| FEAR FACTORY (Findlay,
OH): Groups are seated on pews in a waiting area just
outside the iron bar protected door that guards the entrance to The Factory.
Horror movies entertain guests who are already having enough trouble building
up the nerve to step inside. Various monsters (a big-headed clown,
and an evil scarecrow sporting someone’s bloody foot stuck to his pitchfork)
parade past the locked door, as anticipation of the experience begins to
build. Scary music, tight intimidating corridors, secret panels,
and blindingly dark mazes characterize the Fear Factory experience.
One by one, scenes of death and evil play on your emotions, instilling
fear into the bravest of souls. A mechanical prisoner propels forward
off his bunk in a penitentiary scene, then a deafening siren sounds, signaling
the electric chair execution of a cellblock H inmate! Proceeding
onward, another convict asked a female member of our group if she was there
for her “conjugal visit,” then delivered a startling surprise just as she
approached! Passing through a funeral parlor, scares are forthcoming
first from a body seen thrashing about in its coffin, then an animated
startle that springs forth from an innocent looking corpse, lying in a
second casket. Disorienting strobes, and sparks hinder navigation
through chain-link fence entanglements. One of these many mazes delivers
you into a room with several arched doorways. Some are dead ends,
loops, or contain other unexpected events, and there’s only one way out!
Narrowing ceilings, a life altering encounter with a semi, and a deranged
doctor who utilizes an electric saw to dismember bodies lead to collapsing
walls, a fast spinning vortex, an apparent dead end with a secret door,
and a maze SURPRISE finish to Fear Factory.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 8, Just under 15 minutes.
ACTORS - 7½, Those present do their utmost best
to provide scares and offer some dialogue, but could use more. Escaping
prisoner was one of the best.
SCARINESS - 8, Your own emotions prove to be your worst
enemy, as feelings of helplessness arise inside the numerous mazes.
DESIGN - 8, Particularly impressed by the narrowness
of the passageways. Surprise finish serves as a wonderful climax.
PROPS -7 ½, Interesting rooms, and even some startling
animatronics, but perhaps a little too much reliance on darkness.
VALUE - 9, Up a dollar this year, but still just $7 on
Thursdays and Sundays! Can't beat that!
RATING: 8, This Factory will reach
in your mind, and exploit your deepest, darkest fears! They earned
that reputation by placing you in dark, narrow mazes, and exposing you
to some terrifying scenes and monsters. Visitors were screaming for
their very lives during the Fear Factory expedition. Get there
this Halloween season for some good old fashioned scares, and support the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northwest Ohio! Say hello to Skully
for us! |
