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Haunting Photos of an Abandoned Film Set in Alabama

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Jackson Lake Island is a grassy island located in the Alabama River. The island was used as the set of Tim Burton's movie 'Big Fish' in 2003 and the sets were left to decay after the filming ended. (Johnny Joo)

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Jackson Lake Island is a grassy island located in the Alabama River. The island was used as the set of Tim Burton's movie 'Big Fish' in 2003 and the sets were left to decay after the filming ended. (Johnny Joo)

A piece of Hollywood has been abandoned on Jackson Lake Island in the middle of the Alabama River. Built for Tim Burton’s movie “Big Fish,” the town of “Spectre” wasn’t torn down after filming ended, so Cleveland-based photographer Johnny Joo, 25, recently visited the island to photograph the set that was left to the elements 13 years ago.

“One of my favorite films of all time will always be ‘Big Fish’ so when I had learned about this island, and that Spectre was actually a real place, I knew I had to go,” Joo told weather.com about exploring the abandoned set. “I thought it was so cool how they actually made it look abandoned, and then actually abandoned it.”

He added: “It was definitely a different experience, since I am normally used to photographing real structures, [but] while wandering this island, I realized that these are in fact just shells built [like] a stage, with even the trees as you enter being made of foam.”

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It began to rain while Joo was photographing the abandoned movie set, which he said only enhanced the mood. “[It] made the scene even more unique and it provided me with a way to capture [the town] in my own [way], rather than how it was shown in the film.”

Aside from touring the abandoned film set, visitors to the island can also kayak, camp overnight, or hang out with the friendly goats that roam the area. “The goats were the friendliest I have ever seen,” Joo said. “They wandered right out to me to see what I was doing and sat right next to me.” Of course, he had to photograph one of his furry tour guides while he was there.

(MORE: Abandoned Greenhouse Turns into Mad House)

Joo has photographed a number of abandoned places throughout his career, including abandoned hospitals and greenhouses. “I feel that there are so many things sitting around, simply abandoned and forgotten that are huge parts, or even small parts, of our world’s history,” he explained. “[They] need to be saved in some way before they completely fade away and become forever forgotten.”

To see more of his work, visit his website or follow him on Facebook.

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