Pounding sensation on a barracks bunk after reading “The Exorcist”
Art Bell reads on air a faxed letter from an unnamed writer. The writer says that in 1973, while stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, they read the paperback of “The Exorcist.” The following night, around 5 a.m., they were woken by a pounding sensation on the lower bunk that moved up their torso. They say they ran into the corridor and shouted for help. None of their barracks mates heard them or backed up their story. They say they still believe the incident was real and avoid mirrors and “taboos” to this day.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1994.mp3”, starting at 1:20:20). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The story is a letter addressed “Dear Art” and read aloud by the host. The writer calls it [quote withheld] The writer says that in 1973 they were stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as a member of the US Air Force. The film and paperback of Peter Blatty's “The Exorcist” were that season's hit. The paperback, they say, was passed around the barracks they lived in [quote withheld] The writer reports reading the novel [quote withheld] The following night, at about 5 a.m., they say they were woken by a sensation of [quote withheld] and that it [quote withheld] The writer says they had no roommate at the time. The sensation frightened them enough that they got out of the bunk, scrambled to the door, opened it, and yelled for help as loudly as they could. The writer reports that none of their barracks mates in the building heard their screams or backed up their version of the story. The writer concludes that [quote withheld] and adds that they do not [quote withheld] The writer names no cause for the sensation. No questions from the host or answers from the writer follow in this part of the broadcast.
Reported events, in order
- 0:04
The letter writer says that in 1973 they were a member of the US Air Force stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and that “The Exorcist” (film and paperback screenplay) was that season's hit. The paperback circulated through their barracks one reader at a time.
- 0:28
The writer says they read the novel with [quote withheld]
- 0:35
The following night, at about 5 a.m., the writer says they were woken by the sensation of something pounding on the lower bunk they slept in.
- 0:46
The writer says the pounding sensation was moving up their torso.
- 0:49
The writer says they had no roommate at the time. Frightened, they got out of the bunk, scrambled to the door, opened it, and yelled for help as loudly as they could.
- 1:01
The writer says none of their barracks mates in the building heard their screams or backed up their version of the story.
- 1:10
The writer says they still believe the incident was [quote withheld]
- 1:16
The writer says they do not [quote withheld] to this day.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:35
The writer was woken at about 5 a.m. by a sensation of something pounding on the lower bunk, moving up their torso.
- observation· 0:46
The pounding sensation traveled up the writer's body.
- observation· 0:49
The writer had no roommate at the time, so no second person was in the room.
- observation· 0:49
The writer ran to the door and shouted for help as loudly as they could.
- observation· 1:01
No barracks mate heard the writer's screams or backed up their story.
- interpretation· 1:10
The writer still regards the incident as real rather than imagined or dreamed.
- interpretation· 1:16
The writer treats mirrors and similar “taboos” as things not to be tempted, in connection with the experience.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a firsthand story that holds together, with dated specifics that could be checked (base, year, hour). But the event itself is described only as a sensation with no clear location, and common waking and bed-related explanations fit reasonably well. The claims are stated with moderate care.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand framing: [quote withheld]
- Specifics that could be checked: [quote withheld]
- An ordered sequence: waking, sensation moving up the torso, getting out of the bunk, shouting for help.
- Consistent about the room: [quote withheld]
- The core event is vaguely described: [quote withheld] with no source identified.
- An easy ordinary explanation (a drowsy waking sensation, or expectation after frightening reading) fits the timing: [quote withheld]
- Nobody backs it up, and the writer reports the opposite: [quote withheld]
- The transcript does not make clear whether “pounding” describes a sound, a felt vibration, or a touch.
- No follow-up questions or answers appear in this part of the broadcast, so details cannot be probed.
- 0:00
- 0:28
- 0:35
- 1:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component scoring: closeness to the source 16 (firsthand but very brief and partial); detail 12 (dated and paced, but the event is thinly described); consistency 16; alternative explanations 7 (a sensation on waking or expectation fits easily and is not addressed); calibration 6 (the writer notes uncertainty about recall but concludes the event was “very real”). Total 57, with no cap (firsthand, not presented as fiction).
The only support is the writer's own word, read from a fax. Checkable specifics (base, year, time) are given but not checked. No witness, document, photograph, or on-air second party is offered.
Evidence for and against
- Particulars that could be checked: [quote withheld] in 1973.
- A named cultural item that can be verified elsewhere: [quote withheld]
- No physical evidence of any kind is claimed in the letter.
- The only possible witnesses are reported as not having heard anything: [quote withheld]
- The writer is not on air. The story reaches the audience only as a letter read by the host.
- Whether the fax itself existed or was read word for word cannot be judged from the transcript.
- 0:04
- 1:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed in the 11 to 25 range (checkable specifics given but unchecked, and no claimed witnesses who confirm). No outside check was done, so the cap of 50 is not the limiting factor here.
A nighttime intrusion into sleep with a physical sensation and a panicked flight into a corridor. But no figure, threat, harm, or escalation is described, and the story ends in a lasting but nonviolent avoidance.
Evidence for and against
- Intrusion into sleep: [quote withheld]
- A physical sensation on the body: [quote withheld]
- A fear reaction and no response: [quote withheld] followed by [quote withheld]
- A lasting effect: [quote withheld]
- No figure, appearance, voice, or hostile intent is reported.
- The event is described as a single brief incident (“The following night”), and no repeat is mentioned.
- The letter does not say whether the writer had other incidents.
- 0:46
- 1:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated just below the “genuinely unsettling” anchor because what unsettles is the lack of response from others plus a bodily sensation, not threat or sustained dread.
The core is a stock [quote withheld] report. But the military barracks setting, the link to having just read “The Exorcist,” and the closing note about mirrors and “taboos” give it a recognizable twist.
Evidence for and against
- An uncommon setting for the archive: a shared barracks bunk.
- A direct link to reading horror material just beforehand: [quote withheld]
- A distinctive closing note about mirrors and taboos.
- A familiar structure: waking at night, a felt presence or pressure on the bed, flight, nobody to back it up.
- No unusual event beyond the felt pounding is described.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive cannot be judged from a single story.
- 0:35
- 1:16
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed between the “stock elements only” anchor (20) and the [quote withheld] anchor (50), leaning toward the latter.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The letter writer's own story as read aloud by the host (the fax itself is not examined on air in this part of the broadcast); No photograph, recording, document, or mark claimed; No second party speaks on air; the only possible witnesses are reported as not having heard or backed up anything. The originality score blends the model's score (45) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A sensation while falling asleep or waking up, or a sleep-related bodily hallucination, at the moment of waking. This would explain a felt “pounding” that moved across the torso and ended when the writer got up. · The letter says the writer [quote withheld] so the event comes at the moment of waking from sleep.
- Suggestion or expectation after reading frightening material. The writer reports reading the novel [quote withheld] the previous day, and the event came the following night. · [quote withheld] The event follows the reading by one night.
- A physical source in the bunk or building, such as the bed frame or springs moving, or another person in the barracks. But the writer says they had no roommate and that nobody responded to their shouts. · [quote withheld]; [quote withheld]; [quote withheld]
What stands out
The episode is a single, physically felt event with no figure, sound, or object reported. It happens in a shared military barracks where nobody else is said to have heard anything. The writer ties it to having just read “The Exorcist” and to a lasting avoidance of mirrors and “taboos.”
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.