These reports multiplied suddenly in 1929 after the Daily Mirror newspaper published an account of a visit by Price, who wrote two books supporting claims of paranormal activity.

A short programme commissioned by the BBC about the alleged manifestations, scheduled to be broadcast in September 1956, was cancelled owing to concerns about a possible legal action by Marianne Foyster, widow of the last rector to live in Borley Rectory.

[2] In 1975 the BBC aired a programme entitled The Ghost Hunters that focused on the house and conducted interviews with several psychic researchers, including Peter Underwood.

[9] The first paranormal events at Borley Rectory reportedly occurred in about 1863, since a few locals later remembered having heard unexplained footsteps within the house at about that time.

[15] Shortly afterwards the family reported a variety of incidents, including the sounds of servant bells ringing despite being disconnected, lights appearing in windows, and unexplained footsteps.

On 16 October 1930, the Reverend Lionel Algernon Foyster (1878–1945), a first cousin of the Bulls, and his wife Marianne (1899–1992) moved into the house[14] along with their adopted daughter Adelaide.

Because of coverage of the case by the Daily Mirror, these incidents attracted the attention of several paranormal researchers, who after investigation were unanimous in suspecting that they were caused, consciously or unconsciously, by Marianne.

[23][24] Through an advertisement printed in The Times on 25 May 1937,[25] and subsequent personal interviews, he recruited a corps of 48 "official observers", mostly students, who spent periods, mainly during weekends, at the house with instructions to report any phenomena that occurred.

[26] According to the planchette story, Marie was a French nun who left her religious order and travelled to England to marry a member of the Waldegrave family.

[28] The second spirit to be contacted identified himself as Sunex Amures,[29] and claimed that he would set fire to Borley Rectory at nine o'clock that night, 27 March 1938.

[31] On 27 February 1939, the new owner of Borley Rectory, Captain W. H. Gregson, was unpacking boxes and accidentally knocked over an oil lamp in the hallway.

[33] A Miss Williams from nearby Borley Lodge said she saw the figure of the ghostly nun in the upstairs window during the fire and, according to Harry Price, demanded a fee of one guinea for her story.

[37] In 1948, Eric Dingwall, K. M. Goldney and Trevor H. Hall, three members of the SPR, two of whom had been Price's most loyal associates, investigated his claims about Borley Rectory.

[38] The "Borley Report", as the SPR study has become known, stated that many of the phenomena were either faked or due to natural causes, such as rats and the strange acoustics attributed to the odd shape of the house.

In their conclusion, the three authors wrote, "[W]hen analysed, the evidence for haunting and poltergeist activity for each and every period appears to diminish in force and finally to vanish away.

"[39] Marianne Foyster later admitted she had seen no apparitions and that the alleged ghostly noises were caused by the wind, friends she invited to the house and in other cases by herself playing practical jokes on her husband.

It was written and directed by Steven M. Smith and starred Julian Sands, Toyah Willcox, Colin Baker and Christopher Ellison.