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I’d Play the Sh!t Out of this ‘Army of Darkness’ 8-Bit “Game” [Halloween Treat]
Can you believe that this Saturday sees the premiere of “Ash vs Evil Dead“? I mean, we’ve been waiting for Bruce Campbell’s Ashley “Ash” J. Williams to return to the screen, be it in movie or TV format, for almost 25 years! And this weekend he’s back, baby! Also, I’ve seen the premiere and, seriously, don’t miss it. Don’t you dare. It’s that damn good.
But let’s take a moment and recognize how far back it’s been since we first met Ash. After all, his first appearance for us came in the form of 1981’s Evil Dead. If we think of that in video game times, that was a year that was primarily owned by arcade games and not nearly as much anything going on in home console markets. Then came Evil Dead II in 1987, and now we’re talking! This is the year that saw the US release of NES games like Metal Gear, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, and more.
Then came Army of Darkness in 1992. By that time, the US had already seen the launch of both the SNES and the Sega Genesis. Both were sweeping the country in a head-on-head battle to see who would emerge victorious (hint: Sega is stuck making games).
Now, what if Army of Darkness had received a video game adaptation? And let’s argue that it was from a reputable company and not someone like LJN. What would it look like? How would it play?
Well, it turns out that CineFix and their 8-Bit Cinema have created a video for something that they believe would’ve been the Army of Darkness video game! Playing like a linear Castlevania title, it looks like it’d actually be a really fun game and something I’d play through more than a few times!
Check it out and let us know what you think of it!
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
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