As if 2020 couldn’t look any spookier the way it is, Westfield will have its newest spooky Halloween attraction with the Haunted Trails at Tamaques Park on Oct. 24 and 25.

After three years of trying to create a large-scale haunted house in Westfield, local company EJB Entertainment has finally broken ground on the Trail of Terror and Trick or Trail drive-throughs, sponsored by the Westfield Education Association.

EJB Entertainment is an event and video production company based out of Westfield and is managed by WHS students and alumni. Ethan Berman, WHS alumnus and CEO of EJB Entertainment, started his career in event planning by running a haunted house out of his basement six years ago and has always dreamed of making it a more public event in Westfield.

“Being able to bring this back is something that is very nostalgic for me and my team. I have some of the original actors and team members [from the basement production] that were working on that project that is back here, and it’s something that I’m excited for my friends and family to be able to come to see this production again,” said Berman.

There are two separate haunted trails that Berman and his team will be setting up, using the Lamberts Mill entrance as the main gate for both trails. The first is the Trick or Trail, a silly, yet spooky endeavor for families and children featuring the Addams Family. Cars who complete the Trick or Trail will receive goody bags for children donated by Stop & Shop. The trail will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 24.

The second trail is the Trail of Terror, a more intense and scary experience recommended for ages twelve and up. The production will consist of many different components with sound, lights, strobes and other various special effects, as well as staged actors stationed throughout the ten-minute drive. The theme of the Trail of Terror is a fictional Westfield prison that was abandoned in 1906 and will be opened to the public for the first time in 100 years. The Trail of Terror will run from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on both Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25.

The EJB team has established strict COVID-19 guidelines to ensure that every member of the team and every guest who attends the haunted trails are as safe as possible.

“Everything stays in the car, the actors don’t approach the cars and there’s really no contact. We are strongly suggesting that you do temperature checks before arriving as well. Additionally, we are having every guest sign a waiver, acknowledging that they have not been exposed to anyone with COVID in the past 14 days,” said Berman. 

Early bird tickets went on sale Oct. 11 and sold out in a matter of hours. General admission tickets went on sale Oct.15 at 8 p.m. and cost $25 per car. Tickets can be purchased at addamsfest.com. Each time slot is about ten minutes long and there will be accommodations for parties with auditory and visual sensitivities.

Berman and the EJB Entertainment team are currently looking for potential volunteers to be actors or part of the production crew for the haunted trails. Any inquiries regarding volunteering can be emailed to [email protected] or you can reach out to @dylanberger10 on Instagram.