Today in Las Vegas Magazine

You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) that phrase was never uttered at any point during our Haunted Vegas Tour but something was positively there, hanging around us, floating above us – the possibility of seeing some sort of otherworldly image; the anticipation, ever-present in our minds.

I’ve never seen a ghost as portrayed in films or television, but I have most certainly felt chills on the back of my neck and seen, on occasion, shadowy figures out of the corner of my eye, so I know I’m not alone. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 32% of Americans believe in ghosts.

So if you are in that percentile, or even if you are on the other side with those non-believers, creep on down to the Greek Isles any night but Friday and slink onto the bus for the 9:00 p.m. Haunted Vegas Tour to have a chance at seeing something scary (other than your Southwest Gas bill). Rim shot please.

A Las Vegas entertainer for over 30 years, Robert Allen not only produces and directs the Haunted Vegas hit, he is one of the talented tour guides who are all terrific at telling true tales of terror, as well as keeping the bus in stitches with their rapier wit. This particular night, the macabre master of the mike was Jac Hayden who, in a previous career, was, of course, a mortician.

As the Haunted Vegas Tour motor coach warmed up outside the Greek Isles, Adam Flowers heated things up inside the bus, by deftly performing magic that has garnered him nationwide recognition. Exit Flowers, enter ex-embalmer Jac and the “Eerie Express” was on its way to “Spook Central.”

Never one to tell in detail what happens during a show or tour that I review, I will definitely stick with that strategy here. To give up the exact tour route and all that occurs on this journey, is to do a disservice to all the work and research that Robert Allen has poured into this project. I can, however, give you a skeleton outline (pun intended) of the itinerary.

After a few grisly and regrettably true stories of actual people who have taken their own lives here in Las Vegas and are now haunting their respective places of demise, the bus makes a stop and unloads at the Flamingo Hilton, which in the mid-‘40’s was built in-part by the notorious gangster, Bugsy Siegel. Siegel got whacked in L.A., so he didn’t die on the premises, but many have said they have seen his ghost prowling the grounds.

After the Flamingo Hilton, we saw where Tupac was shot (driven by it a hundred times and never knew exactly where it was), rolled by Redd Foxx’s and Liberace’s house (which now have new tenants but are both supposedly haunted) and our final stop was by Wayne Newton’s house, where nearby is a park chock-full of supernatural goodies and next to that park, a ghastly-looking house with a checkered past that makes “Hostel” look like a Holiday Inn.

So why do ghosts insist on sticking around and haunting particular milieus? According to the Parapsychological Association, a ‘haunting’ is defined as “the more or less regular occurrence of paranormal phenomena associated with a particular locality, especially a building and usually attributed to the activities of a discarnate entity; the phenomena may include apparitions, poltergeist disturbances, cold drafts (“mmm, beer”), sounds of footsteps and voices, and various odors (“I smell dead people”).”

I made light of the last statement (in parentheses above) because it’s frightening to me since it’s all about the great unknown; and most paranormal phenomena happens when it’s least expected. Luckily, when taking the Haunted Vegas Tour there is safety in numbers, and all are at least prepped to see some sort of apparition and if one actually does show up, pray that it’s Casper and not Candyman.

Ghost stories and the curiosity of the supernatural have been existent since ancient times and no doubt it will be a subject of fascination for centuries to come. It really doesn’t matter if you do or don’t see any ghosts on the Haunted Vegas Tour - it’s still a creepily-unique ride that everyone should experience. Who knows, maybe in your tour you’ll catch a glimpse of a visitor from the otherworld. There’s always that possibility.

-Brett Revell

Haunted Vegas Tour
Greek Isles Hotel & Casino, 305 Convention Center Drive (between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Strip). Show times are 9:00 p.m., Saturday through Thursday. Ticket prices are $48.25 and $59.25. Show is for ages 13 and older and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Video cameras and cameras are encouraged. Call 737-5540 to purchase tickets. www.hauntedvegastours.com