Muffy you are far more generous than I. Maybe our regional weather is an a partial impact (H'ween is usually clear and in the high 50's or low 60's), but I don't think I'd leave the front doors open to "any and all" on Halloween. The inside is just for the parties at my house. As we seen in this thread, even with people you know, it's a significant challenge.
I learned several years ago that visitor flow is crutial to control. We had the Cave of courge up with additions each year for five or six years. In 05 the additions completely blocked the side exit to the driveway = you had to leave the same way you came in. The most narrow point was probably 5 feet because of monsters and displays along the side. Several times that year I opened the front door and could not see the street (normally a straight view of all 5 feet in width). I saw a mass of moving flesh and costume sort of surging. some coming, some going. Small kids in there could NOT have been enjoying the visit.
In 06 we re-opened the side exit and in 07 the Z shape actually added more flow control even though the path was more narrow. We will expand this in 08 with more path "guidance".
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