You’re asking for an intensity that runs counter to what HHN provides (and really never did). An “AE-sort of experience” is nearly impossible because of the constant movement required in a haunted house.
HHN practices a philosophy called “scaring forward.” Basically, they want the majority of scares in a house to drive the congo line ahead. The occasional scare “backward” (where the guests stops the line) is used for variety, but the preference is set those sorts of scares to the side. They do this because it’s the only way to push the thousands of guests through a night. (It’s also why it’s so easy to miss scares and why ops is so aggressive in the Icons finale; that set pieces is positioned in a way that it slows the line.)
Now, for a lot of effects, there’s an incredibly fine line between scaring forward and backwards. It’s actually easy to make something “too scary,” and kill all forward movement. A pitch black room where the exit on the other side is not visible will stop guests dead in their tracks.
They’ve used water effects for drool, pool noodles and reachers for “hands,” and, of course, fishing line for spiderwebs. But combining all that stuff to “AE level” as never been what Universal is about.