Fear Factory Queenstown is to open in a building with an already unusual past - having most recently been a place of worship, after a church took over the lease from a brothel named Candy's. Director Simon Smith said he had been waiting years for a site so central.
Mr Smith took over the lease last month and said the fear factory ''probably would have been running two years ago'' had the right site been available.
Having worked in tourism for the past decade in Queenstown, he has quietly been undertaking his own ''market research'' and expects his location, price and type of indoor business to be a success.
He is running the business with his parents Viv and Andy, and brother Matt.
Mr Smith found a ball and chain left behind by previous tenants when he moved in, which ''was kind of like a sign''.
Inspiration for the business was taken from Canadian scare factories. One such place had about 120,000 people ''chicken out'' halfway through.
Mr Smith said the Queenstown version would feature vintage pictures of the resort, as well as Victorian decor.
Exactly what the scares will be are being kept top secret until opening day.
