Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti

I could not in good conscience produce an outline of Halloween titles to play without giving the spotlight to Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Grafiti--henceforth the game would have really been #1 had it been released outside of Japan. Don't get me wrong, just because SD Splatterhouse belongs solely to the Family Computer library does not mean it automatically gets eliminated from our top horror NES games feature. I just worked around the list and added it in as a bonus pick. Trust me by these words, ghouls and goblins: this is the one title you have to play during the harvest season.

Think of all the good horror films you've ever seen. Now picture them all crammed in one cartridge. Add in a little sprinkle of Holloween innocence ("SD") and you've got SD Splatterhouse in a nutshell. To put this all in less sophisticated language: the game's utterly fantastic. The constant pop culture innuendo in this title is by all means extraordinary and always manages to surprise the off guard player when least expected. Simply playing through the first stage and encountering the "Disco Vampire" dancing to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is enough to know you're in for a real treat. Some other sources used throughout the game: The Exorcist, Aliens, The Fly, Evil Dead (hail to Bruce Campbell, baby!), Friday the 13th, John Carpenter's Halloween, and way too many B-movie references to mention here.

It seems useless to continue on because no matter how much more I take the space to praise Splatterhouse will I even come to close proximity of ever describing all of its merits and worth to this special feature. Instead, let's save you and me the trouble and end on two words. Play it.

*SPOILER ALERT* Among everything else that makes SD Splatterhouse so horrifically fun is the great final ending. It explains the use of all of the horror movie techniques. I've said too much. See the end cut-scenes for yourself: FINAL BOSS // ENDING