What Happens at a Séance?
Haunted Las Vegas
A séance is, at heart, a group of people sitting in the dark, agreeing to listen.
The word comes from the French for "a sitting". Modern séances trace back to 1848, when the Fox sisters of Hydesville, New York claimed to communicate with a spirit through a series of knocks. Their story launched the Spiritualist movement, and within a few years séance circles were meeting in parlours across America and Europe.
Why séances boomed in the 1920s
After the First World War and the 1918 flu pandemic, millions of families were grieving, and interest in contacting the dead surged. Mediums filled theatres and private rooms alike. The magician Harry Houdini spent much of the 1920s investigating mediums and exposing fraudulent ones, and after his death in 1926 his wife held a séance for him every Halloween for a decade.
What a séance looks like
- Guests sit in a circle, often with hands joined or resting on the table.
- The room is dimmed, usually lit by candles.
- A medium or host guides the group, asking questions and interpreting what follows.
The séance at Ghost Stories
At Ghost Stories in Las Vegas, the séance is theatre: a blend of true stories, psychological illusion and audience participation led by Kent Axell. No one is forced to take part, and the only thing you need to bring is curiosity. Groups can also book a private séance after hours.