So, just like any other park, if you are in line before closing, you get on the ride. Same with HHN. I always talk about "maximizing your time" to hit all the houses without using Express or any other add-on - and this is one of the biggest ways. Take the most popular house - last year was easily Stranger Things 2/3. Save it for the very end of the night - and when I say "end" I mean like 5 minutes before close. The queue time will have dropped down to an hour (or under in some circumstances by then). Get in line at 12:55 am for a 1 am close, or 1:55 am for a 2 am close. You've just bought yourself an "extra" hour essentially - you'll probably wait close to an hour to get through the house, but as long as you're in line before the posted closing time, you will get through the house. AND you don't have to worry about standing in a 3 hour line at any point for the most popular house.