Just off the 600 South exit on I-15 sits searchlights, giant demon statues lurking around the top of the factory and Freddy Krueger painted on the giant wall. Sitting on 666 West in Salt Lake City, Fear Factory beckons any brave guest willing to enter.
The haunted house experience begins as guests walk through the gates of the factory. They are immediately immersed into the horror as creatures come out to greet them. Live bands play Halloween tunes and cast members walk among the haunted house goers as they wait in line to enter.
“I love coming to the Fear Factory,” attendee Stephanie Toer said. “It’s like stepping back in time and into a nightmare.”
The experience of Fear Factory is thrilling. However, don’t expect to have a solo experience if you’re going on a weekend.
“We were not spread apart one bit,” Fear Factory regular Daccoda Namanny said. “We waited in line from the bottom of the tower all the way through until the slides.”
The factory is more than a haunted house attraction; it is also a nightmarish historical site of Utah. It was built back in the late 1800’s by a cement company. The working conditions were extremely hazardous, and there were numerous accidents and even deaths.
One such death was George Howe who died while oiling a coal crusher at the factory. As he was oiling the machine, his sleeve caught in the machine. Unable to free himself, he was slowly dragged through the coal crusher.
Since 2010, Fear Factory has reopened the gates of the old factory to the public to see if they are brave enough to walk through its haunted halls from its lower levels to the top of the rafters.
The haunted factory changes it’s experience, making each year different from the previous. It will continue to keep its gates open until November 4 for those seeking thrills even after the Halloween season ends.
“I liked most that not only is it a haunted house set up every year for Halloween, but there is an actual backstory to the factory being haunted,” said communications major senior Sydney Snelton. “I like it over others because there is a reality factory of it actually being haunted.”
