Anton James Andresen, Salem’s official magician since 2017, will pay tribute to the legendary Harry Houdini with a special performance at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) this Halloween. The event commemorates the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s death on October 31, 1926, and highlights the famed escapologist’s brief visit to Salem in April 1906.

Andresen, who grew up in Salem with a passion for magic nurtured by his father, Thomas E. Andresen Jr., said the upcoming show will explore Houdini’s career in three parts: his beginnings with card tricks, his transformation into a renowned escape artist, and his later efforts to debunk spiritualist seances that gained popularity in his time.

The Peabody Essex Museum has created a pop-up exhibit in its atrium featuring artifacts connected to Houdini’s Salem visit, including a pair of handcuffs he famously challenged during his stay. Houdini tested their security—reportedly escaping from multiple sets of handcuffs and leg irons within 13 minutes—during a public stunt to promote his theater performances. The same handcuffs, involved in Houdini’s skepticism of spiritualism, remain on display alongside historic programs and materials related to his 1906 appearances.

George Schwartz, PEM’s curator-at-large, described Houdini as an enduring symbol of determination and resilience, noting his immigrant background and stature as emblematic of overcoming limitations. Despite being only 5 feet 5 inches tall, Houdini’s feats earned him a reputation akin to a superhero of his era.

The event also reflects enduring interest in Houdini’s legacy as a debunker of fraudulent seances. Before his death, Houdini instructed his widow, Bess, to hold annual seances in an attempt to communicate with him beyond the grave, but these proved unsuccessful. Nonetheless, Houdini’s fans have continued efforts to reach him, including a 1990 seance at Salem’s Hawthorne Hotel that involved borrowing the very handcuffs Houdini had once questioned at PEM.

For Andresen, performing at PEM holds personal significance beyond Houdini’s history. Having visited the museum frequently as a child, he recalls a striking 200-year-old wooden statue of the Hawaiian god Kū, which he says emanated a powerful "magical energy." Andresen aims to channel that sense of wonder during his Halloween performance, which will mark the beginning of Salem’s most active and celebrated day of the year.