PARRISH, Fla. — For one night a year, people can be anyone they want to be.
For Lily Caladrino, Halloween and Screamworks Site 13 give her a place to embrace something she has long enjoyed: clown makeup and all things scary.
“I've always liked doing clown makeup and scary makeup and people I talked to really did not like doing that,” Caladrino said. “They thought I was kind of weird for it, but once I finally got here I felt at home.”
WATCH NOW: Parrish Halloween haunt brings scares, neighbors together
That “home” is Screamworks Site 13, a homemade haunted attraction created by Josh Danley in the space between his home and his neighbor’s home in Parrish.
Danley said he spent about three months putting this year’s attraction together. The haunt includes a maze, prosthetics, fake blood and plenty of opportunities for visitors to get scared.
“I mean, for a side yard, it’s not bad,” Danley joked while walking through the attraction.
But for Danley, the project is about much more than Halloween.
A longtime passion turns into a neighborhood tradition
Danley said his interest in creating experiences like Screamworks goes back to when he was a teenager.
“I have done this since I was like 15,” Danley said.
He said his interests over the years have included theatrics, music and the arts. Screamworks has become a way to channel those interests into something other people can enjoy.
“I like just giving back to people. I like entertaining people. I like just making people happy … and this is my way of doing it,” Danley said.
And plenty of people come looking for a scare.
“That first room, people have gotten scared all the way down, all the way through,” Danley said.
But the scares are only part of what keeps the attraction going.
Danley said he's watched people involved with Screamworks develop friendships and begin working together as a team.
“Now they’re all becoming friends and it’s so cool to watch, just becoming a team and really working together, so it gives them that sense of belonging,” he said.
That sense of community is something neighbors say they see, too.
Neighbors help bring the haunt to life
Neighbor Joy Sheer Blanton said the people behind Screamworks put significant time and energy into creating something the community can experience for free.
“Neighbors have done a huge great job putting this together for everybody,” Blanton said. “They've dedicated so much time and energy to do this free of charge to all of us, and it's been great.”
Blanton said the effort extends beyond the people who originally started the attraction. She said neighborhood volunteers have helped with setup and contributed props.
“I don't even know how they pull it off every year,” Blanton said.
She said she has seen people working on the attraction since around late August or early September.
Scaring for a cause
Screamworks is free to walk through, according to Danley, but visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food that will be donated to the Parrish United Methodist Church food pantry.
Danley said Friday night was Screamworks' busiest night to date, with more than 1,000 people walking through Site 13.
He said the turnout also translated into donations. A drum and a 20-gallon tote were filled with donated food, according to Danley.
For Danley, the giving-back component fits with his larger reason for creating Screamworks: entertaining people while doing something positive for his community.
Screamworks could soon need a new home
After five years, however, the future of Screamworks may look different.
Danley said he does not expect to continue hosting the attraction at his house next year and hopes to find another location.
“I’m sad to not be able to do it here because I know a lot of the kids will be disappointed, but hopefully move on and do it somewhere else,” Danley said.
Blanton said the neighborhood itself has grown significantly in recent years, leaving less room for an attraction that Danley hopes can become even bigger.
“Our neighborhood has grown so much in the last few years that we're just kind of running out of room,” Blanton said.
She hopes Danley can find another location that would give Screamworks room to expand.
“He wants to make a huge bigger scary experience for everybody, so hopefully he can come up with another venue to do that,” Blanton said.
Danley has also said he is working toward turning Screamworks into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit as he considers its future.
Exactly where Screamworks will call home next year remains to be determined.
But wherever it goes, Danley said he is grateful to the community that helped the attraction grow during its first five years.
“I’m just thankful that we live in a wonderful community that, you know, has been so supportive over the last five years,” Danley said.
Share Your Story with Haley
Tampa Bay 28's Haley Zarcone lives and works in Manatee County. It’s her mission to connect with her neighbors and help them find answers to the issues they see every day.
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