With at least 85 haunted attraction across the country opening for Valentine's Day scares, one Illinois haunt has come up with a unique way to bring the fear to love birds this February.
At Factory of Fear's Love is Blind - Vampires Suck event, guests will step into a 600-year-old blood feud between vampires and werewolves. The haunt is open Feb. 10-11, 2023.
"Both types of monsters have a taste for human flesh and can't wait to attack unsuspecting couples," according to the haunt.
The re-emergence of the feud was brought on by a "blunder" from a research company inside the factory called Jacobs Energy.
Guests will be on the frontline of this feud and will be confronted by the monsters almost immediately, Brett DeLeo, haunt director of the Moline-based attraction, said.
"They will probably interact with the first vampire 5-feet in the front door," he said.
Factory of Fear chose to build the original haunt around vampires and werewolves, because it believes the monsters are making a comeback in pop culture.
The interest in werewolves might be due to the popularity of Netflix's Wednesday series, DeLeo said.
"When Wednesday came out, obviously, werewolves are going to be on the upswing. If werewolves are going to be big, let's include werewolves in ours."
The haunt will feature characters in different stages of their monster transformations, from freshly bitten to fully turned.
Scenes in the haunt will include werewolves and vampires stalking guests in a moonlit cemetery and a swamp with hybrid monsters, DeLeo said.
Guests will encounter several different types of vampires and werewolves, rather than just the traditional monsters.
"My goal is to not have a hundred people be vampires," DeLeo said. "By the end, that's going to be stale."
And guests won't be hearing common phrases such as, "I want to suck your blood." In fact, DeLeo said that phrase has been banned from the haunt.
The actors are trained to depict fresh and unique characterizations of the traditional monsters, he said.
DeLeo said the haunt will be full of actors, as it typically features 80 to 100 per show. Usually, the haunt's off-season events have more actors than regular haunt season because of its "open door" policy, he said.
This means DeLeo brings in actors from other haunts that don't have off-season events, as long as they have their managers' permission.
With its location in northwest Illinois, Factory of Fear has attracted actors from places such as Des Moines, IA; Omaha, NE; and Wisconsin.
DeLeo said the Valentine's Day haunt offers a unique way to celebrate the occasion but still allows time afterward for guests to grab dinner or a movie.
The main Valentine-themed haunt takes about 25 minutes to walk through. Factory of Fear's second attraction, Fear Underground, which is a pitch black-style maze, takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Visitors get both attractions for $30.
Guests are allowed to walk through at their own pace, even if it means stopping to allow patrons behind them to pass.
"I don't herd people through like cattle," DeLeo said.
Guests will also encounter roaming actors and actors in the queue.
Factory of Fear is planning Easter, Halfway to Halloween, and Christmas haunts in 2023, in addition to its regular haunt season.
While, technically, in its 32-year, the haunt will celebrate its 30th-Anniversary this year.
DeLeo said the haunt plans to open another full-length attraction in two to three years, and is planning expanded midway offerings, including additional food and drink vendors, and a larger parking area.
"Our goal is to make it a place where you're able to spend a full evening," he said.
