Hermann kicked off the interview by stating that she had never seen the 1982 film, as she “had [her] own nightmare” to deal with over the years. Recounting the events of February 3, 1958, Hermann explained how her mother had called her father, James, after she and her brother, Jimmy, heard popping sounds emanating from various points in the house:
“All of a sudden, you’d hear this loud noise, like a popping bottle sound, and you’d look around and find a bottle that was 12 feet away from where it was supposed to be and all the contents were missing and the bottle was hot to the touch.”
As this event seemed harmless, James decided to stay calm and tried to figure out whether this was a prank by teenagers who lived nearby. However, the next day, the family saw bottles move inexplicably through the air, and even after the police were called, these poppings increased and began to increase in intensity. Scientific reasons, such as electronic disturbances and the like were allegedly ruled out, and a priest was brought in to bless the home soon after.
An article in Life Magazine popularized the news of the haunting, attracting attention from conspiracy theorists and paranormal experts, who wrote letters to the Hermanns and offered their take on what might have been occurring. A parapsychologist approached them and deduced that the hauntings might have something to do with the presence of their children (who are believed to attract such entities) and the activities ceased after the hauntings were studied and recorded by this expert and his colleagues. While there are no clear answers about what happened, the Hermann incident allowed the word “poltergeist” to bask under a spotlight that was both unnerving and intriguing at the same time.
Source From: www.slashfilm.com
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