Halloween Horror Nights Opens at Universal Studios Hollywood With ‘Sinners,’ ‘Stranger Things 5’ and a Blood-Soaked Nikki From ‘Obsession’

Halloween has officially arrived at Universal Studios Hollywood. 

Halloween Horror Nights opened Thursday at the theme park where screams of excitement turned to screams of fright. Guests rushed into the park to face this year’s collection of haunted houses, which included the Upside Down from Netflix’s “Stranger Things 5” and the vampire-infested Club Juke from “Sinners.”

Within just 30 minutes of opening, the wait for “Sinners”” had already reached 60 minutes. “Hellraiser,” which made its Halloween Horror Nights debut, had a 50-minute wait, while “Killer Klowns From Outer Space,” “Evil Dead Burn” and “Killceañera: Music by Slash” were each at 30-minutes. “Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness” reached 35-minutes, and “Stranger Things 5” and “Dead, Deader, Deadest” sat at 25 minutes. 

The scares extended beyond the haunted houses, with characters from this year’s lineup of horror roaming the park. Among them was a crazed, blood-soaked Nikki, from “Obsession.” She emerged from the crowds with the same unnerving affection she carried throughout the film, telling guests she loved them “so, so much” before slipping back into the masses in search of her next victim. Nikki doesn’t have a designated meeting location, instead roaming the park at random. Fans of the film will have to seek her out, or perhaps, Nikki will see vistors out!

The most crowded area could be found in the Lower Lot, where Universal paid homage to music legend Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy’s Bar drew in an approximately hourlong wait by the end of the night, serving themed cocktails such as the Blizzard of Ozz-arita and the Ultimate Sin-ammon, as well as meals including a naan taco named Bark at the Naan. 

His haunted house, “Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness,” featured different variants of the musician jumping out to scare visitors, ranging from mad-scientist Ozzy to a demon-esque bat carrying what seemed to be Ozzy’s head. The house also had a room dedicated to “Crazy Train,” where dead bodies sat along a train car while his famous song played in the background. 

Also in the Lower Lot was the “Stranger Things 5” haunted house, where guests traveled past Castle Byers and into the Upside Down. Vecna frequently lunged out from hidden corners and windows while a Demogorgon nearby battled Karen Wheeler in her blood-soaked kitchen. 

“Sinners,” meanwhile, transports guests into the world of Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning film in the Upper Lot. Opening with a performance by Sammie, the haunted house recreates Club Juke, where characters including Mary, Annie and Pearline run rampant. 

Also on the Upper Lot was an area dedicated to Fortnite, which drew significant crowds along the walkway as guests stopped to take in the scares and pose in front of the game’s signature Battle Bus. 

Halloween Horror Nights runs on select nights until Nov. 1.