Is Demon in the White House a mockumentary since it’s based on a novel?

When I first wrote about Demon in the White House, discovery+’s newest Shock Docs that started streaming on November 26, I got an interesting comment. Author Priscilla Bettis wrote: “Andrew Pyper wrote a book about the Pierce seances and hauntings. I actually learned a lot about life in the 1850s and about Pierce’s presidency.”

I went to check it out, not knowing at that time what kind of book it was, meaning whether it was fiction or non-fiction. Heck, at that time all I knew was the author’s name.

But it didn’t take long to track the book down. As it turned out, it was a novel called The Residence…and it sounded an awful lot like the premise for Demon in the White House.

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Even though it was fiction, I couldn’t help but wonder if the new Shock Docs was based on Andrew Pyper’s book. Except…they wouldn’t do that, would they? Try to pass off fiction as fact?

I mean, they skirt those bounds all the time on all of the paranormal shows, some more successfully than others. There’s usually a least of smidgen of reality and truth mixed in with the sensational. But when it comes to documentaries, the blend is more balanced, right? Maybe even more skewed to the truth side?

Nope.

It could be a whole post in and of itself, but Helltown is a prime example of where Travel Channel, a Discovery brand, disguised fiction as fact in the form of a docudrama.

Anyway, the next thing I wondered was whether Andrew Pyper would be one of the experts in the documentary. (We’ll call it that for the moment.) But at that time IMDB hadn’t listed any of the cast yet.

They have now, which I learned after someone mentioned me in a Tweet…along with some jaw-dropping info.

Turns out, Pyper wasn’t one of the experts, but he was very much involved in the making of Demon in the White House. Let’s dive into all of this more in-depth.

The Residence vs. Demon the White House

Let’s start by comparing the descriptions for both the novel and the Shock Docs.

The Residence Synopsis

Here’s the description from Amazon:

The year is 1853. President-elect Franklin Pierce is traveling with his family to Washington, DC, when tragedy strikes. In an instant, their train runs off the rails, violently flinging passengers about the cabin. But when the great iron machine finally comes to rest, the only casualty is the President-elect’s beloved son, Bennie, which casts Franklin’s presidency in a pal of sorrow and grief.

As Franklin moves into the White House, he begins to notice that something bizarre is happening. Strange sounds coming from the walls and ceiling, creepy voices that seem to echo out of time itself, and visions of spirits crushed under the weight of American history.

But when First Lady Jane Pierce brings in the most noted Spiritualists of the day, the Fox sisters, for a séance, the barrier between this world and the next is torn asunder. Something horrible comes through and takes up residence alongside Franklin and Jane in the walls of the very mansion itself.

Only by overcoming their grief and confronting their darkest secrets can Jane and Franklin hope to rid themselves—and America—from the entity that seeks to make the White House its permanent home.

Demon in the White House Synopsis

Here’s the description from the discovery+/Travel Channel paranormal programming highlights announcing when the show would air:

Demon in the White House reveals the historic origin of paranormal activity at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This new Shock Doc uncloaks the historic origins of the horror of two grieving First Ladies. Did they unwittingly invite an evil presence with a malevolent agenda that may still torment America’s presidents, as well as their families, visitors and closest advisors? The Shock Doc thriller opens archival papers, correspondence and diaries to document a timeline of supernatural events that unfolded after these grieving families sought solace in the fashionable new spiritualism and seance movement – and the potential catastrophic consequences that followed.

Demon in the White House Is Based on Pyper’s Book

Even though The Residence is fiction, Pyper did a lot of research into the Pierces, the White House, seances in the 1800s, etc. It stood to reason the producers may have consulted him for Demon in the White House.

Turns out, he was very much involved. He wrote the show!

Alex Matsuo clued me in to that after she mentioned me in a Tweet where she shared a comment one of the show’s producers had left on her YouTube review of the Shock Docs.

It contained a jaw-dropping revelation. Well, two really. See if you can spot them. Here’s what the producer wrote:

Thanks for the review. I will say however, you don’t mention that this is based on a book called ‘The Residence’ by Andrew Pyper. If you had researched the project, then this doc would make a whole lot more [sense] and you might reconsider your critique, but either way glad you watched it and always happy to see reviews bad or good. As for the photo by Abby, we had a few people pushing for that photo and as far as I have seen that debunking is questionable but either way its entertainment! Best

Wait. What? Alex might’ve given it a more favorable review if she knew it was based on a book? Is that what the producer was saying?

Except, Alex knew it was based on fiction. But it turns out it wasn’t one of the reasons she didn’t like the doc. But she might’ve liked it more if, as she Tweeted when I asked her, they’d used the “inspired by” as a “jumping off point to dive deeper into the actual stories and lore.”

And then the part about including questionable and inconclusive evidence with an “oh well, but at least it’s entertaining” shrug…don’t even get me started.

The Tweet

A reason why you shouldn’t believe what you see on TV: The producer of Demon in the White House left this comment on my video. The book she’s citing is fiction. I’ve known this since @HauntJaunts wrote about the doc. /1 pic.twitter.com/a6Qi76zk4l

— Alex ????? (@TheSpookyStuff) December 2, 2021

How bad is Demon in the White House?

I haven’t seen this Shock Doc. As I’ve said many times, demons really aren’t my thing. I’m of the opinion they don’t exist separate from us but as a part of us. We all have demons dwelling within. Some of us are just better at taming them than others.

I was mostly interested in Demon in the White House to find out if Andrew Pyper would be involved after Priscilla clued me in about his book. I honestly never expected it to be based on The Residence or that he’d have written this mockumentary!

Or would it be more apt to call it a docudrama? Mockumentaries are usually more comedic. There’s nothing funny here.

But I do have to say I feel it is a mockumentary in that it’s mocking the intelligence of viewers. Some people take these paranormal shows as gospel and ignore that what they’re really designed to be is just entertainment. As of right now, the only place ghosts exist are in our imagination. Until they can be proven otherwise, they’re nothing more than myths.

Alex touched on that, as well as uncovered a lot of facts and history that Demon in the White House flat out ignored from the sounds of it.

Don’t get me wrong. She’s not mean or vindictive about it, though. She’s very matter-of-fact in her assessment of the mockumentary, docudrama…whatever you want to call it. But she makes it very clear this one is a stinker and disappointing on multiple levels. Which is also evident in its low IMDB rating.

Here’s her video if you want to get her take on it while also learning some real history and information about hauntings in the White House:

Check-In

How do you feel about learning that Demon in the White House might be more mockumentary than actual documentary?