South Carolina native investigates paranormal while attending college

The great unknown of college life gave Ryan Buell pause when he left his home in Sumter to attend Penn State University. But far more frightening experiences awaited him.

In 2001, while majoring in journalism, Buell formed the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) to investigate the spooky and unexplained.

Now he’s one of the stars of a new A&E network series, “Paranormal State,” which chronicles PRS cases.

We talked with the 25-year-old about the haunted, possession and fate.

How did the Paranormal Research Society come about?

I had an experience when I was young that was frightening. And I didn’t have anyone to talk to, especially growing up in the South. It was especially taboo down there. … I was kind of taught to just forget about it and pretend like it never happened.

When I moved to Penn State, I said, “I want to do something a little more serious,” and I wanted to learn about paranormal investigating. … I researched this and that, and I was surprised there was nothing. So I was left in this predicament of OK, do I wait till one day while I’m in college someone starts something, or do I start it? And so I decided to start it.

Was it a one-man show at first?

It was me at first. … It was kind of a weird thing, and people definitely raised their eyebrows about it. But you know, people came. I was surprised. … And now we have faculty, staff and graduates who are part of it. It’s not just students anymore.

Why do you think people have always shown up?

I think we’ve always had an interest in the unexplained. I mean it’s part of who we are. I’d almost go as far as saying it’s in our DNA. Ever since man was around, we always realized there was a supernatural element to life. Is there a God? Is there an afterlife?… I think that now, more so than ever, people are much more willing to take the time and question what’s out there.

What do you say to the critics?

(The people we investigate) are real, everyday people. These are people who exhausted scientific information. They went to psychologists because they think they’re crazy. They’ve been to doctors. They’ve been to counselors. They’ve been to neuroscientists. They’ve had electricians come in. You name it. And there’s no explanation for what is going on with them or on their property.

So they call us in. And we don’t go in there and say, “Yes you’ve got a ghost; here’s a bill.” We’re there to do research, but we’re also there to help people understand what they’re going through, even if it’s not paranormal.

So most skeptics who criticize us are really just misinformed and kind of ignorant. They’re just assuming something about us. We’re quite critical ourselves, but we’re here to help people.

Do you think being raised Catholic helped you on this path?

Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s influenced me. That’s why whenever I go into a paranormal case, just like with me, I have to keep in mind people’s religious and cultural viewpoints. That’s very much a big part of the phenomenon. There are people who say, when I go into a house and normal, everyday ghost stuff is happening, they think they have a demon in their house. And it’s because of their religious viewpoint. Ghosts don’t exist; it’s demons. Or it’s Satan.

You have to deal and cope with that viewpoint. With me, I have a strong viewpoint from my Catholic upbringing, but I don’t press my viewpoint on other people.

I was not that religious when I was young. My mom forced me to go to church on Sunday. It was painful. But now I feel a lot stronger in something, a connection. It’s funny because the stronger I’ve become religious, I’ve become skeptical, too. Not of God, but just skeptical, a little more critical of paranormal phenomena.

What’s the most disturbing experience you’ve been involved in with PRS?

Well, a few years ago, I was contacted by a prominent family and the Roman Catholic Diocese to work on a demonic case. … We went into this house — I mean, blood on the walls, crucifixes bending, voices. One of my investigators got scratched by an unseen force. We have it on film. Claw marks on her forehead. … It was a very life-changing experience. Ultimately, it led to a church-sanctioned exorcism.

What do you hope people learn from the series?

I hope it breaks down the door, the taboo, “the let’s not talk about this stuff.” There are real people having experiences. It’s OK to talk about them, even if you’re skeptical.

Has your work with PRS and your hunt brought you any closer to figuring out the experience you had when you were young?

Not 100 percent. It’s still a journey for me, I guess.

What do you think happened to you?

I don’t know. … Like I said, I’m still processing. … But when I think about things that happened to me when I was young, I always feel like this is what I was meant to do, and I was picked very young to do this.

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