After the initial online tease on Friday the 13th, today Stern Pinball officially revealed details on their next game, Elvira’s House of Horrors. The company rolled out the full details through an exclusive story on IGN this morning, then they also posted details on Facebook, Twitter and their own website. To that end, here’s the trailer posted:
As previously mentioned, this is the 3rd Elvira pinball machine to see a release, with the original designers Dennis Nordman and Greg Freres returning to design this theme too (which also reminds me of Steve Ritchie making a 3rd entry for one of his games recently with Black Knight Sword of Rage). While Nordman’s more recent efforts have been a bit more basic from a design perspective (Whoa Nellie! and All Star Baseball are a couple that come to mind), this one looks to be a full featured game to live up to the legacy.
To sum it all up, this is what they are calling a “studio release,” so it’s being handled more like Batman ’66 than your typical pinball release. The differences between the three models (Premium, Limited and Signature Editions) are mainly aesthetic; different artwork, different production amounts (400 for LE, 50 for SE), and a few other minor details. The playfields themselves are exactly the same and thus play the same. You can see the features matrix in PDF form by clicking here. To further sum it up:
The taunting is over and the haunting begins in the third and campiest installment of the Elvira pinball trilogy! Trying to sell her mansion through “Alternate Realty”, Elvira’s house is haunted by the movie characters from her past. These ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and strange assortment of vintage characters with horrific acting skills seek revenge on Elvira while she and the player confront them, sending them back to the “film” from which they came! Elvira’s House of Horrors immerses players in a fun, campy, B-movie universe filled with all of the humor expected from the Mistress of the Dark including custom speech and, in a pinball first, exclusive filming of Elvira for custom video scenes featured throughout the game!
It’s been odd how Stern has used their video screen so far…some releases use HD video from the licenses they have, while others don’t (Jurassic Park uses CG recreations of many elements, but no clips from the movie, but Star Wars did). Getting Elvira herself to record footage and lines for the game certainly gives the game a boost, but I imagine that the cost is the reason for the higher starting price (Premium models MSRP is $7,999).
There is no release date on this yet, but I would be amazed if it isn’t out in time for Halloween. What do you think of the game from the details that have been put out there today?
