The concept of " Paranormal " is a term used interchangeably in our modern society . Many films and TV-shows use this.
Everything ends up with cries and screams, similar to Hollywood, more than the real world.
The "Paranormal" concept was created in 1920 and covers " events that are beyond the present state of scientific explanation."
This means that anything and everything that today is "Paranormal " might be explained scientifically, later. For instance, we know that a magnet can affect a compass. But for many years, it was not been known why or how . Therefore, magnetism was dismissed as "hocus - pocus" until the scientist H.C. Ørsted formulated the properties of magnetism.
Paranormal has nothing to do with superstition.
It is very important to separate the paranormal with superstition. A paranormal event - for instance a door that opens by itself - can be due to draft. A figure in front of a window can be a reflection. Such an event can be measured and documented.
We wish to quantify and determine the paranormal. Without making a big sensation out of it. And only time will tell, if we find som loose floorboards or - perhaps - a gateway to another world.
The paranormal can also be used to describe a chair which suddenly floats in the room. It is certainly a very unusual - and inexplicable event.
Superstition is man's irrational belief in a thing in our world and everyday life. For instance the fear of walking under a ladder. Fear of a black cat that crosses the road. Superstition has often something to do with the the deepest fears in the society.
I thing my house is haunted - am I superstitious?
No, we say; you experience unusual things, that can not be explained right now. Perhaps this can be explained later. You experience something paranormal instead. You are not superstitious, just because you believe in a haunting, it is just your way of interpreting events.
By allowing us to document the events, we can put word to it, with an scientific approach. To have an understanding for what is going on, is often a cure for the strange events.
See also Fringe Science