The Factory of Terror has undergone some major changes, and this year the place felt like an entirely different haunt. With changes in the houses inside and the structure of visits, the Factory is now a more customizable experience, offering flexibility and fun. Visitors can decide if they want to visit each of the four houses or repeat one house more than once. There is a self-paced and guided walkthrough called Underworld that doesn’t count against your four houses, as well as two optional rides and professional tarot readings. Make sure you come in comfortable shoes, and don’t hesitate to come hungry, as there are multiple food options and five themed bars.
The Factory of Terror has been around for a couple of decades, and this year they have reworked a lot of things internally. While we were still able to spot a lot of old and familiar set pieces, much of the internal pathing has been altered and there are some new things to see tucked away behind the entrances of the four themed haunts inside the Factory of Terror.
The Factory of Terror has a wild cast of characters that match their respective houses. Our favorite Persian Princess was reigning supreme over the lines and midway. Lucifer himself came to see us in the line, and man, did he look snazzy! Monsters utilized every angle of the Factory to make sure people were scared. In the new addition to Massacre on Mahoning, our two guides were squeaky and delightful. One of them managed to have an entire conversation with only facial expressions and squeaks, and then the other surprised us from behind while we were focused. Several lurkers at Industrial Nightmare managed to appear from nowhere and then disappear before popping up again. In Asylum we were met instantly by an attendant who turned laughter into fear. The Abyss was home to all sorts of creatures, and we were almost run through by rather evil pirates. There was an orderly who kept asking us “what?” in all manner of inflections. A wonderfully creepy jellyfish girl, that we initially thought was a large prop, turned out to be moving around through the laser-lined fog; we have never quite seen anything like her before, much to our wonderment and surprise!
How complete, unique, detailed were the costumes, accessories? – (35% of score)
Were the masks, makeup creative, detailed, realistic? – (30% of score)
How appropriate were the costumes for the respective scenes, themes? – (20% of score)
How believable-, detailed-looking were the queue actors? (See Note if N/A) – (15% of score)
The very first thing we want to do is call out the Jellyfish in the Abyss, because she was one of the coolest and strangest monsters we’ve ever seen! Because of the variety of scenes in the Factory, there is a large collection of costumes ranging from clowns to zombies. We always love the Factory clowns because they have detailed outfits and makeup. The monsters here are always on point and there’s never any creatures out of place.
Realistically weathered zombies populate dark corners and blend into the darkness when needed. Even the queue monsters are carefully decked out, and you should expect to see dangerous creatures like the devil or an inhumanly tall scarecrow.
There were some old faces that we missed during our visit because, of course, nothing can stay the same for ever. However, it was hard to notice because of the swelling crowds throughout the various queue areas and cool down zones between the haunts.
How easy was it to locate, park at, navigate the premises? – (25% of score)
Safety (Only dock points for TRULY DANGEROUS hazards!) – (30% of score)
How professional, helpful, friendly were the staff members? – (25% of score)
How easy was it to find pertinent information before arrival? – (20% of score)
The Factory of Terror works hard to make a safe and positive environment for all customers, minus the monsters. Introducing a new system where visitors have the chance to visit any of the houses four times makes the Factory a customizable experience. Since each house has its own theme and style, this allows you to focus on your favorite kind of horror. We recommend seeing all of them, but nothing is stopping you from going to enjoy one four times in a row. We greatly recommend all the internal haunts, as well as the fast pass option to avoid lines. The quickest house to traverse during our visit was the Abyss, while we took the longest time making our way through Industrial Nightmare.
The five bars on property are spread out across the haunt, and there is a package that allows you to do a Zombie Bar Crawl where you skip the houses and enjoy the atmosphere and the drinks. They’ve also added a dance floor this year attached to the French Quarter Midway. In addition, there’s a smoking area just outside that contains a food-truck for quick snack options. Though there are some conveniently located port-a-potties on site. Astute and aware guests such as ourselves can easily find actual restrooms onsite (for those who want a little bit more of the usual and less of the temporary).
Customer service employees are all wearing marked vests or shirts (see photos). We found that we could also ask any of the costumed monsters walking around for directions and they will help, but expect to get a growl with their helpful answer.
Guests who are sensitive to a lot of sensory input may find some of the areas between haunts to be as overwhelming as some of the intense areas within the haunts. If this applies to someone in your party, be forewarned and come prepared.
How well did the pre-haunt areas ("vibe") prepare you for the attraction/s? – (25% of score)
How obvious, creative, believable was the storyline? (See Note if N/A) – (20% of score)
Were you completely, consistently immersed inside the attraction/s? – (40% of score)
How well did the "vibe" flow after, between the attraction/s? – (15% of score)
The Factory of Terror is immersive from outside to indoors. Because it is an old factory, from the moment you arrive you see an ominous, sprawling old building that looks haunted. When you enter, you find yourself in a series of nightmares that blend into one another. Spaces between houses are decorated, keeping the haunted atmosphere going. The Factory has environment built into each section, so even when you’re standing in a line outside a house there are forests, ancient swamps, and abyssal monsters surrounding you.
The internal haunts are arranged in a flow-through order: the Forsaken Asylum, Industrial Nightmares, Massacre on Mahoning, and the Abyss. However, as we’ve said, visitors can actually visit these in any order. We entered the haunt and made our way to the new Underworld section to gather our bearings and understand how things worked at the Factory of Terror. The Underworld’s ‘haunt’ is an unpopulated walk-through that allowed us to take our time through some of the historic sets offered in the past. We went through Industrial Nightmares to start our night, followed by the Forsaken Asylum, then the Abyss, and finished our night with the historic Massacre on Mahoning.
While there were some moments that took us out of the immediacy of the intense scenes within – we were looking at you, giant slide! – these moments were still enjoyable and fun.
How effective were the sound effects? – (20% of score)
How realistic were the scene designs, details? – (30% of score)
How effective, realistic were the props, animatronics? – (30% of score)
How well did they use creative, special, sensory effects? – (20% of score)
Throughout the haunted houses, there are all sorts of tricks and terrors. Sparks go off in exposed wires, and radioactive ooze glows as monsters fly out of the darkness. Water features, fog, and scents create sewers and swamps and make them feel real as you walk through. The graveyard smells of freshly turned earth, and the sound effects add weather and depth. Many of the haunts include screams, bangs, and the rattling of teeth in terrified mouths. The redesigned mirror maze is a delight and came at a time when we were not prepared for it. A new scene in the first house had our jaws hanging as we pressed to the wall in terror and utilized an effect that really pushed us to the edge!
How scary was it? – (35% of score)
How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? – (15% of score)
How predictable were the scares? – (25% of score)
How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? – (10% of score)
How strong was the ending / finale? – (15% of score)
Factory of Terror reliably provides the sight of people running out of exits, screaming and gasping. As we walked through, we would hear sharp bursts of fear all around. In one house, the group behind us had a member so terrified she was clinging to our Desi, as well as her own boyfriend. Fear is induced by all sorts of techniques, from high-tech animatronics to old-school jump scares. Considering that you can now return to a house that terrified you the most or avoid ones that you are sure will be too much, the Factory of Terror allows you to control how much of its non-stop scares you consume.
How satisfied with the entertainment provided by the MAIN attraction/s? – (50% of score)
How satisfied with OTHER entertainment INCLUDED with the ticket price? – (25% of score)
How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s? – (25% of score)
The Factory of Terror has varied pricing depending on the day of the week. Tickets are cheaper on the website, so look at those options before heading out. Peak nights like Saturday are more expensive versus cheaper Sundays with discounts for kids. Parking is five dollars for up close with less of a walk, but there’s also a free (purple) parking lot that is a short walk away.
The Factory of Terror also offers a season pass allowing you to visit as many times as you want for the year, along with discounts on other tickets and merchandise. It is also good for the Factory’s sister haunt: the Akron Schoolhouse and Laboratory. The Factory has set Guinness World Records and won award after award because of its unique and terrifying location that is open for fun year-round.
Don’t miss out on the new VR Carnevil ride, as it was surreal and wild! The old Mineshaft ride is still onsite as well. Both of these are within the new Underworld section of the haunt.
Given the wide range of entertainment options available at the Factory of Terror, there are enough things here that could have kept us entertained all night. Some of the onsite bars close on Sundays, but other bars are open. For Safety, there are several uniformed police officers, in addition to the in-house safety staff.
4125 Mahoning Road NE, Canton, Ohio 44705