I get Halloween Horror Nights is meant to freak people out--that's what you don't want to do when catering to a broader audience. I'm not for the direction they're headed, I'm just a little more forgiving and understanding of it because I can look at it from the perspective of a more casual visitor.
Also you both just admitted your first years were 2008...so how can you judge that 2006 was the busiest year..? Yes it sold out a lot, but the increase in FFP's and Universal's greed have made 'capacity' a higher number than before. Where in 2006 they sold x amount of tickets and that was it, now you've got x amount of tickets (which I wouldn't be surprised if it was a higher number now) PLUS whoever shows up with some iteration of the FFP. That's more people coming in.
As for merchandise, the fact that Walking Dead sells strongly throughout the year speaks volumes about its popularity and its draw for Halloween...what other HHN franchise has had an in-park presence 365 days a year?
So let me get this straight - if I'm trying to market a horror movie, I DON'T try and freak people out? I'm sorry, that still doesn't make a lick of sense. It's fun to be 'scared' in a safe environment, but you want to push the envelope as much as possible to get people to come. The Conjuring is making bundles of money in theaters right now, and it's not because its trailers made people feel comfortable. I really don't get where your basis is for this theory, as I've never heard it before (probably for good reason).
You make it sound like "admitting" my first year was 2008 invalidates my remarks... not so at all. I can judge 2006's crowds based on the wait times it drew and the nights it sold out compared with the amount of capacity/attractions offered (and there's plenty of records out there if you look on old forums), not because I was "there" and it felt crowded, but because I've looked at the facts and made logical conclusions and comparisons. In 2006 it was extremely routine for many houses have 2, sometimes 3, hour plus waits , not just for Hell week and not just for Walking Dead or Saw.
And as for your "capacity" arguments, I'm sorry, Universal doesn't get to play fast and loose with the legal amount of people they are allowed to enter its park. The option to open Marvel and its rides exists for a reason, to legally be allowed to keep letting people in, and they did it quite frequently in that era of the event - and they STILL sold out. I ask again - when was the last time they opened up Marvel? In those days, you had far more rides open to soak up crowds with an additional show. How can you honestly tell me 2012 had more bodies in the streets with less rides, less entertainment, and no Marvel, along with lower overall wait times and only one sold out night? You keep ignoring the points I make about the increased capacity of the park and just say Universal let more tickets in. It doesn't work that way, and as someone who apparently has some connections over there, I think you'd know that.
Walking Dead is not a Halloween property, or an HHN "franchise." It's a drama that has zombies. They're selling (what I'm assuming is) generic merchandise. Show me another Halloween-esque property Universal has given a consistent merchandising presence and we'll talk (I'll assume there's some WD stuff in Cyberdyne, I haven't seen it anywhere else). This does not negate my point about other IP merchandise not selling very well versus more original stuff - WD can easily be an exception, not the rule (if it was horror related to begin with). How'd all that Silent Hill stuff sell, by the way...?
Understand that I'm not denying that the show's a hit: it is, I watch it, it's a smash. That doesn't mean whore your event out to it, and it doesn't make it a horror property - and it certainly doesn't mean Halloween HORROR Nights should stop trying to be horrifying. I mean, by your logic, should we make a Game of Thrones "Red Wedding" house because that's a super popular show that'll make people feel comfortable...?