The Entity Case

Between 1974 and 1976, a woman known by the pseudonym Doris Bither reported being repeatedly attacked and violated by invisible entities in her Culver City, California home. The case was investigated by UCLA researchers and later adapted into the 1982 film “The Entity.”

The Attacks

Doris Bither was a single mother of four when the attacks began. She claimed that invisible entities, which she perceived as three male figures, would physically assault her while she was in bed. She displayed bruises and bite marks that she attributed to the attacks.

The assaults occurred frequently, sometimes multiple times a week. Doris reported that the entities would hold her down and attack her despite her struggles. Her children also reported witnessing some of the phenomena.

Investigation

Kerry Gaynor and Barry Taff of UCLA’s parapsychology laboratory investigated the case. They witnessed strange lights and experienced physical phenomena in the home. Photographs taken during sessions showed unexplained arcs and blobs of light.

During one session, investigators claimed to observe a greenish mist form into a vague humanoid shape in Doris’s presence. The phenomenon was witnessed by approximately thirty people who had gathered for the investigation.

The Environment

Investigators noted the troubled nature of Doris’s household. She had experienced significant trauma in her life and had a difficult relationship with her children. The home’s atmosphere was tense and chaotic.

Some researchers theorized that Doris’s psychological state somehow generated the phenomena through psychokinesis. Others suggested the attacks were manifestations of past trauma. Skeptics proposed the phenomena were imagined or fabricated.

Legacy

The case was adapted into “The Entity” starring Barbara Hershey in 1982. Doris Bither continued to report paranormal experiences throughout her life until her death in 1995.

Assessment

The Entity case remains controversial. The physical evidence, including bruises and photographs, is difficult to dismiss, but the psychological complexity of the case makes interpretation challenging. It represents one of the most disturbing poltergeist cases in modern history.