The art of storytelling might be dead. Still, in the city of Chicago, the art of telling stories about the dead seems to be quite alive.

In the basement of a nightclub called Excalibur, spooky tales are the substance of the show titled Supernatural Chicago. The show began on Friday the 13th, 2003. Since then, it has run each Friday evening, year-round, with additional shows leading up to Halloween.

On one typical night, the audience gathered in the uncertainty of a candlelit basement and took their seats as an unsure, unacquainted group. Silently, a man descended the winding stairs, his face solemn. The room grew still and eyes strained to catch the first glimpse of the storyteller. There in the center of the room, he held his audience’s attention.

Supernatural Chicago is a one-man demonstration, led by necromancer Neil Tobin. Tobin called the title of necromancer the perfect word to describe what he does. Necromancy is the forecasting of the future by alleged contact with the dead, specifically through sorcery, divination and enchantment. Tobin said he always has been fascinated with the strange and unusual and has studied countless books on psychics, hauntings and magic.

As the night progressed, the spectators began to feel at ease, laughing and joining in with some of the acts. They soon realized they were seated for a show, not a séance.

As the first show of its variety in the city of Chicago, many who attend enter with skepticism or apprehension. Tobin addressed this at the start of his performance, humorously saying, “I’m not here to convert you.”

Many of the tales told by Tobin were customary to Chicago, from the cursing of the Cubs to the frightening fable of the devil baby of Hull House. Other stories — like the one about Resurrection Mary — a disappearing date at Willowbrook Ballroom, may not be told any place else.

Some still struggle with the concept of Supernatural Chicago. Tobin attributes this to the common attitudes about magic in American society.

“There’s a tremendous amount of societal pressure, especially in the United States, to ignore our psychic abilities and intuition,” Tobin said. “We are largely educated not to pay attention to these kinds of things.”

After much experimentation, Tobin said he has selected the stories that reoccur each week, but each show is unlike the next. It is the audience that brings variation.

“I never know what kind of show I’m going to get in that regard, and that’s what keeps the show fresh and that’s why I’m still good at it,” Tobin said.

Tobin focuses on old Chicago and embracing its history, which is convenient for a building that used to be grounds for the Chicago historic society.

“There’s something timeless about a good ghost story,” he said.

The necromancer is not only knowledgeable in the history of Chicago’s haunted past, as represented during his show, but is familiar with the history of the magic community as well. As President for both the Chicago Assembly and the Society of American Magicians, Tobin said he seeks to promote the magic community.

“Chicago has an entire subculture comprised of magicians, with a handful of magic clubs scattered throughout the city,” he said.

Tom Palmer, who worked with Tobin in 1993, said that the necromancer, with his quirky and eclectic showman type personality, is really a lot of fun.

“Magic is his hobby,” he said. “Basically, he treats it as a performance, and you can treat him the same way as every other performing magician.”

Now a resident of Tampa, Florida, Palmer said he attends Supernatural Chicago every time he is in the area.

Renate Olive, who was critical of the supernatural aspects of the show, respected its presentation. She called a couple of his skits phenomenal and said that his doldrums tone really enhanced the theme of the performance.

“I’m inclined to believe he has a really incredible sleight of hand, that he’s creating it,” she said, expressing that the show was not as coherent as she felt it could have been.

Tobin said he sees the show as more than just one evening. What people experience on Friday night is only the first part.

“The second part of the show happens the next day, when you wake up… and what you’re left with are questions,” Tobin said. “That, I think, is the greatest gift I can give an audience.”

In his final skit of the night, Tobin chose Margaret Zuleger from the audience. Zuleger said she could not comprehend how Tobin was able to repeat the name she was thinking of in her head. She was undecided as to where the tap between her shoulder blades came from, when nobody and nothing was behind her.

Now, with the lights turned back on, Margaret Zuleger is still speculating. “It makes me wonder if it was a trick,” she said. “He could have a psychic ability, who knows?”