Obsession and Terrifier Coming to Halloween Horror Nights; Sparking Backlash From Nikki Fans

Universal’s annual Halloween Horror Nights is looking like an even scarier place to have a nice daaaate.

The announcement was made on August 9 that Curry Barker’s Obsession is making its Halloween Horror Nights debut this year, only a few months after the film arrived in theaters.

The film, a box office sensation that scared up $488 million to become the highest grossing horror movie of the year, will be featured at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood this year.

Obsession isn’t getting a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights this year, to be clear, but actors dressed up as Nikki Freeman will be roaming around Universal Studios.

Halloween Horror Nights Creative Director John Murdy previewed at Midsummer Scream last night, “Nikki’s out there somewhere. You kind of have to get into a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ mentality. She’s out there somewhere and she might be looking for her next obsession.”

Murdy also noted at the event last night that Obsession was a very last minute addition to Halloween Horror Nights this year, but they rallied the troops and were able to make it happen.

Halloween Horror Nights is typically planned out far in advance of the event each year, but when a movie like Obsession releases halfway through the year and becomes a bona fide pop culture sensation, well, it’s safe to say it was a mad scramble for the HHN team.

Could this set the stage for a full-on Obsession haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights in the future? Next year, perhaps? We’ve got a feeling that’s a very strong possibility…

Curry Barker’s Obsession is now streaming on Peacock.

Of course people took to social media to express their opposition for HHN to be including Nikki as a villain, when many feel she was a victim of Bear using the One Wish Willow.

I get that there are people who are upset over this, but the fake outrage is ridiculous. Yes in the technical sense Nikki is a victim, because Bear sefishly used magic to conjure someone he was deeply in love with to love him back. However, Nikki is a fictional character, and as horror fans we have put some of the most deplorable horror movie icons on a pedestal.

We all love Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Pinhead, Ghostface, Leatherface, Chucky, Art The Clown, the Deadites from Evil Dead, the creeper from Jeepers Creepers (the creator of that franchise is a child molester) and Pazuzu, the demon that possessed Reagan in The Exorcist. Remember, he had a 12-year-old girl masturbating with a crucifix while screaming "let Jesus Christ fuck you."

So while Nikki is a victim, fans resonated with her as being an iconic horror movie character because her obsession drove her to kill in the name of love.

And maybe people aren't even aware, but back in May, Inde Navarette, who plays Nikki was asked if she had the chance to use the One Wish Willow in real life, what would she wish for, and she said that she would wish for "Nikki to be at Halloween Horror Nights."

So now that her wish has finally come true, if the actress who played Nikki isn't bothered by this, why are you?

Personally speaking I don't think it's a good idea to have Nikki there because I don't think she's that interesting of a character. All she does in the movie is smile like those weirdos in the Smile movies, laughs annoyingly, and has the occasional outburst whenever Bear leaves to go somewhere. She comes across more like the typical annoying girlfriend than an iconic horror character.

So the moral of the story is, if you're not here for the Nikki character at HHN, that's totally fine. If you are planning on attending the event, spend the time exploring other things happening there. But the selective outrage and the faux online boycotts are why I find this current generation at times to be insufferable.

Speaking of Art the Clown, the iconic killer will also be featured as a “Stalk-a-Round” roaming character. Portrayed by David Howard Thornton, Art is the enigmatic villain at the heart of the Terrifier franchise. Like Obsession, Damien Leone’s films have seen incredible success given their indie horror status, with Terrifier 3 securing over $90 million against a budget of $2 million.

While Nikki and Art the Clown will appear as roaming characters, Halloween Horror Nights has a stacked line-up of new haunted houses, including houses for Sinners, the original Hellraiser trilogy, Stranger Things, and Evil Dead Burn.