Paranormal
© Mike Lauterborn / Fairfield Citizen contributed'Psychic energy', according to the Connecticut Paranormal Research Society, captured on film outside of Carousel Garden in Seymour.
Bumps in the night. Shredded bibles. Mysterious growling. Ghostly lights.

All in a day's work for a trio of paranormal investigators who shared their tales of the supernatural with an attentive full house Saturday at Fairfield Woods Branch Library.

Founded by Orlando Ferrante and Joseph Franke, and joined by John Carter, the Connecticut Paranormal Research Society has over 45 years of combined experience as a paranormal investigation and research teams in New England. Their 90-minute presentation included a slide show of on-the-job and contributed imagery, audio clips of other-worldly voices and a few equipment demonstrations, which left the audience spellbound.

On Saturday, Westporters can hear the trio's chilling tales of the supernatural when the Connecticut Paranormal Research Society presents a program, "Who Ya Gonna Call?" at 2 p.m. in the Westport Public Library.

Ferrante and Franke had last visited the Fairfield Woods Branch Library in February, playing to a full house then as well. The well-attended program demanded an encore, though the duo whittled down their talk from three hours. "We have so much material, but three hours is a long time to sit," said Franke. "If you want to spend a weekend with us, we'll show you it all."

Indeed, the duo has literally worked on hundreds of cases since they began collaborating in 1995, amassing documentation of strange, unexplained and even violent happenings and encounters. Since February alone, they have been working on a case at a Masonic Lodge in Naugatuck and a potentially demonic case in Bethel where a woman's boyfriend was attacked by an apparition. After Saturday's presentation, they planned to stop at a house in Derby where the homeowner reported lights turning on after being switched off and doors mysteriously unlatching after they have been locked, as well as eerie voices and footsteps.

The trio says they get a lot of inquiries from media outlets and production companies, like CNN's Anderson Cooper and paranormal show, Fact or Faked? But the three researchers in the group, a non-profit, said they are "not in it for fame or fortune."

"We never take a dime for our work," said Franke. "We're here to help folks disturbed by the paranormal. They're honestly frightened and don't want media attention. We're certainly not going to sign over rights to evidence and further exploit the family."

For Carter, the other two researchers have been a godsend, helping him understand his sensitivity to certain energies and psychic abilities. "I have experienced paranormal stuff almost my whole life," he said. "When I served in the military, I would get vibes or thoughts that something was about to happen and, sure enough, it would. When I was younger, my parents took me to doctors, and thought I was nuts, and put me on meds."

Carter met Franke in 2007 at a program where Franke and Ferrante appeared in Killingworth. The three stayed in touch before Carter officially joined about a year ago to help with their investigations.

"John has an uncanny way of sensing activity and having premonitions," said Franke. "Orlando has psychic ability, too, and John and he work off each other with the abilities. We have pictures and electronic voice phenomenon to verify their talents."

A few cases stand out as most significant. In 2008 in Enfield, homeowners said they had seen shadowy figures and activity centered around the couple's twin toddler daughters. One evening, the investigators were working with a psychic downstairs and channeling a spirit they felt was doing the harassing. Through the psychic, the spirit spit in Ferrante's face, then attacked an investigator upstairs who was shooting still photos. "He picked her up off her feet and dropped her to the ground," said Ferrante. "This was no Caspar the Friendly Ghost."

In Danbury, six or seven kids had conjured spirits through a Ouija board. "They started hearing voices, scratching on the walls, growling," said Ferrante. "We tried burning the board but only the propellant burned. We had to bless it with holy water and bury it."

In Seymour, at a place called Carousel Garden, the investigators interviewed a man with psychic abilities. "He sat at a table and he was staring and being unresponsive," said Franke. "He said there's a man looking for a fight and led us to the basement. He started getting agitated then was knocked to the ground. Orlando was punched, too, and got a big red welt on his back."