Answer - Tell - Pray

It's fitting Harry Houdini died on Halloween. In 1926, after a student tested Houdini's abs of steel with repeated blows, Houdini wound up in the hospital with what looked like a ruptured appendix. Many believe Houdini had appendicitis before the student punched him in the gut, but was too stubborn to seek medical attention. 

Before his death, Houdini asked to be buried in a bronze casket along with letters written from his mother. He also left a secret code with his beloved wife, Bess, and said if she ever held a seance that he would make his presence known with the code, which was later revealed to be:

 Rosabelle- answer- tell- pray, answer- look- tell- answer, answer- tell.

The name Rosabelle came from a song that Bess sang when she and Houdini first met. The other words related to secret messages used between a magician and assistant during an act. Apparently each word corresponds to a letter, which ultimately spells out the word "believe". 

Every Halloween, Bess would try to contact her famous husband, but to no avail. Finally, after ten years, she threw in the towel, announcing: "My last hope is gone. I do not believe that Houdini can come back to me, or to anyone...The Houdini Shrine has burned for ten years. I now, reverently... turn out the light. It is finished. Good night, Harry!"

Even so, every Halloween there have been seances to try and contact the escape artist. As part of their "31 Days of Halloween", Atlas Obscura has some nice photos of Houdini's gravesite here.  

Cliff Coffins

Did you know that in China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, there are coffins hanging up in the cliffs? Neither did I. According to Atlas Obscura: "The tradition of hanging coffins is quite ancient, in China going back to 772 BC, although it is still practiced in some places, such as Sagada on Luzon Island in the Philippines. The reason for hanging coffins varies as much as the cultures that have practiced the burial tradition, ranging from practical reasons to avoid the dead being disturbed, to more spiritual beliefs like bringing the deceased closer to the heavens."

I think it's definitely better than crowding up the ground with coffins, but I had two other thoughts after reading this story: If you were a mountain climber and was scaling one of these cliffs, how creepy would it be to come across some of these coffins?  And: What if one of these fell?

The Odessa Catacombs

My friend sent me a link to this place on Atlas Obscura. Apparently Odessa has a large system of tunnels underneath the city, which dates back to the 1600s. During World War II, Ukrainian rebels hid from the Nazis in the catacombs, some of them staying for the duration of the entire war.

Nowadays, people go exploring in the tunnels and some never come back. In 2005, a group of teenagers decided to ring in the new year in the catacombs. One girl, Masha, got separated from her group of friends and never made it out. Her body wasn't found until two years later.

Today, a small area of the tunnels remains open to the public as a museum. However, if that doesn't scratch your itch to experience the place, you can hire a guide to bring you further in. I would bring lots of batteries for your flashlight and leave a trail of bread crumbs behind. . .