I ended up doing HHN as a last-minute thing on Saturday. Got there around 9:45 and was surprised that the lines weren't miserable. Didn't get Express (group didn't want to pay extra) so we didn't get through all of the mazes, but I'll give some reviews of what I did (just in the order we did things).
- Last of Us: Maze is going to be polarizing; I liked it but I really enjoyed the show and game series, so I was probably in the tank for this one already. Most of my group did not enjoy the maze, though, so your mileage will definitely vary here (which could be said for basically any IP maze, tbh).
- Exorcist: Maze was fine, usual book report maze like normal, but all this maze really did is make me wish it was an OG Exorcist maze instead of the bad "requel". We also had the traditional terrible IP-maze ending where it's just pitch-black hallways and a series of Boo-boxes until you exit. Maybe one day they'll solve this!
- Holidayz in Hell: I remembered this maze from 2021, when it was one of my favorites that year, and this year was no different. I like when Universal does non-IP mazes because it lets them flex their creative muscles way more, and this maze had a little more of a mix-up in the scare tactics, as we had more than just the traditional Boo-box that Universal loves to use and had roaming scare actors throughout the maze.
- Terror Tram: I think they need to rethink what they're doing here if they're going to keep the concept open. There was absolutely 0 line for this, which isn't a great sign considering how many people come to HHN and that it closes early, but I can see why. The theme was uninspired and there's just so much traveling between areas that it just ends up feeling disjointed. The Nope/Us section is still really good but the novelty of walking through the sets feels like it is wearing off.
- Blumhouse: I get why Blumhouse wanted to do something like this - they have the props lying around and it probably took them 10 minutes of effort - but this was just terrible, and I love a haunt thing where it ends and everyone looks around at each other and says "that's it?" There really needed to be more here to justify how big a deal the event made it to be.
- Death Eaters in Hogwarts: Just a quick thing, but this is a nice touch, and as much as I know it will never happen, I would kinda love to see a maze in Hogwarts one day, no real gore but maybe recreating the scenes in the Ministry of Magic from Order of the Phoenix.
- Evil Dead Rise: This took over the permanent maze spot and was fine. I love the Evil Dead series and they clearly put effort into the maze, so I can respect it. Another case of the bad IP-maze ending with the monster coming out followed by the heroine with a chainsaw multiple times in a dark hallway. And, yes I know it wouldn't fit, but I would have loved some kind of Ash cameo.
- Monsters of Latin America: This maze spot has become something of a rotating Latin American-inspired non-IP maze to tie into the Dia de los Muertos area nearby, and its a concept that really works. This maze was probably my favorite of the night, with only one scene (the butchery) being unpleasant, not because of the set and gore but the smell. The scare actors really played their parts well, and there was a good throughline for the maze. I'd love to see them continue this concept going forward, even though Universal loves to change out mazes completely every year.
