The Pros of Paranormal Cons

BY LARISSA MRYKALO

I propose that the American Psychological Association should include a new diagnosis in its diagnostic manual: Post Paranormal Conference Blues (PPCB?). There's nothing like spending a weekend with friends and not only having fun but also learning something too. I just arrived home from Phenomacon 106 that took place in Gettysburg, PA and once again, I realize how fortunate I am to get to attend conferences and not only meet up with but speak to some truly interesting and genuine folks.

I asked my friend, Alli, to give me a quote about why she comes to paranormal conferences and her response mirrored the ones of those I just saw on the Phenomacon Facebook page. She said it was, "A great opportunity to connect and learn from other like-minded people." The range of guests goes from skeptics and scientists to psychics and healers. I went from speaking to Grady Mosby who is the author of "A Near Death Experience: I Died and Came Back from Hell" to discussing Bigfoot and the recent Rick Dyer hoax with Eric Altman, Director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. I attended paranormal researcher/psychic, Chris Fleming's panel on angels and left there much less skeptical and will definitely be keeping my eyes open. This was just on my first day.

'The Conjuring' Sequel Gets Release Date

According to "The Hollywood Reporter," New Line and Warner Bros. have announced "The Conjuring 2" will open Oct. 23, 2015. The movie is a sequel to last summer's paranormal horror hit, focusing on a case from famous ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (and uncle/aunt to John Zaffis). Additionally, New Line/Warner has Oct. 3 2015 slotted for another untitled horror film, which THR speculates might be "Annabelle," "The Conjuring" spinoff movie, which we reported on back in November.

Of course, this would be a potentially cool, and potentially risky, move for Warner to release two movies from the same franchise in the same month. But currently, the studios don't have a lot of scary competition that month, aside from Guillermo Del Toro's gothic horror "Crimson Peak," which opens Oct. 16, 2015.

Also, details emerged last August that the sequel -- which was greenlit swiftly after the first movie picked up $41 million its opening weekend -- would send the Warrens to England. That may remain true, but it would appear James Wan will not be returning to helm the next installment. In fact, there isn't yet any director announced for the film.

-Aaron Sagers

Brian J. Cano Speaks About 'Haunted Collector' Cancellation

Image Courtesy of Ali Cotton Photography

For fans of Syfy’s “Haunted Collector,” Halloween did not yield very good news. As we reported, John Zaffis took to social media and reported that the show would not be returning. The show's tech specialist, Brian J. Cano, also commented on the news and promised to elaborate at a later time.

On Tuesday, November 5, he made good on his promise. Cano took to his blog and presented his thoughts and feelings about the show and his experience. The biggest surprise was that, based on his response, it was clear that the news came as a shock to him and he clarified that confirmation of the news came later via an email from the production company.

Well Brian gave us a little more info in a brief interview, where he addressed rumors about the show's demise. Regarding our question about "Collector" production company Gurney getting bought out by ITV -- and it driving up the asking price for Syfy -- Cano said it was "above my pay grade."

"I'm an investigator, not an actor, so the politics of companies and networks usually pass over my head."

He also said "the rumors are unfounded" that Zaffis didn't want to travel internationally for the show, which is what prompted Syfy to pull the plug.

Cano did point to a recent Syfy comment on Twitter that the ratings simply weren't where they needed to be.

A: We love the show but ratings weren’t what we hoped, we only can do so many shows and want to give new shows a chance.
— Ted A’Zary (@Syfy) November 6, 2013

That tweet from Syfy is pretty boilerplate but also, unfortunately, true. For as much of a fanbase as "Haunted Collector" seemed to have, not enough people tuned in.

Speaking of those fans, Cano demonstrated his gratefulness to the fans and the many friendships he has made. The outpouring from fans of the show, upon hearing the news, was deep. He mentions, "I coined the Internet hashtag #Collectors to identify those fans of our show and I too will always be a #Collector."

-Larissa Mrykalo

John Zaffis Announces 'Haunted Collector' Cancellation

BY AARON SAGERS

Well, it looks as if Syfy's "Haunted Collector" has moved on to the afterlife ... and I want to talk about why.

Although Syfy has not made an announcement, according to his Facebook post on Thursday, show lead John Zaffis said, "hi all just letting you know haunted collector will not be coming back sorry to all our fans." Produced by Gurney Productions, the show premiered in 2011 and revolved around veteran ghost hunter and researcher John Zaffis and his team, which included Brian Cano, Jason Gates, Jesslyn Brown and Zaffis' children Aimee and Chris. The primary focus on the show was Zaffis' pursuit of haunted objects aka "possessed possessions," which he would explore and add to his paranormal museum.

But let's take a look behind the scenes.

Chiller Gets Scary Good with 'Real Fear 2: The Truth Behind (More) Movies'

Chiller is bringing back the popular Real Fear franchise with the two-hour special, Real Fear 2: The Truth Behind (More) Movies.

On Friday, September 6 at 9 p.m., paranormal investigators Richard Dolan, Katrina Weidman, John McGarry, Chris Holt and Becky Weingrad will dig up the facts that inspired some truly terrifying films. They’ll also receive some expert advise on the cases from psychic, Chip Coffey and legendary researcher, John Zaffis.

In this special, they’ll not only listen to eyewitness interviews but also reenactments of events that expose more information about the tales behind the films.

According to the press release they’ll discover, “gripping evidence of the paranormal activity that inspired The Haunting in Connecticut; the eyewitness reports of a winged creature that led to The Blair Witch Project; the terrifying UFO abduction claim behind Fire in the Sky and the series of mysterious deaths that inspired the chilling classic A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Be sure to check out the Q&A with Katrina Weidman over at ChillerTV.com for some more insight on the series.

-Larissa Mrykalo

‘Conjuring’ a paranormal family: ‘Haunted Collector’ Zaffis on ghost hunting with Ed and Lorraine Warren

BY AARON SAGERS

Being a Haunted Collector is just part of John Zaffis’ family business. Long before he was the lead investigator on Syfy’s reality-TV show or the so-called “Godfather of the Paranormal,” Zaffis was the nephew of famous ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The duo, previously best known for their involvement with “The Amityville Horror,” takes center stage in The Conjuring, the new movie that won the weekend box office based on a 1970 case of haunting and possession. The “clients” of the Warrens is the the Perron Family, who are tormented by entities in their newly acquired Rhode Island farmhouse. And John Zaffis remembers the case well.

Though not yet involved in the paranormal field, the Connecticut native said the case had a major effect on his aunt and uncle’s work and life. Zaffis said the Perron story sparked intensity within his Uncle Ed that spread to him during the beginning of his journey into the unexplained. And the office of haunted objects the Warrens removed from investigations, which eventually grew to become a museum, inevitably became the catalyst for Zaffis building his own well-documented collection of possessed possessions – and the basis for Syfy’s Haunted Collector, which recently wrapped its third season.

In the following interview, Zaffis joins us to discuss his family history of haunting before he became the “Godfather of the Paranormal,” and offers inside insight about Ed and Lorrain Warren – along with hints about the future of Haunted Collector and his own possible future within the movies.

Reviews and new trailer for 'The Conjuring'

Favorable reviews for James Wan’s The Conjuring and a new trailer featuring actual commentary from the affected family are hopefully going to drive audiences to the theater when it opens on July 19.

The terrifying tale that’s based on real life events investigated by paranormal legends, Ed and Lorraine Warren, has been lauded by DailyDead.com as, “the closest thing to a horror classic modern audiences are likely to get, particularly in an era when genre offerings seem to be at their most disposable."

The Hollywood Reporter reports, “With its minimal use of digital effects, its strong, sympathetic performances and ace design work, the pic harks back in themes and methods to The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror, not quite attaining the poignancy and depth of the former but far exceeding the latter in sheer cinematic beauty.”

Over at Variety, Justin Chang describes the film as, “A sensationally entertaining old-school freakout and one of the smartest, most viscerally effective thrillers in recent memory.”

The Conjuring carries an R rating and stars Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren, Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren, and Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston as the embattled couple trying to protect their family.

Check out the latest trailer, embedded below, and let us know if you’re brave enough to check out what’s being called quite possibly one of the scariest films of 2013.

'Haunted Collector' hunts for the ghost of Orson Welles

courtesy Syfy

On May 8, Syfy's Haunted Collector will ask the question, "Is a Hollywood icon haunting a house?"

John Zaffis, host of the paranormal reality series, will travel to Hollywood next week to investigate supposed ghostly disturbances in the home where film legend Orson Welles once lived. Airing May 8, 9 p.m., the episode covers the possible paranormal activity in the home that began when owner Joe Liebke first screened Welles’ Citizen Kane for friends.

According to a Syfy release, "All was well until the television began flickering, followed by a complete loss of power throughout the house – the only home to mysteriously go dark while electricity in the rest of the neighborhood remained on." Further, the network states that "there was a steady escalation in unexplained activity, including a moving shadow figure that has unlocked a dead-bolt right before his eyes, phantom footsteps and bizarre electrical outages."

So will Zaffis and Co. find compelling evidence of the paranormal, or just find a sled? Personally, I'm guessing it's all part of an elaborate radio play involving aliens. But we have to tune in to find out!

-Aaron Sagers

'Haunted Collector' renewed for Season 3

This morning, Syfy announced it would be renewing its paranormal reality series Haunted Collector. The show stars John Zaffis and Brian J. Cano, along with Zaffis' kids Aimee and Chris, Jason Gates and Jessyln Brown. During season two, the show averaged 1.17 million total viewers, which includes a growth of about 18 percent among adults versus season one.

From a Syfy press release:

John Zaffis on Season Two of 'Haunted Collector'

The Haunted Collector team. From left: John Zaffis, Aimee Zaffis,
Chris Zaffis,Gates, Cano, Brown. Courtesy Syfy

BY AARON SAGERS

He is called the "Godfather of the Paranormal" because of his knowledge as an investigator, researcher and expert on religious demonology. And yet, it might be more appropriate to call  John Zaffis of Syfy's Haunted Collector the American picker of the paranormal.

Premiering its second season tonight, June 6, at 9 p.m., Haunted Collector follows lead investigator Zaffis as he tracks down and examines haunted objects and possessed possessions which may be the source of ghostly activity. The task is uniquely suited to this paranormal pack rat who has  - over the course of nearly four decades in the field - acquired enough of these items to establish his own haunted museum near his Stratford, Conn. home. Within the museum, he stores the items to keep their alleged powers at bay, and does so with the help of items buried in its foundation which supposedly neutralize their negative energy.

Of course, none of this is news to those within the paranormal community where Zaffis and and his museum have become pretty legendary. But non-ghost hunters also became familiar with Zaffis last year after the first season of Haunted Collector scored the network its most watched reality debut of 2011. 

Now Zaffis returns for another season of investigating claims of the paranormal. But this season, he expands his investigations to include previously unheard-of locations and utilizes new gadgets. In addition to airing 12 episodes compared to last season's 6, there is also a switch up with the HC team. While his adult children Chris and Aimee Zaffis return - along with tech specialist Brian Cano - new additions Jesslyn Brown and Jason Gates will join the haunted collector as he attempts to answer questions of the unexplained and assist terrified clients, and maybe even pick up a few new items along the way.

In tonight's season premiere, Zaffis and his team head to Warsaw, Ky, where two steamboats crashed in 1868, killing more than 60 people - and a woman whose house stands near the crash site says she's suffering hauntings as a result. Then the team travels to Huron, Ohio, where an abandoned grain silo is scheduled to be destroyed in 48 hours, sending them on a race against the clock to identify and remove any potentially dangerous energy. 

John Zaffis spoke with Paranormal Pop Culture about the new season of Haunted Collector, as well as about the changes he has seen in the paranormal community and if there are any famous objects he'd like to collect (after the jump)...

Syfy announces dates for a paranormal summer

Looks like Syfy can't get enough of the unexplained this summer. According to a new press release, the network is rolling out a slew of paranormal-themed movies and shows - including two new ones - to give you chills during the warmer months. Let's dive in and see what they are so you can mark your calendars and set your DVRs now.

JUNE

HAUNTED COLLECTOR
(Season two premiere)
Wednesday, June 6, 9 p.m.
Haunted Collector features eminent paranormal collector John Zaffis, who searches for objects that have become home to paranormal spirits and/or energy. Each week Zaffis and his family help someone who’s terrorized by something strange in their own home, using the latest technology to identify the source of the paranormal activity. On the season 2 premiere of Haunted Collector, the team heads to Warsaw, Kentucky, where a woman’s home is suffering hauntings, possibly from two steamboats which crashed in a fiery collision, killing more than 60 people in 1868. Next, they travel to Huron, Ohio, in a race against the clock to remove the dangerous energy from an abandoned silo, scheduled to be destroyed in 48 hours.