The Factory of Terror (Canton, OH)
“Screaming Is Only The Beginning”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
The Factory of Terror’s Death Squad 6 was parked for everyone to check out. This is a beautiful, pristine ambulance that perfectly represents The Factory of Terror. Once we stepped inside the factory, we had a good idea about how large the crowd was. It was massive to say the least. If people are saying that the economy has affected the haunt industry then they’ve never been to The Factory of Terror before. TV screens hang from the ceiling and banners advertising for different companies are attached to the walls. Trailers for each attraction and commercials advertising for companies play as you walk closer to the front of the line.
There were plenty of photo opportunities. One section allowed customers to get pictures of themselves standing next to a hanging man in a nasty bathroom and another section allowed people to place their head on a headless corpse. Various queue line actors walked around the factory looking for the right person to scare. After waiting for about an hour it was our turn to enter The Factory of Terror. It had been many years since we last toured the haunts and we didn’t know what was in store for us. Did The Factory of Terror still offer quality attractions or has it become stale over the years? Let’s find out.
The Factory of Terror includes 4 different attractions that create one large haunt. Between each attraction are small lines where you’ll rarely wait a minute of two. The first attraction you’ll tour is called Portal to Insanity. This is the first mirror maze constructed strictly for the Halloween season in the US. There are some detailed scenes, but the biggest highlight is of course the mirror maze portion.
Before you enter the mirror maze you’ll walk inside an intricate church where Satan resides. After you survived Hell, you’ll enter the best mirror maze you’ve ever experienced. Portal to Insanity is a well designed mirror maze with dynamic lighting effects and audio. At a certain point the lights will shut off and electric fire crackers will pop above your head. Can you find the exit in complete darkness? Let’s hope so. This isn’t a very difficult maze, but it’s still quite enjoyable.
Next up is Industrial Nightmare. Industrial Nightmare is unlike any haunt you’ve ever experienced. It resembles a real factory with machinery, high startle effects and sounds of death and destruction. The haunt is as real as it gets. You’ll walk through a chain maze, dodge falling crates, survive a mutant rat attack, walk past lockers that shake because of a spirit’s presence and even witness a man being crushed to death. I won’t ruin everything for you, but all I can say is wow. It’s like you’re part of a real life ghost story where spirits haunt an old factory. My only negative comment is that there aren’t enough actors to fill scenes and some of the actors weren’t ready when we walked past them.
When you’re done with Industrial Nightmare, you’ll enter Massacre on Mahoning. Massacre on Mahoning is an incredibly detailed haunt that uses different themed rooms to scare customers. Doors mysteriously open and close as you enter a kitchen. Is this house haunted or is your mind playing tricks on you? You’ll enter a graveyard where your worst nightmares live. A zombie holding a lantern digs into the ground as a giant vampire bat hangs upside down and flaps its wings. Enter another dimension as you walk through the vortex tunnel and be sure to watch out for the wall that violently moves. This is one of the most detailed haunts I’ve ever seen.
There are haunts that use endless hallways, but Massacre on Mahoning’s will have you looking up. You’ll also walk through plenty of dark crypts and passage ways. Factory of Terror is full of high end animatronics and jaw dropping effects. There’s not only one CGI animatronic, there are three CGI props. This includes The Asylum Door, Zombie Attack and Scary Mary. Very few haunts use Scary Mary, but it’s one of the most unusual. It’s themed after the urban legend of Bloody Mary and will have your skin crawling.
The last haunt you’ll tour is Judgment Day 3D. Judgment Day 3D is one of the best 3D attractions I’ve had the pleasure to lay my eyes on. The effects are incredible and the rooms are very creative. You’ll enter a room where a war has broken out. Watch where you walk or you might be attacked by a skeleton carrying a deadly weapon. There are many surprises coming your way including a large demon head that’s very hungry. Judgment Day 3D will give you the choice of going to Heaven or Hell? Will you choose the correct path. Several rooms are on fire and you’ll become a believer in extra terrestrials when you experience Judgment Day’s alien invasion. This is an incredible haunt that is great to look at and is appropriate for all ages. It’s what I would call a fun house taken to the extreme.
The total Factory of Terror experience lasts over 30 minutes and is $23 per ticket. VIP Tickets are $33 a piece. A Factory of Terror season pass is $100 plus a $3 service fee. The Glow Stick Tour-Pitch Black Event is $20 a ticket. Please visit www.fotohio.com for more information on pricing. If the haunts at The Factory of Terror aren’t enough entertainment for one night then purchase a ticket for Dead On. You’re part of a zombie war zone and you must shoot everything that gets in your way. There are plenty of concessions at Factory of Terror including Factory of Terror souvenirs.
We had an exciting night at The Factory of Terror. Words can’t begin to describe how over the top the set design is. The acting could be improved, but overall the haunts are some of the highest quality attractions we’ve seen in the state of Ohio. It’s worth $23 and then some.
Length-10 Design-10 Props/Animatronics-10 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7
Final Stab: 8.8
www.fotohio.com