The knotts
I got all the houses done by 8pm on the boo-fet early entry. It was definitely a better choice than the fast lane because I wanted to do the shows after and rides were just a mess overall. Knots does terribly on preloading the park so early entry has at least the value that express does at universal for much less money and a meal. I would list the rides last apart from joining the line at the last minute for likely the log flume. Absolutely an embarrassment on ride operations.You said it yourself: "this year." Identical repeats are pretty rare for HHN, but it's SOP at Knott's. Freddy, Jason, et al, are familiar faces at HHN, no question. And I understand the exasperation. But the mazes aren't carbon copies; TCM is one of the better mazes this year despite being a "repeat."
Meanwhile, I'm so familiar with with Dark Ride, Paranormal Inc, etc., that I could probably do them with my eyes closed -- especially since I might go entire minutes without encountering an actor.
The KSF mazes, in and of themselves, are original; an average night at KSF is pretty much exactly the same year over year. So I guess it depends on how you define and what you value as "original."
Yeah, the price is great. The biggest reason I ultimately decided to hit Knott's this year was the low cost -- I had a fun night despite my gripes, and the Fright and Fast Lane is just a steal. But I guess I'm the rare person who doesn't really care about the shows? They're fun, but the average person is A) At KSF for mazes and rides, and B) Probably not seeing the shows because they're waiting in KSF's long lines for mazes and rides, or food or drinks or whatever else. Even as someone with a specific interest in all this stuff, I never prioritize the shows. Just not why I'm there; there's better "spooky theater" that doesn't require theme park admission.