Highlights from UNIV-CON, Part 1
Wednesday October 24, 2007 8:53 AM
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.
Friday's distinguished speakers included paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren, most famous for her work in the Amityville case in 1975. Roman Catholic Priest Father James Lebar, exorcist for the New York Archdiocese, joined her for a serious discussion of demonology. Warren, who refrains from calling herself a demonologist (but is referred to as one by many), instead calls herself a clairvoyant, meaning that she claims to see, feel and hear beyond the five senses. Warren discussed her activity in the paranormal investigative field, along with her late husband Ed Warren. Warren and Lebar informed attendees that exorcisms exist outside of the Roman Catholic tradition and said that "our work has taken us to many cultures in many countries."
While Warren's beliefs about the Amityville home are still quite controversial, she insisted that "Although many of you have been told that the Amityville home was a hoax, it was not. The only people who say it was a hoax have never been in the house... the things that happened in that home to George and Kathy Lutz were so totally bizarre that they didn't know where to turn... George Lutz gave my husband the keys to the home six blocks away and refused to go back in that house." Warren also noted that "every family that has lived in that house has met with some sort of tragedy." The evening ended with footage of an exorcism that took place in Massachusetts.
Continued in Part 2 tomorrow...
