Are you familiar with the “Watseka Wonder” ? Maybe the name Lurancy Vennum might ring a bell? This is the story of the supposed first documented case of possession in the United States.

Mary Lurancy Vennum was born in 1864 near Watseka, Illinois. Everything seemed normal for young Mary until she hit the age of 13, when strange paranormal events started to transpire. Which is no surprise for those who study the paranormal; prepubescent girls are theorized to be more susceptible to poltergeist activity.

During this time, it’s said that Mary had approached her family and stated that “There were persons in my room last night, and they called ‘Rancy! Rancy!’ and I felt their breath on my face.”

After Mary had fallen ill and seemed to be suffering from seizures, a friend of the family, Mr. Roff, said that he knew of a doctor who might be able to tell the Vennum family what was happening to their daughter. Roff then brought over Dr. E. W. Stevens. According to the reports from Dr. Stevens, Mary, or Rancy as they called her, then claimed to be possessed by the spirit of the Roff’s daughter, who had died 13 years earlier. What happened next is a strange tale of possession, poltergeist and entity attacks.

But why read it, when you can watch the documentary that was made about the case. Directed by Christopher Saint Booth, the documentary titled “The Possessed” dig deep into the history of the case. I’ve not yet seen this documentary, so I really cannot comment to much on it.

The case does seem to have been well documented and studied throughout the years. Suitable documentary for GhostTheory. Real or a hoax, these type of cases are always interesting and make for good reading.

Hope you enjoy it, as I will be watching it today as well. Let me know what you think of it in the comments.

Have a good one guys!