Fear Factory (Batesville, IN)
“Coffin City USA”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
A 30,000 square foot factory has a history of ghosts and pure evil. This place of fear was once the Batesville Coffin Company and it’s now an annual Haunted House. Are you ready to get scared lifeless at Fear Factory in Batesville, Indiana?
The old coffin factory is an impressive site to behold. An animated eye blinks on the side of the building as popular music plays in the parking lot. A teen dance event known as Club Nightmare was taking place that night. Fear Factory is definitely an old school haunt. I felt like I was stepping back in time. This haunt reminded me of a Jaycees Haunted House from the 1980’s. The haunt is 20 minutes long and there are a variety of scenes.
Fear Factory has some intense scenes, but for the most part it’s family friendly. The majority of actors are young with many that do a good job. But there were numerous times where I had an actor yell BOO! This is really unacceptable and I felt like a few of the actors just weren’t taking it seriously. There are a few standout actors including the young girl in the swing who jumps out at you. The zombie invasion was great as well. You’ll explore different areas including a construction zone, slaughter house, graveyard, hall of portraits, a spider’s lair and more.
The homemade mutant spider was pretty impressive and the graveyard was large and immersive. We were surrounded by tombstones. The lighting could have been better and having the thunderstorm synchronized to flashing lights would have made it a more realistic experience. The animated chimp in the slaughter house was a nice touch. Fear Factory has a variety of props ranging from strange heads with glowing eyes to steel barrels that fall.
At a certain point, you’ll be separated from your group which was unexpected. Fear Factory has just about any themed room you can think of, but there are far too many walls that are made of black plastic. The haunt benefits Cierra’s Club which is a non profit organization founded after the heroin overdose of Cierra Adams on her birthday. It helps those with addiction. This is fine, but we felt that there could have been less scenes with a hidden drug message. Having the ticket taker talk about the charity a little before entering the haunt would have been more effective.
Tickets are $10 a piece and there are concessions available including drinks, food and more. The majority are a dollar or less which is great. Be sure to keep your ticket for 10% off local restaurants. Escape Room tickets are $5 a piece and it lasts 3-5 minutes. There’s a limit of 5 people in a room and you have a choice between two Escape Rooms. Lights on Tours are available for $10 a ticket. This is great for those who scare easily. Fear Factory has an incredible building and potential to become a great haunt. The acting needs a lot of work and there are too many black plastic walls.
Length-9 Design-5 Props/Animatronics-5 Acting-5 Scare Effect-5
Final Stab: 5.8
www.fearfactorybatesville.com