By Colleen Reynolds / Reporter
BELLEVILLE (Oct. 8, 2009) — For most spirits, Halloween comes once every dozen full moons. For “haunt enthusiasts” like Anthony Giordano, the annual day of gore and goblins is more than a holiday; it’s a lifestyle, a 24-7 eternal quest for original ways to scare people. His main target? Those who are most difficult to scare. Consider yourself forewarned.
Giordano is the special effects artist of the newly-opened State Scare Factory Haunted Attraction in Belleville. The Lodi native admits that upon entering a new room, he immediately tries to devise the best ways to frighten people in that setting.
His latest collection of imaginings, the 6,660-square-foot State Scare Factory, is teeming with so many unexpected surprises and ghastly horrors that by the end of a visit you’ll be doing your own version of the Danse Macabre.
Occupying a former warehouse said to be haunted by actual ghosts, the setting is inherently spooky. Yet you will not be chased by plaid-wearing, chainsaw-wielding madmen or be cackled at by long-haired witches aloft broomsticks. Nor are there any fog-shrouded sepulchers or mummies rising from their long-lost crypts. Don’t worry if you’ve left your vampire-repelling garlic talismans at home.
Originality reigns supreme at the Scare Factory, which is presented by the State Fair Halloween Superstore and Scare Pro Productions.
“People are not as scared by gore as much anymore,” noted Giordano, although there are still plenty of sanguinary sights to behold.
Part of the genius of the old-factory-themed haunt is its emphasis on an almost Lovecraftian-style of suspense. It is, perhaps, one part blood and guts and two parts deathly suspense, which is often more startling. Turn corners at your own peril because if a boogeyman doesn’t terrify you in one corner, there will most likely be something — alive or not — just a few paces away, and you’ll be hard pressed to predict from which direction it will come. Proceed with caution.
True to its factory theme, the haunt feels as though you are about to start another workday at the old-school factory, and men and women must enter via gender-segregated entrances. It is obvious from the outset, however, that something has gone awry. The gloomy factory is marked with various workplace signs that, in ordinary circumstances would be considered normal, but seem uncannily so here, blood-splatter notwithstanding.
From a dark, haunting locker room, to a particularly grotesque bathroom scene, which serves as an antechamber to an even more gruesome and startling room, this is no ordinary day at work, and you may find yourself feeling fortunate to find the exit in one piece.
If you’re not too busy screaming, you may notice that the props are mostly original pieces of factory equipment, furniture and appliances, circa the 1800s, which Giordano has acquired over the years, and the makeup on the 15 frightful actors is exquisitely disturbing.
But if you’re like most living spirits, you’ll probably be too spooked to take inventory of all the details.
The true masterpiece of an effective haunt is the cumulative product of all these factors — the little things that keep haunt enthusiasts up at night.
The State Scare Factory lurks at 229 Main St. in Belleville and is open from 7 p.m. to midnight every Friday, Saturday and Sunday now through Nov. 1, plus Thursday, Oct. 29. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For coupons and more information, visit www.statescare.com or call 973-450-1070.
