Editorials
Horror For Your Quarter: 10 Arcade Games For Horror Fans
Practicing your social isolation? It would certainly kill the arcades these days (if they still existed). Younger gamers probably never experienced the phenomenon that was the arcade. Before it was eclipsed by console gaming in the mid-90s, the arcade was the place to play some amazing video games, including some great horror titles. Some of the more obvious ones eventually made their way to consoles, while others have unfortunately been left in bowling alleys and shopping malls.
So, for those who love nostalgia, or never got the chance to experience firsthand just what the fuss was all about, here’s a sampling of some of the more notable horror arcade games.
Splatterhouse – 1988
You know the story: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl head to the West Mansion. Girl goes missing. Boy wakes up with terror mask on and proceeds to beat the tar out of every ghoul and mutant in the mansion to rescue the girl. You know the rest.
Splatterhouse was and still is a little rough around the edges, with Rick’s movement and size making things more difficult than they should be. Enemy movement pattern memorization is crucial if you want to make it through this one. Splatterhouse was originally ported to the TurboGrafx-16, but the arcade version can be played on the 2010 remake, as well as in the more recently-released Namco Museum on the Nintendo Switch.
House of the Dead – 1996
Light gun games and horror go together quite well, and Sega’s House of the Dead series is no exception. The story for the game (much like the game itself) is over-the-top hilarity: Dr. Roy Curien, obsessed with discovering the secrets of life and death, unleashes his army of the undead on an unsuspecting populace. It’s up to AMS agents Thomas Rogan and his partner “G” to stop the scientist.
Over the top dialogue and B-movie story aside, HotD is a classic shooter, employing a branching storyline, creative creature design and (for the time) excellent graphics. In fact, together with Resident Evil, the games helped to usher in a revival of the zombie genre that led to modern genre classics such as 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead. The series is still going today with the recent release of House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn. Just avoid the film adaption by Uwe Boll.
Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors – 1994
Being the king of fighting games, of course Capcom had to give us a horror-inspired fighter. Darkstalkers has a powerful alien demon known as Pyron invading Earth. As a result, monsters from around the world gather to battle it out to decide who gets to defend the earth from Pyron.
Taking inspiration from both Western and Eastern folklore, the roster for Darkstalkers sports a vampire, werewolf, merman, Frankenstein’s creature, a catgirl, a ghostly set of samurai armour and more for players to choose from. Darkstalkers was notable for its art style, which differed from the fighter crowd at the time. It also introduced concepts such as being able to block in the air, Crouch Walking and the use of powered-up special moves called EX moves, which again set it apart from Capcom’s Street Fighter II. The game saw a port for the original PlayStation, as well as getting bundled with its two sequels in Darkstalkers Resurrection for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox One.
Night Slashers – 1993
While Capcom might have cornered the market on fighting games and beat-em-ups, Data East brought horror fans one to call their own in Night Slashers. The world is overrun by werewolves, vampires and the walking dead thanks to King Zarutz, who plans on taking over the world. It’s up to a group of monster hunters called the Night Slashers to stop Zarutz and save humanity.
While the basis of Night Slashers isn’t too different from the formula Capcom popularized (walk from left to right, beat up bad guys, collect items, etc.), what set the game apart was its horror and gore. While the North American version sports green blood whenever enemies are defeated (and fall over into a puddle of gore), the Japanese version sports red blood, as well as more gore in monster deaths. The North American version also misses out on the “Go” arrow flipping over to reveal the words “To Hell!” written in blood, and one of the characters, Christopher, holding out a cross after defeating an enemy.
Thankfully, you can grab this one on the Switch, though you’re not going to get access to the the Japanese version, sadly. While there are better games in the genre, where else can you find Whack-a-Zombie or Undead Bowling as bonus games?
Chiller – 1986
Another light gun game, Chiller has the player assuming the role of an unseen torturer who must shoot to mutilate and eventually murder captured NPCs through several stages as quickly as possible. Players will shoot specific areas of torture devices to activate them, but can also shoot parts of the victims as well as other secret areas of the stage for more points. The quicker you dispatch people, the more points you get.
Needless to say, the game wasn’t exceptionally popular when it was released, and many arcade owners refused to carry it. The game saw an unlicensed port for the NES in 1990, which allowed the option of using either the standard controller or the NES Zapper, however. Regardless, the gameplay gets pretty repetitive, and the game is pretty short. There are some secrets to be found, but other than playing for points, you could do much better with other light gun games.
Ghosts ‘N Goblins – 1985
Before Capcom hit it big with Street Fighter II, they had titles like Ghosts ‘N Goblins. Sir Arthur must journey to rescue his lover, Princess Guinevere, who has been kidnapped by Astaroth, the king of Demon World. In order to reach the real “happy end”, players have to complete the game twice.
Yeah, extending the game by having the player play through it twice seems incredibly lame now, but that was just the way things were for some games. And GnG (not to be confused with its sequel, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, or GnG) was typical of the arcade at the time: Punishing difficulty, an unfair checkpoint system and a time limit that was designed to sap your quarters. In spite of this, once again, if you mastered enemy patterns and were patient, GnG could be beaten. Like many of Capcom’s arcade games, Ghost ‘N Goblins was ported to the NES, with ports to other computers/consoles in subsequent years. Most recently, the original arcade version, along with its sequels, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts and Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, can be found in Capcom Classics Collection – Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2.
Haunted Castle – 1988
The Castlevania game that Konami forgot, Haunted Castle has Simon Belmont venturing into Dracula’s castle to save his wife Serena from the clutches of Count Dracula. Simon’s journey takes him through six stages, facing off against series staples. Along the way, Simon can upgrade from his whip to a sword and eventually a morning star, as well as use a variety of subweapons.
There’s a good reason why Konami has never revisited Haunted Castle: It’s not very good. Designed as an adaptation of the original NES game, the game is your standard sidescroller, though Simon’s movement is sluggish and leaves him easily hit. Speaking of which, enemies are overly powered, and are capable of sapping your life quickly if you’re not careful. The game also employed a limited continue system where you could only resume a level a few times before being kicked back to the beginning of the game. To top it off, the upgrades to your whip are rare drops that don’t happen until later in the game. Apart from the music (composed by Kenichi Matsubara, who worked on Castlevania II), this is one best left alone.
The Real Ghostbusters – 1987
Adapted from the animated cartoon of the same name from the arcade game Meikyuu Hunter G, the game has up to three players travelling across New York and into the bowels of the city to save it from the ghosts that have infested it. You must shoot creatures and then try to suck up ghosts with your proton pack. Players can shoot and collect various power-ups, including a protective aura, shot and proton beam boosters, and a Slimer shield satellite.
While pretty pedestrian, The Real Ghostbusters did sport a pretty nice rendition of Ray Parker Jr.’s song (even if you heard it every single level). The game has you traveling up from a top-down perspective, where you have to collect a key by defeating the end boss of each stage to progress. The game won’t beat out Ikari Warriors or Super Contra in the fun department, but it’s not a horrible game. Though the absence of Gozer or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man as bosses/enemies is inexcusable.
Aliens – 1990
Before Capcom gave us the superb Alien vs. Predator beat-em-up, Konami had the Alien license, and gave us this shoot-em-up. Based on the 1986 film, players control either Ripley or Corporal Hicks as they make their way through Hadley’s Hope, blasting through xenomorphs until coming face to face with the Alien Queen.
Despite taking liberties from the source material (Ripley is blonde, and you have more than your standard xenomorph warriors and facehuggers, etc.), Aliens is supremely fun to play. You start out with a Smart Gun, but can upgrade to a flamethrower or grenade and missile launchers. It feels very much like a souped-up version of Contra, complete with a change in perspective when you face off against bosses and a three-way shot. The game also has a stage when you’re on top of an APC shooting down xenomorphs as you race to rescue Newt (did I mention the artistic liberties?). And yes, the boss battle against the Alien Queen inside the power loader is here. For obvious reasons, this sadly has never been ported to other systems, or part of any collection.
Zombie Revenge – 1999
Meant as a spin-off to their House of the Dead series, Sega’s Zombie Revenge is a side-scrolling beat-em-up where the AMS are called in again to stop the zombie menace that’s plaguing Woodside City. Turns out a man known only as ZED has gained control of Undead Soldier (UDS), a government plan to utilize the dead for military purposes. ZED plans to use the project as a bioterrorism weapon.
Much like House of the Dead, Zombie Revenge is played up for cheese, complete with its voice acting. Unlike HotD, however, Zombie Revenge doesn’t quite have the same longevity. The game looks and sounds great, but is bogged down by some unfair gameplay. Enemies have a tendency to swarm you, leaving you open to multiple hits. It also doesn’t help that the game employs an auto-aim system that will often target something other than what you would like. You do have plenty of ammo available to you, but that’s a small consolation when you’re constantly getting munched on. The game was ported to the Sega Dreamcast, which is largely the same, albeit for some additional unlockable modes. Compared to the Dynamite Deka series (aka Die Hard Arcade in the West), Zombie Revenge doesn’t quite match up to the fun with that title.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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