Hit this up Saturday for the first time in a decade or so--everything was new to me. Broke down and bought Express, knew last Saturday before Halloween would be packed so that was fully expected. Prices were very nice in comparison to HHN so that eased the pain a bit. Then the event started ...
First, Ops are a mess, far worse than UOR on even a bad day. Severe lack of signage, employees who have no clue what's going on. No wait times posted on queues. Just felt like amateur hour compared to the Orlando parks. Also, far more kids than HHN--saw plenty of strollers. Event by far seems to be teen-driven.
As for the houses ... woof. Again, everything new to me. The only one I thought came close to being in the conversation with HHN (or even that haunt at Old Town) is Simon's Slaughterhouse. Not sure why it was 17+--I think maybe I saw a naked breast on a mannequin?--but we hit a solid case, the sets and the costumes were at a fairly high level.
The Black Spot was actually my #2. Amazing facade, nice sets. However, what few actors there were had costumes that wouldn't cut it at a Ren Faire. Biggest problem here and throughout the event--there is no special effects make-up. It's all either masks or greasepaint. That and just a lack of scare-actors.
As for the other four: Insomnia is a clever idea and starts strong with the spider room, but then just became a slog. G/f liked Motel Hell but did nothing for me. A couple nice scares in Unearthed but no real sense of story or place-building. Bayou house just sort of there.
Scare-zones were meh. Day of the Dead was just a photo op zone, no attempts to scare. The five or six actor evil toy zone has the misfortune to invite comparisons to the Chucky zone up I-4. Camp DOA was probably the best but again, just masks. I could see all of these and the camouflaged guys working better in a near-empty park, but with the crowds Saturday night, same lack of scares that has driven HHN to try new approaches.
Fiends was ... I don't know. Look, I get it was crafted by B&T refugees over the years, tho I actually think it has more Beetlejuice's Graveyard Review DNA in it. They give so many warnings about the upcoming offensive content, only to offer two questionable jokes (a tired "Head Nurse" reference and a Trump joke that maybe could've been worth a chuckle with better delivery). And the break-dancing Mummy was straight out of 1984's Breakin' 2. So I guess that's retro cool now? G/f lost it when these professional Chippendales were forced to do the "Monster Mash" like a bunch of first graders doing a Halloween show. That kind of sums the show up--a nice venue, plenty of talent, but zero idea how to use those effectively.
Finally the event has a lot of walking for so little content. I get Sheikra and other coasters are near the back (and the coasters are the main event here, longer lines than the houses), but it felt like the event would work better with half the park shuttered. Five minute walks past nothing, just empty animal pens.
Underwhelmed enough I won't be back--and perhaps I'll let up a little on HHN28's issues. I have to recommend skipping this one.