2012 Fright Factory Event Reviews

This was my first time at the Fright Factory and I wasn't sure what to expect. Quiet roads lead us to a building that didn't even seem occupied. My wife felt it was creepy before we walked in. Just how a haunt should start.

The ticket booth and line was in a big room inside the building. It was the first time I saw how many people were there. It seemed empty from the outside but had an impressive turnout on a Sunday night.

We were sent in with a group of teenage girls, which added to the fun as we heard their terrified screams. We started out with a video explaining the rules. A nice touch that most haunts do not have. The video ended with an expected scary surprise, which continued into the haunt.

The Fear Factory had a lot of terrific sets and themes. Some of the best I've seen this year. What was really cool is they had a few moving sets. Such as moving floors, walls and other objects to create an effect. These effects took you to many different scenes like the morgue, a witches creepy garden and, my favorite, a pirate ship!

The actors did a convincing job playing their characters. Many startled you when you weren't expecting it. Every room we walked through brought out a scream from the group. My wife actually started to feel panicked at one point when were in the pitch black trying to navigate through a dark "sea."

The Fright Factory was a really cool haunt with a unique lay out. If you're out in the Janesville area I'd highly recommend checking it out. It was filled with plenty of screams, terrific acting and highly entertaining.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

This was my first year to the Fright Factory, a non-profit haunted house used to raise money for a
local club in Janesville, WI. Fright Factory just implies a very industrial setting. Even the attraction's website sets an industrial tone. Well the drive to the attraction did not disappoint. Driving through an old brick and mortar viaduct and driving up to the massive industrial building really set the tone
for an exciting adventure.

The lobby of the attraction was large and actors had free range to scare as they wished. Modern
rock was playing in the lobby area and the way the lines were diverted and the environment you were in almost made you feel like a lamb to slaughter. It was an eerie kind of feeling. The wait to begin the haunt was approximately 20mins. The haunt split people off in groups but I would highly suggest staying in a very small group as this will give you the best experience.

As you entered the attraction you were presented with an actor that was telling you the rules of
the haunt but doing it in such a way that just made it seem like he was telling you what to do to survive. Then all of a sudden the actor screams and a splash of blood is thrown onto the window. This was all down through a projection system which was a nice touch and a great way to open the attraction.

The labyrinth itself is expansive. There are plenty of things to look at as each room is a different
theme. There are also plenty of pitch black corridors and "traps" (such as a maze filled with hanging pipes) that bring each room together. Scares were not just accomplished by the actors. There were "old school" scare tactics such as things popping out of spaces, pictures changing form, and moving platforms and walls. These "old school" practices were also paired with new technology that really brought an exciting flavor to this attraction.

Although the actors did accomplish their task of scaring customers I was disappointed in not having a little bit more "theatrically" from the actors. I have always liked the simple ambush scares but when an actor can pull you into a conversation and still scare you or use that conversation so that another actor can scare you, that is motivation and dedication. I just wish I would have had a little bit more of that rather than simple ambush tactics.

Pacing for this attraction also seemed to be a hang-up. I routinely ran into a group in front
of me and after awhile I just ended up staying with the group because I was not getting scared between the group in front of me and the group behind me.

This attraction, however, had solid scenery, had a mix of old and new technology, had good
actors, and had a solid presentation overall. I really enjoyed the rock/pop music that was being played over the mayhem. This was different, and it was a 'different' that I really enjoyed.