Haunted Collector
Demonologist John Zaffis removes haunted artifacts to stop paranormal activity.
Haunted Collector was an American reality television series that originally aired on Syfy. The show followed a team of paranormal investigators led by demonologist John Zaffis, who traveled to reportedly haunted locations to find and remove objects—called artifacts or trigger objects—that might be causing the alleged paranormal or poltergeist activity.
The first season ran from June 1 to July 6, 2011. Production on a second season began in December 2011, and it premiered on June 6, 2012. Syfy renewed the series for a 12-episode third season, which premiered on March 6, 2013, but canceled the show on November 8, 2013. In 2021, the series was rebroadcast on the Travel Channel under the title *The Haunted Collector Files*.
The team was led by John Zaffis, a demonologist and owner of the Zaffis Paranormal Museum in Stratford, Connecticut. Other members included Chris Zaffis (paranormal investigator), Aimee Zaffis (historical researcher), Brian Cano (equipment technician), Beth Ezzo (lead investigator/sensitive in Season 1), Jason Gates (paranormal investigator/historical researcher in Seasons 2–3), and Jesslyn Brown (investigator in Seasons 2–3).
Each episode followed a standard structure. First, John and Aimee walked through the client’s home to identify possible haunted items. Then, during a daytime sweep, Brian, Chris, and Jason set up equipment and conducted EMF sweeps. Aimee and Jason researched the location’s history at a local library. A nighttime investigation followed, with the team (except Aimee) using night vision to explore the site. John then brought any suspected haunted item to an expert for more information. Finally, John presented the findings to the client and asked if they wanted the item removed. If removed, the item was placed in John’s paranormal museum. A follow-up (not aired) was described in a voice-over, updating viewers on the client’s situation weeks or months later.
According to Zaffis, an artifact could be paranormal in nature—such as a religious object used in occult rituals—or non-paranormal, like an antique from an estate or garage sale. Once identified as a possible source of activity, the item was removed from the location in hopes of reducing or ending the paranormal events. The series aired on Syfy in the United States and on Really in the United Kingdom.
- field
- Paranormal investigation television series
- network
- Syfy (United States), Really (United Kingdom)
- first_aired
- June 1, 2011
- last_aired
- November 8, 2013 (cancelled)
- seasons
- 3
- episodes
- Multiple episodes across three seasons
Lore & Background
The series premiered on June 1, 2011, and ended its first season on July 6, 2011. Production of the second season started in December 2011 and premiered on June 6, 2012. On September 17, 2012, Syfy announced that the series was renewed for a 12-episode third season, which premiered on March 6, 2013. On November 8, 2013, Syfy announced that it had cancelled Haunted Collector. The series was rebroadcast under the name The Haunted Collector Files on Travel Channel in 2021.
Demonologist John Zaffis and his family investigate sites of alleged paranormal occurrences. The Zaffis family and their team travel around the world to investigate items that Zaffis identifies as having something to do with spirits or energies. Zaffis removes the items from the location and takes them to his haunted relics museum in a barn on his property in Stratford, Connecticut. According to Zaffis, an artifact itself may either be of a paranormal nature such as a religious object once used in occult rituals or a non-paranormal nature such as an antique purchased at an estate sale or garage sale. Once an artifact is deemed to be a possible source of paranormal activity, it is removed from the premises in hopes that the activity will be mitigated or cease altogether.
Reader's Guide
Haunted Collector occupies a niche within paranormal reality television by focusing on physical objects as the source of haunting, rather than locations or spirits alone. The series introduced a museum-based resolution, where removed artifacts were housed in John Zaffis' paranormal artifact museum in Stratford, Connecticut. The show's structure—including client tours, daytime sweeps, historical research, nighttime investigations, item research, and final client meetings—provided a systematic approach to each case. Its cancellation in 2013 ended the original run, but the 2021 rebroadcast on Travel Channel as The Haunted Collector Files indicates continued interest. The series contributed to the broader ghost-hunting genre by emphasizing the role of trigger objects and the practice of artifact removal as a method of mitigating paranormal activity.
Did You Know?
- The series was rebroadcast under the name The Haunted Collector Files on Travel Channel in 2021.
- John Zaffis' haunted relics museum is located in a barn on his property in Stratford, Connecticut.
- The show aired on Syfy in the United States and on Really in the United Kingdom.
- The third season consisted of 12 episodes and premiered on March 6, 2013.
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