Eye on the Paranormal – Issue 13 ~ Paranormal Scoundrels: The Hall of Shame

Welcome back to the Eye on the Paranormal. We had fully intended to take a blink but due to the increasingly outrageous conduct of para-celebrities, we find it impossible to do so. Now those that think that I’ve been bashing Paranormal State too hard will be glad to know that neither the aforementioned show or the Paranormal Research Society will NOT be the focus of the next series of blogs.

The forthcoming series of blogs will introduce you to a wide-ranging cast of paranormal scoundrels. You will be exposed to the antics of paranormal celebrities whose conduct is nothing but egregious. This week we have a guest columnist that’s going to expose secrets that no one wanted you to know and next week I will be returning with my own analysis of a huge group of paranormal scoundrels that will lead to the end of the year issue which will induct them into our Paranormal Hall of Shame.

I repost this article not only because we are so busy with our cases right now, but also due to the fact that few people saw this original post and his investigation is thorough and what he uncovers is shocking.

ANATOMY OF A PARANORMAL MONEY COW

This investigative blog may have gotten overlooked. It’s too good and exposes too much deception for it to be ignored. The author is nicknamed Demon Designer and here’s his site, http://profile.myspace.com/psbs_101

Here it is in its entirety:
It's not about the paranormal anymore. It's about bullshit and money.

Do I believe in the paranormal?
Absolutely!
What about people exploiting the paranormal for their own benefit?
I'm a serious believer...

I believe they've created a lucrative market based on fabrication and BS. All they need is a good "case", and they can milk it for all it's worth. A good story to sell you, a few people to swear it's true, and a network to promote it! The birth of a money cow. All their friends can write books, speak at lectures, do television and radio interviews, sign TV contracts, and make movies.

Look at "A Haunting in Connecticut". The author of the original book is now talking about how it's all fiction. Ray Garton, author of "In A Dark Place: The Story of A True Haunting", says he was paid to make it up.

"A Haunting in Connecticut" (2002) was originally brought to television by the Discovery Channel series "A Haunting", which presented haunted cases, most (if not all) featuring Lorraine Warren.

The Haunting In Connecticut on YouTube:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKSokL5Abk
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFf1rNnTY98
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXZzq012uH0
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLJTH8ykv5A
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNRxpL57q4
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EiJDN1hG0
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_oIPHAPAZU
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM7AOgQ4ijk
Part 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11gADGdKso

I think it's important for people to understand how this all works. Who's going to get their hand in the cookie jar next? No wonder Mrs. Warren has so many friends!

Something interesting noted by "Eye On The Paranormal" regarding a recent interview with Ryan Buell, "Ryan says he only worries about getting approval from a small, select group of people. And one of them happens to be Lorraine Warren."

Yeah, Ryan. I understand completely...

Get ready to become a serious believer!

Is it time for a new movie and a new money making machine for an old story? Or should they wait longer? LMAO! How old is this case, you ask?

The woman at the center of this case, Carmen Snedeker aka Carmen Reed was a guest on Coast to Coast AM a couple years ago, promoting her story. Even the host George Noory couldn't understand why she waited so long to tell her tale.

This is her bio from the C2CAM site:

Carmen Reed, a mother of four, comes forth after being silent for over 15 years and tells her story of the terrifying events that her family had endured after renting a home that was formerly a funeral home in Connecticut. Carmen is now discussing publicly the details that were left out of the book In a Dark Place and the documentary, A Haunting in Connecticut. Many unanswered questions will now be addressed as Carmen will speak publicly about her family's ordeal.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guests/1207.html

June 7, 2006
In the second half, Zaffis was joined by Carmen Reed, whose life was featured in the film "A Haunting in Connecticut" about her family's torment while living in a haunted former funeral parlor. Reed said for the first two years she didn't believe her children's accounts of ghosts until she actually witnessed a hand imprint on her niece, that moved from the niece's nightshirt and disappeared into a wall.

Reed is now seeking to bring attention to the events of 19 years ago, so that parents won't make the same mistake she did of disbelieving their children if they report such incidents. Zaffis shared his encounter with a demonic entity that was descending on the stairs of Reed's home. The transparent shape was accompanied by a foul smell and he heard the words "Do you know what they did to us?' The funeral home was said to have had a necrophiliac in its employ, and Reed believes that this may have opened up the door for demonic spirits to come through.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2006/06/07.html

Maybe PRS can investigate. Who cares if Carmen Snedeker aka Carmen Reed didn't tell anyone about the "haunting" for 15 years? Who cares if the story was already brought to TV in 2002, and it was an old story then? They can still "investigate" and make money, right?

"Reed is now seeking to bring attention to the events of 19 years ago, so that parents won't make the same mistake she did of disbelieving their children if they report such incidents."

Isn't that sweet?
She's doing it for the children (not the money).

That's so much like something Chip would do.
Where's Chip?
There he is...co-authoring the *new* book on this case with John Zaffis!

A new book?! Ray Garton already admitted he was paid to make it up! He tells all in this interview with Ric Osuna:

Ray Garton's In a "Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting" told the story of the Snedeker family and their alleged "demonic siege." Needing to be closer to the cancer specialist treating their 14-year-old son, the Snedekers relocated to Connecticut, where they purportedly moved into a house that had once been a funeral home. Feeling their son had become possessed and their house was plagued by evil forces, the Snedekers contacted psychic investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who also were involved with the Amityville case, for help.

In a Dark Place, published in 1992 by Villard Books, chronicled this alleged haunting, boasting it was a true story. Author Ray Garton, however, disagreed with labeling the book nonfiction, but was bound by contract to finish the book. His recollection about his experiences with the Warrens seemed to illustrate the true nature of these investigators.

Ric Osuna: How did you become involved with the self-proclaimed demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren?

Ray Garton: My agent at the time, Lori Perkins, was the one who put me in contact with the Warrens. She got me the job of writing In A Dark Place: The Story of A True Haunting.

RO: What opinions did you have of the Warrens prior to your involvement with In a Dark Place?

RG: I had been following the exploits of the Warrens since I was a little kid. They showed up frequently in the tabloids, like the National Enquirer, and I regularly read about their activities as paranormal investigators. I've never been a big believer in ghosts or demons, but I always found their articles very entertaining, and when the opportunity arose, I was eager to work on a book with them.

RO: What was your first major conflict with the story that the Warrens and the Snedeker family revealed to you?

RG: I honestly don't remember specifically what the first problem was, only that the details of the story given to me by the family involved were not meshing. Elements of Carmen Snedeker's story clashed with elements of Al Snedeker's story, and it seemed everyone was having a problem keeping their stories straight. Frankly, I didn't notice until I had nearly finished all my interviews and began going over my notes, then I started having trouble matching up the details.

RO: How did you broach Ed Warren about the inconsistencies in this alleged haunting? And how did he respond?

RG: First, I went back to the Snedekers and asked more questions. When the details of the stories still didn't match up, I became concerned and called Ed Warren. I didn't even have to tell him which details weren't meshing, I simply pointed out to him that the stories weren't matching. Ed laughed and told me not to worry about it. He said the Snedekers were "crazy" (that was the word he used). Then he said, "All the people who come to us are crazy. Why do you think they come to us?" I was, quite literally, speechless. Without even asking for details, Ed had a solution. He reminded me that I wrote scary stories (at that time, I had written exclusively novels and short stories in the horror genre), and told me to "make it up and make it scary."

RO: What was Ed and Lorraine's reaction to your problem with labeling In a Dark Place nonfiction?

RG: I don't know what their reaction was because after Ed told me to "make it up and make it scary," I cut off all contact with them. After that, I was so angry and disgusted, I wanted nothing more to do with them, and I haven't spoken to them since.

RO: Looking back on it, how do you view your experience with In a Dark Place?

RG: At the time that it was happening, I was very upset about the whole thing. I have called it the lowest point of my writing career. But looking back on it, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else. They were, after all, "ghostbusters" whose exploits had been covered in tabloids, the reputations of which did not exactly have a great deal of integrity. As I pointed out earlier, I've never been a believer in ghosts or demons, so I guess I should not have expected my mind to be changed on the topic. I suppose I was somewhat naive. But it was the contempt in which Ed Warren held the Snedekers that made me so angry, and the fact that I went in expecting a solid story to already exist, one that I could simply write down in book form. In other words, I didn't expect to have to "make up" a story. As disturbing as the experience was, I did my best to write an entertaining, scary story. The book was well-received by both critics and readers, and for that I'm grateful.

RO: Did the Warrens ever mention the notorious Amityville case or did you ever ask them about Amityville or their other exploits?

RG: Yes, both Ed and Lorraine did mention Amityville in passing, but we did not discuss it in any detail.

RO: How has your opinion changed of Ed and Lorraine Warren since your involvement with them in In a Dark Place? And do you feel they are more of a detriment to families out there than a help?

RG: Prior to working with them, I found them entertaining and thought them to be, if nothing else, harmless. Not anymore. I think the families who come to them are, to say the least, dysfunctional. I think they tend to be people who are in need of serious help, not in need of the services of ghostbusters. Ed Warren's contempt for them is despicable. If he were to approach them with any sensitivity whatsoever, he would see that their biggest problems are not supernatural, but are very real. The Warrens enable these families to sublimate those problems by nurturing their dark fantasies.

http://www.amityvillemurders.com/interviews/rgarton.html


*Never fear! Chip will fix it!*
Lorraine Warren and company decided to have her nephew John Zaffis and Chip Coffey work on a new book, to go along with the new movie starring Virginia Madsen, "The Haunting in Connecticut" due out sometime in 2009.

Demons from the Dark
By Chip Coffey

We've all seen them: movies like The Amityville Horror and Poltergeist, in which restless, often malevolent spirits terrorize families who have unwittingly chosen to share their living space with the dead. Most of us can't begin to imagine just how traumatic that experience would be. For Carmen Snedeker, the unimaginable became frighteningly real when she and her family moved into what appeared to be, at first glance, a lovely house in Southington, Connecticut.

Carmen's family had been going through some tough times when she happened upon the "for rent" sign outside the house. Her oldest son was undergoing treatment for cancer, the family was in dire straits financially, and they needed an affordable place to live. Carmen felt her prayers had been answered when she discovered that the monthly rent was well within the price range that her family could manage to pay for a decent and comfortable place to call home.

Shortly after moving into the house, Carmen made a shocking discovery. In the basement, partially hidden under building and construction materials, she found tools and equipment that are typically used by morticians. Carmen quickly came to the horrifying realization that she and her family were now residing in a former funeral home!

It didn't take long for darkness to descend upon the family. One day, as Carmen was mopping the kitchen floor, the water suddenly turned blood red and had a putrid odor. Crucifixes that hung in various places throughout the house began to simply disappear.

Carmen's niece was living with the family at the time. One night, while sleeping, she was physically assaulted by unseen hands that groped and grabbed at her body. A rosary that she had placed around her neck was violently yanked by the abusive entity and the beads scattered all across the floor.

Several demonic entities made their evil presence known during the ensuing weeks.
"They were incredibly powerful," Carmen remembers. "One of the demons was very thin, with high cheekbones, long black hair and pitch black eyes. Another had white hair and eyes, wore a pinstriped tuxedo, and his feet were constantly in motion."

Carmen's formerly "preppy" oldest son soon began wearing only dark clothing and suffered dramatic personality changes. He became increasingly angry and violent and he started writing dark, disturbing poetry. One of the poems that he wrote contained graphic descriptions of sexual activity with dead bodies.

The family frequently smelled foul odors in the house, including the scents of rotting flesh and excrement. At one point, a dark mist enveloped Carmen and her niece while they were together in the kitchen, disorienting and paralyzing both of them. Terrified, Carmen began to recite The Lord's Prayer and the demon released the women from its hellish clutches.

Carmen was at her wit's end. Her family was clearly in danger, as the demonic infestation grew worse with each passing day. Desperate for relief, she telephoned renowned paranormal experts, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and begged them for help.

The Warrens, perhaps best known for their involvement in the much-publicized Amityville Horror case, agreed to investigate. Ed, Lorraine and their team of investigators literally moved into the Snedeker's home for an astounding nine weeks in order to witness for themselves all the supernatural events that were allegedly occurring.

John Zaffis, nephew of Ed Warren, was part of the investigative team. John recalls that, shortly after arriving, members of the team began to be "touched" by the entities. He also remembers the vile odors that frequently permeated the house.

"The situation was pretty chaotic by the time we arrived," John recounts. "One night, I was sitting at the dining room table, reviewing some notes that I'd made. Suddenly, the room grew bitterly cold and I could sense a presence around me. I called out to the others, who were sleeping in the living room, but I couldn't get anyone to wake up. I looked up the stairs and saw an apparition starting to form. The air was filled with a disgusting odor, so foul that I could hardly breathe. As the apparition took shape, I could hear a noise that sounded like thousands of flapping wings coming from behind it. I'd never been more terrified in my life!"

A Catholic priest was enlisted to bless the house and even perform the sacred rites of mass therein, but the negative activity continued. Finally, the decision was made to conduct an exorcism on the house. The demonic forces railed against the exorcism, but following the ritual, "the house definitely felt lighter and we all felt a sense of calm and relief," John Zaffis remembers.

The Snedeker family resided in the haunted house for two-and-a-half years before finally moving. To the best of her knowledge, Carmen states, "no one who has lived there since [her family left the premises] has experienced any paranormal activity."

It has been almost two decades since these events took place. Since that time, Carmen has been "approached" by negative forces, but her unwavering faith and unflinching courage have kept the evil energies at bay.

"No one will ever really know why the house was haunted while we were there," Carmen said. "We did discover, however, that one of the men who worked in the funeral home was guilty of necrophilia, so perhaps his heinous actions stirred up the demonic forces."

"This was one of the most significant cases I've ever worked on," John Zaffis says, without hesitation. "It proved to me, beyond any doubt, that demonic forces are very real."

A television documentary, called A Haunting in Connecticut, and a book, entitled In a Dark Place, have both chronicled the events that took place in the old funeral home. In 2006, Gold Circle Films, in collaboration with Integrated Films and Management, will produce a feature film about the demonic haunting. Universal Studios will distribute the film.

In conjunction with the release of the movie, a new book about these incidents, written by Snedeker, Zaffis and paranormal investigator/writer, Chip Coffey, will be published.
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2006/features_01092006.shtml

They aren't letting go of this money cow! No matter how many times Ray Garton says he was paid to make up the story, they all want their hands in this cookie jar! How many people are going to milk this cow?

Can they get Hollywood to come up with something as sensational as Amityville, Poltergeist, or Emily Rose? That's the question.
It's not about the paranormal anymore. It's about bullshit and money.

The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Mr. Garton can have the last words here...

Posted by: Ray Garton on June 21, 2008 at 16:34:11
My name is Ray Garton. Back in the early nineties, I wrote a book called IN A DARK PLACE: THE STORY OF A TRUE HAUNTING. It was published as "non-fiction", but that was just marketing. I went to Connecticut to meet with the family involved in the alleged haunting of their former house, which used to be a funeral home. I was never able to see the inside of the home because the people who were living there by then wanted nothing to do with the "haunting", which they said was utter nonsense. It was my job to get the family's story down on paper and into a book. I worked with the family, and with the "ghostbusters" or "demon hunters" (whatever they happened to be calling themselves at the moment), Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their nephew John Zaffis. The family now claims they had "little involvement" in this book -- that is simply a lie. They were DIRECTLY involved with the book -- it was them, the Warrens, Zaffis, and myself, nobody else. I attempted to get their story. Unfortunately, the members of the family couldn't seem to keep their "facts" straight. Their individual stories simply did not fit into one smooth hole. Now the Snedeckers and those associated with the movie claim that the book I wrote "remains a source of controversy." The only source of controversy was the Snedeckers, because they just couldn't keep their stories straight. I went to Ed Warren and told him the problem. He laughed. "They're crazy!" he said. "Everybody who comes to us is crazy, otherwise why would they come to US? Just do the best you can. You write scary books, right? That's why we hired you. Use whatever you can of their story, make the rest up, and make it scary." And that's what I did. The book IN A DARK PLACE is a combination of elements of the family's story and stuff I made up -- because it was a for-hire writing job, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. If this family is saying they had "little involvement" in this book, then they are bald-faced liars. They were involved from beginning to end, and THEY COLLECTED THE CHECK FOR IT. They were deeply involved in IN A DARK PLACE, and they were PAID for it -- their names are on the cover of the book along with my name and Ed and Lorraine Warren. I never got to meet their allegedly ill son -- I was only allowed to speak with him briefly on the phone. Although there was much talk of his illness, it was NEVER verified for me, although he did have a drug problem. It was discovered that the girls in the family who claimed to have been groped by so-called invisible, demonic hands were actually groped by HIM. The Warrens and Zaffis claimed they had videotape that clearly showed supernatural activity inside the house, and they told me numerous times that they would SHOW me that videotape. Somehow, during our time together, they just couldn't manage to find it. Not only did I not see that footage, I never saw an actual VHS videotape at ALL. Since my experience with the Warrens and this family, I've talked to other writers who have written books for Ed and Lorraine, and they've told me THE EXACT SAME STORY. This is how the Warrens have always worked, and Zaffis, who's learned well from them, is now carrying on the family business (and that's all it is -- a BUSINESS). They find a very "emotional" family with claims of some supernatural activity in their lives, convince them there's money to be made if they just shape this into a better "story" (and this family was very eager to make money -- at the time I knew them, Carmen was involved in some kind of interstate lottery scam), then they hire a writer of horror fiction to write it up as a book -- "Make it scary," Ed told me -- and they've got themselves a package, a piece of merchandise that they can hawk on talk shows and that the Warrens can discuss in their VERY lucrative lectures. And perhaps they can convince someone in Hollywood to make a movie of it. Of course, in THIS case, the book I wrote has been shoved aside and isn't involved in the making of the movie THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. It will be VERY interesting to see how much of this movie contains the material that I WAS TOLD TO MAKE UP. We'll see.

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=346

CALL TO ACTION:

Just tell A&E you won’t watch them as long as Paranormal State is on the air. And share with them all the lies and deception that are taking place. Here’s the contact information:

A&E Television Networks
235 East 45th Street,
New York, NY 10017
212-210-1340

1925 Century Park East, Suite 900
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310-201-6060

It seems some folks just can’t learn to tell the truth and their lies just get sadder and sadder. The people over at PRS/PS have been caught red-handed. It’s time to ‘fess up.

For those who are unaware, during the investigation that was part of Paranormal State’s THE MESSENGER episode, it seems that the participants from PRS decided to plant a cold can of Budweiser on a bed to get Bill the ghost to appear.

Ryan and Chip enter the room and Ryan claims he picks up a cold spot and when the intrepid pair flip on the light they claim they see an outline of a person on the bed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyHjjDR9JBQ&feature=related The Messenger, Part 2






There are 3 things everyone can do in the effort to get the truth out to the general public and proper authorities. They’re free, and will only take a few moments of your time. But they can pay off big in exposure.

1) Call, write, and/or email Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and tell them that their product is being used without their permission and in an act of deception. Tell them it is reflecting badly on the image of such a respected corporation. Also, you might pitch some new taglines for their Budweiser Beer product. Mine are:

~ FORGET ABOUT MILLER TIME – IT’S DEAD TIME!
~ TAKE A SIX PACK OF BUD TO THE GRAVE WITH YOU!
~ THE KING OF DEAD BEER – BUDWEISER
~ BUD – THE BEER FOR THIS LIFE AND THE AFTERLIFE!

1 800 DIAL BUD
(1 800 342 5283)
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
One Busch Place
St. Louis, MO 63118
Copy and paste this into your browser:
http://contactus.anheuser-busch.com/Email/email.aspx?Site=IB

2) Lakeshore Entertainment is the production company behind the film “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” It’s very clear that PRS/PS and/or Laura’s family is ripping off the story from this fine motion picture for the sake of 15 minutes of fame. Even Paranormal State puts to use the 1,2,3,4,5,6 from the film. So the production company should both be warned and compensated, or have the I AM SIX episode yanked. Here is the contact information:

Lakeshore Entertainment
9268 West Third Street, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 USA
Phone: [310] 867-8000
Fax: [310] 300-3015
info@lakeshoreentertainment.com
contact@lakeshoreentertainment.com
www.lakeshoreentertainment.com

3) Penn State is an established institution with a spotless reputation for serious research and above board practices. The president of the university needs to know how PRS is using and abusing its image. Call, write, and/or email them about what is happening.

Graham B. Spanier
Office of the President
0201 OLD MAIN
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA 16802
(814) 865-2507 or 814-865-7611
E-mail: president@psu.edu

THE PARANORMAL MOMENT OF TRUTH CHALLENGE

Dear Ryan Buell, Chip Coffey, Lorraine Warren, Sandra & Keith Johnson, Dr. Ron Milione, Tony Spera, Shannon & Jeff Sylvia, C.J. Sellers, Chris Moon, Michelle Belanger, Chad Calek, Michael & Marti Parry, Mark & Debby Constantino, Kim Russo, David Schrader, Reverend Andrew Calder, Reverend Bob Larson, Grant Wilson, and Jason Hawes:

I have expressed concerns about how you conduct your investigations and the validity of those investigations, where anyone with a clear and discerning eye can see that they are not authentic. I have also witnessed heavy-handed tactics being used against people who question your alleged authority within the paranormal community and dared to raise questions concerning the validity of appearing on the A&E shows, Paranormal State, and Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal. I can no longer sit by in silence. That is why I came up with The Paranormal Moment of Truth Challenge, which will benefit you, your organization, the paranormal field, and a charity that would be assisted from the donation of the prize money.

1 ~ It would silence your critics if you are determined to be telling the truth about all your claims and how they are presented. There can be no one left to challenge your honesty and integrity.

2 ~ It would not only benefit your organization, but it would also help the entire paranormal field. Because if such evidence is true, it will be brought to a much wider audience, which hopefully would fuel additional legitimate investigations. So it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

3 ~ The charity of your choice would have the prize money donated to them. If the truth is being told, that prize money could reach $500,000.

So, what is The Paranormal Moment of Truth Challenge? I am sure you’ve heard of the Fox Network program entitled The Moment of Truth. This is where a contestant is hooked up to a lie detector test and asked 50 questions, of which 21 of them are used on the actual show. As long as you tell the truth, you keep on winning money -- up to $500,000. The production company, Lighthearted Entertainment Inc., would jump at an opportunity of doing a show with the two of you. And I will put my personal credibility on the line and appear, as well. For if you visit my Free All Spirits page (www.myspace.com/freeallspirits), you’ll notice that I personally make what some would call outlandish claims concerning my work as a Demonologist/Exorcist/Paranormal Investigator/Caring Spiritual Adviser.

If you would like to be "one step closer to the truth" then this is a way to achieve your goal. If interested, please contact me at this email address and I will get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

Your friend in spirit,
Kirby

To date, this is the response that I’ve received from them.




Why not do the show? Only you, the paranormal field, and a charity of your choice would benefit.


INFORMATION REQUEST: If anyone wants to share any information with their experiences involving the PRS, Ryan Buell, Chip Coffey, and any other para-celebrity/paranormal scoundrel, whether it is good or bad, I would like to read it. Your confidentiality is 100% guaranteed.

NOTE: Please feel free to copy and paste this and place it all over the web. And, unlike any of my other blogs, you can even repost this under your own name!