Fear Factory SLC Review (2024)

Once you enter the towering metal gates that contain the horrors ahead, you are greeted instantly by an array of characters and monsters. Karl is the main-man here at Fear Factory. This gnarly guy was added to the multi-year plot during the 2023 season. But, new to him and other main character’s is the aspect of smell. Each character (and themed area of the haunt) have very distinct smells. Some are musky, some refreshing and some as oily as if they just left the mechanic’s yard.

The unscripted conversations are both eerie and interactive. Along with the expectations of staying focused on who they are portraying, they are also excellent at slowing down or chasing after the line of people to keep a steady yet separated pace. The latest member introduced into the Fear family for the 2024 season may just CREEP around the corner at you when you least expect. Watch out.

Damn. The costumes this year were absolutely spectacular. The detail, the care, the layers! You can tell that the costume department went above and beyond to showcase their skills this year. Between the handpainting and the masks there was no lack of quality displayed on each themed character. Consistency is kept from the ghoulish greeters at the gate to all the way to level XI. I guess, if you make it that far…

Hands down one our favorites sections in the entire haunt was the vibrant and uv activated circus walk. These costumes popped-whether you had the 3D glasses on or not. We don’t want to spoil anything, but there may be more creatures under the big top than those cackling clowns.

Fear Factory is located at an address you will not soon forget. (666 w. 800 s.) And if that doesn’t do it, the giant spotlights will. Before you are actually inside the haunt entrance you can observe staff already patrolling the fences and parking areas. For such a scary place you sure do feel safe. The ticket booth has been more conveniently located at the beginning of the haunt shortly after their first ever mini merch booth that you can explore quickly if the main one is already full of eager souvenir shoppers.

There are multiple crew members at the gate who are ready to answer any and all questions you may have. Once you have tickets in hand and enter the waiting area (complete with a live DJ and concessions area) you will encounter a variety of staff and haunt actors that will lead the way, each one more helpful than the last.

Designed to tickle a different fear, each scene created an inescapable nightmarish “snowglobe.” Even when recalling these moments, we forget that we were in an actual factory. While some parts of the haunt tied in exquisitely to the well-known industrial factory surroundings, others made us feel as if we were in a different plane of existence entirely. Not one corner was cut and not one stone unturned. The concept of going through with a “fine toothed comb” doesn’t even hold a candle to the love and care put into the customer experience. There is a specific room (we won’t give it away) where the noise, space, and the overhanging rope dipped in latex kept every sense on high alert, bouncing without a break between each other, leaving no time to comprehend exactly what was happening, and inciting panic whether we were aware of it or not. “What’s touching my face? I heard shuffling over there! Is that face moving? THERE’S SOMETHING TOUCHING MY NECK! *sudden air blast* AHHHHKJSDKJHS!!!

This particular attraction lures you there before you can spot the location. The fog spews into the night sky while the beams of the spotlights accentuate the billowing clouds. It almost looks as if the city is burning. One of our team members lives a block away and falls asleep to the screams every night. The hype of the haunt flows over you like a blood soaked waterfall before you can spot the bodies dangling from the old cement factory towers. From the threshold of the gates, the energy is already buzzing. The cast and crew are weaving in and out the crowd, sneaking up on the all the unsuspecting haunt goers with a wide variety of horns and sparks. The “oohs” and “ahhs” are too many to count.

While inside the factory, the shadows, sounds, smells, strobes, shake of a chain link fence almost seemed to be timed precisely to compliment each other to not let one single thought stray from the scene in front of us. Each section was so eloquently designed that somehow it even made the groups in front and behind us a part of the scare. Something that we’ve always enjoyed about Fear Factory is the astute variety of auditory and olfactory stimulation used – whether low growls or shriek shrills, we found ourselves doing the “ WTF WAS THAT?”

The breakdown of price vs. time in haunt is a whopping .85 cents a minute! For the amount of beauty and passion thrown into this attraction, we will most definitely tell you that it is worth every cent. The intricate weaving of each minute detail, the nightmares forever remembered and the chance to experience parts of your darkest imagination – this is what is haunt-goers live for. This is exactly what Fear Factory provides. Remember when we mentioned “not one corner cut and not one stone unturned”? Well, we meant it. So save up those pennies because you’ll receive an experience that you will never forget.