Contagion: In the Shadow of the South Shields Poltergeist

Following on from their previous book on the poltergeist phenomenon, The South Shields Poltergeist: One Family's Fight Against an Invisible Intruder, the authors have written a detailed and somewhat controversial second volume on the subject.

Contagion is an in-depth look at the poltergeist enigma which contains detailed accounts of the authors' investigation into several subsequent cases, and offers some intriguing hypotheses as to just what a poltergeist is.

During their research, Ritson and Hallowell noticed curious cross-correspondences between poltergeist infestations from around the world. So frequent - and startling - were these similarities that they came to believe that they were not coincidental, and may offer an insight into the very nature of the poltergeist itself.

Covered in the book is the oft-overlooked sexual undertone of the poltergeist presence which may well link it with other phenomena that have been reported for not just hundreds but thousands of years.

In one case, a witness who knew nothing about the South Shields investigation saw something identical to an event there during her own encounter. Not only did this verify the truthfulness of the incident at South Shields, but it also indicated that poltergeists may have a form of "global awareness" unlike anything ever before envisaged. Just what this means for those victimised by the polt phenomenon is also discussed.

The authors have interviewed modern witnesses to the phenomenon, and also consulted ancient manuscripts from Palestine and Judea which detail encounters with the unknown. Although seen by contemporary writers as demonic possessions, Ritson and Hallowell believe that they may well have been connected to the presence of a poltergeist. They also believe that the ancients may well have known far more about the nature of the poltergeist than we give them credit for.

Contagion: In the Shadow of the South Shields Poltergeist, by Darren W. Ritson & Michael J. Hallowell is due to be published by Amberley Publishing soon.

Images

1. A dressing gown which spontaneously caught fire during the authors' investigation into a particularly nasty poltergeist case.

2. An old spinning loom in Blyth, Northumberland, which was the focus of numerous bizarre phenomena, many of them poltergeist-like.

You can read more about the work of Darren W. Ritson and Michael J. Hallowell by clicking on the links below:

The South Shields Poltergeist

Books by Darren W. Ritson