Explore the favorite local haunts of ‘Ghost Adventures’ star Aaron Goodwin

Vegas Voices is a weekly question-and-answer series featuring notable Las Vegans.

Aaron Goodwin moved to Las Vegas from his native Portland, Ore., in 1998 for school and eventually taught himself to be a filmmaker. During a class at UNLV — "I used to sneak into classes just to make sure I was doin' stuff right," he says — he met Nick Groff, who eventually introduced him to Zak Bagans. In 2004, the trio filmed the documentary that would lead to their Travel Channel series, "Ghost Adventures." The show is now in its 11th season, its first without Groff. The series' annual two-hour Halloween special visits Deadwood, S.D., at 9 p.m. Saturday, following a 10-hour "Ghost Adventures" marathon.

We spoke with paranormal investigator Goodwin, 39, about his love of Halloween, what scares him and his favorite local haunts.

Review-Journal: You've been doing this for a while now. Do you still get scared?

Goodwin: Oh, yeah. It's so scary. You go into a situation, you don't really know what you're dealing with. Well, we do now. But who knows what that spirit has in its mind or what happened? So every time something happens, excuse my French, but drops of pee come out. … Coming back home is sometimes stressful and scary, because the stuff will follow me home. Not all the time, but they do. But I've just learned to deal with it. I keep my mind busy, and I keep working on something, then I'm OK.

Review-Journal: What's the most afraid you've ever been?

Goodwin: In my house. Now I understand the energies and the spirits that hang out with me and why. But before, when I was getting the hang of it? I've been tugged out of bed. I've seen things you wouldn't even believe in the house.

Review-Journal: What do you say to viewers who claim the whole thing is fake?

Goodwin: We used to worry about that. We used to try to prove it. Now, if you don't believe it, that's fine. Maybe it's best you don't. Some people don't because they're too scared. We're here to tell our story now. We've done it for so long now that (viewers can) believe it or not. If you've had a ghost experience, you're gonna believe it. If you don't believe it, well, hopefully you can watch our show and believe it more.

Review-Journal: Given what you do, is Halloween just another day for you?

Goodwin: Halloween is, like, the coolest time. I have over 300 fake skulls. My house, people walk in and go, 'Oh my gosh. It's like Halloween every day.'

Review-Journal: Do you do anything special to celebrate it?

Goodwin: I like to just walk around the Strip and watch all the characters walk by. That's the coolest thing ever. It's like Mardi Gras for costumes.

Review-Journal: Is it weird seeing people lining up to scare themselves silly in those parking lot haunted houses?

Goodwin: No, because I do the same thing.

Review-Journal: Really?

Goodwin: Every year I do 'em all. I go to Bonnie Springs, and I go to (Fright Dome at) Circus Circus. Bonnie Springs is like a home away from home. I'll go up there two or three times (during the season). I like the vibe. I like standing in line and waiting to get scared, even though I know what's going to happen. It's way better to get scared like that than the way I get scared.

Review-Journal: Do you have a favorite haunted location in the area?

Goodwin: The best spot, which is kind of tough to hunt, is Goldfield. (The ghost town is about 180 miles northwest of Las Vegas.) That's where it all started (for the Ghost Adventures Crew). We always find ourselves going back there. … But I love going to Bonnie Springs. It's like an Indian spirit haunt kind of thing. I just like that area for some reason. … Really, just walking around the Strip or just walking around anywhere is the best haunt in Vegas. Because of the mafia. Because of all the history. Because of people dying that we don't even know about because they don't put it out in public. We just hunted the Riviera. That was the most scariest thing ever, because it was finally empty. And you can tell the spirits rule this area, and there's so much hidden.

— Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch.