A Halloween Story: Official Houdini Séance to take place in Philadelphia.
Nearly a century after Harry Houdini’s death, a group of magicians, historians, and spiritualists with gather in Pennsylvania to attempt what the famed escape artist once promised: Can the dead return?
The Official Houdini Séance will be held at 10 pm on October 31, 2025, at The House of Magic in Glenside, PA.
Fifteen days after performing at the Chestnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 at Grace Hospital in Detroit at 1:26 pm, the result of peritonitis. Before his passing, he promised that if communication from the beyond were possible, he would find a way to prove it.
After his death, Houdini’s widow Bess held annual séances for ten years, culminating in a nationally broadcast attempt from the rooftop of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood in 1936. Declaring, “Ten years is enough to wait for any man,” she ended her public efforts, but others have continued the tradition.
“Houdini told his brother that if he were able to return in a material way, he would open a unique set of handcuffs,” said séance director Bill Radner of West Springfield, MA. “Those handcuffs, along with other Houdini memorabilia, will be placed on the séance table this year.”
The séance will be led by trance medium Scott Wells of Ft. Worth, TX, with participants hoping for a breakthrough unlike any before.
“We are a very determined group,” Radner added. “We look forward to making contact this year.”
A limited number of tickets are available to the public for $40/person. Those interested in purchasing tickets may contact The House of Magic, 101 S. Easton Road, Glenside, PA by calling 267-626-1366 or visiting their website at info@houseofmagicpa.com.
For more Official Houdini Séance information, please contact Bill Radner, 413-531-3333 or email rendar1@aol.com
Sid Radner (third from right) and Helen Radner (third from left) with Walter Gibson (second from left) at Gibson’s NY apartment for the 1948 Official Houdini Séance.