The Entity Case

In 1974, a woman named Doris Bither contacted UCLA parapsychologists claiming she was being physically attacked by invisible entities. What investigators found at her Culver City home became one of the most documented and disturbing cases in paranormal history. They witnessed phenomena, captured lights on camera, and observed physical marks on the victim. The Entity Case became the basis for a bestselling book and major film.

The Victim

Doris Bither

The woman at the center:

• A single mother in her 30s
• Living in Culver City, California
• With her four children
• In a small, older home
• Had a troubled personal history

Her Background

Doris had experienced:

• Difficult life circumstances
• Alcoholism
• Abusive relationships
• Psychological struggles
• She was not a stable person - which some cite as relevant

Her Claims

She reported:

• Being physically attacked by invisible entities
• Being held down and assaulted
• Visible bruises and marks
• Three entities were involved
• Two smaller ones held her, one larger attacked

First Contact

1974

Doris encountered:

• Kerry Gaynor and Barry Taff
• UCLA parapsychologists
• At a bookstore
• She told them about her experiences
• They agreed to investigate

Initial Skepticism

The investigators:

• Were experienced researchers
• Expected to find a troubled woman
• Did not expect to find evidence
• They were skeptical professionals

The Investigation

First Visits

When they arrived:

• The house felt oppressive
• The family was clearly distressed
• Doris showed them bruises
• They decided to conduct tests

What They Witnessed

During investigations:

• Objects moved on their own
• Cabinets opened and closed
• Pans flew across the kitchen
• The phenomena were witnessed by multiple people
• Not just Doris and family

The Apparitions

On one occasion:

• Lights began forming in the bedroom
• Green and white luminosities
• They coalesced into a shape
• A humanoid form appeared
• Over 30 people witnessed this
• Photographs were taken

The Photographs

The camera captured:

• Arcs of light
• Strange formations
• Unexplained luminosities
• In the areas witnesses described
• These images were analyzed and never explained

The Attacks

What Doris Described

She claimed:

• Three entities attacked her
• Two held her down
• One sexually assaulted her
• This happened repeatedly
• She was terrified

Physical Evidence

Investigators documented:

• Bruises on her thighs and arms
• Marks consistent with being grabbed
• Fresh injuries appearing
• During or shortly after incidents

Witness Accounts

Her children and others:

• Saw her thrown across the room
• Saw marks appear
• Experienced phenomena themselves
• One son was pushed by an unseen force

The Entities

Doris’s Description

She perceived:

• Three male entities
• Two smaller (perhaps spirits of Asian men)
• One larger, the primary attacker
• They were not visible but felt
• The large one was malevolent

The Light Phenomenon

What was observed:

• Floating points of light
• That sometimes formed a figure
• A torso and head shape
• No clear features
• Approximately human-sized

The Researchers

Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor

The lead investigators:

• Were serious researchers
• From UCLA’s former parapsychology lab
• Had investigated many cases
• Found this one exceptional
• Maintained its authenticity

Their Conclusion

After extensive investigation:

• They believed something genuine occurred
• The phenomena were real
• The nature was unclear
• But dismissing it wasn’t honest

Scientific Approach

They attempted:

• Controlled observation
• Multiple witnesses
• Photographic documentation
• Environmental monitoring
• Careful record-keeping

Skeptical Analysis

Psychological Explanation

Critics suggest:

• Doris had psychological problems
• She may have self-inflicted injuries
• Her history invited skepticism
• The trauma could be manufactured

Mass Hysteria

Perhaps:

• Investigators wanted to believe
• Group expectation created experiences
• Doris influenced observers
• The lights were misidentified

Fraud

Some argue:

• Doris staged everything
• For attention or sympathy
• The photos were faked
• Nothing supernatural happened

Problems with Skepticism

However:

• Multiple independent witnesses
• Investigators were experienced
• The photographs remain unexplained
• Physical phenomena were observed by skeptical people

The Book and Film

”The Entity” (1978)

Frank De Felitta:

• Wrote a fictionalized account
• Based on the case
• It became a bestseller
• Brought wide attention

The Movie (1982)

A film adaptation:

• Starred Barbara Hershey
• Depicted the attacks
• Was controversial for its content
• Brought the case to mass audience

Accuracy

The adaptations:

• Changed names and details
• Added dramatic elements
• Captured the core horror
• Made the case famous

Aftermath

Doris’s Life

After the investigation:

• Doris moved multiple times
• She claimed the entity followed her
• Her life remained troubled
• She died in the 1990s
• Never recanted her story

The House

The Culver City home:

• Was subsequently occupied by others
• No major reports from later residents
• The phenomena seemed tied to Doris
• Not the location

The Investigators

Taff and Gaynor:

• Continued their careers
• Maintained the case was genuine
• Wrote and spoke about it
• Stand by their observations

Analysis

What Makes This Case Notable

Several factors:

• Extensive documentation
• Multiple credible witnesses
• Photographic evidence
• Physical injuries
• Professional investigation

The Disturbing Nature

Unlike most poltergeist cases:

• The attacks were sexual
• The victim was specifically targeted
• The violence was extreme
• The implications are horrifying

The Pattern

The case fits poltergeist patterns:

• Centered on a troubled person
• Physical phenomena
• Eventually subsided
• But the nature was unusual

Theories

Psychokinetic Projection

The Theory

• Doris unconsciously created the phenomena
• Her trauma manifested physically
• Her mind attacked her body
• The “entity” was herself

Support

• Troubled psychological history
• Phenomena centered on her
• Poltergeist pattern

External Entity

The Theory

• Something genuinely attacked her
• A spirit or demon
• Drawn by her vulnerability
• Independent of her mind

Support

• Multiple witnesses to phenomena
• The photographic evidence
• The consistency of attacks

Combination

The Theory

• Her psychological state attracted something
• Or amplified a presence
• Both internal and external factors

The Question

A woman claimed to be attacked by something invisible.

She had bruises. She had marks. She was terrified.

Investigators came to debunk her. Instead, they witnessed objects moving. They saw lights forming in her bedroom. They photographed something they couldn’t explain.

Thirty people saw an apparition take shape.

Was it real?

Doris Bither was troubled. Her life was difficult. Her psychology was complex. She would have been easy to dismiss.

But the phenomena didn’t care about her credibility.

Things moved when skeptics watched. Lights appeared on camera. Marks formed on her body while others were present.

Something happened in that Culver City house.

Something that attacked a vulnerable woman again and again.

Something that dozens of people witnessed.

Whether it came from her own mind or somewhere else entirely, the Entity was real enough to leave bruises, real enough to be photographed, and real enough to haunt everyone who investigated.

The Entity Case. One of the most disturbing hauntings ever documented.

And the question of what Doris Bither actually experienced may never be answered.

But she lived it.

And the marks on her body were very real.