How Jacksonville Does Halloween Right: The Haunted Trail

The Rise of Halloween in Popular Culture

My students can’t tell me who Hemingway is, but they are well acquainted with defense strategies for a zombie apocalypse. According to Fox News, Christmas is under attack every year (although Jesus seems well protected by the spirit of consumerism), but Halloween has consistently been on the rise.

Halloween has transformed from the meager trick and treating of children to adults planning costumes and parties months in advance, a rise in haunted establishments or events like Halloween Horror Nights, annual zombie walks in every major city, and subcultures revolving around shows like The Walking Dead. Even churches, which some may think are traditionally opposed to Halloween, join in the festivities with fall festivals and other creative celebrations.

People love Halloween! And why shouldn’t they, Halloween affords an opportunity that most people cherish: a chance to be someone or something else for a night. It’s a safe opportunity to express a part of ourselves that society typically forces us to repress.

The Best Haunted House/Event in Jacksonville

But how has Jacksonville, that city with the largest population in Florida, kept up with the meteoric rise of Halloween? I can’t answer the question in whole, but I can tell you the Haunted Trail on The Old Spanish Trail is something Jacksonville can proudly promote and share with the rest of the world. It should also become an annual part of every local Halloween aficionados celebration plans. If you have not checked it out, you have one more weekend to get your scare on. Located off of the Chaffee Road exit on I-10, the event will be running this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The sets, costume designs, makeup, video production, back story, and high production value of the event are beyond impressive. Perhaps the best feature of the event are the actors and staff. They are a bit eccentric(my kind of crazy ;)), but you will be hard-pressed to find a group of people more dedicated and excited about their craft. If they were a company that created a product throughout the year, even Donald Trump would have to proclaim they were making America great again.

I don’t want to belabor the point. Check out their website and check out The Haunted Trail this weekend. It is worth your time and will put a great scare into your weekend. Below are some character shots I took to help showcase the trail. I would like to thank Wonderland Jax for the opportunity to take pictures and experience such an epic production.