Magic Castle’s Houdini Seance seeks the master of escape

Medium Misty Lee clears the room of any dark presence during the first half of the Houdini Seance in the Houdini Seance Chamber in the Magic Castle.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Medium Misty Lee, third from left, conducts the first half of the Houdini Seance as visitors Vicki Greenleaf, Susie Parkinson, Trish Alaskey, Don Stroud, Aaron Reynolds and Dorrit Ragosine look on at the Magic Castle. The second half is held in almost complete darkness.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Medium Misty Lee prepares to call a spirit from a book of photographs wrapped in a red cloth under the watchful eyes of visitors Susie Parkinson, left, and Trish Alaskey during the first half of the Houdini Seance.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Visitors are asked to write the names of a deceased loved one and place the pieces of paper in this small box during the first half of the Houdini Seance.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A visitor holds up a piece of paper with the name of a deceased loved one as medium Misty Lee, left, with her back to the crowd, decides which paper holds the name she has predicted to be printed on it.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Medium Misty Lee reaches for a piece of paper that would reveal the name of a visitor’s deceased loved one that Lee had predicted would be on the paper.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A ghostly image of Harry Houdini is reflected in a metallic lamp hood inside the Houdini Seance Chamber.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

After sensing a dark presence around visitor Kelly Williams, left, medium Misty Lee tries to place the dark energy into an egg during the first half of the Houdini Seance.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Medium Misty Lee cracks the egg into a wine glass and a black substance comes pouring out.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Medium Misty Lee and visitor Kelly Williams examine the substance from the cracked egg during the first half of the Houdini Seance.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Once the lights are turned back on at the end of the Houdini Seance, visitors are surprised to find a rose that mysteriously appears in a vase in front of a portrait of Houdini’s wife, Bess.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)