John Zaffis
Encyclopedia
John Zaffis is a paranormal
researcher born and based in Connecticut
, United States. He runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998.
s, until one Wednesday evening when he was sixteen and saw a transparent apparition
at the foot of his bed shaking its head back and forth. When he told his mother of the incident, Zaffis learned that his grandfather, when he was alive, always shook his head when he was upset about something. In the next few days, Zaffis' grandmother, who lived with him, died. This incident piqued his interest in the paranormal and set him about talking to authorities on the subject and reading about the paranormal. Zaffis spent his first years studying under his uncle and aunt Ed and Lorraine Warren, both demonologists. What he learned from his aunt and uncle exceeded his original interests in ghosts and haunted house
s. Zaffis became interested in demonology
at a young age, which led into his involvement with cases of spirit possession and exorcism
and working with prominent exorcist
s in that field. He has studied the work of Roman Catholic priests, monks, Buddhists, rabbis, and Protestant ministers. Zaffis has also taken part in and assisted with the work of well-known exorcists like Bishop Robert McKenna
, Malachi Martin
, and Reverend Jun.
. He also starred in and wrote the documentary film
Museum of the Paranormal, which was released in spring 2010 and produced by New Gravity Media.
A documentary film on his work and personal life, called John Zaffis: The World Within and produced by CORE Films (which also produced the paranormal documentary series Scared!
), is set to be released in September 2010.
", which the first episode aired in June 1st, 2011. It features him, his son, his daughter, and two other crew members searching for ghosts in certain buildings that people call him for. The premise of the show is that the crew finds an item in the building that may have some sort of connection with a haunting.
, Fox News Live, and the Discovery Channel
documentaries Little Lost Souls and A Haunting in Connecticut. He currently co-hosts the Paranormal Nights radio show with Brendan Keenan. Zaffis was also in the episode "Ghost Hunter" of A Haunting
in which his protege is possessed by a demon. In the 2008 docudrama
The Possessed, he plays himself as the demonologist. Zaffis also appeared and was interviewed in the 2009 Ghost Adventures
episode at the Remington Arms
factory. He also appeared in the 2009 Scared!
episode filmed at the Grand Midway Hotel.
Zaffis has appeared six times on the long-running radio program Coast to Coast AM
from 2005 to 2007. Often, he is a guest and co-host on the Beyond Reality Radio program hosted by The Atlantic Paranormal Society
's Jason Hawes
and Grant Wilson
.
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
researcher born and based in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States. He runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998.
Personal life
Zaffis has over thirty years of experience as a paranormal investigator. Zaffis admits that he was initially very skeptical of the existence of ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s, until one Wednesday evening when he was sixteen and saw a transparent apparition
Apparitional experience
In psychology and parapsychology, an apparitional experience is an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience.It is characterized by the apparent perception of either a living being or an inanimate object without there being any material stimulus for such a perception...
at the foot of his bed shaking its head back and forth. When he told his mother of the incident, Zaffis learned that his grandfather, when he was alive, always shook his head when he was upset about something. In the next few days, Zaffis' grandmother, who lived with him, died. This incident piqued his interest in the paranormal and set him about talking to authorities on the subject and reading about the paranormal. Zaffis spent his first years studying under his uncle and aunt Ed and Lorraine Warren, both demonologists. What he learned from his aunt and uncle exceeded his original interests in ghosts and haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
s. Zaffis became interested in demonology
Demonology
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
at a young age, which led into his involvement with cases of spirit possession and exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
and working with prominent exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
s in that field. He has studied the work of Roman Catholic priests, monks, Buddhists, rabbis, and Protestant ministers. Zaffis has also taken part in and assisted with the work of well-known exorcists like Bishop Robert McKenna
Robert McKenna
Robert Fidelis McKenna, O.P. is a Dominican bishop residing at Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel in Monroe, Connecticut since 1973. He is known for his traditionalist Catholic positions and is an advocate of sedeprivationism...
, Malachi Martin
Malachi Martin
Malachi Brendan Martin Ph.D. was a Catholic priest, theologian, writer on the Catholic Church, and professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute. He held three doctorates and was the sole author of sixteen books covering religious and geopolitical topics, which were published in eight...
, and Reverend Jun.
Work
Research has taken Zaffis all over the United States, as well as Canada, England, and Scotland. He lectures at colleges, universities, and libraries throughout the United States. Zaffis currently runs the Museum of the Paranormal located in Stratford, ConnecticutStratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
. He also starred in and wrote the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Museum of the Paranormal, which was released in spring 2010 and produced by New Gravity Media.
A documentary film on his work and personal life, called John Zaffis: The World Within and produced by CORE Films (which also produced the paranormal documentary series Scared!
Scared!
Scared! , formerly titled as Scared on Staten Island!, is an American paranormal public-access television cable TV series that premiered on September 12, 2002 on Staten Island Community Television...
), is set to be released in September 2010.
Haunted Collector
Zaffis has started a documentary TV series on the Syfy channel called "Haunted CollectorHaunted Collector
Haunted Collector is an American television reality series which airs weekly on the Syfy cable television channel. The series features a team of paranormal investigators led by famed demonologist, John Zaffis, who investigate alleged haunted locations with the hopes of identifying and removing any...
", which the first episode aired in June 1st, 2011. It features him, his son, his daughter, and two other crew members searching for ghosts in certain buildings that people call him for. The premise of the show is that the crew finds an item in the building that may have some sort of connection with a haunting.
Other Media appearances
Zaffis has made appearances on Unsolved MysteriesUnsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
, Fox News Live, and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
documentaries Little Lost Souls and A Haunting in Connecticut. He currently co-hosts the Paranormal Nights radio show with Brendan Keenan. Zaffis was also in the episode "Ghost Hunter" of A Haunting
A Haunting
A Haunting is an American paranormal docudrama anthology television series that originally aired from October 28, 2005 to November 9, 2007 on the Discovery Channel. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based on various accounts of paranormal experiences at...
in which his protege is possessed by a demon. In the 2008 docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
The Possessed, he plays himself as the demonologist. Zaffis also appeared and was interviewed in the 2009 Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 17, 2008 on the Travel Channel. Currently produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment , the program follows and stars ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin, as they investigate locations that are...
episode at the Remington Arms
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
factory. He also appeared in the 2009 Scared!
Scared!
Scared! , formerly titled as Scared on Staten Island!, is an American paranormal public-access television cable TV series that premiered on September 12, 2002 on Staten Island Community Television...
episode filmed at the Grand Midway Hotel.
Zaffis has appeared six times on the long-running radio program Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
from 2005 to 2007. Often, he is a guest and co-host on the Beyond Reality Radio program hosted by The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of Ghost Hunters, a popular weekly...
's Jason Hawes
Jason Hawes
Jason Conrad Hawes is the founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society , which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers of Syfy's Ghost Hunters, which is in its seventh season.-Family:He and his wife have five children - three girls and twin boys...
and Grant Wilson
Grant Wilson
Grant Steven Wilson is the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society , which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers of Syfy's Ghost Hunters, which has just been renewed for its seventh season.-Personal life:He and his wife Reanna have three sons...
.