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Douglass Deen

In 1949 thirteen-year-old adolescent Douglass Deen became the focus of poltergeist phenomena in his home in Mount Rainier, Washington State. At first there were scratching noises which were first thought to be vermin (however, a vermin-elimination company was unable to find any evidence of infestation). It progressed to movements of objects such as dishes and fruit flying through the air and pictures floating off the wall. Deen was disturbed in his bed which began to vibrate whenever he was in it, and the family eventually called in their local priest, Rev. Winston, to assist.

On 17 February 1949 the Rev, and Deen slept in a room together in twin beds. Deen’s bed began to vibrate and the scratching noises recurred. When the Rev, asked Deen to sleep in an armchair, the chair began moving around and tilting and even a makeshift bed set up on the floor began sliding around as soon as Deen got in it.

Deen was taken away to hospital; in fact he was treated at both the Georgetown Hospital and at St Louis University, where he was given both medical and psychiatric help. Since none of the treatments appeared to work, a Jesuit priest at the hospital eventually attempted exorcism. Even this was not successful until it had been attempted 30 times, after which the phenomenon stopped (although it has been pointed out that since poltergeist phenomena tend to be short-lived it may have simply gone away of its own accord, and not to have responded to the exorcism).

During the attempts to exorcise the spirit, Deen convulsed, shouted obscenities and even spoke in Latin, a language of which he knew nothing. In 1971 author William Peter Blatty used this case as the basis of his fictional book The Exorcist which was later made into a highly successful film (in the book and film the protagonist’s sex was changed to that of a young girl). Italy | New York | Wiltshire | Activity | Activity | Activity | Borley | Brazil | Brazil | Brazil | Burma | Canada | Corney | East Drive | Edinburgh | Finland | France | France | Germany | Ghostly | Lincoinshire | Manchester | Middlesex | Northern ireland | Northern Romania | Nova Scotia | Paraguay | Phenomena | Poltergeist Information | Scotland | Scotland | South London | Suffolk | Switzerland | USA | West Norwood | Whitechapel |