Ah, the leaves are changing color, pumpkin is back on the menu, and the sounds of terrified screaming can be heard echoing from Universal Studios Orlando, which can only mean one thing: Fall has arrived, and with it comes Universal's annual Halloween Horror Nights, a go-to destination for fans of blood, guts, and a good old-fashioned scare. Collider recently had the opportunity to walk through this year's ten haunted houses, and I'm happy to report I kept my eyes open just enough to let you know which scares are skippable and which frights are worth those epic wait times.

The houses of HHN 2019 are divided up between 6 mazes based on existing properties and 4 original ideas cooked up solely for the park. The IP houses include Ghostbusters, Stranger Things, Jordan Peele's Us, House of 1000 Corpses, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and the classic Universal Monsters like The Mummy and Dracula. On the original side, you've got houses set miles beneath the ocean ("Depths of Fear"), in a ghost-filled cemetery ("Graveyard Games"), during a gore-covered gladiator tournament ("Nightingales: Blood Pit"), and a snowy woodland cabin besieged by massive monsters ("Yeti: Terror of the Yukon").

With the sweet sound of chainsaws ringing in your ears, that could be a dizzying number of options to choose from. So without further ado, let's run down all ten HHN 2019 haunted houses and see where you can get the spookiest bang for your buck.

10. House of 1000 Corpses

The good news for Rob Zombie fans is that the horror-rocker is well-represented at this year's HHN, getting not only this house based on his directorial debut House of 1000 Corpses but also a the Scare Zone "Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe", which returns you to the truly twisted era known as "1998." Which is why I expected a bit more from House of 1000 Corpses, especially given the entire premise is tailor-made for, you know, a scary house. Like everything at HHN, the production design and attention to detail are top-notch, and there is a visceral thrill to seeing every member of the murderous Firefly Family—and I do mean every member—alive in front of your eyes. But House of 1000 Corpses has the most time of any maze where nothing is really happening other than something vaguely gross to look at, which is...not a terrible representation of the movie, actually. Recommended for diehard Zombie-heads only.

9. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

I can't even lie and say the house based on 1988 cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space isn't a blast to walk through. Much like the bonkers horror-comedy it borrows it's setting from, this experience is a neon-lit, technicolor dreamland that you'll want to slow down to stare at in all its brightly-colored B-movie glory. But compared to other attractions this year bursting with variety, there are unfortunately only so many times you can see one of the Klowns from Killer Klowns and be like, "Hey, that's that Klown from Killer Klowns," delightful though it may be every time.

Two huge positives that might make it worth your while: 1) Killer Klowns from Outer Space is the only maze with interactive elements—light-up buttons on the walls that may or may not trigger a scare—and a water-based gag is the hardest I jumped all night. 2) The maze-ending Klownzilla is straight-up massive. According to our helpful guides, it's the biggest puppet HHN has ever used.

8. Depths of Fear

An absolute must if you're a huge fan of aquatic-based creature features like Leviathan or DeepStar Six. (Or, honestly, some serious Alien vibes as well.) The premise for "Depths of Fear" is such a killer I hope an employee is handing out plot-pamphlets to the people waiting in line: You dive into a submersible formerly manned by a deep-sea mining company who delved too deep, unleashing subterranean creatures called "Mouthbrooders" that spit acidic eggs into unwilling human hosts. What's worse, the surface has deemed the site a lost cause, and everything around you will self-destruct in three minutes.

As you might imagine, the physical scares inside the maze can't quite live up that storyline, as there's a lot competing for your attention between the creatures, their victims, and the warning alarms. Anyone like me who loves a good ol' oversized B-movie monster will love the gigantic Mouthbrooders lurking behind pipes and wiring, but they might verge on the silly side for others. Kudos, though, to the way the production team worked actual water into the house, which can not have been easy to pull off.

7. Stranger Things

Full disclosure: If you're a giant fan of Netflix's 80's horror love letter Stranger Things, this should, rightfully, sky-rocket to the top of your list. Much like last year, everyone involved did a stellar job translating the world of the show to real life—this time you're seeing scenes from season 2 and 3—especially when it comes to the real-life actors portraying that beloved young cast. (If I counted correctly, there are no fewer than three Elevens running around in there...) Much like the show, though, the Stranger Things house is charming, spunky, and filled with small details, but it's never particularly scary.

However, there is a puppet in the Stranger Things maze that takes three different people to operate and it is a legitimately impressive feat of engineering. As a massive fan of a good old fashioned rubber-suit monster movie, looking up at that sight might've been worth the price of admission alone.

6. Ghostbusters

Much like in the case of Stranger Things up there, I really can't fault how much energy and effort went into turning the Ghostbusters maze into an awe-inspiring bit of fan service for diehards and newcomers alike. Everything you want to be here is, in fact, here in striking living color: the entire team, Janine Melnitz. The library ghost. Louis Tully. Dana Barrett. Gozer. The freaking Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Slimer. (Although, points off for lack of actual slime.) Really, your mileage may vary depending on what you want out of a HHN experience; hardcore fans of Ivan Reitman's 1984 classic, head straight here from the jump. Anyone looking for ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of the more shout-inducing variety, there's some truly gnarly stuff waiting for you up ahead.

Pro-Tip: Keep an extra close eye on the Ghostbusters' Proton Packs here. Our guides let slip that the design team consulted with Jason Reitman's upcoming sequel for accuracy's sake.

5. Yeti: Terror of the Yukon

This, right here, is that good monstrous stuff. The original "Yeti: Terror on the Yukon" translates a wild idea perfectly into an experience that's as fun as it is genuinely terrifying from the moment you walk through the door. With realistic snow falling from the ceiling and the temperature cranked down to an extremely un-Orlando-like chill, you will believe you've happened upon a ruined cabin in the woods, covered in bodies and big, bloody footprints. Great gory scares throughout the cabin—not just Yeti-related, there's also horrified trappers everywhere popping off old-timey rifle shots—leading into an ice cave straight out of Empire Strikes Back, complete with a furry-armed jolt that's one of the best in the park. Florida is hot, but pack a sweatshirt for this one.

4. Graveyard Games

"Graveyard Games" is both a trick and treat for anyone who emphasizes the Halloween in Halloween Horror Nights. This maze is the definition of Classically Spooky; misty cemeteries, restless ghosts, statues come to life, creepy kids. But don't think you're walking into a Party City funhouse. "Graveyard Games" is another HHN original with a surprisingly complex backstory; even as you're waiting on line, a projection on the wall shows you the Facebook Live stream of two punk teenagers—who just happen to be named Sid and Nancy—who thought it'd be a good idea to mess around in the graveyard where ghosts vigilantly watch over children at play. This old-school spookshow elicited by far the most genuine jumps out of my crew, present company included, and features a final room so eery I practically sprinted to the exit.

3. Nightingales: Blood Pit

Shock-for-shock and blood-splatter-for-blood-splatter, "Nightingales: Blood Pit" is by far the scariest maze at the park this year. This house brings back the Nightingales—last seen at HHN 21 in the WWII-themed "Nightingales: Blood Pit"—a harpy-like race of nasties that feed on the dead and dying. "Blood Pit" catches up with the beasts in Ancient Rome, where the worst drought in centuries has led to 150 straight days of gladiator games in an attempt to soak the ground in blood. That is...a lot of blood, folks. Not for the faint of heart, "Blood Pit" is gory and filled with prosthetics I could've inspected for hours, but what really messed me up is how well it utilized darkness. I'll be thinking about all those noises in the shadows for a good long while. Highly, highly recommended if you're looking to get absolutely effed up on a nice Fall night.

2. Universal Monsters

You really can't mess with the classics. Maybe Universal is biased, but the attention to detail throughout the Universal Monsters house is legit awe-inspiring, to the point my horror-soaked heart had a genuine moment; just like, "my beautiful spooky grandparents, I love you all so much." I could've walked through this one ten more times for the production design alone, picking out the clever ways Dracula's castle blended into the Black Lagoon into The Mummy's tomb, and so on. (I don't want to give the whole thing away, but there are some less-loved baddies from the Universal canon represented here.) But, unsurprisingly, the monsters themselves are the highlight. The costume and makeup teams did a fantastic job of updating every classic boogeyman into a souped-up and ultra-terrifying 2019 model. Gone are the charming Lugosis and childlike Karloffs. These monsters are lean, mean, and spectacular.

1. US

Universal's maze based on Jordan Peele's sophomore feature Us is mood-building in a way I didn't a standard haunted house can be. Most mazes aim to shock and jolt—and there's plenty of that here, and it's really well done at that!—but the Us house genuinely builds tension and dread, from that moment you round the corner to see the meticulously recreated "Find Yourself" funhouse facade to the way it utilizes reflections to disorient anyone trying to make it through quickly. Plus, yeah, the Tethered are here in all their knife-wielding glory and Universal somehow pulled it off; I wasn't sure how you could translate the concept of doppelgängers into a roughly three-minute live-action walkthrough, but they did it. It's not often that Halloween Horror Nights' most modern house is actually its bonafide must-see main event, but Jordan Peele is always here to defy expectations. Don't leave HHN 29 without heading to Us and getting a good look at yourself in the mirror. What you'll see is worth the wait.