Long Beach, CA — Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is hiding a character somewhere in the park this year, and finding her is part of the point. At Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights panel at Midsummer Scream, creative director John Murdy teased a character encounter based on “Obsession,” the horror film written and directed by Curry Barker, and said its villain, Nikki, is loose in the event without a fixed spot on the map.
Nikki Is Out There Somewhere
Murdy kept the specifics to himself. “I’m not going to give you all the details today. But what I can tell you is Nikki is out there somewhere,” he said, describing a “Where’s Waldo type mentality” for guests trying to spot her across the park. He added that she “might be looking for her next obsession.”
Here is the announcement:
A Fan Video Started It
The encounter started with a fan. “Some fan, somebody on X sent me a video of Curry talking about Halloween Horror Nights,” Murdy said. In the clip, Barker “was just talking about how he’s a big fan of Horror Nights and he comes every year.” Murdy had recently watched Barker’s film. “And I’d just seen Obsession, and Obsession is a great film,” he said. The addition landed late in planning. “We’re talking, like, late in our process. But we rallied the troops,” he said.
Who Curry Barker Is
Curry Barker is a young writer and director who built a following on viral YouTube horror shorts, among them “The Chair,” which drew roughly ten million views, and the found-footage film “Milk & Serial.” His film “Obsession” reached theaters this year and now streams on Peacock. In it, Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette, becomes the target of a supernatural wish when a shy coworker wishes for her to love him, and that forced love twists into violent, possessive obsession. The title card Murdy put on the panel screen carried the film’s tagline: “Be careful who you wish for.”
Where to Find the Full 2026 Lineup
“Obsession” is one of several 2026 reveals from Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights panel at Midsummer Scream, joining the Terror Tram takeover starring Art the Clown and the Killceañera house scored by Slash. For dates, tickets, and the full lineup, see our Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 guide.
