Crowds outside the Liberty Theatre in 1925 on opening day.

Leading up to Halloween, the Liberty Theatre will offer chances to encounter spirits and learn about a Hollywood actress’ ties to the Oregon Coast.

The venue is kicking off Halloween week with a screening of a horror film featuring Maila Nurmi, an actress with Astoria roots, along with two paranormal activity tours led by a local group to explore the theater’s mysterious history.

A discussion with Sandra Niemi, the niece of actress Maila Nurmi, known as the campy television character Vampira, will be followed by a screening of the indie science fiction film “Plan 9 From Outer Space” on Friday.

Nurmi, who plays a vampire in the movie, lived in Astoria from 1939 to 1941 before heading to Hollywood and taking on the Vampira character.

Niemi wrote “Glamour Ghoul: The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira,” a recent book that explores Nurmi’s rise to fame and experience in Hollywood.

Guests can buy the book at the event, and Niemi will field questions about her aunt’s life and career before the 1959 film is played.

On Saturday, Ghostoria investigators will come loaded with gear to seek out any paranormal spirits lingering in the theater’s halls.

“It’s like the thrill of the hunt to have proof of the afterlife for us,” Signe Condon, co-founder of Ghostoria, a paranormal investigation team, said.

This year’s investigation is more interactive than in years past. Ghost hunters are encouraged to bring their own tools, such as recorders and cameras. Condon said they’ll break off into small groups so guests can have one-on-one encounters with the spirits.

Some equipment uses electromagnetic fields to pick up frequencies. The team also does what it calls quiet time with ghosts. Condon said that this is time set aside for asking spirits to make a noise.

Anything the team collects on audio and video isn’t heard in real time.

“It will only be when I finally go through the clips later on, that I’ll go, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what happened on the recorder that we didn’t hear with our own ears,’” Condon said, explaining that human ears can’t detect the frequencies with which spirits communicate.

Condon has lived on the North Coast for 30 years and has consistently heard about “the lady in the bathroom,” who allegedly lives on the theater’s upper floor. She’s also been tipped off about recent sightings of the ghost along with staff having encounters with shadows in dark rooms.

“What they saw was darker than the dark,” Condon said.

She acknowledged ghosts don’t always appear, and sometimes investigations have led to hours and hours spent in dark, dank basements with no activity.

Although Condon said her team hasn’t spent as much time at the theater as they’d like, past investigations returned some chilling recorded audio clips. Voices can be heard saying “here” in audio clips and answering when asked what their name is.

Historic buildings like the Liberty Theatre, plus a web of mysterious underground tunnels in Astoria, are known for being home to possible ghosts.

“We go to areas that are reputedly haunted, where people have seen things or where we have experienced things,” Condon said. Ghostoria formed about three years ago. Condon, along with Nathalie Kellow, lead the group’s local investigations.

Halloween at the Liberty Theatre

Liberty Theatre, 1203 Commercial St., Astoria

“Plan 9 From Outer Space” movie showing at 7 p.m. Friday. Will also include a discussion with Sandra Niemi, niece of actress Malia Nurmi, known as Vampira.

Paranormal investigations by Ghostoria will be offered at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday for ages 14 and over only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

www.libertyastoria.org