What does it take to run one of the largest indoor haunted houses in the world? Needs More Fog spent the 2026 season preparing this four-minute behind-the-scenes feature produced for Factory of Terror in Canton, Ohio, built from footage and interviews gathered across multiple visits during live nights of operation in spring, summer and fall 2026.
The story behind the video
Factory of Terror is a year-round operation that the public only sees for about 20 nights each October. Four haunted attractions, Grimm Woods, five uniquely themed bars, dance floors and Halloween cocktails all live inside one massive indoor venue, and almost all of it is designed and built on site. Owner John Eslich has been running the Factory for 23 seasons. Our goal for this piece was simple: show the people and the planning behind those 20 nights, and give the haunt’s fans a reason to come back before the 2026 season closed.
Rather than a trailer cut from scare footage, the video is told by the team itself. Creative Director Chris Virgilio walks through the build (“I’m really proud to say that we build everything here”) and the culture that comes from the top. Cast and show managers talk about the actors as the bloodline of the operation. The leadership team explains why they put as much time into the bars and common spaces between the haunts as they do into the haunts themselves, how the Factory stays busy with St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s and Friday the 13th pop-up events in the offseason, and why nearly everything the venue brings in goes right back into the building.
a season of embedded filming
Produced by Scott Simmons and shot and edited by Director of Photography Glenn Syska, the feature was captured across multiple visits to Canton throughout 2026. We filmed in the shop during the spring build, during summer offseason events, and on live nights of operation in the fall, with interviews conducted while the Factory was open and the crowds were in the building. That approach is what gives the piece its texture: concept art pinned to the shop wall, actors suiting up and filing in for line-up, a nail gun on fresh siding, and a packed bar lit by neon, all in the same four minutes.
This is our second full year documenting the design, construction and operation of Factory of Terror, and “Behind the Screams” was released during the final week of the 2026 season as a last call to fans: six nights left, four attractions, one more trip to the Factory before it disappears until next year. It joined the preview and offseason videos we had already produced for the haunt’s social channels, so the audience that saw the spring and summer updates got the payoff in October.
Why behind-the-scenes video works for haunted attractions
Scare footage sells the fright. Behind-the-scenes content sells the place. A feature like this gives a haunted attraction something a jump-scare reel cannot: real people, real craft, and a reason for guests who “don’t do haunted houses” to visit anyway. As the Factory’s own team puts it in the video, it is a Halloween experience first, with five bars, people watching and live energy, and haunted houses you can tap into if you want to be scared. That message reaches a far wider audience than fear alone, and it is exactly the kind of story that builds loyalty between seasons.
Haunted attraction video production from Needs More Fog
Needs More Fog produces cinematic promotional videos, behind-the-scenes features, trailers and social content for haunted attractions, scream parks, escape rooms, themed venues and entertainment brands across the country, from Pittsburgh to Canton to Maryland and beyond. Because our team has designed and operated nationally recognized haunts ourselves, we know where to point the camera, when to show up, and how to tell your story without giving away the scares. If you want your attraction featured in a professionally produced video campaign for the 2027 season, production dates fill quickly. Tap below to start the conversation.
