Fear Factory at the Beaches Recreation Centre set to deliver scares, community spirit this week

By JULIA SAWICKI

Be afraid … be very afraid. The Beaches Recreation Centre is once again opening the doors to its Fear Factory, an annual Halloween event that has built a reputation for delivering serious scares.

Known for its elaborate costumes, unique moving cart experience, and of course, the chicken-out board, Fear Factory has become both a community tradition and a rite of passage for brave attendees.

At the heart of it is Jay Marks, the event’s longtime organizer.

Fifteen years ago, Marks and a few friends launched Fear Factory at the centre out of a shared love of Halloween and community spirit.

He had been involved with the Beaches Recreation Centre for many years. Growing up in the Beach, he worked at the centre, volunteered, and lived just around the corner.

Even after moving to British Columbia in 2024, Marks still makes the trip out to help set up and bring his vision for Fear Factory to life.

“It’s like my second home,” said Marks.

The event is entirely volunteer-run, filled with local residents who help set everything up, tear it down, and most importantly, provide the scares. While most volunteers are high school students, the event has become generational with past volunteers returning or bringing their family.

The “chainsaw guy,” one of the founding organizers, started at the Fear Factory before his daughter was born. Now, she’s one of the many volunteers.

“It’s very community and very family-based,” explained Marks.

Fear Factory should not be considered your average haunted house. Marks is fiercely protective of its reputation, and won’t hear any comparisons.

“I actually tell the kids, the volunteers, anybody who calls it a haunted house, they have to drop down and give me 10 push ups. And then they have to turn around and carry a rubber chicken with them until the next person says it,” said Marks.

And then there’s the chicken-out board, a wall of shame for everyone who can’t make it through the experience. If you back out, keep your eyes closed, or ask to leave halfway through the factory, you earn your spot on the board.

“I kind of stopped counting after a hundred. So we probably have about 400 people trying to go through — 80 to 100 of the people chicken out. We have them on the board,” said Marks.

The event has a free admission but a food donation that will be given to Centre 55 is collected. Through the event, around 600 pounds of food are gathered annually.

Through word of mouth and its reputation, Fear Factory has become a Halloween staple in the Beach. Marks hopes to keep the tradition alive for years to come.

“We’re the only rec centre that does anything this size because a lot of the City of Toronto just doesn’t have the time or the patience or the volunteers for it to happen. So we’re very blessed that we can continue to do it,” said Marks.

The Beaches Recreation Centre is located at 6 Williamson Rd.

Fear Factory takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24; and from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26.

The event is suited for ages eight and up.