The Berini Haunting

Posted: 10.15.2025 | Updated: 10.15.2025

In the quiet New England countryside, the Berini family’s peaceful life took a chilling turn when they moved into Joe Berini’s ancestral home in 1979. What began as faint whispers in the night soon escalated into full-blown poltergeist activity that terrified the family for years. 

Voices, ghostly apparitions, and violent attacks turned their dream home into a living nightmare — one that still echoes through ghostly history. The Berini haunting remains one of the most documented and unsettling cases of domestic hauntings in modern times. 

From benevolent child spirits to a dark, sinister figure claiming divine authority, this haunting evolved in complexity and danger. Was it a family curse, a restless lineage of souls, or something darker drawn to their despair? Let’s explore what really happened to the Berini family.

If you’re fascinated by chilling true tales like this, book a tour with Salem Ghosts to uncover even more haunted legends from New England’s storied past.

What happened to the Berini family?

The Berini family experienced one of the most disturbing hauntings in New England history. 

Their ordeal began with ghostly voices and mysterious warnings, followed by sightings of spectral children, and ended with a violent, malevolent entity that claimed to be a “minister of God.” The family eventually sought help from priests, and after a final blessing ritual, the ghostly activity abruptly ceased.

History of the Berini Haunting

Joe Berini moved his wife, Rose, and her two children (from Rose’s previous marriage) into his family’s old New England home in May 1979. Though the property had belonged to the Berini family for generations, Joe himself had never lived there.

Initially, the home was peaceful—until Rose began hearing a faint voice calling out at night: “Mama, Mama, this is Serena.” Neither she nor Joe knew anyone named Serena, but family research later revealed that Joe’s father once had a sister named Serena who had died in the house at age five. 

This discovery set off a chain of bizarre events that grew increasingly severe. What began as mysterious whispers and moving objects evolved into an intense haunting involving multiple spirits—and ultimately, a dark entity unlike anything the family had ever encountered.

Hauntings Overview

The Berini haunting unfolded in phases, with each new spirit escalating the disturbance. First came the voice of Serena, a ghostly child who seemed to warn the family of impending tragedy. 

Then appeared Giorgio, a sorrowful boy in white who communicated through apparitions and cryptic messages. Finally, the atmosphere turned violent as a dark, cloaked figure emerged—one that proclaimed itself a “minister of God.”

These phases revealed a haunting that seemed intimately tied to the Berini family’s lineage, each manifestation more intense than the last. 

Serena: The Warning Voice

The first phase of the haunting began with a soft, childlike voice in the night. Rose heard the voice call out repeatedly: “Mama, Mama, this is Serena.” Soon after this encounter, tragedy struck—the family’s young daughter, Daisy, nearly died during a tonsillectomy when her heart stopped mid-surgery. 

Over time, the same voice would appear before other misfortunes, including Joe’s grandmother suffering a stroke and later passing away. On one occasion, Serena’s voice called out moments before Rose awoke, gasping and choking in her sleep. 

Serena’s spectral warnings appeared benevolent but deeply unsettling. The family began to interpret her appearances as omens—signs of danger rather than attempts at harm. 

Giorgio: The Boy in White

Months after Serena’s presence faded, a new spirit appeared: a young boy dressed completely in white, drifting through the upstairs hallway late at night. Rose described him as translucent, “like looking through a milk bottle.” 

The boy eventually spoke, asking mournfully, “Where do all the lonely people go? Where do I belong?” Joe discovered that his father once had a younger brother named Giorgio who died as a child and was buried in a white Communion suit—matching the apparition’s appearance. 

During one sighting, Giorgio was seen kneeling on the hallway floor; when Joe lifted the floorboards beneath that spot, he discovered a Virgin Mary medallion on a broken chain. 

Giorgio’s appearances became more frequent and interactive. He would respond to questions, express confusion, and even mention family disputes, claiming his twin brother Carlos had “taken something” from him. 

As Giorgio’s visits intensified, the family’s fear grew—especially as objects began moving violently around the house. 

The Dark Entity – Hunchbacked Man

By the summer of 1981, the haunting entered its darkest stage. A new entity appeared—unlike the child spirits before. Rose described a tall, hunchbacked man draped in a black cape, radiating malice. This figure identified himself as a “minister of God.” 

Almost immediately, the haunting grew violent. Phones were hurled across rooms, furniture toppled, and religious objects shattered. Rose was struck by flying items, including a lamp that crashed into her head. 

On one terrifying occasion, she claimed the entity lifted her body into the air before dropping her onto the bed. The destruction escalated until one night a carving knife was found embedded in the kitchen table—an unmistakable warning.  

Terrified, the Berinis fled their home and sought help from the Church. Priests performed multiple blessings and a final exorcism-like ritual, after which the haunting abruptly ended. 

Haunted Salem

Though the Berini home was not in Salem itself, its story reflects the region’s long-standing association with ghostly tales. The strange case of the Berini family demonstrates how deeply rooted New England’s haunted legacy remains, even in modern times.

From benevolent spirits like Serena to the sinister “minister of God,” the Berini haunting endures as one of the most unnerving examples of spiritual escalation in ghostly lore. If you want to explore more chilling stories from the region’s haunted past, book your Salem Ghosts tour today—where centuries of eerie legends come to life under the flicker of the lantern light.

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Sources:

1. https://ghostwatch.com/paranormal-report/poltergeist-activity/united-states/the-berini-haunting/?utm_
2. https://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-berini-haunting.html?utm_
3. https://www.eastdurhamparanormalrg.co.uk/berini-haunting?utm_
4. https://jamesmdeem.com/stories.ghost.serena.html
5. https://www.yourghoststories.com/famous-ghost-stories/berini-haunting.php