Meet 13th Gate’s lead scenic artist

As Halloween approaches, the 13th Gate Haunted House’s maze of rooms is outfitted with ultra-realistic sets of crypts, monsters and all things chill-inducing. The building’s sets are updated and refreshed every year, so horror super-fans who visit each season never know what to expect.

This year, a 3,000-square-foot space inside the venue has been fully transformed into a spookish Mayan temple. Every wall is covered in intricately carved and painted foam stones, with statues and sculptures depicting ancient gods looming large.

The talented team of artists who designed and created all of this was led by Louisiana-
born artist Anthony J Henderson, whose career has taken him from the big screen to the big screams of 13th Gate and beyond.

Henderson got his start in set design as a student at Indiana State University, working toward his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. With a storied career on film sets, he has designed, sculpted and created backdrops for scenes in movies including Maze Runner, Looper and Ender’s Game.

While set design prepared the artist for the job of lead scenic artist at 13th Gate, Henderson says the interactive nature of this work changes his approach.

“Unlike movie sets which are built for specific camera angles, these sets must be durable and fully enclosed for an immersive experience,” Henderson says.

The artist worked as a sculptor on the set of the horror film The Reaping in 2004, when he first connected with 13th Gate owner Dwayne Sanburn. Sanburn saw the setmaker’s immense talent and recruited him to the team. Sanburn says Henderson has helped change how 13th Gate operates as the haunted house and horror business has adapted over the years.

“It changed from a seasonal business that we only worked on part time to a full-time year-round business, “ Sanburn says. “Our sets got more and more huge and complicated and immersive. Every aspect of this is now a show.”​

Henderson and his team began working on the temple scene in May of this year in order to complete the project before the Halloween season. Creating such intricate backdrops takes a lot of time to perfect, but the artist says his crew is always up for the challenge.

“It’s probably working with that team that is the most enjoyable thing,” he says. “They’re all very talented guys.”

Aside from sets and sculptures, Henderson dabbles in other art forms and even has his mixed media artwork featured at Ann Connelly Fine Art.

“The gallery stuff is … personal work, so it’s somewhat uncomfortable, I would say,” Henderson says. “But here, it’s just making this really cool set, so it’s great to see how it comes together.”

This article was originally published in the October 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.