Reviewed by Justin Fulton
4/5 Review
Of the three haunted houses featured in these reviews, Nightmare on 13th is the most established. Every year they feature three different “nightmares.” This year’s nightmares are the Netherbeast, Cirque De Fear, and the Zombie Apocalypse.
While waiting in line to purchase tickets, employees in costume wander around the parking lot scaring any vulnerable customers. Upon purchasing tickets, if you purchase a VIP ticket, then you can walk right into the haunted house. Otherwise, it’s another line to wait in. There is a very large, robotically animated gargoyle that talks about the nightmares that those waiting in line are about to experience.
The entire haunted house takes roughly a half an hour to get through, and the three nightmares are distinctly separated. Each group, no matter the size, gets the opportunity to have their picture taken on a set with a character from one of the nightmares.
After the pictures are taken, you then embark on the nightmare journey. The Netherbeast is first, followed by Cirque De Fear, ended with the Zombie Apocalypse.
Nightmare On 13th is located on in Salt Lake City, at 300 west and 1300 south. There is ample parking on site, and visitors will be directed by staff to help with parking. There is also the Spring Mobile Ball Park Trax station a short walk from the haunted house.
Visit their website at nightmareon13th.com for more information. Tickets are $20 for general admission, and $30 for VIP tickets. VIP includes the opportunity to skip the line, and comes with a 6×8 picture and drink at the end of the haunted house.
Zombie Apocalypse: hard to get in the moment at the XSI Factory
2/5 Review
Reviewed by Nichole Steinfeldt
Considering this is XSI’s first haunted house, they did OK with the setup. The haunted house is housed within half of a gymnasium at the XSI Factory. Part of the basketball court remains open, and the haunted house is separated with a black sheet and a fence. It’s very distracting to hear the occasional distant thud of a basketball hitting the gym floor.
The trek through the haunted house starts with a zombie-infested zone, moves to a clown house, and ends with more zombies.
The zombie zone features ghouls such as a zombie crawling on the ground in an abandoned room with her wrist broken who tilts her head to look up at the humans walking by. In the next portion, there are several zombies in a city zone where a human girl asks to accompany groups for safety. The girl then gets attacked and eaten right in front of you.
The best part of the entire haunted house is the vortex tunnel in the clown zone. This is basically a cylinder shaped walkthrough that rotates around a ramp that you walk on. The rotating motion causes you to get dizzy and makes it near to impossible to stand up straight.
The biggest disappointment was the cast. Occasionally members get off queue or they go back to normal human mode, which makes it hard to be scared like you should be at a haunted house. At the very end of the tour, there were two talking zombies and it took me a while to even realize they were supposed to be undead, and not just humans. The haunted house took roughly 30 minutes.
For more information visit zombieutah.com. The Zombie Apocalypse haunted house is located at the XSI Factory on 4425 north Thanksgiving Point Way in Lehi, and it’ll be open until Oct. 31. If you’re willing to spend it, general admission is $20. VIP costs $40, and includes a tshirt and the ability to skip the line.
Fear Factory: authentic setting enhances thrills
Reviewed by Justin Fulton
5/5 Review
Fear Factory, formerly known as 666, is by far the longest of our three reviewed haunted houses. While Fear Factory did not have any distinct themes like XSI Factory or Nightmare on 13th, it was the spookiest. It did not play off of the “impending doom” of the Mayan Prophecy like many other haunted houses are doing this year, which was a nice break.
This haunted house offers a very different experience than the other two haunted houses. The facility that it is housed in used to be a concrete factory, which is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of people who suffered violent deaths while working in the factory. While in line, there is a concession stand available, and live on-stage music entertains during the wait.
It takes about an hour to get through the factory from beginning to end, not including the line. The factory exploits many different phobias as you work your way through it. Expect a lot stairs, both going up and down them. If you have a fear of heights, there is a section at about the midpoint that is almost crippling.
There is a Zipline called The Final Ride that can be found at the end of the haunted house, which costs an additional $15.
There is also a photographer at the end of the haunted house. VIP patrons get their pictures taken, and are awarded either a shot glass or a water bottle at the end.
The only downside is the parking, which is not as organized as Nightmare on 13th or XSI factory. Patrons have to park on the side of 800 south. Fear Factory is located at 666 west 800 south, and is visible from the freeway.
Fear Factory is also tad more expensive. General Admission is $25 on the weekends and $35 for VIP. Prices are $5 cheaper on the weekdays. For more information, check out their website at fearfactoryslc.com
