It was a case that held the nation spellbound almost 40 years ago , puzzling policemen , psychics and even occult experts . Now , a three-part drama series will recreate the strange goings-on at a London council house where a family were terrified by a demonic spirit . Janet Hodgson , who was 11 at the time , was convinced she was possessed by a former resident of the house in Green Street , Enfield , a grumpy old man called Bill Wilkins who had died there many years before . A three-part drama on Sky Living called the Enfield Haunting will recreate the strange goings on at a house . Timothy Spall , who plays investigator Maurice Grossel , comforts Eleanor Worthington Cox , who plays Janet Hodgson , the 11-year-old girl who was convinced she was possessed by a former resident of the house . The council house ( on the right side of this semi-detached ) in Green Street , Enfield , was said to be haunted . Speaking through her , an eerie voice - which can still be heard on audio tapes today - said : 'Just before I died , I went blind and then I had a hemorrhage and I fell asleep and I died in the chair in the corner downstairs . ' The case of the Enfield Poltergeist also involved levitation , furniture being moved through the air , and flying objects swirling towards witnesses . There were cold breezes , physical assaults , graffiti , water appearing on the floor , and even claims of matches spontaneously bursting into flame . The events - which began in August 1977 - unfolded for more than a year behind the door of the ordinary-looking semi-detached council house . The family became so scared they slept in the same room , with the light on . Most of the activity centred on 11-year-old Janet . She went into violent trances , which were awful to behold . On one occasion , the iron fireplace in her bedroom was ripped from the wall by unseen forces . Family members also claim to have seen her levitating - floating across the room . She said : ' I felt used by a force that nobody understands . I really do n't like to think about it too much . I 'm not sure the poltergeist was truly 'evil ' . It was almost as if it wanted to be part of our family . 'It did n't want to hurt us . It had died there and wanted to be at rest . The only way it could communicate was through me and my sister . 'It was an extraordinary case . It 's one of the most recognised cases of paranormal activity in the world . But , for me , it was quite daunting . ' I think it really left its mark , the activities , the newspaper attention , the different people in and out of the house . It was n't a normal childhood . ' Most of the activity centred on 11-year-old Janet Hodgson , who was apparently seen floating across the room . The disturbing events which included moving furniture unfolded for more than a year behind the door of the ordinary-looking semi-detached council house on a suburban street . Some of the events were captured on camera , and the images are disturbing . One shows Janet apparently being thrown across the room . In the Sky Living drama series called The Enfield Haunting , Janet is played by Eleanor Worthington Cox , 13 , the youngest recipient of the Laurence Olivier award for her portrayed of Matilda Wormwood in Matilda The Musical . In one scene Cox shudders at the top of the stairs after being terrified by the spirit . Timothy Spall , who played the role of Winston Churchill in King 's Speech and Peter Taylor in the Damned United , plays investigator Maurice Grossel , while Juliet Stevenson plays his wife Betty . Spall said : ' I am very pleased to be taking part in The Enfield Haunting . It is a brilliant script which is full of emotional texture and develops beautifully into a human story . ' The house is currently occupied by another family , who do not wish to be identified . The mother says simply : ' I 've got children , they do n't know about it . I do n't want to scare them . ' The ghostly story of the infamous case will be recreated by the all-star cast to be screened this spring on Sky . Cynics cast doubts on the events saying it was a hoax . Two SPR experts caught the children bending spoons themselves , and questioned why no one was allowed in the same room as Janet when she was using her gruff voice , apparently that of Bill Wilkins . At the time it provoked a national debate and 37 years later , the spooky tale will become the subject of debate once more .
Enfield poltergeist gained national news coverage in the late 1970s . Janet Hodgson , 11 , convinced she was possessed by a former resident . The family became so scared they slept in the same room , with the light on . Three-part drama series - The Enfield Haunting - will be shown this spring .