Coming out of hibernation, the weather cools down and we’re searching for affordable fall activities. Armature Works, located at the end of the riverwalk is screening a free Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus. Aside from the refreshing weather, the experience was not nearly as good as anticipated.

The first thing I noticed was how the free movie quickly added up with unadvertised fees. The fee to park at armature works ranges from $10 to a whopping $20, four overpriced vendors were set in the back of park including two food stands and a tarot card reader. The tarot card reader was not charging for the reading, but on the other hand, the candied apple vendor was selling regular candied apples for $10 apiece.

Despite being surprised by prices, the brutal Florida heat had finally subsided so, a movie in the park was a must. I had the expectation that it would be more picnic-like, with blankets and pillows instead people sat in tall, wide-backed lawn chairs made the view from the back nearly impossible. Arriving 30 minutes prior to the movie was not nearly enough; when I arrived, the entire lawn was already teeming with people sitting in the venue-provided lawn chairs forcing me to view the screen between two people, not even fully visible.

Seeing the movie was one issue, but there were a plethora of logistical and technical issues to follow. 10 minutes into the movie, the screen went black; the conductor of the screening then re-started Hocus Pocus from the beginning, fast-forwarding past the frame we stopped at. The audio was also very unclear, and the movie was displayed on a 10×10 blow up screen which was not placed in the middle of the park but off to the side, making it even harder to see.

Although the weather made the entire experience enjoyable, I’d rather purchase a $15 movie ticket with a guaranteed view of the screen.