A glass clinked in the empty kitchen across the Central Texas house. The noise garnered the attention of Becky Nagel, lead investigator for the Central Texas Paranormal Society. The group had been contacted by the parents of twin boys who had been experiencing unexplained incidents.

From cattle rustlers to young lovers jumping off a cliff to be with each other for eternity, Waco has picked up a few ghost stories along the way.

The stories can be shared between co-workers, police officers in squad cars or children during sleepovers, but regardless of where they are told, they capture people’s imaginations.

Halloween as we know it today is a chance for children to play dress-up and obtain copious amounts of candy. Therefore, it may surprise some people that this light-hearted holiday originated from ancient religious practices.

Dr. Joe Coker, lecturer of religion, said Celtic traditions were brought to America in the 1800s with the arrival of Scottish immigrants. Over time, aspects of the Celtic tradition mixed with aspects of English religious practices and resulted in contemporary Halloween.

Dr. John Gordon Melton has studied many religious themes ranging from new and alternative religions to occultism.
Since the early ’90s, however, one nontraditional topic in particular has sparked his interests — vampires.