AITH Presents: Nick Groff’s True Tales From Beyond – A Ghostly Touch

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There is much that is weird and wild in the world of paranormal. We've witnessed these creepy tales explored by talented filmmakers, including horrors that are so outrageous you’d have to be a fool to think there is any truth to it. Yet sometimes, a movie claims to tell a true story while presenting something that is downright shocking and horrific. One such feature is the 1982 thriller THE ENTITY based on the novel by Frank De Felitta – he also wrote the screenplay. In it, Barbara Hershey portrays Carla Moran, a woman who is repeatedly terrorized and raped by an invisible force.

Based on the case study of a woman named Doris Bither, the Sidney J. Furie directed feature strayed far away from the original tale. Per usual, Hollywood tends to amp up the terror, and in a case such as this, it is easy for viewers to question the “true" elements. In fact, Furie told Rue Morgue in a July 2012 interview that he avoided reseaching the haunting because he “did not want to judge the characters and story in any way.” According to the article, neither he nor Barbara Hershey wanted to meet Ms. Blither during or after the making of the film. Thus, the cinematic take was only “based on” the reported story of this vicious haunting.

One of the investigators of the original case is Dr. Barry Taff. On his own website – which you can check out here – he opens up about the case in an article posted on August 7th, 2011 called “The Real Entity Case.” He claimed that the actual account had nothing to do with sex or rape:

Contrary to what many people believe, the case of Doris Bither, that later became the novel and motion picture The Entity, was not, in my professional opinion, the result of spectral rape, .a.k.a. spectrophilia, but a rather disturbingly real poltergeist outbreak.   Unfortunately, the amassed data on the case does not in any way support ghostly sex, but back in the mid-1970’s in my mid-20’s, such a notion was intriguing to say the least.

Even still, there are others stories, ones that paint yet another picture. In fact, in a recent article in the Mirror UK, a woman claims to be romantically involved with a ghost. Instead of THE ENTITY, Amethyst Realm's story is seemingly more akin to what Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore shared in GHOST – the 1990 fantasy romance that earned Whoopi Goldberg an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. My own thoughts aside, it is a strange report that is a little bit hard to take too seriously. However, with an open mind, we once again checked in with an expert on all things paranormal.

the entity barbara hershey ron silver frank de felitta sidney j furie nick groff's true tales from beyond a ghostly touch

Nick brought this story to my attention, so I asked about his thoughts on how Hollywood handles the physical attacks that are felt and perhaps seen. As well, since this is not the first time we’ve heard tales of a touchy feely ghost, I wanted to know his thoughts about Amethyst. Are women more at risk of a being attacked, touched or assaulted by an invisible force – or are men just as susceptible? And finally, is it possible that she and her spectral suitor could really make beautiful pottery together? This is what he had to say…

I think women and men are both susceptible to darker energies if willing to open themselves up to these forces in this world. Just like living negative people, and their energy lingering when they die. You can feel the dread in prisons where murders occurred. There is something greater at work that we can’t comprehend as humans. Negative entities can possess. Hollywood movies give a glimpse into the potential terror of real life events that could unfold, however, Hollywood overdoes it at times with stretching the truth about real Paranormal encounters. I believe something from the other side can make physical contact with the human body, but I’m not sure how. I know I’ve experienced being pushed by an unseen force.

I personally don’t know the lady claiming to have sex with spirits from the other side. I would have to meet and analyze the situation to see how much is her own brain at work compared to entities from beyond. One of my favorite Supernatural movies is “THE ENTITY” based on a real case in California. Scary film and well made for the time it came out. 

Death and beyond fascinates us humans from the simple fact that nobody has all the answers. We learn and search for new discoveries as we evolve through time that we created to understand better what our purpose of living truly is in this universe.

Source: AITH

About the Author

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JimmyO is one of JoBlo.com’s longest-tenured writers, with him reviewing movies and interviewing celebrities since 2007 as the site’s Los Angeles correspondent.