May 17, 2024
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Check out some real life haunts at DeKalb’s Egyptian Theatre

By Aimee Barrows
Egyptian Theatre horizontal

Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb is said to be home to hauntings, which are the stars of the Boo'ze and Spirits flashlight tours.

It may not be Halloween, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get some real-life scares this spring at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb.

The theater’s next Boo’ze and Spirits flashlight tour begins at 8 p.m. Friday, April 19.

The theater is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Illinois, according to its website. The tour is conducted completely in the dark, with the only light coming from guests’ flashlights. Staff will share stories about the building’s 90-year history and its spooky secrets.

Egyptian Theatre Marketing and Communications Director Jeanine Holcomb talks Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, about ghost sightings in the balcony of the theater in DeKalb. The balcony is just one of the places in the Egyptian where there have been reports of paranormal activity.

Egyptian Theatre Marketing and Communications Director Jeanine Holcomb talks last fall about ghost sightings in the balcony of the theater in DeKalb. The balcony is just one of the places in the Egyptian where there have been reports of paranormal activity. (Mark Busch)

The tour begins in the lobby and leads guests all over the theater, from the balcony to backstage.

Alex Nerad, executive director of the Egyptian Theatre, said previously that the tour takes guests to places the general public often doesn’t get to view.

“To be able to see behind the scenes, that’s so fun, and they’ll hear all sorts of stories that people don’t typically get to hear,” Nerad said. “People are really intrigued by those stories. Over the years, we’ve had so many personal encounters, and stories have been shared from performers, volunteers, staff members and patrons. Just a wide variety of stories, and so many of them continually line up and overlap with similar experiences.”

Nerad and some of his staff members have had experiences that they “couldn’t explain.” He said he often hears the large, heavy door to the box office opening and closing throughout the day – a door too heavy to move by itself.

There are also stories of a woman in a green dress who is glimpsed in the balcony.

“A lot of people have seen her, some performers have seen her while they’re on the stage,” he said. “I tell people that I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in the paranormal. We’ve had some skeptics take the tour and, by the end of it, they start to believe.”

Guests are encouraged to take photos and videos during the tour. Those photos and videos may be shown during future tours, as the theater added a slide show that showcases what some previous guests have captured.

The tour, which lasts about 90 minutes, will give guests time at the end to explore and investigate on their own.

After April’s, the next scheduled tour is July 26.

To buy tickets for an upcoming tour, visit the Egyptian Theatre’s website.

The SceneEntertainmentEgyptian TheatreDeKalb
Aimee Barrows

Aimee Barrows

Aimee Barrows is the editor of The Scene, Shaw Local News Network's entertainment section. The Scene is your go-to destination for all things fun in Northern Illinois. Prior to The Scene, Aimee was the editor of the Kane County Chronicle for five years, and a freelance reporter for Shaw Media for four years.