Halloween Horror Nights 2026 (USH) - Employee Preview

[Cwoolboy]

Very glad Hollywood bit the bullet for the rest of us this year re: Freaky Nikki. I'm not offended by her being featured, I just don't think they did a great job at representing her/including her. Having a random girl wander around and quote the movie isn't particularly cool, immersive, or impressive. Feels like very low effort. This seems to be a last-minute addition, which explains a lot about how she's been implemented (I mean, the actress doesn't even seem all that into it). Regardless, I'm sure she'll be a very popular character at the event. Hope she's got a TM near-by at all times in case people decide to get pervy or handsy.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Very glad Hollywood bit the bullet for the rest of us this year re: Freaky Nikki. I'm not offended by her being featured, I just don't think they did a great job at representing her/including her. Having a random girl wander around and quote the movie isn't particularly cool, immersive, or impressive. Feels like very low effort. This seems to be a last-minute addition, which explains a lot about how she's been implemented (I mean, the actress doesn't even seem all that into it). Regardless, I'm sure she'll be a very popular character at the event. Hope she's got a TM near-by at all times in case people decide to get pervy or handsy.

Hopefully it will get better

I'm avoiding watching videos and will see her this weekend but that sucks to hear she isn't into it....just weird its rare for a USH actor not to be into the role they are playing like....as someone who talks to the characters all of them seem to love what they are doing and get into it

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Very glad Hollywood bit the bullet for the rest of us this year re: Freaky Nikki. I'm not offended by her being featured, I just don't think they did a great job at representing her/including her. Having a random girl wander around and quote the movie isn't particularly cool, immersive, or impressive. Feels like very low effort. This seems to be a last-minute addition, which explains a lot about how she's been implemented (I mean, the actress doesn't even seem all that into it).

I'm gonna be honest, I've seen this take a lot in the last day but I feel like a lot of it comes from that one specific clip of her that's been floating around which is kinda lacking in context, that video was taken literally right after park opening on the very first day of the event, so I feel like it's pretty fair to say this is basically her warming up on the first less than an hour of the first day and probably isn't representative of how interactions with her will be during the actual run of the event.

Preview night is essentially a dress rehearsal and the actors are gonna be experimenting to see what does and doesn't work and I feel like that goes forgotten a lot of the time. It totally was a last minute addition though lol

 

[Jerroddragon]

Also I was looking at times last night

Sinners and Hellrasier look the houses that had the most constant longers lines

The Tram looked like it never got a line

And Killer Clowns at a point had a 45 min line...lol

So yeah its funny to see how people crap on Killer clowns but I bet that thing does well enough, there are always new people coming to the event and that IP is hotter now then when it first came to the park

 

[Jake S]

So yeah its funny to see how people crap on Killer clowns but I bet that thing does well enough, there are always new people coming to the event and that IP is hotter now then when it first came to the park

sorry, aren't you the guy loudly complaining over and over again that you want new stuff at parks? what are we doing here?

 

[Freak]

I think the California market just loves repeats. You have Knott’s to thank for raising the people up like that. I think it’s frustrating and annoying but I can’t believe people will willingly wait 40 min to do a house that’s been repeated for a third time with little change.

 

[Jerroddragon]

sorry, aren't you the guy loudly complaining over and over again that you want new stuff at parks? what are we doing here?

On seasonal events yes, new things would be nice for everything but also its been 4 years since Killer Clowns was here, its not like its "fresh"

Also as long as it gets lines it harder to be against, like Purge doesn't fill up and if it does then I'd shut up about it but last year when I went most shows were 1/3 full at match so its wasting space but if Killer Clowns is a good house (which yes I know there is debate here because of the actors but I remember enjoying it) then I don't have many issue with good houses coming back if its not just repeating every year

So I think there is more of a discussion, the main parks needs more to do this is more of a park issue that isn't being fixed with it taking 3.5 years to get a big new attraction and to get said new coaster we also lost two shows

Also as Freak pointed out, our competition isn't helping Knotts gets away with only two new houses a year....so HHN feels like a fresh event every year while other events are literally only doing a handful of new things.

I would not have been upset if the house had new thing or if they made a mini Clown town in the lower lot.....but the overall event is still amazing.

Killer Clowns is the only true repeat house, Killceanera is a somewhat 1.5 house, the Purge is the same and even the Crowz has moved plus has new sets. To me this isn't too bad and at least to me the event mostly doesn't feel cheap but just my two cents

 

[rageofthegods]

No spoilers but DDD looks extraordinary

 

[Jerroddragon]

No spoilers but DDD looks extraordinary

I was hyped because it felt like the first original house with NO strings attached and they could do whatever they wanted...glad its looking like an amazing house and hope we get more of these in the future

 

[Wishmaster]

Fans are being way too harsh on the actress for Freaky Nikki. Be grateful that this character has been incorporated as a roaming character. Also, the fear mongering is ridiculous. She will have good interactions with fans and continue to do so.

 

[cdogsumo]

I think the California market just loves repeats.

I mean they really only started doing true “encore” houses after they started consciously removing the “black walls” houses. So I think it’s probably something built into the budget at this point, honestly.

I’m not sure why it’s one-or-the-other budget-wise but I would far rather see a house I’ve already been through than a low-effort house because of budget (looking squarely at you Ash vs. Evil Dead).

 

[deadbydawn]

I think the California market just loves repeats. You have Knott’s to thank for raising the people up like that. I think it’s frustrating and annoying but I can’t believe people will willingly wait 40 min to do a house that’s been repeated for a third time with little change.

I completely agree with not waiting in long lines for repeats, but to your first point not every event has the budget to change their lineup every year. I also have to imagine the general public cares a lot less about repeats. Just my two cents.

 

[DTH]

The Freaky Nikki actress is doing great, she's just being compared to a soon to be nominated performance. Also, she's limited to interactions with being forced to do the lines from the movie, but if she didn't, it'd be hard to know for sure that's who she is playing -- which I am fine with.

Honestly, my only critique is I wish it was a different costume, I feel like her party costume would've been more iconic with the red and black stripes (which to me feels more horror, almost Freddy Krueger-esque) -- I get why they didn't, probably too revealing in an already precarious scenario.

But I've seen various videos of her now, more than just the Sinners queue clip, and most people are taking a quick video and moving on, which I figured would be the case. Yes, this MIGHT amp up sometime during the season, there may be a FEW idiots trying to go viral, but I think 99% of the time she will be absolutely fine (fingers crossed).

She's not the REAL Inde and I think most people know that and for that reason alone, most don't care. The public obsession (pun intended) is mostly for her, not so much the character (although the character is iconic too, but it's BECAUSE of her). Like if Kathy Bates in Misery was wandering around, it's eh, but if it's the real Kathy Bates than it's like HOOLLLY SHIIIII

 

[bdubsCEO]

Hopefully it will get better

I'm avoiding watching videos and will see her this weekend but that sucks to hear she isn't into it....just weird its rare for a USH actor not to be into the role they are playing like....as someone who talks to the characters all of them seem to love what they are doing and get into it

It’s preview night, to be fair. Nobody has settled on their final performances yet. Every attraction will feel different in a few weeks once actors have found their groove and the nights aren’t like 80 degrees lol

We should have the ability to quote posts in edits. I’ll often respond to one post, then scroll up and see the posts I hadn’t missed which I often also want to respond to but don’t want to double-post. In response to Rage about Dead Deader Deadest: I genuinely had to stop myself from vomiting during a particular scene lol.

 

[chris.g]

The Freaky Nikki actress is doing great, she's just being compared to a soon to be nominated performance.

soon to be nominated? For what, the teen choice awards? Lmfao. The academy push for Obsession is hilarious.

 

[rageofthegods]

Navarette is the centerpiece performance in a movie that Spielberg and Nolan have praised to the press, that's critically acclaimed, an unprecedented hit, a conversation-starting discourse magnet (as we've seen), and that's about to get a full-court press from one of the top Oscar campaigners. I don't understand denying her chances at this point.

 

[chris.g]

Navarette is the centerpiece performance in a movie that Spielberg and Nolan have praised to the press, that's critically acclaimed, an unprecedented hit, a conversation-starting discourse magnet (as we've seen), and that's about to get a full-court press from one of the top Oscar campaigners. I don't understand denying her chances at this point.

Scorsese and Bill Hader (academy voter btw!) have praised Hereditary and Midsommar (where Pugh outclasses Navarette) with not even a nomination to show for it. Even if Navarette held a candle to a nomination, the Academy board does not take horror seriously.

 

[Jerroddragon]

 

[Andor]

 

[cdogsumo]

Historically yes, the Academy hasn’t taken horror seriously. But the Substance and Sinners were both Oscar darlings. And if there was one part of Obsession that seemed to be widely praised, it was Navarette’s performance.

I by no means think she is a lock for a nomination, but I think she’s certainly in the conversation. For what it’s worth, a lot of people in the industry see Obsession as having saved the theatrical experience for smaller movies, so I think there’s a lot of goodwill there from voters.