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There is a lot going on in this discussion, and personally I think it’s all hilarious. The humor comes from the familiarity in it all, because it’s nearly identically to the “O Noez, eye-peez” complaining that occurred last year. A couple of statements so far have nailed the issue, however, especially boogeyman’s: Nightmares has some of the most devoted HHN fans and one of the largest communities. That stated, there are currently only 2,489 members. Assuming that is only 10% of HHN’s “hard core” fans are on the site(an intentionally low estimation as it’s really impossible to be exact), and only the hard core fans went on a single night (roughly 25,000 with my math), the park would not even reach half of its theoretical capacity. The park with a theoretical capacity of 55,000 would only have 25,000 people in it. In reality, the “hard core” multi-night attendees are likely less than 2,000 people on any given night. While that’s great from a guest’s perspective, it’s horrible from a financial perspective. Hollywood has had success in bringing in a more casual audience by heavily promoting IPs. Orlando is now doing the same because, guess what, it works. Logically, we don’t matter as much as everyone else. Sorry to deflate your importance, but it’s true. While yes, fans bring people in, I think some of the statements in this thread over-inflate our impact. What’s the most effective way to bring people in, legitimately? Is it word-of-mouth or a regional-to-international advertising campaign focused on instantly recognizable visuals? It’s the ad campaign. The reason why is that the general public is predictable, impulsive and stupid. You can’t fight it; you can only deal with it. Well, you can fight it, but you have to be completely willing to fight it. And it’s really simple: IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT THEY’RE PRESENTING THEN DON’T GO. I know, people always say that. But it’s repeated because it’s the truth. If you don’t think Universal is providing enough to do for the cost of the ticket, the same rule applies. Don’t go. True story. HHN and I go way back. Hell, I met my wife through HHN. She worked the event the years, and I’ve been a fan since it started. But we don’t go anymore. We didn’t go last year because we didn’t feel what they were offering was worth the cost. We aren’t going this year because we don’t feel what they’re offering is worth the cost. That’s actually why we don’t go to any theme parks regularly anymore. It’s too damn expensive. It’s not hard if you’re willing to do it. But here’s the important catch: I know my silent boycott doesn’t mean a thing. If you boycott it because of the heavy use of IPs, it won’t mean anything either. Because the general public eats it up and doesn’t know any better. There’s going to be a generation of people who never experienced the event you fell in love with who will fall in love with HHN the way it is now. Universal is a business, not a vanity project. There is still a great deal of artistry in the event, regardless of IPs or original content. Saying the event is being “ruined” by IPs is actually doing a massive disservice to the artists, designers, directors, builders and technicians who create the event. It’s not being ruined, it’s being profitable. That’s business. If it really bugs you that much, stop giving them profits. You’ll have a lot less to complain about.

I haven't been to Cedar Point's version of Halloween Haunt, but its probably not the same as Knott's. HHNH has forced Knott's to stop resting on their laurels and step up their game. Plus, Knott's has very experienced designers. The only real thing that keeps the details from being "HHN Level" is budget. (And MAYBE overall design philosophy, but thats a topic for another day. )

I totally get what you're saying, but I wouldn't call the Monsters originals. Alice Cooper and P&T were more original houses than they were, and they're all considered IP's. But my larger point it, just because it's IP, it doesn't automatically mean it'll suck. And vice versa for originals. So to say that an event is ruined because they're going IP heavy is a fairly black and white statement.

I understand being disappointed that some of the things you love most about HHN may seem like it's disappearing (the originality being foremost here). I, too, love the original ideas most of all. While TWD was the huge draw last year, I think most of us have agreed that the house sucked. I think we also agree that the best houses were Gothic and Dead End (original ideas). Ironic? Yep. Typical business? Unfortunately, yes. I understand Universal has to try and make the most money, but I also agree with JW here - if you piss off the hardcore fan base, eventually, your product will no longer be viable. It's that hardcore fan base who spreads the word, creates excitement, helps to populate the event/buy the product. If we all said, "Oh don't bother, it really sucks" and then went on to recommend something else - eventually, this would drain away more of the crowds than I thnk they realize. I've been told many, many times that Universal should be paying ME. Why? Because I talk them up more than a mega-church preacher invokes Jesus. Keep in mind, I don't live in Florida. The people I speak with are not only visiting the park and buying multi-day tickets, they are also spending money on the over-priced hotels on-site, at the City Walk for dinner, at the new mini-golf, etc, etc. These are the kinds of "tourists" Universal wants - the most money they can get from a guest. I mean, for crying out loud, I work with a charity, and we got Universal to donate some passes for a Florida trip we put together as a raffle item in our fundraiser - but we also bought $500 worth of Universal gift cards to include in the package. There were one day passes to Disney as well. However, with $500 in gift cards to Universal along with the tickets - where do you think those winners were going to spend their time? That was INTENTIONAL., and I orchestrated that. I'm not babbling about this to say I'm a bigger fan than anyone here - my point is - ALL of us "hardcore fans" do so much to promote Unviersal, and if we become dissatisfied with our experience, then we just might move on and take all that other business with us somewhere else. This is not to say that I'm unhappy with HHN. I'm not. I still think it's the best event in the country. I've been to a lot of haunts, and nothing gives me the feeling, the scares, the fun, the fascination that Universal does. I've brought many different people to this event over the years, and they all still talk about it as one of the best Halloween memories they have. Can I wish and hope for those true gems of originality? Hell yes, I can. But I also know that overall, even with IP heavy events, they can pull it off. Please understand that my heart truly lies with the original stuff though, so I'm not knocking your feelings here. I'm right with you on that. But you can't let it ruin the whole event for you. Keep your mind open and remember the potential for greatness that is there every year because there is always something awesome. Always.