It’s the oldest haunted attraction in Oregon…and the largest.
The Oregon School for the Deaf’s Nightmare Factory is back until Halloween night, on Oct. 31. The COVID pandemic kept it closed for two years. It first opened in 1979 and has grown to 11,000 square foot, housed in the basement of the boys dormitory.
Hours for Haunted Factory are 7-10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, Sunday, Oct. 30 and Monday, Oct. 31. It is open until 11 p.m. Oct. 7-8, Oct. 14-15, Oct. 21-22 and Oct. 28-29.
Tickets are $20, available onsite, or by calling the school at 503-378-3827. VIP tickets, which allow holders to skip the general admission line, are $30. No online tickets sales are available this years.
Ed Roberts, a residential counselor, and Kivo LeFerve, a school receptionist, are co-directors of the Factory. There are 40 rooms in the Factory, each with its own theme—the two most popular are Demolition Alley and the Clown Factory. Students and volunteers are encouraged to offer ideas to scare attendees.
Jan Sykes, a girls dorm leader/residential counselor, is the Haunt Mom, overseeing the wellbeing of the many actors who make the Factory come alive.
Approximately 50% of the actors are Deaf School students; the remainder come from the community.
Roberts, LeFerve and volunteers who used the two used the two-year closure, to devise a new and scarier attraction. “It’s the best we’ve ever had,” said Sykes.
What makes the Haunted Factory so popular? Besides people like being scared, Sykes said it is the smells and the sounds that make it the preferred haunted attraction in the region.
There is a room dedicated to the costumes used as well as a nine-station make-up department. Sykes explained that leaders attend conventions to learn make-up skills.
The Haunted Factory has a dedicated site at the school, allowing organizers months to plan and create each year’s version.
The busiest nights of the Haunted Factory are the final two weekends. General admission ticket holders should expect to wait in line, which offers scares of its own.
Parking is available on streets around the school. Public transit users from Keizer can take Cherriots routes 9 and 19 which travels down Broadway Street, just blocks from the Factory.
The Haunted Factory is located the Oregon School for the Deaf at 999 Locust Street NE.
Parents are advised to use discretion when deciding if their children are old enough to attend. Fog machines, strobe and specialty lights are used at the Factory.
Proceeds fund the school’s special projects, including trips to various sports tournaments.