With Halloween approaching faster than a 28 Days Later sprinting zombie, you may be planning a trip to Universal Studios. The Hollywood theme park’s annual Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) event is one of the season’s spookiest and most popular. Famed for its immersive, elaborate haunted houses, HHN has been scaring the pants off park patrons for over three decades.
This year’s no different, as houses based on Sinners, Stranger Things, Evil Dead Burn, Hellraiser, and more are terrifying guests. But while the houses are the big draw, a much smaller, last-minute addition is stealing the spotlight/shadows at the event’s Hollywood location.
Viral Obsession
Nikki Freeman, the cursed antagonist from runaway horror hit Obsession, has been added to the event as a roaming character. Played by a very convincing/terrifying performer, the character isn’t tied to a specific house or scare zone. Instead, “Freaky Nikki” has free rein of the park, popping up pretty much wherever pleases… including guests’ nightmares.
The One Wish Willow victim’s flexible, frightening schedule has turned her into a viral sensation. Because brave park-goers don’t know exactly when or where she’ll appear, they immediately grab their cameras to capture the impromptu interactions.
Of course, like Nikki’s volatile personality, those face-to-face encounters are predictably unpredictable. Much like the nightmare-conjuring character from director Curry Barker‘s genre blockbuster, the park’s Freaky Nikki can go from being incredibly happy to angrily smashing her own face with a brick. On top of wielding the blunt/foam prop, the character’s brought to life with plenty of fake blood and the ability to recite her most unsettling lines from the film.
Creepy Contest
Bear’s gore-soaked girlfriend also grants wishes…sort of. Universal holds a giveaway contest each night of the event, encouraging visitors to seek out Freeman’s pouty-lipped alter ego. According to the park’s official Instagram post, the rules are as follows:
- Follow @horrornights on Instagram and check our stories for the day’s secret phrase.
- Look out for Nikki at Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights.
- Tell her the secret phrase.
- The first 100 Nikki spotters each night will get a giveaway item.
While we’re not sure this is a contest we’d want to win, we’re thrilled – and chilled – to see HHN embrace this modern-day horror icon. Nikki was a last-minute addition meant to capitalize on the movie’s enormous popularity. But we’re hoping that with some more time to plan, future Halloween Horror Nights – on both coasts – might treat us to a dedicated Obsession house.
