On things that go bump or boo in the night

As a child I was terrified of ghosts. I beleived they were real and wanted to get me, especially at night in my bed. I was sure they lurked in the walk-in closet at my sister's end of the room and especially down the crack behind my bed. I had nightmares about their black shadowy hands reaching up tp grab me. I slept with a night light until I was in my mid-20s. You get the picture.
You can imagine how relieved I was when as an adult I was taught by protestant evangelical teachers that there were no ghosts, only demons, and demons have no power over Christians. Excellent, no need to worry ever again, and that reasoning worked for several years. Now keep in mind, I have no reason to worry. It's not like I was ever assailed by supernatural phenomena to explain. I can only think of one time something unexplained happened. I was 18 and newly moved in with a friend. I was home alone in the afternoon. I definitely heard a raspy voice call my name. Nothing more.
Yet I was told stories by people I knew and respected. Not the sort of people who are prone to flights of fancy or expecting something supernatural to happen to them, like my brother. My brother is 11 years older than me. He is a well read, biker type, think long hair scraggly beard, peircing beady eyes. He was with friends at a rented house, sitting around the kitchen. He looked up and saw a man in a brown old-fashioned suit standing in the hallway. As they watched he turned and vanished. No drama. No preceding conversation that would have prompted a mass hallucination. Then Mr Moo told stories from the Navy. (Mr Moo served on a submarine when he was in his 20s. He worked in the engine department but everybody on a sub must be able to do every job in a basic way. ) One time they were passing over an area where, during WWII subs or ships had sunk and they picked up voices speaking in German from under the water, calling for help. No ships were within hundreds of miles of them. The radioman who first heard them transferred out at the earliest opportunity, it shook him up so much. Then there was the time they raised the periscope and saw an 18th century ship complete with crew, up close. They even surfaced to look but it wasn't there anymore.
So if these were demon manifestations, what was the point? Demons don't just do creative or recreational things in their spare time do they? OK, I don't know for sure but it doesn't seem likely. So if the demons are in the business of pulling people away from God, most of the ghostly stuff just doesn't fit the program. Most of it actually gives evidence for the afterlife and the imortality of peoples souls. At worst it is neutral, like thumps and moving objects. So although I realized that demon activity was "the party line", it just wasn't matching the evidence.
Now comes the rational/logical/theological part. Protestants believe it has to be demon activity because souls go immediately to Heaven or Hell after death. No other options or it would throw their whole doctrine in to question. Now here I am becoming Catholic. Totally different view of what happens after death. Plenty of opportunity for interaction between the dead and the living. Yet no one has been able to show me if their is a Catholic position on the nature of ghosts. There is nothing in the catechism on the subject.
Thus I am left with no pat answer anymore. Do I think ghosts can "get me"? No. Do I think all "spooky happenings" are ghosts? No, I still think most probably still have scienctific explanations we just haven't found yet. Do I think some are demonic activity? Maybe leaning toward yes, definitely the menacing destructive sort seem like they could be. As for the rest, are they lost souls interacting with us? Might be, could be, but what sad souls they would be and where should they be? or better yet what purpose are they working out by being here if any at all? I will put that on my list of things to ask God when I get there.