In 1984, a bizarre case made the headlines in Columbus, Ohio.

Objects were flying about the room all by themselves.

Things would fall over as if pushed by unseen hands.

But to the skeptical mind, the famous Columbus Poltergeist case was almost inevitable, given

a troubled teen who had just seen the very popular movie, Poltergeist.

Are deconstructing the Columbus Poltergeist case next on Skeptoid?

You're listening to Skeptoid, I'm Blake Smith for Skeptoid.com.

The Columbus Poltergeist.

In 1982, a terrifying phenomenon was lifted from the pages of parapsychology literature

and turned it to the highly successful film, Poltergeist.

Although the film was not based on a real case, and the phenomenon of the film veered wildly

from the historical symptoms, it did make this peculiar type of event culturally available

in a way it never had been before.

So when a troubled household in Columbus, Ohio began experiencing flying objects and mysterious

disturbances, one had to wonder, was this the Poltergeist or merely zeitgeist?

Enthusiest of paranormal lore will know that the word Poltergeist is derived from the German

words for noisy and spirit.

But before we get into the particulars of this Columbus Poltergeist, let's talk about

skeptics and hauntings.

Skeptics are often depicted as dismissing the idea of ghosts and spirits without investigation,

but there's actually a rich history of thorough scientific investigation of such a

legend phenomena.

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