10 Signs of a Demonic Haunting

A strange feeling tells you that something is off. Evil energy is draining your energy, and you might feel nauseous and disorientated. You have been on many ghost hunts before, but this one is different. How do you know if it is an angry spirit or a dangerous demon you just encountered?

Even if demonic hauntings are believed to be rare, there is always a risk that you might interact with the wicked when chasing ghosts.

It is good to remember that we have no scientific evidence of the existence of demons. Demons have been present in most cultures throughout history, though. And the concept of evil is deeply rooted as a counterpart to good in most cultures.

The difference between ghosts and demons

But what is the main difference between an angry ghost and a demon? A ghost is a spirit of a person or animal that once lived. On the other hand, a demon is non-human and has never lived. Demons have far more power than a ghost ever will. It is essential to know the difference between a ghost and a demon.

Angry ghosts and spirit walk-ins

But don’t freak out; in most cases, ghost hunting is safe if you don’t trip and fall in the dark. Not all scary hauntings are believed to be caused by demons. Elementals or angry spirits can cause them too, but our wild imagination is to blame in most cases.

You can find helpful information here if you want to learn more about elemental hauntings.

To make things even more complicated believed demonic possessions could be spirit walk-ins. This is when ghosts enter the body of the living to manifest. You usually ask them to do this activity, but it sometimes happens without your consent.

It is also believed that some ghosts try to gain more power over the living by luring them into they are demons.

I share my experience and knowledge about identifying demonic haunting in this article. Learn the ten most common signs you are dealing with a demonic entity when on a ghost hunt. When you know the warning signs, you can take the necessary precautions to stay safe.

If you want to learn more about signs of demonic possession, you will find lots of helpful information in the article below. If you are dealing with scary hauntings in your home, I invite you to read my article.

Related article: 19 Signs of Demonic Possession

Related article: 9 signs a haunting is dangerous [Expert advice] (domestic hauntings)

Sign #1: Poltergeist activity

One of the most common signs of demonic haunting is thought to be poltergeist-like activity. Poltergeist activity is a violent type of haunting where heavy items, such as furniture, can be tossed and thrown across the room. Cabinet doors and drawers might open and close. There are also records of people and tables levitating.

Poltergeist activity does not need to be demonic. In most cases, it is believed that poltergeist activity is due to a person being psychic with telekinetic powers without knowing it. Emotional outbursts might lead to poltergeist activity. If you want to learn more about poltergeist hauntings, I invite you to read my article. You find it below.

Sign #2: Foul odors

Odd and foul smells and odors indicate you might be dealing with a demonic entity. The scent should appear suddenly and, of course, without any natural explanation. Odors of sulfur and excrements are common in demonic hauntings. I have experienced the smell of rotten flesh or burning flesh as well.

You know you might be dealing with a demonic entity whenever you feel a stench.

Sign #3: Electrical glitches and malfunctions

It is believed that demons and spirits use electromagnetic fields to manifest. As entities don’t have a psychical body and can’t (if things follow the laws of nature) produce energy – it is believed they have to absorb energy to be able to make themselves known. The energy is transferred into sound, visual manifestations, or emotional energy.

During the absorption of energy, electronics can start to glitch or show malfunctions. It is not uncommon for batteries to drain right before a manifestation.

When you deal with demons, the malfunctions are on another scale than with angry ghosts. Demons are much more powerful. The amount of energy they absorb and redirect as manifestations are much more powerful.

Light bulbs can explode, and fuses go out when demons make their power known. When you experience it, you know the difference, that is for sure. If you are not sure, it is often not a ghost.

It is like when you are pregnant and wonder if you are going into labor; when you do, you know. I hope you can relate even if you have never been in this situation.

Sign #4: Anxiety and fear

It is believed that demons can communicate via telepathy. They can implant and retract thoughts and emotions.

This means that they can make you feel anxious and filled with fear. The demon wants you to surrender your free will due to emotional exhaustion. They can also read your mind, so you can never trick or fool a demon. They know. This is why if you fear them, you are a target. You can’t hide it.

If you suddenly get strange thoughts during your ghost hunt, you should take this as a warning sign you are dealing with demonic hunting. It is essential to keep a close eye on your ghost-hunting team to spot changes in emotional moods as soon as possible.

Remove any persons that are not themselves from the site as soon as possible. Make sure to perform a cleansing ritual and banish any negative entities. It is good to remember that spirit walk-ins can also cause similar symptoms.

Important: Always consult a professional health provider to rule out medical issues.

If you want to learn how to protect yourself from demonic attachment and possession, I invite you to read the article below.

Related article: 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Demonic Attacks

Sign #5: A ghost of a child or dark masses

If you identify the ghost as a child’s spirit, you should be extra careful. Demons tend to hide behind the facade of a child. Children are more prone to be trusted, and the demons use this to their advantage.

If you get EVPs or messages through the Ouija board from a child asking for help, it might be a warning sign that you are experiencing a demonic haunting. Always take messages with a grain of salt. Use your intuition and ask yourself if the story makes sense for the haunting.

It is always recommended that you do historical research to ensure the validity of the messages.

People that grieve the loss of children or siblings are more prone to be approached by negative energies masked as children. The same goes for women that are pregnant or have young children. Always let your team leader know if this is a situation you are going through.

It is also familiar with dark masses, like shadow figures, when it comes to demonic hauntings. In many cases, it is the size of a child. The length can vary, but be extra cautious if you notice child-like shadows.

Sign #6: Damage to religious or spiritual items

If you notice that spiritual or religious items are damaged or displaced, it might signify a demonic haunting. If you find, for example, the Holy Cross turned upside-down on the wall, it might indicate a demonic haunting.

It is always good to remember that it does not need to be religious items; it can be any item of special meaning to you. Demons are not always connected with Christianity – they can also be demons of other faiths. It is believed that demons tend to target the theology of the person. They get information about this by telepathy.

If you or a team member wear protective amulettes or items, it is good to know that demons tend to lash out at these items. The demons don’t want us to wear spiritual protection; they want us weak. Protective amulettes and tokens can be a double-edged sword at times.

The same goes for protective crystals such as tourmaline. Tourmaline absorbs negative energy, which can cause issues if the crystal is not cleansed adequately after leaving the site. Without knowing it, you might bring negative energy with you home. If you want to learn more about tourmaline, you find an article at the end of this section.

As demonic energy is intense, the tourmaline might start to spill over. So, cleanse your crystals before leaving as a safety precaution.

If a protective crystal cracks or breaks without any explanation during a ghost hunt, it might as well be a warning sign that you are dealing with the demonic.

Sign #7: Lies during spirit communications

While on a ghost hunt, you might try spirit communication tools or techniques to receive messages from the dead. During the sessions, you should watch for signs indicating that you are dealing with a demon.

Ouija board

If you are using a Ouija board to communicate with the spirits on-site, some signs might indicate a demonic entity. If you ask, “Is anybody there” and you get the answer “no,” you might be dealing with the wicked.

Another sign is if you ask, “what age are you” and you get the answer “0” (zero). Other common signs are if the planchette counts down from 9-0, or Z-A. Always close the session of the planchette moves from rapidly across the board to the corners of the board, as you might be dealing with the demon Zozo.

If you want to learn more about the Ouija demon Zozo, I invite you to read my article below.

Pendulum

If you are using a pendulum to communicate with the spirits on-site and it starts to move strangely, it might be due to a demonic presence. The pendulum might stop midway, change direction, jump, or freeze. All these signs indicate that you might be dealing with a demonic presence.

The more experience you have using the pendulum, the better you will notice subtle signs. Always keep in mind that negative energies tend to trick and lure you. If you feel something is off, it probably is.

If you want to learn more about how to use the pendulum for spirit communications, you find a helpful article below.

Spirit box

If you use a spirit box to communicate with the spirits, look out for growling sounds, which might indicate a demonic presence. The same goes for children asking for help. It is not uncommon for the wicked to use the facade of children to lure you.

Angry and scary voices might be angry ghosts, but they can also be demonic. My best advice is always to listen to your gut feeling. As you gain experience, you will easily distinguish between demonic and ghostly voices in a spirit box.

Intense and coarse voices tend to be demonic or negative, as well as metallic-sounding. I have difficulty describing the sound, but if you have seen Star Wars and know the voice of Darth Vader – then you might understand what I am getting at.

Sign #8: Strange sounds on EVP recordings

If you use EVP to capture ghostly voices, look out for growls and intense voices, as they might indicate that you are dealing with a demon. Animalistic sounds and children crying for help might be other signs of a demonic presence.

In the list below, you will find sounds on EVP recordings that might indicate demonic entities.

A deep and hollow voice
Growls

Barking
Gruffs
Pig screams

Snake hissing
A child in pain
A child crying for help

It is good to remember that the sounds the demon will use are sounds that frighten or engage you. If you get terrified by a cat’s purr, that is the sound you will hear. As demons can read your mind, they adapt their techniques and strategies. This makes it very hard, at times, to analyze other’s EVPs when it comes to the demonic.

The demonic are shape-shifters and can adapt to unique circumstances. Readings with differing EVP results depending on investigators indicate that you might be dealing with the wicked.

Sign #9: Three’s, sixes, and eights

A typical indicator of demonic presence is when things happen in threes or sixes. It might be three or six taps, three or six scratches, and so forth.

If you, for example, ask a spirit to communicate through taps, one for “yes” and two for “no,” and hear three taps, it might indicate a demon. I recommend asking several questions, and if many of them return with three or six taps, checking for temperature drops and returns on EVPs is a good idea.

Check for readings on your equipment, for example, 666 or 333. This might be a coincidence, but it might as well be a subtle indication that something sinister is tampering with your tech.

I have not seen it, but I have heard records of other investigators finding writings on the wall of sixes or threes. In some cases, the infinity sign is connected with the wicked. The infinity sign looks like a tilted “8.”

Sign #10: Unidentified liquids, blood, or water

Strange tar-like liquids and water is reported to be connected with demonic hauntings. If you notice water drops on the floor or abnormal condensation on the walls, it might be due to demonic activity.

It is often subtle, but there are records of demonic hauntings where water flooded from the floor upwards, tar ran out of the walls, blood dropped from ceilings or floorboards, and strange liquids emerged that couldn’t be identified.

The most common sign is watery footprints or waterdrops on the floor. Ensure that no team member has wet feet or someone else is in the building or on the site. Check for water leaks or other natural causes before ruling out anything paranormal.

Final thoughts

It can be hard to distinguish intelligent and poltergeist hauntings from demonic. When we talk about different kinds of hauntings, we talk about their symptoms to categorize them. This means we can’t be 100% sure we identify the entity correctly. We don’t even know if demons and the paranormal exist.

There can be demonic hauntings that show signs of intelligent hauntings, and there can be intelligent hauntings that are demonic. We can do our best to categorize them correctly, though. But there are no set rules to this. With experience, you learn to notice the subtle signs of the demonic, so be patient with yourself.

If you are investigating a site known for its demonic activity, you might not find any. That is because demons are shape-shifters and might not want to reveal their true essence at the time of the investigation. Manifestations can look very different for different investigators. If you are spiritually strong, they might not even want to out themselves.

Some think you need to be religious to experience demonic hauntings, but that is not true. Demons come from many cultures and are not bound to religions. Religions have written about them; they have not created them.

When investigating demonic sites, trust your gut feeling. If something feels off, it probably is. It is scarce with possessions, but always cleanse yourself and your devices before heading home. It is better to be safe than sorry.

If you want to learn more about the most common signs of possession, I have written an article on the subject. You find it below.