Series Finale Brings Paranormal State to an End

Ryan Buell, a Sumter, South Carolina native, founded the Paranormal research society in 2001, at Penn State University. He was plagued by the paranormal from childhood (although he rarely names specifics) and did notunderstand. By founding PRS, Buell hoped to help others who are like he once was. He used his paranormal investigative skills he acquired since he was sixteen and applied them to this group at PSU. Six years later, on December 10, 2007, Paranormal State premiered with its pilot episode, drawing 2.5 million viewers. The team, consisting of Buell, Eilfie Music, Katrina Weidman,Heather Taddy, Josh Light, and Sergey Poberezhny, has reported to help on cases ranging anywhere from playful entities to malicious demons, until this year. They have had help from people such as Lorraine Warren (from the original Amityville Horror case), Chad Calek, Chip Coffey, Michelle Belanger, and Father Bob Bailey (who did house blessings and exorcisms, as PRS has roots in Catholicism).

It's apparent that this group has brought help and peace to many people and homes, even if they had to come back to cases (which has been a couple of times). A few months ago, at the end of filming for episodes in 2011, Ryan announced that this would be the last season of Paranormal State. Fans of PRS and Paranormal State are deeply saddened to see the show end, but understand that Ryan feels like they've run their course on television and have fulfilled its purpose.

Last night, May 2nd, was the series finale of Paranormal State, with the episode entitled 'Get Out of This House,' in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. The hauntings started with knocking, banging, and shadows. It progressed with the seeing of apparitions. It is rumored that, in the area, there was once a murdering of children. The family who called for help was hearing this rumor from neighbors.

When PRS arrived, they did a walk through with the female

owner of the home, Crystal, where she described what had been going on. They started in the kitchen, where she said that her husband, Paul, had seen a shadow figure that, when spotted,headed straight down into the basement. In the children's' room, she told Ryan that all three children, when younger, had reported seeing something in the light fixture on the ceiling. Her daughter told her that there was a lady in the light and that she didn't like her, and that she was mean. Her son did the same afterward. These occurrences took place with the light off. In the owners' room, the lady of the house explained that her husband had woken up in the middle of the night, screaming and running away from the room. When he was asked by his wife what was wrong, he said that he woke up to a spirit hovering above him. The husband joined Ryan to tell his account of it. He said he had just closed his eyes to go to sleep, when he sensed something. He said he opened his eyes to a man with a red beard and red eyes, and it screamed at him. When the husband jumped up and ran, the spirit disappeared.

When Ryan sat down with the Crystal, he asked if anyone in the home had ever played with a Ouija (or spirit) board. The client responded that yes, her husband and his brother had, in the house, and that the board is still in the house, because her husband wouldn't let her get rid of it.

Before the investigation began, Josh and Sergey did an EMF reading. The highest EMF reading that they got was in the master bedroom, where the husband sleeps.

Dead time commenced at 11:37 P.M. and the investigation began. During this time, Ryan heard something across from him while in the children's' room. As he continued to talk to the spirit, he heard a kind of a "whooshing" sound. Sergey reported to him that no one was moving at the time he had heard it. Dead time ended with that being the only occurrence.

On day two of the investigation, Eilfie reported that Crystal had been experiencing most of the activity, as she was a stay-at-home mom, yet the husband was experiencing the bigger activity when present, such as seeing full apparitions. Ryan suggested having a psychologist evaluate the family, to rule out any psychological things that may cause the family to see, hear, and/or respond to activity. He also added that they needed to interview neighbors and possibly think about the fact that there's a stream that runs under the clients' home. (It is believed that having water nearby can stir up paranormal activity).

During historical research time, Eilfie and Katrina talked to the town historian about the stream. He said it was normal for the stream to run under the clients' home. They also talked to him about the cemeteries on either side of the home. The historian said that cemeteries are usually put where there aren't a lot of houses, so the cemeteries were probably there first.

Ryan brought in his friend, Adam, the PRS psychologist. And introduced him to the Crystal.

Meanwhile, Katrina went out to interview neighbors. Their neighbor, Monica, testified that Crystal had talked about the phenomena quite a bit, and that she believed her. Katrina asked about any tragedies in the area, and Monica told her a rumor about a girl's skeleton being found just around the bend, twenty-five years before. She added that living between two cemeteries probably "didn't help."

On the second night, Ryan brought in frequent guest psychic and medium, Michelle Belanger, to do a walk through of the house. As always, she was blindfolded so she wasn't biased on anything. Almost immediately, in the living room, she picked up "shadowy, ghost-like 'tendrils'," that she didn't know to what they were connected. She continued with saying she saw patterns of light and shadow, and that it was unsettling. She picked up a past person, in his perspective, in what seemed to be the kids' room. In the master bedroom, she felt an oppressive pressure, and no longer saw the person that she had seen in the other room. She then felt like she was the one being watched.

PRS regrouped at 11:41 P.M., where Ryan asked Adam's assessment of the family. He concluded that it didn't match hysteria in the clinical sense, and that they are all of sound mind.

Day two's dead time's plan was for Ryan and Crystal to monitor downstairs, while the group, sans Katrina (who would be alone in a room), held a seance upstairs, to see if they got anything. Dead time commenced at 12:13 A.M. Katrina was in the master bedroom and felt uncomfortable and like she was being watched. The group used the Ouija board to try to contact the spirit, asking it's name. The name spelled out "OJM." Katrina reported hearing tapping. Upstairs, Michelle talked and said if there was more than one spirit, then to speak only one at a time, and asked if they understood. The board's piece pointed to "yes." Promptly after, Michelle heard something. Michelle asked if the spirit realized that they sometimes frighten the family, and it said, once again, "yes." Michelle remarked, "And clearly, you don't care." The piece pointed to "no." At that time, Ryan decided to come upstairs with the group. Josh remarked that Ryan should play "sitting, standing, or lying." Ryan asked the spirit, "Is the person upstairs sitting?" The board pointed to "yes," which was correct. Ryan asked if they knew who Crystal was, and it said "yes." Ryan continued and asked, "Are you purposefully trying to scare her?" The board pointed, once again, to "yes." He asked the male spirit, "Did you die here or nearby in the area?" The board said "yes." Then, the piece moved around to spell out the word "JERK." Ryan got mad and asked Crystal what she wanted and she said that she wanted them to leave. Ryan got aggressive with the spirit and told it that if it kept on, that they would "kick its ass." He told it to "get the f*ck out." At that point, Michelle closed the circle and remarked, to the spirit, "I would run if I were you."

On day three of the investigation, Michelle said that the only time she felt any kind of real activity was when they used the Ouija board and that it had drawn that kind of activity. She said that she felt the entities weren't harmful, but more like mischievous.

It was concluded that there could be something there, but it was more likely that something electrical was going on (high EMF).

In the final client meeting, Ryan met with the couple and explained that the Ouija board opened up a door to activity, and that the board needed to be gotten rid of. He also explained the EMF phenomena to them and told them that he couldn't judge if it was spirit or EMF phenomena. At the end, Michelle did a house blessing.

In the afterword, it said that a neighbor came forward and brought to light that a previous owner had died in the clients' kitchen. The team is still in contact with Crystal and Paul and is monitoring the ordeal.

This concluded the series, and while I feel it didn't have a great deal of impact as other cases have, I think it wrapped up things nicely. Also, if viewers were watching for the first time, I think it had a lot of paranormal investigation knowledge in it (the EMF stuff, water, spirit boards, etc). I believe that Ryan and his team really did fulfill the original purpose of helping people understand what was happening to them and making them feel safer. Ryan and the rest of the team should feel proud for their accomplishments and know that there are those who will be forever grateful for them.