There’s a magic to the Factory of Terror that is unmistakable and makes it so that no matter how many times our team goes or how many other haunts we see in a year no one else can repeat that magic. With a devoted team of monsters led by a mad genius, FoT has unique and bespoke creatures and special effects, sets that can be seen nowhere else, and actors that sweat and bleed horror.
Five haunted houses stretch before you through the sprawling building and switchbacks and turns hide surprises throughout every square foot. We were surrounded by screams starting at the ticket window and the tension didn’t ratchet down until the car was partway home.
While we were waiting for our tickets, our team leader was recognized by one of FoT’s queue-actors who was compelled to scream his name loudly into the night, announcing not only our presence to the waiting monsters but to also freak out the other waiting guests.
The cast at Factory this year had some familiar faces and a few new ones that our team quickly fell in love with. Every year the sexiest woman on earth goes after Doug, and Doug is happy to give in to his wiles every time. This year he was accompanied by a sharp-faced man with a whip and a wicked sense of humor who ran out of Mardi Gras beads but not slaps with the whip. The two of them worked for the crowds outside of houses into a frenzy and we saw more than one person flee from them.
In front of Massacre on Mahoning, a Steampunk Angel chided monsters and guests alike depending on her mood and their behavior. Energetic sliders, monsters blending into the walls, two children with a pet spider, and a little girl just protecting her dolls all caused at least one shriek if not more from a member of our group. The finale to these monsters was the increasingly disturbing Sack Boy who teleported through the final house stalking a member of our team until she finally escaped the building entirely.
The cast at FoT is one of the biggest things that sets them apart from other shows around them, propelling this haunt with a lot of high energy, interaction, and most definitely entertainment.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
Costumes at FoT are distinctly fitting for the varied locations and scenes within the five haunts. From detailed corseted steampunk angels to ghoulishly looming creepers, there are no missed opportunities for showing off costume creation and skill.
In dim areas like the depths of the swamp, Papa Legba loomed tall and had bright bone highlights that we were fascinated to see. Bone fragments sticking out of faces and limbs dotted victims throughout the building, and an emotionally expressive robot greeted us with needed light after the blackout maze. A demon in the poison room scared one of our team into almost hysterics after she had just recovered from a ghoul in the mausoleum appearing out of the structure in front of her.
Costumes are used not only to scare but to camouflage into the surroundings, and the makeup underneath masks or costumes is well-applied and smooth. We were even greeted by a business casual monster that managed to make a clean and pressed white button-up shirt and tie a source of continued horror.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
FoT has bright and detailed signage helping you to find everything you might need while on site. There are multiple ticket windows staffed to keep lines moving and staff are easy to spot and helpful with any questions or concerns. There is on-site security and staff members have radios to respond quickly and efficiently. Even the monsters were willing to help people, especially when it came to finding the port-a-potties. Though finding your way out of them might require a bit more work!
The team at Factory of Terror in Canton and the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron have even worked out a deal for visitors from far away to stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites, Canton at a reduced rate.
FoT has also added food trucks, three bars, and the services of the team at Reflection-Energy Healing Space to offer Tarot readings in the Midway for anyone looking for advice and direction. The newest addition this year is an expansion to the merch shop that makes it a full-sized, walkthrough store.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
From blocks away, the spotlights on the huge fa������������������ade of the Factory of Terror and its tremendous sign are easily spotted. The music rolls up and down the street and screams ring through the air as they spill out of the building. Video screens hang above the ticket windows and monsters weave in and out of the crowds spilling from the ticket booth to the entryway. The energy is high and the terror is higher. Be prepared to face all of the haunted terrors of the Factory the second you step out of the parking lot.
There are multiple parking lots surrounding FoT, but there is a fee for parking. Be sure to bring a little extra cash for this.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
There is no shortage of special effects in FoT that can be seen nowhere else. The team here has rebuilt factory machines and set them loose on the workers in ways that will haunt your nightmares. Animatronics twitch and scream from every angle. Cthulhu mythos-style monsters, gigantic creepy crawlies, and carefully placed pneumatic horrors leap and cavort.
Lighting in the Factory this year was amazing, causing precise blackouts and distracting the eye from the danger coming your way. One of the Factory’s most impressive feats is using special effect lighting, scents, and texturing to create whole other worlds. You aren’t walking through sets of sewers and graveyards, you are teleporting into them. You can feel the dirt under your shoes and the electric charge of storms as you cross through outdoor-style scenes. There is no shortage of beautiful sights and sounds, although beauty has its terrifying side. Especially when you hear the sounds booming through the cage maze section.
Despite our frequent visits to FoT, we always find something new to exclaim over while venturing through the multiple attractions inside.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
The Factory’s theme is Manufacturing nightmares, and it certainly lives up to its promise. Each house has its own dedicated style of nightmare and each of them is unique to FoT.
Guests can enjoy the bayou horrors of Louisiana in Lafayette 13, a mixture of home-brewed horrors in 1300 Lost Souls, a mashup of monsters and machinery in Industrial Nightmare, a globe-spanning set of ghouls and ghasts in Massacre on Mahoning, and an eye-catching and eerie set of malcontents in House of Nightmares. Each one is complete within itself, but part of the larger nightmare factory.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
We came with a larger group than normal, all experienced haunt visitors and some former haunters spanning from age 67 to 15. This year at least every generation in our team found something to be scared of.
Screams rang out all around us, but they also came from us and that’s a hard feat to achieve. The Factory is an intense haunted house that covers every fear imaginable, and it is hard to find a person who isn’t rattled at least once within its walls. The return and revamping of the mirror maze this year was hands-down the highest number of screams we heard all night, and Sack Boy in the House of Nightmares made sure that the fear we experienced throughout the night would creep into our minds and follow us home.
4125 Mahoning Road NE, Canton, Ohio 44705