Halloween has become big business nationally. However, the true spirit of the season can best be found at the local, homegrown haunt. Built upon a legacy of backyard graveyards and chainsaw corn mazes, the regional haunt is a labor of love; a bedrock of teenage dares and lifelong nightmares. One such locale, tucked in a quiet corner of Acadiana, is FRIGHT TRAIL. A community staple celebrating its lucky number 13th year, FRIGHT TRAIL is the brainchild of Rich Hanf, a lifelong horror enthusiast, natural-born showman and devoted disciple in the Church of Halloween.
One of the original haunters, Hanf has been in the Halloween game for over 50 years; a foundational personality within a community that has exploded in the modern era and one of the highest-rated speakers at haunt contentions like Trans World, the National Halloween Trade Show. Born on Oct. 30 (Devil’s Night), his love affair with all things Halloween began at a young age, watching horror movies on TV.
“I remember being a ten-year-old kid watching the 4:30 movie. The local channel would run the same movie at the same time Monday through Friday, perfect for after school,” said Hanf. “When it was an Elvis movie, I could have cared less. But when it was ‘The Crawling Eye’ or ‘The House on Haunted Hill’ five days in a row, I was over the moon. It’s fair to say I’ve always been into horror.”
A lifelong acolyte of legendary horror hosts like Svengoolie and Zacherlie, Hanf grew up to spread grand tidings of ghoul cheer himself by putting on local haunts across the country; with a Houston haunt ultimately leading to meeting his future wife, horror author Deborah LeBlanc, and finding his way to his current home of South Louisiana.
“Deborah and I were driving through Acadiana years ago and we drove past a batch of twenty acres that she owned but didn’t know what to do with,” said Hanf. “Well, I said, I think I’ve got some ideas. Next thing I knew, we were in the woods from April to September with a chainsaw prepping the first haunt.”
FRIGHT TRAIL, named by Deborah, has grown into a household tradition in the region, one that requires year-long upkeep fueled by a passionate group of dedicated Halloween devotees all working for a united purpose. So when the nights grow long in the Fall, the woods come alive with nightmare visions to the terror and delight of adults and kids alike; with proceeds often going to the philanthropic benefit of the community.
“We have a great, loyal crew willing to come out even if it’s 100 degrees or raining. That’s the FRIGHT TRAIL Way,” said Hanf. “But we are also very community-minded. We recently donated 750 iPads to four or five local high schools. But our greatest contribution is giving kids a place to have a fun and spooky night in the Fall. Many of them come back two or three times a year or go viral posting their scare videos across TikTok. A couple of years ago, we had over 100 million views on TikTok from Scare Cams alone. When you’re looking for a good time on a Saturday night, it’s tough to beat twenty acres of haunted woods in your own backyard.”
FRIGHT TRAIL is set for its most expansive year yet in 2024; with a fully animated forest filled to the brim with dungeons, sewers, twisty buses, clown tents, cemeteries, voodoo covens and chainsaw corrals, not to mention local legends like The Crowley Strangler, The Demented from Duson, The Butcher from Breaux Bridge and The Psycho from Scott all lurking along in the dark of the trail. On some nights, the lights even go black, and unsuspecting guests are forced to traverse the gloom and doom with nothing but a tiny finger light to guide their path. But rest assured, it’s all in good, ghoulish fun. Rich & Co., along with their partners at Acadiana Security and Ambulance, work tirelessly to keep things safe and scary for all guests. At the end of the day, what matters are the memories made in moonlight, the friendships forged in fog, and the screams let loose in the dark of the night that will last a lifetime. For Rich and his merry band of Haunters, that’s the name of the game.
“With everything we do, I know that there’s a ten-year-old kid out there, just like I was, who will come to FRIGHT TRAIL with his friends and be scared out of his mind,” said Hanf. “Then hopefully 50 years from now, he’ll tell his kids how he went out in the woods as a child and saw a Rougarou rip someone’s arm off. At the end of the day, that’s our legacy. And I’m very proud of that.”
FRIGHT TRAIL is open on select nights starting Sept. 27 in Scott, Louisiana. For ticket information, directions and so much more, visit frighttrail.com.
See y’all in the moonlight!
