Can Confirm: HHN 2026's Stranger Things Snack Lives Up To The Hype

You know it’s spooky season when Halloween Horror Nights returns to Universal Studios. This year’s frightfully fun event is pulling out all the stops across both coasts, with haunted houses themed to movies and TV shows like Sinners, Evil Dead Burn, and Stranger Things Season 5 taking over the Hollywood and Orlando parks. California-based fans of Obsession may even run into a One Wish Willow-possessed Nikki as they make their way to the infamous Art the Clown-themed Terror Tram.

But the fun doesn’t stop at just scare zones and mazes. Halloween Horror Nights also cooked up a deliciously good menu of items inspired by the different houses. I got to sample the food and drinks ahead of opening night, and the absolute star of the show? A Stranger Things lineup featuring Steve Harrington’s beloved peanut butter bites.

How HHN’s Bites Compare To The OG Stranger Things 1980s Snack

In Season 5, Murray sneaks serious contraband into Hawkins for the crew to use against Vecna — but he also makes sure to smuggle in a box of Peanut Butter Boppers for Steve (played by Joe Keery). Fun fact: The crunchy coated peanut butter snack was an actual cult-favorite treat in the ‘80s created by Nature Valley, before it was tragically discontinued in 1989. Luckily, the brand released a limited quantity of boxes this past December to celebrate the final season, and I was able to get my hands on one to try the throwback morsels for myself.

Since I’ve actually tasted the OG, I was able to compare the real-deal nostalgia to Universal’s version. Despite the chocolate chips and chopped peanuts on the outside, Steve’s Smuggled Peanut Butter Bites at Halloween Horror Nights are way creamier than Nature Valley’s original product. The 1980s snack had more of a crispy texture with rice cereal on the outside, which reminded me a lot more of a peanut butter chocolate chip Chewy Granola Bar. On the flip side, the HHN one is more like a buckeye dessert with peanut butter fudge dipped in chocolate.

Other Snacks To Try At Halloween Horror Nights

If you’re excited about the Sinners house and have been wanting to step foot into Club Juke since seeing the Academy Award-winning movie, you’ll need to visit Mulligan’s Bar on the Upper Lot in Hollywood or Café La Bamba in Orlando. These areas get completely transformed for the event, serving up spooky, film-inspired cocktails like:

• Prohibition Punch — Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select Whiskey, lemonade, honey, and orange bitters with a blackberry hibiscus float and dehydrated lemon wheel
• I Lied to You, I Love the Blues-berry — blueberry vodka, ginger ale, white grape juice, lemon juice, and blue curacao syrup with fresh blueberries and a lemon wedge
• I Lied to You, I Love the Blues-berry (non-alcoholic) — ginger ale, white grape juice, lemon juice, and blue curacao syrup with fresh blueberries and a lemon wedge
• Juke Juice — blackberry moonshine, lemonade, blackberry puree, maple syrup, bitters, and a black sugar rim with a dehydrated blood orange and fresh blackberries
• Pale, Pale Moon Ale Shandy — Blue Moon, lemonade, and simple syrup with a dehydrated orange

As a total foodie, though, I would stop by the dedicated Sinners spots — which serve up my absolute favorite savory items of the night. If you’re checking out Hollywood's City Snacks, you can grab Remmick’s Burnt Ends, featuring pork bites smothered in a black garlic whiskey BBQ sauce alongside a side of jalapeño cornbread.

Meanwhile, Florida park-goers can head over to Orlando's Central Park booth to munch on Chow’s Southern BBQ Eggrolls, which pack pulled pork and cabbage into a crispy shell. For something sweet available on both coasts, there’s also the tasty Pecan and Whiskey Bread Pudding, drizzled with a whiskey butterscotch sauce and a pinch of flaky salt.

I also really enjoyed the spicy Clown Cafe Cauliflower Bites with Flamin’ Hot Cheeto sauce on the Lower Lot in Hollywood (which Orlando guests can snag over at the DreamWorks Imagination Cafe), and the cinnamon roll-like Gut Wound pastry, which comes dripping in a chocolate raspberry sauce.

Now that you know what’s worthy of the hype, grab your treats, round up your crew, and get ready to survive the scariest (and most delicious) night of the year.