We've received word from A&E: They've set the date for the debut of Paranormal State! The premiere will be Monday, December 10 at 10pm ET/PT.

We've also learned some details about the first episode:

Penn State University student Ryan Buell gets a call from a client telling him that her 8-year-old son is seeing dead people in the family's new home. Ryan has a deep connection to this child before they even meet, as he too was terrified by paranormal experiences as a kid. Ryan and the Paranormal Research Society team travel to the client's home, interview the family and child and investigate to determine if there is evidence of paranormal activity or if what they are witnessing is just the imagination of a child. As if this wasn't enough for a paranormal investigator to handle, Ryan must be back in time for his Economics class the next morning.

Ryan Buell is clearly no ordinary college student. He's the director/founder of PRS and the central character in "Paranormal State." Ryan and his college-age team of paranormal investigators spend their time investigating the strange and bizarre while trying to find balance within their young adult lives. And it's never easy. The PRS team, which Ryan started in 2001, has worked on cases involving demonic possession and exorcism, assisted law enforcement on missing person's cases, and have brought peace to frightened families.

Sounds like a great start! My Tivo is already set.

Today Halloween is a party. Centuries ago, it was Samhain, the most dangerous time of the year. A time when the dead and spirits had a passport to the world of the living, and free reign to stir up trouble. Back then, you didn't put on a costume to entertain your friends and family. You did it to protect yourself.

Samhain (pronounced sav' han or sow' an) is the old Celtic name for the new year, observed around November 1. Samhain means "end of the summer." The festival was dedicated to the Lord of the Dead. The Celts believed that on Samhain eve, the dead rose up out of their graves to wander about the earth and make trouble by harming crops and causing domestic disturbances.

Chicago is a city full of ghosts, and Irving Renquist is out to find them. There's only one problem: he's never seen one before. That's the basic set-up for Irving Renquist, Ghost Hunter, a new web-based mini-series. Check out the first episode here.

When I was a kid, I often visited Washington, D.C. with my mother to walk the mall and visit the many museums. It was our thing — hop on the metro, get off beneath the mall and head right over to the museums of the Smithsonian and our favorite, the National Gallery of Art.

One autumn, my mother and I decided to question some staff members at the National Gallery of Art about whether or not the various buildings were haunted. A watchman informed us that he regularly said "goodnight" to his favorite artists when leaving his shift. One night, he said, he was in a room with several Van Gogh paintings, said goodnight specifically to "Mr. Van Gogh," and someone answered, "Goodnight!" Apparently the watchman rushed out of the room pretty quick. However, he was thrilled to be able to share the occurrence with us. His story really inspired my fascination with all the history in Washington, D.C. and the many ghosts that must still linger there.

"This friend of my friend was driving late at night when he saw a young woman on the side of the road. He stopped and offered her a ride; she got in but didn't talk much. She asked to be let out at a certain spot, but when my friend's friend stopped and turned around to look at her, she was gone!"

Sound familiar? Everyone seems to have that friend of a friend who experienced a similar ghost sighting. This oft-told tale has infiltrated our culture, but it has its roots in Resurrection Mary. The spirit of a young girl with blonde hair and a long white dress has been reported along a stretch of Archer Avenue near Resurrection Cemetery in the southwest suburbs of Chicago since the 1930s. Although she hasn't been seen much since Archer Avenue was reconstructed in the 1980s, sightings of Mary were quite common in the 1960s and '70s. Most fell into two categories: an offered ride similar to the above example, or a hit-and-run accident — people would see Mary's body lying near or on the road, apparently hit by a car. The police would be called, but before they arrive the body disappears, leaving only an impression in the grass or a dewy outline on the asphalt. A couple unfortunate souls have actually "hit" Resurrection Mary with their cars, only to have her pass harmlessly through the car. Her handprints are said to have been found scorched into bent bars in the cemetery gate; the cemetery owners insist that these marks were the result of a blowtorch used in repairs. (The bars have been replaced to dissuade unwanted night visitors.)

You are lying in bed when suddenly you awaken to the sense of a presence in the room. Before you can cry out, this malevolent presence descends invisibly upon you, settling upon your chest and pinning you to the bed. You lay there, paralyzed and painfully awake as it presses harder and harder, stealing your breath. When the weight is finally lifted, you are left feeling violated and drained.

The incident described above is a classic hag attack. Believed by skeptics to merely be the result of sleep paralysis or a confusion of the hypnogogic state for wakefulness, hag attack is a phenomenon recorded by people from around the globe. Researcher David J. Hufford feels there may be more to the hag attack than just bad dreams. In his seminal work on the topic, The Terror that Comes in the Night, Hufford suggests that "poor observation and incorrect reasoning cannot account for all reported supernatural experience."

Is hag attack real? From Hufford's research alone, there is little doubt that individuals from all walks of life have experienced these frightening nightly visitations. By what entity or natural phenomenon may be responsible remains to be seen.

[Image: The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781]

If your Halloween parties are lacking a spooky element (drinking too much vodka can be spooky, but not in a good way) you might consider going on a ghost hunt instead. But before you pick up your flashlights and head into a big empty house, you should know that ghost hunting's come a long way lately. If you're going to get serious about ghost hunting, you'll need some equipment.

Of all the ghost-hunting equipment out there (infrared cameras, electromagnetic field meters, moisture meters), motion detectors are the least expensive and easiest to find. Available at any hardware store, motion detectors are a professional ghost-hunter's staple. If you've got a small group of people or a really big area to cover, you can set up motion detectors in empty rooms. When they detect movement, an alarm will sound and you and your fellow ghost hunters can run to see what set it off.

Halloween, one of the world's oldest holidays, is still celebrated in several countries around the globe. In the United States, Canada and Ireland, Halloween receives similar treatment: jack-o-lanterns, costumes, trick-or-treating, candy, ghosts and ghouls. Several other countries, however, honor their own Halloween-like traditions a little differently.

El Dia de Los Muertos, The Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Spain, Mexico and Latin America and consists of a three-day celebration that begins on the night of October 31st and ends on November 2nd, All Souls' Day. Families build altars, called ofrendas, in their homes for dead relatives who are believed to return to the earth during this time. Families decorate the altars and leave a deceased person's favorite foods, drinks, candy and photographs. To attract the deceased relatives burn incense and candles to lure a spirit back to its home. A basin of water and a towel are also placed on the altar so that the spirit can wash before and after eating the offerings. In addition, the gravesites of the deceased are cleaned up by trimming weeds and repairing stones. The stones are decorated with flowers and streamers. On November 2nd, living relatives will gather in cemeteries to tell stories about those that have passed on, also to dance, play music, drink and picnic around the graves of their dead family members.

Planning a vacation? Next time you head out, try something a little less prosaic than touring the Grand Canyon or taking a cruise. How about visiting one of the most haunted cities in America instead? Although opinions vary from region to region, here is a short list of some of the most spooktacular places a ghost hunter can put on the vacation list:

New Orleans, LA
Founded in 1718, this beautiful and historic city changed hands from the French to the Spanish and back again, producing a cultural melange that distinguishes the city to this day. A city of magic, mystery and voodoo, New Orleans is a perfect haunted destination. When you stop in, be sure to look up the grave of voodoo queen Marie Lauveau, and check out the new Haunted Mortuary, a paranormal observatory, lab and museum.

Imagine being able to pick up a phone — or a device like it — and dial up The Other Side. Answering on the other end is someone who is no longer of this world — they're dead. Sound far-fetched? Not in the eyes of researchers all over the world who are pursuing tech links with other realms for real-time, two communication — including the inventor of a fairly new device: Frank's Box.

Since antiquity, human beings have resisted the idea that the dead are unreachable. Prior to machines, specially trained and gifted people acted as the communication medium, transmitting messages back and forth while entranced.

Ever since the telephone was invented in the 19th century, visionaries have looked for ways to adapt technology to the subtle peculiarities of the invisible realms. Thomas Edison said such a device ought to be made, but if he ever worked on one himself, he left no surviving notes or plans.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has long remained one of the most widely read early American works of fiction. First published in 1820, the short story written byWashington Irving has captured the attention of readers for almost two centuries. Set in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, New York in a quiet valley calledSleepy Hollow during the autumn months of 1790, the story combines a mixture of history, legend and fantasy that evokes images very appropriate for the Halloween season. While the larger part of the story is the stuff of fantasy, some of Irving's characters were inspired by actual individuals who lived in the area.

Irving writes with such romantic and frightening descriptions that his words stir the imagination in ways that no contemporary horror movie could hope to accomplish. For instance, "Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs; are subject to trances and visions; and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole nine fold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols."

The terrifying images of Irving's story have made the Headless Horseman an icon of American Halloween mayhem. "The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air," Irving writes, "is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war; and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind." Despite the story's age, the narrative has retained the ability to delight, entertain and frighten its readers and has been adapted repeatedly by other authors, for film, theater, audio, comic books and even videogames. The Headless Horseman will likely maintain its run as one of the most sought after Halloween stories for a long time to come, forever chasing the imaginations of children and adults alike.

Our first reader submission comes from Geoffrey Colon of Brooklyn, New York, who attended Univ-Con last weekend.

With various seminars titled "Project Stargate," "Science and the Sensitive" and "Tapping Into Your Sixth Sense," an outsider like me wondered if Univ-Con should be labeled a fantasy convention. Because of my skepticism of the paranormal prior to my arrival I really didn't know what was in store. Was it going to be a bunch of freaks who took everything they thought they heard or saw with no grain of salt? Unlike other conventions I have attended to see what they were all about (UFOs, aliens, etc.) those within the paranormal community were not quick to judge or expect me to take what they presented as ultimate proof. They didn't say, "we have evidence here which is going to convince you of the other side." They didn't get upset if I said, "I don't believe." They were not there to make me believe. And because of this, the evidence presented in some of the seminars was more, not less believable.

At the pinnacle of the convention, I attended the presentation of "Paranormal State," a new show produced and presented by television network A&E. This real life series made a lot of sense to be debuted at Univ-Con. The show features cast members made up from the Paranormal Research Society, a group consisting of present students and graduates from PSU. This show took everything that was presented to me in the various workshops and packaged it into a half-hour weekly show for television. The episode drew cheers and a standing ovation at its conclusion. It even made me think, if I can be presented interesting findings from the paranormal and question the existence of paranormal activity after being a pronounced skeptic, what will this TV show do to alter the conscience of millions of viewers who can tune into the show and its ghostly findings on a weekly basis? That answer is still an unknown.

photo: Geoffrey with "Paranormal State" cast member Heather

Savannah is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the country, and there's no better time to explore it than during GhoStock this weekend. Hosted by paranormal investigator and TV personality Patrick Burns, the festival is in its fifth year of frightening and fascinating people with ghost stories and hunts.

The schedule this year includes panels providing tips for potential paranormal investigators — EVPs, working with psychics, etc. — as well as presentations on parapsychology and poltergeists by Dr. William Roll, case studies of hauntings with Doris "Dusty" Smith, Tiffany Johnson and Dave Schrader, and several video and film presentations — including a sneak preview of "Paranormal State." There will also be tours of notable Savannah haunts and plenty of opportunities to celebrate the Halloween season with fellow paranormal seekers. The fun gets started today, Oct. 25, and runs through Sunday.

Read Part 1 here.
On Saturday at UNIV-CON, audience members were given a special sneak peek of the upcoming A&E television show "Paranormal State," becoming the first audience in the country to seen an entire episode of the show. Cast members answered questions from the audience afterward where Buell jokingly remarked that "I seem much more serious on TV."

Following A&E's "Paranormal State" presentation, Dave Schrader of Darkness Radio hosted "The Darkness Debate," which featured a number of well-known paranormal experts. Panel members included psychic Chip Coffey, Professor Lloyd Auerbach, Chris Flemming of "Dead Famous," demonologist Keith Johnson, author Michelle Belanger, psychic and hypnotherapist Tiffany of ReadingsbyTiffany.com, and "Ghost Hunters" Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes. Several times the debates between experts became intense, covering such topics as competition within the paranormal field, the pros and cons of charging for investigations and the dangers of exposing demonology via paranormal television shows. Coffey remarked that "you don't pick up a book and become a demonologist." According to Coffey, there are only two or three real demonologists in the world. Concerning competition within the field, which proved a heated topic among panel members, Wilson joked that "There are enough ghosts in the world for everybody."

Valentine's Day may be the day to express your secret love, but Halloween reigns as the time for girls and women to find out who their future husband will be. For centuries, divination games for marriage have been played on the spookiest night of the year.

Most popular are games involving apples, a fruit with a long tradition as a love charm. The ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Pomona, goddess of harvest, around November 1. Apples were sacred to her.

To find out who you will marry, peel an entire apple in one paring at midnight on Halloween, and throw the peel over your right shoulder. When it lands, it will form the initial of your marriage surname. Or, peel and/ore eat an apple in front of a candlelit mirror at midnight, and see an image of your future spouse looking over your shoulder. If you bob for apples, the first who gets one will be the first to marry. Put it beneath your pillow on Halloween night and dream of your mate.

This one requires dexterity. Stand away from a mirror with your back to it. Cut an apple in two, throw one piece over your left shoulder. Start eating the apple with one hand and combing your hair with the other. Walk backwards toward the mirror. Then look into it and see the reflection of your future husband.

Paranormal investigator Patrick Burns is the host and organizer of GhoStock, this weekend's big festival in Savannah, Georgia. (See Andrew's preview.) Despite a jam-packed schedule at this year's Univ-Con, he took a few moments to do an exclusive interview with the Paranormal Insider.

Michelle: Unlike many paranormal investigators, you came into your abilities to perceive spirits relatively late in life. When did you start you realize that you were sensitive to spirits, and how did your abilities manifest to you?

Patrick: I had a few experiences when I was in my late teens. I experienced a full body apparition on a few occasions when I was in my late teens and early twenties, but I've really always been skeptical when approaching paranormal investigation, as I think everyone should. I have a tendency even today to believe my instruments even more than I believe my own senses. I don't know if that's right or wrong, but I tend to believe hard data that I can chart.

Every year, the Penn State Paranormal Research Society strives to impress and thrill attendees with four days and nights of presentations by paranormal celebrities, informative and instructional workshops and entertainment at the national paranormal conference, UNIV-CON. The overall atmosphere was electric with excitement for distinguished guests that included Doug Bradley, famous for his role as Pinhead in Clive Barker's Hellraiser; paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren; exorcist Father James Lebar; the cast of A&E's upcoming "Paranormal State" and The Atlantic Paranormal Society's "Ghost Hunters" Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes.

Thursday's main event was "An Evening with Death," performed by actor Doug Bradley. The Dark Prince of Pain thrilled audience members with a 75-minute collection of death-themed one act plays and famous and not-so-famous death-oriented quotes and statements. Bradley started off the performance with a chilling scene from Hellraiser. After removing a black handkerchief from around a familiar gold, gleaming puzzle box, a hushed gasp of delight rose from the audience. "Avoiding death is of course, impossible," Bradley said, "From the moment we are born we are dying." Later Bradley explained that "Death has always been something that fascinated me since I was a kid." Bradley disclosed that he was fairly certain that he would not be in an upcoming remake of Hellraiser.

Many people may have seen the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but fewer know the story of the real Emily Rose, whose name wasn't Emily Rose at all. Emily Rose's real name was Anneliese Michel, and her story took place in Germany in the 1960s and '70s.

Anneliese Michel's life as a normal devout Catholic girl was irrevocably changed in 1968, when she was diagnosed with epilepsy and depression severe enough to put her in the hospital. Not long after this diagnosis, Michel began to see terrible faces and hear hellish voices as she prayed. A woman who accompanied her on a pilgrimage noticed that Michel stayed far away from holy water and images of Jesus; the woman also noted that Michel smelled "hellishly bad." The woman believed that Michel had become possessed by demons, and Michel's family agreed. In 1973, her parents requested an exorcism from the Catholic Church, but their request was denied.