"Paranormal State" creeps out in Cranford

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"Paranormal State" creeps out in Cranford
April 3, 2009
By AVA GACSER
mycentraljersey.com

here has been such a plethora of New Jersey-related television news lately that I've decided to devote this entire column to it.
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Things kicked off suddenly — and with a bang — on Monday when I learned that A&E's "Paranormal State" was airing an episode that was filmed in Cranford. The episode, entitled "The Doll House," certainly turned out different than I expected.

The home, at 205 Walnut Ave., formerly was The Good Fairy Doll Museum. A woman named Sheri and her 10-year-old daughter moved there following the suicide of Sheri's husband, Michael. During the investigation by the Paranormal Research Society, or PRS, always awesome psychic Chip Coffey allowed the spirit of a man to work through him. In the process, PRS team leader Ryan Buell discovered that the man had died by asphyxiation.

Even creepier, Sheri later revealed that Michael had hanged himself.

During a particularly spine-tingling time down in the home's basement, Sheri confronted Michael (also dubbed the "Soul Collector") directly, and the group witnessed loud noises and a shadow moving across a wall.

(Although, to be honest, I'm always skeptical about these experiences — especially when they're not mentioned during the group's analysis. Does that mean they debunked it as not paranormal activity?)

The episode ended with Ryan encouraging Sheri to burn a memento of Michael's to which she was clinging. She chose his suicide note, which she confessed to keeping by her bed since his death.

I don't recall "Paranormal State" dealing with clients' psychological issues to this degree before. Obviously, both Sheri and her daughter have much anguish built up about Michael's death, and a lot of issues have gone unresolved because of it.

But last week's episode was not the first time the spirited (get it?) series has ventured into the Garden State. Two other episodes this season featured creepy happenings in different parts of the state.

The first was Bloomingdale in Passaic County, where the crew investigated a home that reportedly was haunted by the spirits of two people: the elderly original owner and an American Indian who might have been buried on the property before the home was built.
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A few episodes later, the crew returned to New Jersey — this time, Clementon in Camden County — to investigate reports of paranormal activity in the Clementon Fire Department. Two firefighters there, Jason and Merissa, claimed the firehouse was haunted by Joe, a fireman who killed himself in the firehouse in 2004.
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Jason and Merissa said all of the firefighters experienced paranormal activity in the firehouse, from truck doors opening and closing to air masks flying through the air.

"The Doll House" episode of "Paranormal State" can be viewed online by visiting www.aetv.com/paranormal-state.