Demons, often called "Ghosts" or "Living Patients", are the most apparent instances of supernatural phenomena (alongside poltergeists and other spectral entities) that occur within the abandoned Riverview Hospital throughout Grave Encounters and Grave Encounters 2. Unlike other poltergeists or ghosts that occur throughout the films, they most often appear as corporeal apparitions of the departed patients and personnel of Riverwood, still wearing hospital gowns and all, with ghostly white skin and emaciated bodies showing various forms of physical disfigurement with some being barely recognizable as humanoid and yet still some not visible at all. The Demons ruthlessly attack any living person who enters Riverview until they've been killed or driven to madness.
History[]
It is revealed in Grave Encounters 2 (and hinted at in the first film) that the Demons of Riverview Hospital are one of the consequences of the occult activities performed by Dr. Arthur Friedkin throughout his tenure as the institution's head physician. Before his death, allegedly at the hands of a patients, his Satanic rituals resulted in the opening of a portal between the world of the living and the spirit world, effectively dissolving the boundary between the two. Consequently Dr. Friedkin, his patients, and members of the medical staff became spiritually bound to the building, rendered incapable of escaping, Riverview Hospital itself defying the laws of physics as present in the world of the living. After the events of 'Grave Encounters' they become bloodthirsty for more victims, using the films to lure unsuspecting thrill seekers into the cursed building.
Although they apparently attacked a contractor in 1993, it is unknown why they never attacked any other staff, such as Kenny Sandoval.
Grave Encounters[]
Demon Girl[]
Before and after becoming aggressive.
Portrayed by: Eva Gifford
A young girl with unkempt hair and bruises, the first to be found by the Grave Encounters crew. They find her standing in a corner with her back to the door and when they attempt to communicate she turns in their direction and screams, her face contorting into a ghostly visage.
Bathtub Demon[]
Pulling T.C. into her watery grave
Portrayed by: Michele Cummins
A skinless figure completely covered in blood with no discernable features, she burst from a bathtub filled with blood and dragged T.C. Gibson inside, never to be seen again as when the rest of the team tip the bathtub over spilling all the blood they had both vanished, showing this demon's ability to warp physical space to her will. She is presumably the spirit of the young female patient who committed suicide by slitting her wrists in the very same tub.
Tongueless Demon[]
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After being provoked by Lance
Portrayed by: Alex Trimmer
This violent ghost has pitch-black eyes and a seemingly unhinged jaw which is constantly dripping blood. He attacks Lance Preston, appearing in a ceiling corner after Lance notices the manifestation of the demon's severed tongue on the floor in a patient room. He chases Lance into the hallway then proceeds to try and break down the door to the elevator room where Lance, Sasha Parker, and Matt White are searching for an escape route, all the while roaring viciously, before disappearing. May possibly by the shaved-headed figure that appeared to two teenagers who snuck into Riverwood, albeit this apparition is not said to have shown any aggression.
Nurses[]
A nurse discovers Alex Wright and Jennifer Parker hiding in the closet as two others stand with Friedkin in the background
Portrayed by: Brenda Anderson, Kristina Brown, Dana Keller, Kate Roumieu, and Jacquelin Wood (GE), Brenda Anderson and Melissa Valvok (GE2)
Uninformed nurses assist the ghost of Dr. Arthur Friedkin in his grim experiments and unholy rituals at the Riverview surgical ward. While these at first appear to be purely residual hauntings, once the nurses notice unfortunate onlookers they attack, in the first film dragging Lance onto an operating table where Friedkin proceeds to lobotomize him before releasing him back into the tunnels.
Poltergeists[]
A poltergeist strangles Houston Grey after lifting him up off the ground
These are invisible spectres which move physical objects and even people at will. They are the most dangerous beings in Riverview and are shown killing several people. They also interact with the outside world, one of them communicating with Alex through the YouTube profile "DeathAwaits666" and later speaking to him through a Ouija board with the command to "film everything".
Grave Encounters 2[]
The Tall Man[]
Shambling inside the hallway from the window
Portrayed by: Roy Campsall
This behemoth, estimated to be between 7’ and 8’ tall, has a grossly extended jaw as though it had been violently unhinged and he is naked, his lanky body lacking any hair or sex characteristics and being smattered with blood. He crashes through a glass window and tries to pull Trevor Thompson back into the darkness before climbing through and pursuing the crew, exploding into something like confetti once he reaches the front door of the hospital.
Kaitlin[]
Brushing her hair before attacking the visitors.
She found you.
Portrayed by: Dalila Bela (as Dalia Caballero Meranu)
The only ghost aside from Friedkin to be identified by name, she is a little girl who appears to Alex Wright and his film crew at the children's ward. She identifies herself and asks the group to play with her in a disembodied voice before distorting and giving chase. She later attacks Trevor in a ventilation shaft at the hospital's basement level after he gets his foot caught on a screw and separated from the others, but he escaped through unknown means and reunites with his friends shortly after. Besides the usual face contortions she also bends her limbs at odd angles.
Trivia[]
- The Demon Girl from the first movie has became a notorious jumpscare material for Internet Screamers, using the image of her twisted and inhumane face during her aggressive state.
- The tall ghost apparition from Grave Encounters 2 is known to possess some similarities to SCP-096, since both are incredibly tall, have pale skin and quite thin in appearance with a noticeable skeletal body frame. They both appear to be quite hostile towards people.