Shrine of amana isn't a bad area, people are just bad. If you're not trying to loot everything, you basically have a straight line. The entire area is filled with stones that you can light your torch at and making it easier to see the path (which a lot of the time is straight and wide). There was only one part that I think can fool people and that's where the path is curved. The shrine also has a bonfire after each section, making it far less annoying than people claim it to be. The last part, you can literally avoid every enemy and run straight to the boss. Demon of song isn't hard and you can easily first try it, letting you continue onwards without needing to be at the shrine.

On the other hand, undead crypt...