Not long ago, claiming to speak with the dead might have gotten Cassidy, the cofounder of the 2-year-old ghost-hunting group Free Spirit Paranormal Investigators, laughed off the stage.
But these days, with no fewer than 11 paranormal reality shows on cable and legions of curious fans flocking to supernatural-themed events, ghost hunting is drifting into the mainstream. And although several 1980s movies featured paranormal professionals - hello, Ghostbusters and Poltergeist - it is now the real-life dramas that are giving ghost hunters a newfound cachet.
Cassidy and a half-dozen Free Spirit members were on hand at Laurel Hill in East Falls to guide guests through the cemetery's biannual ghost hunt, a 5-year-old event that typically draws more than 100 participants.
That night, attendees were just as serious as their guides about searching for evidence of the paranormal.
Toting an electromagnetic field meter (electromagnetic disturbances can signify that an otherworldly presence is nearby) and a voice recorder, Kerry Michael Urda, 45, of Overbrook, paid $30 to wander the graveyard after hours. He conducts paranormal investigations in his spare time.
Trudging toward the grave of Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, Urda hadn't seen or heard anything yet, but his spirits remained high.
"It's never too early for ghosts," he said - it was only 9:30, hours before the proverbial "witching hour." Ten minutes later, near Civil War general George Gordon Meade's grave, he paused.
"Did you feel that? I thought I touched a cobweb, but there aren't any cobwebs here," Urda said, examining his hand.
Next to him, his longtime friend Steve Dibartolomeo, 46, of Springfield, laughed. He's gone on several expeditions with Urda, but labels himself a skeptic. "I just like the history," he said.
