Canada's Wonderland fires back at complaints about Halloween Haunt

​​Canada's Wonderland's annual Halloween Haunt has been a spooky season staple for thrillseekers across the Greater Toronto Area, and while the event remains one of the hottest tickets in town this season, some underwhelmed guests say the Haunt has lost its edge this year.

Visitors have taken to social media to express frustration with what they characterize as a downgrade from previous years, including complaints alleging fewer scare actors, an additional $10 fee to enter the mazes, and an overcrowded park filled with younger children.

One Reddit user noted, "Wicked Hollow had 3 scare actors in it, and the area was weirdly well-lit. A couple of years ago, it was dark and smoky, and had 6-7 scare actors (and was much better)." 

Others echoed similar frustrations, with one user writing that "the mazes are the exact same year after year" and that "there were MUCH fewer scare actors in the mazes. We barely saw any actors out at all!"

However, Canada's Wonderland spokesperson Grace Peacock refutes the claims of fewer scare actors and tells blogTO that "This year we actually have more Halloween actors due to the addition of The Conjuring: Beyond Fear." 

On top of the complaints about dwindling scares, many attendees were taken aback when they had to pay an extra $10 fee to get into the mazes, which are an integral part of the Halloween Haunt experience. "They tried to hide the $10 maze fee by not actually sending out notices, decreasing the amount of actors, and not changing or adding new mazes. What a shitshow," someone wrote.  

However, Peacock says that there was ample warning about this new fee, explaining that the park "announced the new Haunted Attraction Pass in August with communication to our Season Passholders and ticketholders." 

Aside from these issues, guests claimed that the park felt unusually packed this year, with crowds of younger children attending despite the event's spooky nature.

"It also seemed that there were FAR more small children than in previous years," one Redditor observed. "Last year, I could count the no-boo necklaces I saw on one hand, MAYBE two. This year, I saw dozens of them."

Some have even gone as far as suggesting that the theme park should consider having an 18+ night this time of year.

While the event might be scary for some children, Peacock notes that "Halloween Haunt is recommended for kids 13 and older, but participation is left to parents' discretion," she comments. 

Complaints about children at the event come on the heels of a strict chaperone policy introduced by the park, mandating that guests 15 years of age and under be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older, to ensure the safety of all park guests.

This policy went into effect on Sept. 26, the first day of Halloween Haunt, and will not apply to the upcoming WinterFest. Wonderland's decision to implement the controversial chaperone policy followed a string of disturbances at the park throughout the summer, mainly between younger guests.

One Redditor cites their summer experience at the park as a contributing factor to their anger, saying that "As a gold pass holder, the summer experience, coupled with these changes, was the nail in the coffin. Not renewing our season passes." 

Despite recent complaints about Canada's Wonderland's Halloween Haunt, the many mentions of crowds are, if anything, just more proof of the long-running event's success.