There is a certain time of year when people seek a scary thrill. They get to become someone else for a night and are more easily persuaded to believe in ghost stories.  These descriptions can be summed up as what describes All Hallows Eve, or as we call it, Halloween.  
Luckily for Louisiana residents, the haunted and supernatural is right around the corner according to numerous sources.  This is not due to the Voodoo New Orleans is known for, but because of the rumor that the dead return to linger in many locations around the Southern state on that night.  
“The Myrtles was built on an Indian burial ground. I think that was the first mistake,” said Robyn Kennedy, a former tour guide at the Myrtles Plantation, a famous haunted house.  “There were a lot of tragedies that happened, and I don’t think you can have that much tragedy happen at one place and not expect it to linger.”
Myrtles Plantation, located in St. Francisville, Louisiana, was not only built on an Indian burial ground as Kennedy mentions, but on the site of 13 murders.  One of the murderers was a house servant named Chloe, who put poison in the Myrtles children’s birthday cake, killing them and their mother.  Soon after, Chloe was hung by the house slaves and thrown into the Mississippi River.  
According to Kennedy, Chloe is one of the most famous ghosts haunting Myrtles Plantation. She was caught eavesdropping before her death, resulting in her ear being cut off.  
“Some people say that one of their earrings would be missing after walking through the house or staying overnight,” said Kennedy.  It is believed that visitors’ earrings disappear because of Chloe having her ear severed.  
Dr. Sam Hyde, director of the center for Southeast LA Studies and professor of history, did research on the haunted places of Louisiana. He discussed one of his experiences with a ghost lab on Myrtles Plantation.  The ghost lab tried stimulating responses of the supernatural within the plantation by using voices.
“It was remarkable what they uncovered,” said Hyde.  “The Myrtles’ blew it away.  They said there was no comparison between the accessibility of the supernatural phenomenon and how much was there.  They said in every type of measurement they took, it was by far the most haunted place, which is very cool.”
Hyde did not stop at Myrtles Plantation.  He further researched many other stories of hauntings, including places in Madisonville, Bogalusa, Amite, Arcola, Albany and more.  
Albany is the location of what is called “the light.”  Here, one goes out in their car and blinks their lights three times which causes another light to mysteriously appear.
“I have personally seen that one and I don’t know what it was, but it was inexplicable,” said Hyde.  “It would come and dance, and move up and down and then rush at you.  No one ever stayed after it had done that.”
Most of the haunted areas involved stories about love gone wrong.
“It’s a jilted lovers story,” said Hyde about the Silk Lady in Madisonville, who was often seen on what is now referred to as Silk Lady Lane.  
Hyde told of a married man who fell in love with a younger woman.  Later, the man took his young lover and killed them both on a road by Roseland, La.  
“I could count in the hundreds of people who swear up and down they’ve seen these people walking on it,” said Hyde.  “They call it the lonely road.”
Still, with so many people claiming to see ghosts in so many different places, some naturally speculate if any of it is real.  
“I do believe in ghosts,” said Kennedy, who tells of numerous supernatural encounters during her time working at Myrtles Plantation.  “I believe that about 80 percent of what goes on in haunted houses is because of what they call residual energy, because they’re like in their own time period. They’re doing stuff like they would do in their time period, not ours. Sometimes they don’t acknowledge you at all. It’s like you’re not even there. Sometimes they do, but a lot of the times they don’t.”
Hyde has also encountered many supernatural phenomena like Kennedy, but despite this, he was not as resolute that ghosts were real.  Instead, Hyde was open to both sides of beliefs.  
“I would say that I cannot prove that they exist, nor can I prove that they do not exist. Experiences in life and unnatural things that I’ve encountered suggest that there’s a possibility that something’s there. It’s somewhat logical to think that someone who felt so betrayed in life by someone killing them or a lover jilting them that a part of them may hang around again.”
Whether one believes in ghosts or not usually does not take away from the thrill of being frightened.  
Each year in October, businesses will set up a “fake” haunted house for locals to come and walk through.  One local haunted house close to Southeastern is RISE Haunted House.  
RISE Haunted House originated in a garage.  The family had so much fun that it grew into a large haunted house for locals to come and enjoy, while still offering a reunion for the family.
“We enjoy scaring people,” said Mindi Plaisance, owner of RISE Haunted House.  “The scare feature came about through thoughts, creativity and research.  A lot of planning went into the design of the house. First you need a theme, then you design your rooms around that theme. Essentially, you want to utilize all the available space and maximize the amount of scares each actor can get.”
Whether you will visit a haunted house this Halloween or enjoy a costume party with friends, the night will offer a glimpse into the world of spirits, witches and more.
“It’s a release.  It goes back to our love for a thrill,” said Hyde.  “We get this one holiday that says, ‘Look, indulge your dark side.’  And there are some people who completely reject that. It’s a day of carefree abandon where Americans especially say, ‘I can kick up my heels, I can dress like a fool, I can overindulge in candy, I can do whatever I want because it’s accepted and expected that people will behave this way on Halloween.’  So it’s a chance to tap into another whole side of our psyche and indulge in it.”