Obsessing Over "Freaky Nikki" from "Obsession" Joining the Halloween Horror Nights Lineup
This past week, Halloween Horror Nights fans learned that "Freaky Nikki" – the possessed version of Nikki in the hit film Obsession – would be coming to the Hollywood version of the event this year. But as with anything new, there has been some controversy regarding this. Let's dig into said controversy and try to decide if this is a good decision.
By now, many of you are probably aware of the massive success that is Obsession. The film, directed by newcomer Curry Barker and starring another newcomer, Inde Navarrette as Nikki, has been a smash hit ever since it was released back in May. Made on an estimated production budget of $750,000, Obsession went on to gross an astounding $488.1 million worldwide. So it's fair to say, as a horror movie distributed by Universal, that fans would immediately begin wondering about Obsession's inclusion in Halloween Horror Nights. Chief among those was Navarrette herself, who, when asked in interviews, was extremely excited by the prospect of Nikki appearing at the annual Halloween event.
With the film's surprise success and relatively recent release, it was impossible to have a haunted house produced for this year (fingers crossed for next year!), but we did learn that Nikki will be appearing at the Hollywood version of the event, where guests may find themselves face-to-face with the latest victim of the One Wish Willow’s terrifying curse. John Murdy, the Hollywood event's creative director, said "it's a specific choice of which version of her we wanted to really focus on, and it's the version at the very end of the film where she's all bloody, she's taken her friend's dress, and she's drawn the tattoos all over her body."
Many fans noted that Nikki herself is a victim, and that to have a victim appearing in such a sense could seem problematic. But I think they've chosen wisely on which version of Nikki to include. What makes the character memorable is all in Navarrette's incredible performance, not so much in costuming. Unlike, say M3GAN, who has appeared at the event in recent years, Nikki doesn't have a specific costume that would be as instanly recognize. Having her appear in this vein, perhaps alongside a backdrop of some sorts will make this a more palatable addition to all guests.
One thing we have yet to learn is if Nikki will be found at the Universal Orlando version of the event, and as a local to that resort, I certainly hope so! I would imagine it would be a similar experience to what Hollywoood has planned. Maybe in the same vein as previous appearances from Blumhouse characters, like M3GAN, the Blissfield Butcher from Freaky and The Grabber from The Black Phone.
But, we'll have to wait and see until Halloween Horror Nights kicks off in a couple of weeks to see just how the appearance of Nikki is handled. Halloween Horror Nights kicks off Friday, August 28 at Universal Orlando Resort and Thursday, September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.