I went yesterday, and it was by far my favorite event. Although strangely, I also thought it had the weakest food options, and I didn't really care for most of the food (although the Pumpkin fun bun was a huge exception, and was possibly one of our favorite items from all the events).
But as it turns out, the food is nearly incidental. The atmosphere is phenomenal, decor is literally everywhere.
The "tribute" store, Into the Fog, while not on the same scale as the Orlando counterpart, is still impressive in content (don't forget you can purchase reproduction prints of much of the artwork, often at a much lower price than you see for the original work---we bought the "Death" tarot card reproduction for just $5). Also, they're selling reproductions of the very first haunt posters (mine cost $5 with an AP discount, so maybe about $6-7 without?)
The Camp Snoopy Trick or Treat Trail is a joy (and free for adults if you don't take the candy--$8 upcharge if you do want the candy). It's fun during the day, and is very well lit at night! It's also hilarious to see that they've put skeletons on most of the rides, as well as a few skeleton ride ops.
There are interactive "ghosts" that gives the event a mini Ghost Town Alive feel. Nearly all of the peek ins have been themed and have something new to see, and some will have live characters from time to time (and don't miss Sad Eye Joe, who isn't quite himself lately). Even the safety mask spiels that play throughout the park have been themed!
Also, we discovered a cat scavenger hunt. On a small paper written in the Printing Office, they mention that 9 cats are hidden in the various peek ins. It was a lot of fun to try to find them all. Hint: it's easier during the day... at night, many were very difficult to see and would be easily missed. Brings back the hidden cats they had on the Log Ride last year.
At night it takes on a whole new feel, and the fog machines come on. There are many lighting effects, including eyes on the Sky Cabin! And the best... a mini light show at Boot Hill, where ghosts of the cemetery tell there stories (this only happens) after dark. Boot Hill has been upgraded with new lights and sound effects, and the area were really popular with guests... it was never empty!
We ended up staying 7 hours, and the food was really not the main point. It's the entire package, and will probably be the best Halloween event in SoCal this year. I had a lot of pics on my twitter if you want to look (same name as here).