The television in the little girl’s bedroom suddenly comes on in the middle of the night. bShe stares at the screen that reveals only a snowy picture.  Walking over to the TV, she calmly says, “They’re here.”  The entire theater screams in fright.  

It is a memorable scene from the 1982 hit movie, Poltergeist crafted by Steven Spielberg and ranked as one of the most frightening movie scenes ever created. The girl and her family are living in a house constructed on top of an old graveyard. Ghosts confront them from the graves under the house.  Ultimately, a paranormal medium (played by Zelda Rubinstein) is called in to “clean” the house of ghosts.

“They’re here” in Eatonton!  And a paranormal specialist, Denise Rolfe and her team from the Southeastern Institute of Paranormal Research will lead a ghost hunt in eleven locations in downtown Eatonton, including the old city jail, the Bronson House and the 1830s Masonic Lodge. The event will be held on Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m., starting at the Georgia Writers Museum with dinner and a short lecture.  The cost is $45 per person ($80 per couple) and includes dinner and the first drink. 

Attendees will learn what to look for and how to use special paranormal investigating equipment. Then, grouped into teams led by an investigator, they will explore eleven potentially haunted sites.  Think of it like following along with modern-day versions of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Harold Ramis; only you get to participate, not just observe.

The Southeastern Institute of Paranormal Research (SIPR) was founded in 2008 by Denise Rolfe, author of the highly acclaimed book, Ghosts and Legends of Charleston and Diane Culpepper. Their world headquarters is located near Atlanta.  While SIPR uses technical equipment to collect data from the physical environment, they also utilize psychic research methods. They bring their psychical research team into the investigation “cold.” The data collected is then validated through “hard” evidence from historical documentation.

And if you think this ghost stuff is just a bunch of nonsense, withhold your final judgment until you have read the “Do You Believe in Ghosts” article on the Georgia Writers Museum’s website. Then, you just might change your view.  So, who you gonna call?  Call the Georgia Writers Museum and learn more details about these amazing events in October.