Nightmare Factory at the Oregon School for the Deaf

Yep. I did it. Stood in line for an hour to scare myself silly at Salem's only haunted house. I couldn't actually believe how much longer the lines were this year than any previous year I've been.

Just in case you somehow missed the memo, Extreme Makeover Home Edition recently redid the Nightmare Factory and the boy's dorm at the Oregon School for the Deaf. They even brought Rob Zombie in to help make the place as scary as possible.

I must say that it's pretty impressive. What I can't say is that it is any scarier than before. In fact, I thought it might be a little less scary.

Two reasons I can see for the less-than-scary vibe I got this year: there was too much light throughout much of the haunted house and there was a lot of technology that looked creepy, but wasn't particularly scary. The scariest part, as usual were the students who work the haunted house every year and creep up on you, follow you down corridors, and generally scare your socks off!

There were a lot of really great props and scenes set up throughout the place, but unfortunately, they were so well done and interesting that I was so busy admiring them I forgot to get scared. Hmmm. Maybe that's just a personal problem.

I really wish they would have had a little dimmer lighting in some spots because I think it would have made the mechanical stuff feel a little more real. And a little scarier. Which is the point of a haunted house, right?

Now, don't get me wrong, I would definitely recommend the Nightmare Factory to anyone who wants a great haunted house experience. I got scared, I screamed, my heart beat a little faster, and I clung to my friend's arm for moral support. It's just now that I'm not in it anymore that I can analyze the fear factor involved.

You should definitely go. If for nothing more than to support the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf.