Something mysteriously changes as you ride this section of Highway 65 in northeast Louisiana.

Some real characters tend to gravitate to Transylvania on Halloween. The spooky name. The bat on the water tower. The old abandoned schoolhouse.

“What better place. It’s kinda creepy but we’re gonna see what’s going on up there but if there’s a Transylvania nearby we gotta go see it,” said Kaitlin Riley.

Kaitlin Riley of Monroe isn’t the only one wanting to see this town with the famed name. Some folks from Arkansas drove here specifically to let their little witch pose for a picture in front of the Transylvania post office.

“People from everywhere sending in their Halloween cards and postmarks,” said Lisa Reddick, East Carroll parish postmaster.

A packet of Halloween cards comes in for the winged creature postmark. No extra charge for the bat stamp. For Randy Walters, whose drivers license says Transylvania, it makes life interesting when trying to travel.

“If I’m trying to get on an airplane I can’t because they don’t think Transylvania is a place that exists. After about 15 or 20 minutes they finally let me on,” said Randy Walters.

For Jean Stuart, who’s lived here for 57 years, there are no real bats or creepy crawlies just some good home cooking at the Transylvania Farmhouse restaurant.

“It’s a nice place to live and I guess it’s where I’ll stay,” said Jean Stuart of Transylvania, La.

Now, There’s a Transylvania County in North Carolina. The real Transylvania is in eastern Europe in Romania. And there’s Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Which happens to be how this little town got its name. That was the alma mater of one of the first plantation owners in this area.