What is a Poltergeist? Understanding Poltergeist Activity

Geoff Holder’s study examines what is meant by a poltergeist and how reports of ‘noisy ghosts’ have been understood. It considers disturbances such as objects apparently moving without visible cause, unexplained knocks and other noises, outbreaks of fire, water appearing unexpectedly, and electrical interference.

The book compares a range of explanations, from restless spirits, demons and household entities to witches’ familiars, earth energies, unknown powers of the mind and deliberate hoaxes. Holder also sets these accounts against changing beliefs about the phenomenon, drawing on research evidence while questioning whether poltergeist activity should be attributed to the dead, the living or entirely ordinary causes.