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Paranormal State chronicles the paranormal adventures of Ryan Buell and the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) located at Penn State. Ryan and his group of college friends help those troubled with paranormal or otherworldly phenomenon. Ryan had his own terrifying experiences, now he works to help others combat their demons, so to speak.

In a similar vein as Ghost Hunters, Ryan meets with clients and hears their tales of apparitions and unusual experiences. Many of the people he visits seem to be troubled by spirits who either aren’t at rest because of some tragic event in their past or may in fact be evil or at least malevolent spirits who simply wish to torment others. Of course the clients may be crackpots who just want some attention or people who see Elvis at diners across the country and the face of Jesus in pancakes.

Along with Ryan is the rest of his team, Sergey, Katrina, Heather and Eilfie to help conduct interviews, research and handle the tech equipment. And if something does happen to Ryan there is someone to call 911.

Their investigations center on discovering the “dark forces” that surround a home which normally involves investigating the history of the house, what kind of tragic events may have taken place there and in many cases a visit and consultation from Chip Coffey, psychic and medium. Just about every place he goes Chip gets bad vibes from the house and spirits that are still present in the location. His psychic senses almost always confirm the stories the owners have related and in many cases reveals a few things the clients have held back. When you say your house is haunted it’s probably a good idea to come forth with all the information.

We also get a few visits from Lorraine Warren, the medium made famous because of the Amityville hauntings. She shows up several times to give Ryan and his team advice on how they should proceed and what to look for. You also get the sense that Lorraine has seen some really strange stuff.

Unlike Ghost Hunters whose main goal is to debunk paranormal activity, PRS tries to rid homes of the unforeseen entities. This may involve the owners telling the spirits to get out during “Dead Time”, making an offering to the spirits to appease them, offering a ritual to help them pass over, blessing of the house by the clergy or even more extreme measures such as cleansing rituals and even exorcism. Ryan has indeed gone the exorcism route.

The evidence PRS collects may seems suspect. It certainly could be what they’re describing, such as a heat signature of a hand on the wall, the sound of a voice caught on tape or cold spots moving around the room, but in many cases there’s precious little evidence and after a three day investigation they may have only one small snippet they’ve managed to capture. Conversely, Ghost Hunters manages to rack up the evidence in their single day investigation. However, Ryan and his team use their tools for monitor, rather than sustained evidence gathering. The evidence certainly falls in the realm of personal experiences and making the home owners feel more comfortable rather than truly explaining the odd behavior. Banging of pipes could be the dead getting attention, but it could be a plumbing issue or the house settling.

It may be hard to justify these events as haunting, but the clients believe it is and to them it’s as real as it can be. It’s a strange reversal since the clients on Ghost Hunters want their houses to be haunted and those on Paranormal State want the demons out.

Many times the show feels amateurish with a touch of the Blair Witch, but considering this group isn’t actors it just gives it a unique look and feel. Ghost Hunters felt the same way for season 1, but with season 2 the budget was bigger and the look was more polished. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if there are true events or the people involved simply believe there are events. Many times there’s really is no evidence to support paranormal claims of any kind, but blessed Saint Michael medals are given to the clients and buried on the property. For a band of college students they certainly find themselves in some pretty wild situations. It’s still fun stuff to watch because what if it were real, what if you really found yourself in that situation, standing next to a priest as he commanded an evil spirit to leave a child of God? What if you were standing in a dark room asking a force to show its presence when pictures fall to the floor or loud bangs shakes the table? I mean holy crap, how would you not be unnerved by that?

I don’t know whether the show makes you any more or less a believer but I have to admit I would jump at the chance to go along on their cases and see the activity for myself.

I also give Ryan and his team full credit for pursuing their passion and if they bring peace to a family, whether the threat is real or imagined, then they’ve accomplished something.

There is no doubt I like this show and I’m excited to vicariously go along on their adventures.

Paranormal State – Season 1 (Amazon)
Paranormal State – Season 1 (Netflix)

Other Articles of Interest:

• Paranormal State – Season 2
• Paranormal State comes to an end …
• What’s with all the secrecy?
• Paranormal State – The Jersey Devil – Season Finale
• Paranormal State S04E03 – Dead Legends
• Paranormal TV – Which shows are coming back?
• Ghost Hunters Season 4
• Paranormal State – Do Bad Things – S05E10
• Ghost Hunters – Season 1 – Rating – Too Damn Funny!
• Paranormal State – Paranormal Detour – S05E07

I doubt there are many who aren’t familiar with the Amityville Horror, the story of Ronald DeFeo Jr., who shot and killed the members of his family and George and Kathy Lutz who bought the house for a bargain basement price and then left 28 days later fearing for their lives.

But are these events the work of the paranormal? Was Ronald DeFeo coerced into killing his family by a dark force or was it just an abusive father and drug use that sent him over the edge and to prison for the rest of his life?

As with all good stories that deal with the paranormal and strange events, the house in Amityville is rumored to be located on, or right next to an Indian burial ground. And not just any burial ground, but one where the inhabitants were buried face down so they could stare into the abyss of hell for all eternity. These souls were apparently cast outs, misfits and perhaps even the mentally disturbed. Whatever the case may be, these spirits do not seem to be at rest.

The problems start when Ronald DeFeo and his family move into the house. Turbulent times are in store for the family as disagreements come to the surface, strange events begin to occur, and Ronald DeFeo begins to surround the house with religious icons. He had the feeling something was going wrong and tries to ward of some unforeseen evil. His moods became dark and violent and he begins to violently lash out at his family. His son Ronnie Jr. eventually tries to escape the house and his father. Multiple times he disappears only to have his father drag him back to the house.

Ronnie starts a downward spiral of drug use and erratic behavior. He begins to hear voices in his head and feels he is being driven to act out. At one point he even takes a loaded rifle and points it at his father. He goes so far as to pull the trigger, but the gun doesn’t go off. Ultimately, Ronnie will fire that gun and kill everyone in the house. Six people are murdered while they sleep and he is found guilty of the crime. But there are all sorts of questions, such as why no one heard the shots and why didn’t anyone in the house wake up?

In 1976 the Lutz family is looking for a new home and the Amityville location is offered at an exceptional price. They are informed of the troubling events that took place, but they discuss the matter and take the place anyway. Almost immediately they begin to have their own problems. A priest is brought in to bless the house and he feels cold spots in the sewing room (which is a former bedroom of one of the victims) and a voice say "get out". From there, the family hears banging noises, door opening and closing, shadows moving in the house and glowing red eyes. George feels cold all the time as though he is wrapped in a cold spot and nothing he does makes him warm. George also claims that the family is starting to sleep in odd positions reminiscent of the way the murder victims were found. There is also the infamous swarm of flies that occupies the room. Even in winter the flies fill the windows.

The Lutzes try their own form of house blessing and go from room to room saying the Lord’s Prayer. They claim to hear voices saying, "will you stop that?" The family is also suffering from the same outbursts that Ronnie suffered from.

Voices, shadows, noises, rocking chairs moving and voices from nowhere prove to be too much and the family decides to leave the house. They leave all their possession behind and turn over the house to the bank. All the contents are sold off at auction and the family moves to California. Even though they’ve moved across the country they claim some of the paranormal activity has followed them.

During the time of crisis, many investigators are brought in to determine the nature of the problems. Even Ed and Lorraine Warren come to investigate the house. They feel the house is occupied by a malevolent spirit.

But are the hauntings real? Is there paranormal activity going on in the house or are there just stories of trouble youth who got tangled up in drugs? Is the house plagued by evil spirits or rather is it old and settling and noises and creaks are to be expected? Considering the excitement and media coverage that ensued over the original murders, was the whole story cooked up to take advantage of a tragic set of events that happened previously. Did George and Kathy take the events of the past and give them a demonic spin and claim dangerous events with the intent of their story being sold for movie and TV rights? There’s quite a few breach of contract lawsuits out there and George even put a trademark on the name Amityville Horror.

And what of the residents who have lived there since? What do they experience? There is very little evidence that says any more activity has occurred since the Lutz family left the home. Did the entity move on to another location? Did the Lutz family let their imaginations and knowledge of the previous murders get the better of them?

In many ways the entire affair has been debunked and claimed as a hoax. There is so little real evidence that many simply discount the whole affair as a work of fiction between a story writer and some actors who were willing to play along. Others however, feel the activity was real and forces within the house were acting out. That the area is restless with Indian ritual and even demonic overtones going all the way back to the Salem Witchtrials and John Ketchum.

While the house will live in infamy with a hose of Hollywood, the town of Amityville isn’t so keen on the publicity. The real house has had the exterior look changed while the address has been changed to keep away curious visitors. It’s one of the most well known haunted houses in the country, but is it real?

Regardless, it’s a great story. Some decent movies out of it at least.

Learn More:

Amityville Horror on Wikipedia
History’s Mysteries – Amityville: The Haunting (History Channel) – Amazon
History’s Mysteries – Amityville: The Haunting (History Channel) – Netflix
Amityville – Horror or Hoax?
Official website of the Amityville Horror
The Amityville Murders
Amityville on Snopes
Interview with Lorraine Warren

Other Articles of Interest:

• Amityville Horror house goes on sale for $1.5M
• A Haunting in Connecticut
• A Haunting in Georgia
• Paranormal State S04E05 – Haunted Sex Dungeon
• Ghost Adventures – Prospect Place
• Haunted Collector – Haunted Bayou/Library Ghost – S01E01
• Haunted History – The Manson Murders – S01E01
• Paranormal Cops – Meagan’s Ghost – S01E05
• The Conjuring – First Impression
• Ghost Adventures – Sedamsville Rectory – S07E06