Harry Houdini saw Spiritualism as a haven for con artists who exploited the grief of others, yet he was personally driven by a profound wish to discover proof of an afterlife. In his later years, he dedicated himself to exposing fraudulent mediums, even testifying before Congress in an effort to outlaw fortune-telling. After his death, his wife Bess began the tradition of holding annual séances on Halloween to reach his spirit—a practice that, though never successful, kept both Houdini’s legend