We made our annual visit to the award-winning Factory of Terror (FoT) in Canton, Ohio, this weekend. Major changes have been underway at FoT; we’ll do our best to fill you in without giving too much away. But, suffice it to say, FoT is living up to their reputation with some amazing new pieces of set design.
FoT continues its tradition of having five separate internal haunted attractions, each themed out and self-contained, for one single ticket price. This year, the five haunts are 1300 Lost Souls, Industrial Nightmare, Lafayette 13, Massacre on Mahoning, and the House of Nightmares. In the midst of these attractions, guests can also find the French Quarter at the Factory ‘ a decorated midway reminiscent of New Orleans, complete with the Forsaken Bar on Bourbon, a bar stocked with signature drinks and food options. Though these central locations are great for a moment to cool down, they too are decorated with the same care and attention to detail.
The Factory of Terror definitely brings a lot of skill and talent to their show. Be sure to plan a visit to this Guinness World Record holding haunted attraction as soon as you can.
Given that FoT has five internal haunts, it should probably be no surprise that there are also a lot of actors stalking and hiding within its walls ‘ sometimes literally. There are over 130 employees working at FoT, but a portion of those are support staff ‘ parking attendants, ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, and photo ops are all included in that number.
While we would have liked to have seen a few more actors in one section of Industrial Nightmare, overall, the actors are spread out nicely. Giving the guests time to calm down after a jump scare or just to nervously anticipate where the next one might be coming from is a nice bit of theatre. (Plus, it means a little extra time to look at the sets and d������������������cor.)
The cast was very interactive during our visit, playing off of things that we did or said as we ventured through the haunts. One of the actors had a ‘cackle off’ with our Team Lead; both of them were laughing maniacally enough to frighten other guests. Another haunter was silent, moving backwards through the haunt while mimicking our gestures. And we got to see a living ‘Operation’ dummy who was missing her heart; sadly, we never found it for her, but perhaps someone else did.
The actors at FoT are more than just a collection of folks who scream or stare silently; there is a great deal of interaction and variety. Enough that you never quite know what, or whom, to expect next. We took the time to talk to several of the characters inhabiting FoT ‘ including Judd (he’s everyone’s bud). A great number of the cast were very adept at responding in-character to every one of our retorts and quips.
There are some really great examples of costuming at FoT, many of them are created in-house which ensures a unique experience for visitors. Each of the five areas within FoT are each themed out differently; the costumes largely reflect this. The occasional roaming queue actors are very well kitted out as well with elaborate costumes and sporadic prosthetics sure to alarm.
Getting so many actors into appropriate gear and clothing is surely a tricky job. Too, the safety and comfort of the actors must be taken into account as well. Though all of the lines and attractions are indoors, the temperatures within the Factory can sometimes vary from the downright chilly to unseasonably warm. The costumes, to some degree, take this into account; though we did see a couple of pairs of too clean sneakers in the dim light, the actors likely needed the support for the hours of work they’re putting in on the cold, concrete floor.
The Factory of Terror is easy to locate, and readily identifiable from outside the attraction ‘ lights, signs, and the occasional crowds lining up to purchase tickets mark it as something out of the ordinary from its surroundings. The staff are kind, courteous, and helpful. Even away from the site, FoT’s online portals give plenty of information on tickets, discounts, and operating hours.
One thing we are able to mention that we found generously welcome in the industry is a wheelchair accessible option for guests who can’t navigate the more than a mile-long route through the attractions. In addition to a simple pass-around for areas that would be impossible for an individual in wheelchair or with mobility-impairments to navigate, FoT also sends a costumed actor with the wheelchair bound individual, giving them details about what is going on in the area’s that they must bypass while staying in character and providing the occasional scare and a great deal of entertainment on the way. Even going through with a cane, though perhaps a bit slower than some of the visitors, actors are aware and work to ensure the visitor’s safety while remaining in character and offering up some creepy one-liners. Very few haunts go this extra step to guarantee that all of their visitors are able to fully enjoy the show.
Before entering the first attraction, 1300 Lost Souls, FoT works to bring guests into a world of entertainment and terror. From wandering madmen and monsters, to detailed photo ops, and towering set pieces, it was obvious that we were at a quality, professional haunted house. The entrance to each of the five haunts within FoT has its own small queue line, and none of them have been neglected when it comes to external detail. While waiting to enter each one, there is plenty to look at ‘ we spotted lots of small details that really helped to bring home the feel of each of the haunts.
Although there were places with a great deal of sound bleed and some areas that were almost painfully loud, overall the sound in FoT was engineered very well. From background music to mood-setting ambient sounds, FoT has thought of nearly every angle to bring visitors into the creepy worlds they are portraying. Details crawl from the floor to the ceiling in many places and work to make visitors feel like they have moved from place to place.
Past visitors to FoT should be on the look-out for quite a few new scenes and elements ‘ the third house has been almost completely re-built, for example. Newcomers to the Factory might be overwhelmed by the sheer level and number of effects built into the attractions that can come at visitors from nearly any direction and angle.
There are a lot of small things that are part of the detail of FoT that are almost like small Easter eggs ‘ nearly hidden references that are resemble an inside joke between the attraction itself and the visitor. From the names of some of the attractions to pictures of the owner decorating a wall, FoT packs in lots of tiny details into lots of its scenes. Just don’t get too distracted while looking for these; you never know what might be creeping up behind you.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining (35% of score): 9
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking (15% of score): 8.8
Theme Well Executed, Believable (25% of score): 8.9
Location Authenticates Theme (10% of score): 10
How Scary (15% of score): 9
As stated, there are five separate haunts under the roof of FoT. While it is possible to find an explanation for each of these online (and we encourage our readers to do so), they each hold up well enough that visitors can deduce the respective theme without much difficulty. The Factory’s location really helps bring home the various themes as they relate to the local area for the most part. The departure from that is, of course, the New Orleans swamp themed third house that leads into the newly redecorated midway area with its own internal bar. Though this area is a notable departure from the mixture of factory and local locations, it is still easily recognizable and makes the middle of the attraction feel unique and special.
FoT has done a good job of training its cast to spread scares around to nearly everyone in a group. Though there are several animatronics that might trigger for the front of the group, the actors do a great job of making sure that everyone feels included. Distractions are abundant in the haunts; even when we weren’t looking at the amazing sets, actors were still able to pop out of a variety of places, capitalizing on disturbances from their fellow actors or from other props that were activated by our passage.
But, scares aren’t delivered simply with jump scares, drop panels, and sudden appearances at FoT. Disturbing images, creepy sounds, and mind-searing dialogue all accompanied us on our journey through the haunts of this attraction.
4125 Mahoning Road NE, Canton, Ohio 44705