Went last night and it is absolutely WILD the difference the newer game plan keeps you way ahead of the crowds. Either last night was empty (a supposedly sold out Saturday night) or I was just doing that good.
Got to Early Entry at 4pm. Nobody was there. There was ONE guy sitting in front of the turnstiles. So we made line to be first at another one. Crowds didn't really show up until 4:45pm. Shows the difference between the hardcore fanbase on opening weekend and just a random night afterward. Went straight for Killer Klowns and was one of the first 10-15 people in line. I also noticed The Weeknd line wasn't that long, but I wasn't about to chance it. Anyway, I'd rather get a repeat out of the way first.
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
Advertised Wait: Closed
Time in Line: 5:30
In the Maze: 6:03
Actual Wait: 3 mins
And yeah, what a total waste of time and space this was. Usually I try to be forgiving to the cast and blame a lot on design, operations, etc, but I just didn't see any effort in here. This was such a great maze a few years ago, what happened in that time? I'm guessing it's hot and the costumes are killer. I understand, but boy did the night start on such a wet fart.
F
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: LEGENDS COLLIDE
Advertised Wait: Opens 6:15
Time in Line: 6:12
In the Maze: 6:26
Actual Wait: 11 mins
I was going to run upstairs, thinking I'd be behind on time, but the Universal Monsters line was SHORT. Figured I could do that with plenty of time to spare. And it was! Very quick wait. I was amazed how quick I was going already. But on to the maze. I think the maze is still in a very good space, but I can't help but feel like something is off about it. Maybe its the monster choices or the overall design, but it's just not as spooky as it could be. I really hope the maze continues to get great reviews so Universal knows to keep using their monsters, but also to know they need to stay on the cutting edge like they were with Bride of Frankenstein.
B-
HALLOWEEN
Advertised Wait: Opens 7:00
Time in Line: 6:50
In the Maze: 7:08
Actual Wait: 8 mins
Ran up and got in right before they opened Hogsmeade. I've never even seen them do that before. Went straight to Halloween because there's no way I am waiting in that Curious George parking garage ever again. Was right at the edge of it when I first got in line and I could feel the heat coming out. This maze slightly improved for me since last night. I noticed some things that were missing the first time, which was a trend for the night -- a lot of new effects that just weren't working or there opening night in all the mazes. So while I didn't absolutely hate this maze like I did my first run through, it still didn't feel like anything special. And Halloween should feel special.
C-
SCARECROW
Advertised Wait: 45 mins
Time in Line: 7:17
In the Maze: 7:30
Actual Wait: 13 mins
Even with a bathroom break before, the line still hadn't built up for this. As we were walking in, one of our friends literally just walked right back out. As soon as she knew the theme, she had no desire to be there, it was HILARIOUS. The cast in this maze was ROCKING and ON FIRE when we went through. They were just going insane and coming at us HARD. The cast was good before but it was insane how good they were last night, just elevating every scene to be that much more scary. I still do think there's a little left to be desired in the design and the scare placements though. Easily maze of the night.
A
TERROR TRAM
Advertised Wait: 30 mins
Time in Line: 7:48
In the Maze:8:09
Actual Wait: 21 mins
Was debating between Tram and Llorona and decided to hit Tram while there was still no wait, because it is absolutely not worth it. And that's still the same, to be quite honest. I will say though, the Black Cats were not there AT ALL on my first visit. So they were a huge, and weird, surprise here, that added extra flavor to this sequence of the Tram. The best part is still the NOPE/Us part, by a large margin. The cast here is SO good, and when they all freeze and look up is SUCH an unsettling moment. One of the guys looked up and opened his mouth wide, kinda reminded me of Body Snatchers, it was TERRIFYING. That's probably the most scared I've been on the Tram. Overall, still pretty bad, but that ending makes up for it for the most part.
C-
[This is when I noticed the crowds picking up. Right after I got off tram, the ENTIRE queue was full and the line shot up to 120 mins. Very grateful not to be caught in that mess.]
DINNER
Feeling REALLY good about how ahead of schedule I was, I decided to stop for dinner. Time I had scheduled for it was 9pm, but it was 8:40. Llorona's line was already long, so I figured might as well wait it out a bit.
BLUMHOUSE
Advertised Wait: 85 mins
Time in Line: 9:38
In the Maze: 10:25
Actual Wait: 47 mins
As I was walking over, this said 55 mins which I figured wasn't that bad, but as I walked in, it said 85. I thought maybe it was getting crowded and I should just tough it out. And honestly, the line was nowhere near that bad. In fact, as I was going through the line, it was getting shorter and shorter to what I'd imagine was maybe a 15 min wait at most. I checked the app and it still said it was 60 mins though. I always love getting something shorter than expected, but I can not emphasize how crucial it is to have ACCURATE wait times to plan a night properly. Anyway, this maze has improved a lot for me, and I have to guess its the cast, but I also saw a lot of effects in general that were missing before. The TV in the front window wasn't on before and the can in throat guy this time was squirming and squirted me! While there are some dead zones, the cast still comes out with such ferocity to make up for it. I walked by myself in this maze, usually, I have my girlfriend or someone on my arm, and I figured I wouldn't be targeted. THEY TARGETED ME THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH. It was super intense and I loved it. This was my second favorite of the night. Before I'd say it was an average maze that if you missed, it'd be okay, but this time I'd say it's a must see.
A-
LA LLORONA
Advertised Wait: 80 mins
Time in Line:10:37
In the Maze: 11:40
Actual Wait: 63 mins
Looking at the line, I was scared it might actually be longer than 80. The entire Minions queue was full, which I never waited in before. But it still moved pretty smoothly. Almost my entire group named this maze their favorite, as they have never seen the original version, but I have to disagree wholeheartedly. I think this is a far inferior version of the original -- a couple of things bringing it down for me: that really stupid video in the window of the opening church, some scenes feel smaller or shorter, the flow and sequence of events just don't make as much sense anymore, like the eating of children at the end being swapped around. I think the grim tone really helps make it feel like old school HHN, but the design is not as grandiose feeling. I hope this can return next year and they make a sequel maze or something. We've had it remade twice, but what about a continuation? I think the fans would love it.
B-
[As I left this maze, there was an outside portion of the queue now filling up, so this area was definitely getting more crowded]