Like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, some ghosts and other spirits seemingly can’t avoid the temptation to thrust themselves back into the media’s spotlight – even if they’ve been dead for several decades.

Q: Where is the farm where the Texas Chain Saw Massacre took place?

A: There was never a documented chainsaw massacre that took place in Texas or any other state. But the original 1974 movie of the same name was based loosely on the murders committed during the 1950s in Wisconsin by serial killer Ed Gein, who died from cancer in a mental hospital 24 years ago but whose spirit has reportedly been spotted lately floating near his grave and even walking about the site of the Midwestern farmhouse where he once lived.

With Halloween near, it’s time for me to pen the single column I dedicate each year solely to haunted properties and provide updates on the supposed hauntings that I’ve written about in years past.

Though “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a fictional film, co-writer/director Tobe Hooper has said its scariest character, the horrifying “Leatherface,” is based on real-life killer Gein.

The farmhouse where Gein apparently performed most of his unspeakable acts burned to the ground after he was arrested. Inspectors believed the blaze was the work of vengeful neighbors, but no arson charges were filed.

Gein inspired the creation of not only the Leatherface character in “Texas Chain Saw,” but also the serial killer “Buffalo Bill” in “The Silence of the Lambs.” His life story was also the basis for the movie “Psycho.”

Q: Is it true that Harry Houdini’s former home is haunted?

A: Actually, many people have sworn that they’ve seen his spirit at both of his former homes – one in New York and the other in Hollywood, Calif.

The magician, escape artist and psychic investigator lived on both coasts at various times until he died on Halloween in 1926. His ghost has supposedly been sighted recently rambling about his old New York brownstone, which still stands at 278 W. 113th St. in Harlem.

Houdini’s Hollywood home burned down a few years after his death, but some of the ruins remain at 2398 Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Barely two weeks ago, several Angelenos reported seeing what they believe was his shadowy spirit standing on the scorched staircase that survived the fire. Others reported seeing his figure in the home’s grotto.

The magician promised that if there was a way to return from the dead or communicate from the afterlife, he would find it. That’s why, every Halloween night, dozens of people gather at his grave site in New York, while others visit the site of his old Hollywood property in anticipation of his “re-visitation.”

No one has been able to provide scientific evidence that they have been directly contacted by Houdini’s spirit, but some believe the recent rash of supposed sightings could suggest that he may have finally found a way to pull off the greatest trick in history.

Q: Where do you get your information about haunted homes?

A: From a variety of sources – books, the Internet and follow-up interviews with readers who have sent me their personal accounts of an experience with ghosts or other spirits.

My favorite book about the supernatural is “Haunted Places: The National Directory,” by Dennis William Hauck. Hauck also publishes a free Web site (haunted-places.com) that gives frequent updates on everything from hauntings to UFO activity.

Another of my favorite Internet sites is prairieghosts.com, the official site of the respected American Ghost Society.

Happy Halloween!