The true spirit of Halloween is rebirth and renewal. A celebration of the dead and the resurrection of something exciting, fresh, and often frightening. No haunt exemplifies this ethos, of rampant creativity, of manic malevolent madness, than The 13th Gate Haunted House in Baton Rouge. Widely considered the best haunted attraction in the country, the 13th Gate was the brainchild of Dwayne Sanburn, a lifetime haunter who has been purveying frights and delights for over thirty years. What sets the 13th Gate apart is the innovative spirit that drives Dwayne and his team to continue to stretch the bounds of what a haunted house can be. By taking inspiration from all corners of entertainment, from cinema and theme parks to America’s own spiritualist traditions that date back centuries, Dwayne and his team gleefully put on a show with world-class theming, actors, and storytelling. A holistic experience in horror that has left an indelible mark across generations, The 13th Gate proudly holds its place as not just a rite of passage but an inexorable holiday tradition for thousands of screaming and laughing guests year after year.
This year, Dwayne is innovating the 13th Gate with not just one but TWO brand new themed spaces; one a spook show extravaganza unlike anything seen before, and the other, a massive expansion of the haunt’s footprint that takes their patented brand of horror to new heights.
SEANCE is a theatrical attraction inspired by the spiritualism movement that engulfed American popular culture in the early 20th Century. Inspired by a similar immersive show from Dallas, Dwayne was eager to create his own spin on the format, riffing on the charlatan nature of spiritual mediums of the era, of speaking to the dead, apparitions, and touching the veil beyond this one, and maximizing it with every trick and treat of special effects know-how that his team could muster. Led by a pair of masterful performers leading an audience through the spiritual exploration of a haunted doll, SEANCE ushers guests into a world that blurs the line between theater and terror for ten shows a night, running every thirty minutes.
“This was a chance for us to slow down and tell one story as a sit-down experience, as opposed to the haunt where the pace is faster,” said Dwayne. “We pushed the show to be very scary with incredible special effects that we worked on for months to get just right. It was a challenge to build, but a fantastic excuse to use illusions and effects that we’ve cultivated over the years in a brand new and exciting way.”
While some online voices have taken umbrage with the melding of spiritualism and spooky season fun, faceless voices who have assuredly not taken the time to enjoy the dedicated work of the artists and performers at SEANCE, Dwayne remains devoted to the work and to the yearly crusade of heralding the spirit of Halloween for everyone.
“It’s always our goal to create fun, family entertainment; never to upset or offend,” said Dwayne. “What’s interesting is that we have covered a wide variety of horror subjects over our 31 years, from ‘The Exorcist’ to ‘The Evil Dead’ and even a serial killer clown house, without complaint because it’s theater and all in good fun. I never thought a little show about a haunted doll would upset anyone, but the people who have seen SEANCE love it, and we are very proud of the show our performers put on night after night.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the haunt, Dwayne and his team are eagerly unveiling a project unlike anything they’ve done before: a new Gate constructed from the ground up. By tearing out one side of the main warehouse, they were able to build a fresh and expansive haunted locale for guests to explore: a two-story recreation of Frankenstein’s Castle, complete with a gargantuan 14-foot-tall animatronic of the Monster itself.
“We were very excited because this was the first time we could build without constraints,” said Dwayne. “The Frankesintein’s Monster is the work of a brilliant artist named Barton Gilly, who worked on ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ for Netflix. We’ve packed quite a few amazing actors alongside the Monster all within the most detailed set we’ve ever built, and it really came out great.”
Halloween is for everyone, and that’s the brand of nightmare The 13th Gate specializes in as they push the boundaries of haunts and immersive theater to meet the demand of an eager public. So if that’s not your tempo, all well and good; stick with your “Trunk or Treats” and “Harvest Festivals.” The rest of us will be eagerly journeying into the fog on cool October nights to witness what fresh frights Dwayne Sanburn and his world-class team have in store for us. There is a spirit to Halloween; one of community, laughter, innovation, and awe. The spirit of Halloween is alive at The 13th Gate; if only you’re willing to open your mind and venture into the dark to bask in all the wonder and horror that great artists have to offer.
See y’all in the moonlight!
“The 13th Gate” is open for select nights through Nov. 1. Learn more about tickets, and schedule your slot to experience SEANCE, by clicking HERE.
If you’d like to see the creation of The 13th Gate Monster, check out Barton Gilly’s Instagram page HERE for a real Halloween treat!
