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FACTORY OF TERROR, CANTON OH

For 21 years, Factory of Terror has been a major player in the haunt industry and certainly in Ohio. The attraction ranks as one of the longest all-indoor walkthroughs out there. This was our first stop of October. Here's my take.

RECOMMENDED ONE-WAY DRIVE RANGE

Customer Service and Navigation

  • Box Office Manager Sarah

  • Actor Coordinator Spring

  • Two other Team Members in the Screamshop

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     + All are pleasant and we had fun

         together

Atmosphere and Lobby/Midway

Key Lobby and Midway Amenities

  1. Concessions

         + Five bars

  1. Merch

         + Well-developed Screamshop

  1. Video

         + CGI on many facades

  1. Music

         + Hot Jams from last decade

  1. Seating

         + Plenty of seating on "Bourbon Street"

  1. Bathrooms

  2. Games

         + A location of All American Axe Throwing

  1. Stage

  2. Photo Ops

  3. Queue Line Actors

         + The early 1900's Guy on Bourbon Street is amazing!

Bonus:

  1. Metaphysical

  2. Pyrotechnics

  3. At least one HUGE set piece

         + Giant Monsters everywhere

Facade Quality

1300 Lost Souls
     + A very tall Asylum representative set piece

     + Queue Line is surrounded with trees and

         Spiderwebs incuding human victims
 

      - Facade itself is very flat


Industrial Nightmare

      + Cool Samara-esque girl in a research vat with

          lasers and strobe

      + Custom Blast Furnace

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    +/- It may be more lively with queue actors on

             Fridays and Saturdays

     

     - Facade has an almost non-existent frontal

          appearance

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Lafayette 13

     + Queue line goes through a miniature New

        Orleans Cemetery

     + Gargoyles/Golems holding up the archway

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Massacre on Mahoning

     + CGI Windows up on second floor

     + Walkthrough facade with full front porch and

         Living Room including great CGI scare

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The Abyss

     + Extensive Surrealistic Undersea fluorescent

         mural

Use of Existing/Surrounding Environment

     + Factory Equipment featured in Industrial

        Nightmare

     + Roof trusses are unobstructed

Actors and Acting

Energy

  • There were 83 actors that night

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     +  Not really anyone slacking on the job

 

1300 Lost Souls
    + Some of the actors climbed over props

 

   +/- One actor was so eager to use a chair kicked into

          a desk for a scare that he hit me in the leg


Industrial Nightmare

     + Bungee platform

     + Two Sliders

     + Guy got on floor to throw rat at me under the lockers

 

     - Basic jumpouts and Drop Panels
 

Lafayette 13

     + Actors use great props

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Massacre on Mahoning

      + All actors are active on their feet

      + Mirror Maze folks screaming

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The Abyss

      + Pirates in cages

Costuming and Makeup

1300 Lost Souls

      + Good nurses

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      - No straightjackets

      - Rudimentary patients

      - Basic makeup

Industrial Nightmare

     + Excellent slider makeup

 

     - Basic workers

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Lafayette 13

     + Excellent Voodoo makeup

     + Plague Doctor

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Massacre on Mahoning

      - Basic Makeup

      - Basic costumes

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The Abyss

     + Deep, layered costumes

     + All manner of accessory

     + Parrot on the shoulder

Lines and Vocalizations

1300 Lost Souls
     + Great examples of lunacy

Industrial Nightmare

     - Too many cliches

     - More yells and screams

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Lafayette 13

    +/- Not many lines

     

      - More yells and screams

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Massacre on Mahoning

     + Very good improv

     + "Do you want Cock or some head?"

     + "Ahhh Humans, ahhh sister!"

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The Abyss

     + Very good improv

     + "If I'm gonna be a ho, I'm not gonna be a cheap one"

Theming and Design

Lighting

1300 Lost Souls

  • Various temperatures of white light

   

    +  All light comes from well-themed fixtures


Industrial Nightmare

  • Fiery colors

  

     +  Flashing Alarms and Beacons

     +  Electrical effects

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Lafayette 13

  • Lots of greens and blues

   

    +   First of two Laser Swamps

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Massacre on Mahoning

  • A good mix of colors

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    +  Most light comes from well-themed fixtures

    +  Moonlight in the cemetery and vampire area 

         leading into the cave

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The Abyss

  • Lanterns and hidden LEDs

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    +  Lots of darkness leading into the pirate ship

Sound

1300 Lost Souls
  + Moans and screams

   + General chaos

Industrial Nightmare

    + Operating machines and sirens

    + Water dripping

    + Screams

    + Hot metal jams

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Lafayette 13

    + Outdoor animals

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Massacre on Mahoning

    + Sinister soundtrack

    + Bats and creepy crawlies in the cave

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The Abyss

     + Sea Shanties

     + Thunderstorm

Set Dressing

1300 Lost Souls
      + You have to walk around props

      + Small detail pieces make the office scenes more

          authentic

      + Ceilings on most scenes

     

     +/- Dressing more in the scenes than on the walls

 

       -  No padded walls

Industrial Nightmare

       +  Walk around large machinery

       +  Multiple scenes featuring 60's-esque control

            panels

       +  Hall featuring steam pipes

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      +/- Dressing more in the scenes than on the walls

​

Lafayette 13

       +  Swamp shack is well developed

       +  Cemetery fencing is cool

       +  Slat walls

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Massacre on Mahoning

       +  Squishy Floor

       +  Outdoor Parts are beautiful

       +  Some of the best "house" scenes out there

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The Abyss

       +  Dense dressing that really does portray a ship

       +  "Gold and Silver" coins everywhere

       +  Crate hanging over the dock

       +  Signage like a Pirate Haven

Special Rooms

1300 Lost Souls
      + Functioning shower

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     +/- Not many special rooms

Industrial Nightmare

       + Runoff sewer

       + Hydraulic arms room

       + Thrashing Monster distraction

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Lafayette 13

       + Church fronted by monster coming out of giant

           tombstone

       + Swamp cabin

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Massacre on Mahoning

       + Mirror Maze

       + Huge cemetery

       + Cave

       + Crypt

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The Abyss

       + Captain's Bridge with CGI Kraken

       + Dock with Firing Cannon

       + "Tea Party" Room

Entertainment Value

Fun

       + This attraction is certainly so full of good actors most

           of the time that you'll be laughing for a good while

       + A groundbreaking lobby full of themed bars and even a

           small mockup of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, now 

           featuring a dance floor

       + Millenials at the very least will find the music selection

           in the Lobby excellent

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       -  Some scenes might be a little risky for bodily harm if

           you're too close like the Clown Animatronic in a

           hallway and the Cave Puppet

Scares

       +  Many actor vantage points and even full-blown actor

            boxes all throughout will put you in a position to be

            scared no matter who you are

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