The Nightmare’s Fear Factory is a haunted house attraction in Niagara Falls, Canada, and one of the oldest running haunted houses in North America. The house has been described as the “scariest and best haunted house attraction” and in case you don’t believe them, the owners of the 30-year old establishment publishes a regularly updated stream of pictures showing terrified visitors shrieking and grimacing with genuine fear.
The house is so frightening that visitors have a safety word, which is “Nightmares”. They can utter the safety word at any time if they wish to be escorted out.
In the last 30 years, about a half-million people have gone through, and many have opted out part way and had their names added to a public “chicken list”.
Over 110,000 people have elected to use the ‘chicken exit’ during the 15-minute tour.
The tour takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes and is in total darkness, except for small red lights on the floors, walls, and ceiling that patrons must follow in order to get through the haunted house.
Unlike conventional haunted houses, the Nightmares Fear Factory doesn’t rely primarily on blood and gore in order to induce fear.
Rather, there are live actors in scary costumes that come at the patrons out of the darkness and taunt them, scream at them, speak in creepy voices, etc.
They have been known to grab, push and pull patrons in order to get a reaction.
There are also scary sounds like growls, eerie music, spooky voices, yelling, and so forth.
Highlights of the tour include a shaky drawbridge, a claustrophobic tunnel that visitors must crawl through, and a place where it appears that the walls are closing in on the visitors.
The most notable part of the tour is when the visitors, walking in complete darkness (often holding on to each other) suddenly see a sign that reminds them that they are going to die.
At this point their pictures are taken and sometimes posted on the Fear Factory’s Flickr account.
The entire Nightmares Fear Factory Flickr stream is a gem.
Want to hear what some of their visitors have said about the place? Read on!
“AMAZING, Never have I been so scared and amazed by some of the scares in that factory, don’t dare go alone, they’re waiting for you.. Good luck.” – Austin Lemieux, Thorold
“The scariest haunted house I have been to. 3 words to describe it… OH MY GOD.” – Anmol Minhas, Brampton
“Okay this is the best haunted house, I went here last year during the summer. I made it half way through by myself. Later on that night I went in there again with my mom. WE SURVIVED. This haunted house should become a movie or something. It was extremely scary! I am a fan of haunted houses so I highly recommend it.” – Alysia, IL
“Best Haunted House I’ve ever been to. I wanted to take my gf to one for her birthday and having already tired every other one in Niagara, I decided to go for this one. I expected my gf to be really scared while I cruised along but I was just as scared as she was. its REALLY scary. we survived but we’re never going back. definitely try it out if you think you can handle it.” – Imran, Mississauga, Ontario
“I’m surprised I got through it. Even the waiting area gives you chills… especially when you hear the screaming from inside! I’m sure I made my boyfriends ear bleed at some point with all my screaming and I was screaming every other second in there Lol. A freakishly realistic and down right creepy surprise at EVERY corner! Coming from one scary girl; I highly recommend this haunted house. Don’t chicken out. They save the best surprises for last and its all worth it when your one of the VERY FEW holding a survivor card ;)” – Richie C Sands, Nassau, Bahamas
“BEST haunted house we’ve ever been to! We were scared to death! we almost broke our wrists cause we held onto each other so tight! lol. i cried like a little girl” – Gia and Veronica, Burlington, Ontario
“I went in expecting the same old garbage from every other haunted house in niagara, fun, but garbage. Instead I shat my pants. Literally. Thanks a lot jerks. I’m joking the actors are amazing and they take real pride in keeping their title of best haunted house in the world.” – Jacob Halp, Toronto
“This place is AWESOME! I love scary movies, haunted houses, and anything that will terrify me. This definitely did not disappoint. I highly recommend Nightmares Fear Factory to anyone visiting Niagara Falls– or even if you aren’t. Just a small hint of advice: be ready to be scared out of your freaking mind! Oh, and don’t mention your name once inside. Or, if you’re brave, do. Find out what happens.- Annie Joseph, Pittsburgh, PA
“OMG, this was SOOOO scary! It was pitch black and absolutely terrifying. I clung to my boyfriend for dear life the entire time. I was so scared I couldn’t even remember the “safety” word, so I thought for sure I was going to be stuck in there forever. There is one part **** the ***** that almost caused me to have a full-blown breakdown. Thank god I was not in there alone because I never would have made it! Even with my man to protect me, I was a mess. Of course once we saw our picture we almost died laughing, but it was seriously one of the most terrifying experiences of my life! Don’t think I would EVER do it again, but I really recommend it. It will literally scare the sh*t out of you!!!!” – Donna, New York
“This was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Think “Silent Hill” for a haunted attraction; it plays on your psyche and creates an atmosphere of absolute dread and suspense. The scares themselves are pretty damn scary as well. One part even has **** **** **** ****; it was here that I (unfortunately) chickened out. Next time I come here, I’m bringing friends. Absolutely worth every dollar and penny.” – Jeremy D, Richmond Hill, Ontario
“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCARIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! Went with one other guy, almost had a freakin’ heart attack!!!!!! You gotta go if you never did!!!!” – Nick Becker, Montreal, Quebec
“Truly SCARY… Truly Amazing… Totally awesome. Must come back again. 😀” – Charles Hardy, Philadelphia, PA
More Info: Nightmares Fear Factory
These pictures are hilarious! Now I am extremely curious to know exactly what goes on inside this haunted house. Maybe a trip to Niagara Falls is in the future. I don’t know if I would last through the whole thing though. As soon as I smell the gasoline from the chainsaw man, I’m gone! I’ll leave every person with me behind. Do you think you could make it through this haunted house?