Rest assured that TV producer, writer and podcaster Richard Hatem’s Light in the Dark Tour is not meant to lead you off the beaten path like a will-o’-the-wisp, or even portend one’s own demise like a corpse candle.
No, it is meant to shed light on the extensive literature written about every corner of paranormal life that Hatem has read.
“For some reason, books always felt very valuable to me,” the 59-year-old said during a Zoom call. “I don’t know why. There’s no reason other than that’s how I appeared on earth — as a person who thought these were the things that documented something important.”
The Light in the Dark Tour is Hatem’s way of giving back to listeners by visiting the five major cities that download his podcast, Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf. Toronto is his first stop on September 13, where he’ll perform a live episode. Then he travels to Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh before ending his run in one of the United States’ most paranormally infamous locations: Point Pleasant, West Virginia — just in time for the Mothman Festival.
“It’s an episode I’ve never recorded, so you can only get this episode by seeing it live,” he said, adding that his podcasts are about the books, but also about how they intersect with points in his own life.
Hatem has been collecting books since he was eight years old. Back in 1974, his Aunt Sally gave him a copy of Ghosts and Specters: Ten Supernatural Stories by Bruce and Nancy Roberts.
That book was featured in his very first podcast episode on the subject, released in March 2024, and it has been the lighthouse for his show ever since.
“They have photographs,” Hatem recalled. “Now, I was eight years old. I didn’t realize that these photographs were creatively done … I’m like, ‘Oh my God, these are actual photographs of ghosts.’ I was so excited.”
He has since discussed more books on the podcast, including Whitley Strieber’s Communion, Joe Fisher’s The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, Linda Godfrey’s Monsters Among Us and James A. Pike’s The Other Side.
It will not be his first visit to Toronto. He has been here in the past for his day job as an executive producer. Titans, the live-action TV series based on DC’s Teen Titans, was shot in Toronto. Although he never dipped into his paranormal interests while shooting the series from 2018 to 2023, two Toronto listeners reached out to him a year ago when he first announced the tour.
“They were like, ‘You gotta come here. Let us know what you’re looking for,’” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Well, the venue should be this size and it should sort of be this …’ Two weeks later, I got a spreadsheet.”
That Excel file gave the rundown on all the tech, AV and contact people for many locations. His wife, Susan, said, “Oh, you gotta keep these people,” he recalled.
In the end, though, he settled on Storm Crow Manor and its Red Rum room, which features a complete replica bar from the Overlook Hotel as well as the red-room décor from Twin Peaks.
“You know what, it’s Toronto. It’s worth it. This place is too good to pass up,” Hatem said. “Let’s get people down there, and the food and the drink look amazing.”
You’ll be able to get your hands on a Cthulhu Tiki and take in Hatem’s performance from 7 to 9 p.m. on September 13.
“Beyond being a fun, spooky evening, it’s just a time for the fans, the newcomers and me to get together,” Hatem added. “The line between me and the audience is practically non-existent. I will happily say hi to everyone and sign your Grimm DVDs.”