You should definitely make a point to hit opening night. It's amazing, like Hush said, and usually isn't crowded. Some of the scareactors are still getting into their scaring boots, while others are at their best because they're fresh, so scareactor-wise it's a matter of opinion about whether there's a difference. I'd recommend going in the middle or near the end of the event in addition to opening night if you can, but if you live somewhere far it's understandable if you can't. But yeah, it's a cool feeling being one of the first to see everything we wait all year for. Hope this helps. Sorry it isn't as extensive as Hush's.