetFilm and Concordia Studio produced The Enfield Poltergeist series. They also produced Apple’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, this year’s most Emmy-nominated documentary. Jerry Rothwell directs Enfield. AI Morrow, BAFTA winner Stewart le Maréchal, Oscar Award-winning Davis Guggenheim, Jonathan Silberberg and Nicole Stott serve as executive producers.
Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $6.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
After first airing in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 299 wins and 1,279 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and Oscar Best Picture winner CODA,” the service said.
Source: Apple TV+
