Nightmare Factory

Picture this: you’re slowly but steadily making your way through the haunted walkways of the Oregon School for the Deaf’s Nightmare Factory. Walk too fast and you might come face to face with a silent, deadpan court jester, adorned in red and black regalia and little jingling bells. Walk too slow, though, and Sarge, some sort of law enforcement officer-turned-zombie, might use his taser to zap you from behind.

The Nightmare Factory has become legendary around the Willamette Valley and beyond for providing the best spooks, thanks in part to a 2010 episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. On peak nights, visitors may wait in line for up to three hours to experience the shock and horror for themselves.

But behind the scenes, where Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) students receive safety briefings, get their scary makeovers, and lean into their characters (complete with stage names and voices), things are very different. The staff have found ways to not only accommodate deaf employees and volunteers, but also make them an integral part of the Nightmare Factory’s success. The camaraderie is palpable, from helping each other find the right costume to painting each other’s faces.

Cast members are also learning skills that will benefit their future.

“Often people think the Nightmare Factory is all scary, but honestly, they overlook the behind the scenes: the skills of the business aspects, the marketing, and the customer service. There are different hats and different roles you can take on when you’re working in the Nightmare Factory, and those will apply to future jobs,” says Kelsey Gilstrap, outreach specialist for OSD.

In SAIF’s most recent episode of Odd Jobs, Corey Jenkins and the production crew spent time with the staff and student cast members of the Nightmare Factory to learn about their history and their safety measures and protocols, including cameras all over the maze, exit signs dispersed throughout, and also training on how to scare so that you don’t get injured by a visitor who has an unexpected response.

“We practice. Our actors practice to be knowledgeable of scaring and allowing them a response time, because sometimes it’s not what you expect. You don’t want to get punched in the face or anything,” says Rose Covell, dean of student life. “So, you scare, and then give them a little bit of wiggle room, right? Give some space.”

While most workplaces may not need to train employees on the proper way to scare visitors, there is one thing everyone can take away from the Nightmare Factory, and that’s how to create an inclusive and accessible workplace for employees and volunteers of all abilities. 

Watch the latest episode of Odd Jobs to see what goes on behind the scenes at OSD’s Nightmare Factory and find out what it takes to put on one of Oregon’s most beloved haunts.