# SDTM Episode 39: Top 10 Halloween/Horror Pinball Machines with special guests!

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2017-10-29  
**Duration:** 21m 17s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LCrSk0MTE

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## Analysis

Straight Down the Middle hosts present a Top 10 Halloween/Horror-themed pinball machines list with special guest appearances. The countdown includes classics like Scared Stiff (ranked #1), Monster Bash (#2), Haunted House (#3), Creature from the Black Lagoon (#4), Tales from the Crypt (#5), Bram Stoker's Dracula (#6), Elvira's House of Horrors (#7), A Nightmare on Elm Street (#8), The Walking Dead (#9), and The Addams Family (#10), with discussion of gameplay mechanics, theme integration, artwork quality, and collector appeal. The hosts emphasize that the ranking prioritizes horror/Halloween theme authenticity and overall aesthetic experience rather than pure gameplay depth.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Scared Stiff is ranked #1 Halloween/Horror themed pinball machine for its combination of art, theme, and fun factor — _Direct statement during countdown conclusion_
- [HIGH] Monster Bash is ranked #2 and features George Gomez design with significant mechanical toys including Frankenstein character and sarcophagus mechanisms — _Extended discussion of Monster Bash mechanics and design_
- [HIGH] The Addams Family is ranked #10 on the list despite being a classic game — _Direct statement at beginning of countdown_
- [HIGH] The Walking Dead theme is justified as Halloween-relevant because it premiered on Halloween and zombies are inherently Halloween content — _Host discussion defending inclusion of The Walking Dead_
- [HIGH] Creature from the Black Lagoon has limited two-ball multiball, which is a weakness in the design — _Direct criticism of Creature's multiball limitations_
- [HIGH] Bram Stoker's Dracula features multiple multiball modes and video modes with wolves and graveyards but lacks depth in overall gameplay — _Detailed game mechanic discussion_
- [HIGH] A Nightmare on Elm Street has cool toys and music but suffers from code quality issues — _Host commentary: 'I wish this machine had so many cool toys...it would be great if the code was better'_
- [HIGH] Rob Zombie's Spookshow International was excluded from the top 10 despite consideration, indicating it didn't meet their criteria — _Multiple mentions that it didn't make the cut for the final list_

### Notable Quotes

> "You cannot have a top-ten horror-themed without a haunted house...that backglass is the prettiest"
> — **Host (discussing Haunted House #3)**, ~40:00
> _Emphasizes visual/aesthetic criteria for ranking horror pinball machines_

> "Scared stiff is not a deep game but it's a very fun game"
> — **Host**, ~48:00
> _Justifies #1 ranking despite acknowledging lack of gameplay depth, prioritizing fun/theme_

> "You're buying nostalgia, you're buying theme, you're buying art, you're buying music, you're buying everything"
> — **Host (discussing collector appeal of Creature from the Black Lagoon)**, ~32:00
> _Articulates the value proposition of horror-themed pinball beyond pure gameplay mechanics_

> "Halloween is a very popular holiday and it is a fantastic holiday that some people overlook...there is no other genre like horror that you could take b-list movies and even c-list movies and people watch them"
> — **Host**, ~52:00
> _Meta-commentary on why horror/Halloween pinball appeals to broad audiences_

> "There's so much going on with Monster Bash...Frankenstein coming down, beating him, raising up, the coffin lid that flips over, the sarcophagus that flips out, creature that lights up"
> — **Host**, ~43:00
> _Highlights Monster Bash's mechanical complexity and visual interest_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Pinball-focused YouTube show and podcast presenting this Halloween special episode |
| Jack Danger | person | SDTM co-host and pinball designer, appears as special guest/mimic in the episode |
| Greg Bone | person | SDTM co-host, leads the top 10 countdown discussion |
| George Gomez | person | Legendary Stern Pinball designer credited with designing Monster Bash |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Designer of Scared Stiff (pinball machine title mentioned) |
| Scared Stiff | game | Williams pinball machine, ranked #1 on the Halloween/Horror top 10 list |
| Monster Bash | game | Bally/Williams pinball machine designed by George Gomez, ranked #2 |
| Haunted House | game | Spooky Pinball game ranked #3, praised for backglass and playfield artwork |
| Creature from the Black Lagoon | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game ranked #4, discussed for cabinet art quality but limited multiball |
| Tales from the Crypt | game | Data East pinball machine ranked #5, praised for comic-book style artwork matching the theme |
| Bram Stoker's Dracula | game | Williams pinball machine ranked #6, discussed for multiple multiball modes and deep rules |
| Elvira's House of Horrors | game | Williams system 11 game ranked #7, mentioned multiple times alongside 'Scared Stiff' reference |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street | game | Data East pinball machine ranked #8, criticized for code quality despite cool toys and music |
| The Walking Dead | game | Stern Pinball machine ranked #9, justified as Halloween-relevant due to zombie theme |
| The Addams Family | game | Williams pinball machine ranked #10, classic title included in the countdown |
| Rob Zombie's Spookshow International | game | Mentioned as honorable mention but didn't make the final top 10 cut |
| Ghostbusters | game | Mentioned as honorable mention for Halloween/Horror themed pinball |
| Gorgar | game | Mentioned in passing as part of honorable mentions discussion |
| Williams Electronics | company | Manufacturer of multiple games on the list including Scared Stiff, Monster Bash, Dracula |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Walking Dead game on the list |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Creature from the Black Lagoon on the list |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Haunted House ranked #3 on the list |
| Data East | company | Manufacturer of Tales from the Crypt and A Nightmare on Elm Street |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Halloween/Horror themed pinball machines, Pinball game artwork and aesthetic design, Gameplay mechanics and rule depth vs. fun factor
- **Secondary:** Collector appeal and secondary market pricing, Cabinet art and toy design quality, Multiball modes and mechanical features
- **Mentioned:** Theme licensing and IP integration, Pinball content creation and community engagement

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Hosts express genuine enthusiasm for all machines on the list, with balanced criticism of gameplay depth vs. thematic appeal. Some disappointment expressed about exclusions (Rob Zombie's Spookshow International) and pricing concerns for certain titles (Creature from the Black Lagoon). Overall tone is celebratory of the Halloween/Horror genre in pinball.

### Signals

- **[collector_signal]** Creature from the Black Lagoon commands premium pricing despite limited gameplay depth; market prices driven by theme, art, and nostalgia rather than pure mechanical innovation (confidence: high) — Host states: 'You're buying nostalgia, you're buying theme, you're buying art, you're buying music, you're buying everything' and notes Creature fetches higher prices than gameplay alone would justify
- **[sentiment_shift]** Strong community appreciation for Halloween/Horror themed pinball machines, with hosts positioning this as an underrated genre that deserves recognition (confidence: high) — Extended discussion emphasizing horror/Halloween thematic elements across multiple machines
- **[design_philosophy]** Top 10 list prioritizes thematic integration, artwork quality, and 'fun factor' over gameplay depth, suggesting shift in how pinball experiences are evaluated within the community (confidence: high) — Multiple clarifications that list is 'not based on The Games [gameplay]' but on 'Horror/Halloween theme'; Scared Stiff ranked #1 despite acknowledging 'it's not a deep game'
- **[market_signal]** Honorable mentions reveal that some significant horror-themed releases (Rob Zombie's Spookshow International, Ghostbusters, Gorgar) did not meet the hosts' criteria for top 10, suggesting selective audience reception (confidence: medium) — Explicit statements that Rob Zombie's Spookshow International 'didn't make the cut' and discussion about why
- **[collector_signal]** Universal Monsters IP (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Monster Bash) maintains strong collector appeal across multiple generations despite gameplay limitations (confidence: high) — Extensive discussion of how IP licensing and classic monster movie appeal drives desirability independent of mechanical depth
- **[product_concern]** A Nightmare on Elm Street suffers from code quality issues despite strong mechanical/aesthetic design, reflecting broader reliability concerns in pinball manufacturing (confidence: medium) — Host commentary: 'I wish this machine had so many cool toys...it would be great if the code was better'

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## Transcript

are you ready for your next pinball machine call flipping out now and choose from the newest and hottest pinball machines from jersey jack pinball stern pinball chicago gaming company and american pinball flipping out also offers the Escalera stair climbing hand truck visite now it flip in a pinball calm the wait is over a revolution in and gnarly lighting for your pinball is finally here fully customizable full spectrum lighting from ping stadium lights order yours now at King stadium comm check out pin graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements power blades blade skins pin blades and even more visit ping graphics calm now to see what's available for your pinball machine let's kick this [ __ ] [Music] welcome to another SDTM special presentation we're going to go to the SDTM guys soon those imbeciles but first where's Kurt that's Curtis let's go to the SDTM guys for the special Halloween presentation Canada now get out hello Internet how the hell are you guys welcome to straight down the middle of pinball show special Halloween presentation I am your host Jack danger I'm about to board a plane all the way to Indiana to rub some butts juicy mutts skinny butts I don't know what kind of butts they have but we will be rubbing butts that is a given but rubbing will happen but for now straight down the middle welcome to the league you guys are amazing welcome to straight down the middle of pinball show Halloween special Greg what are we doing for the Halloween special buddy top ten okay how do we Halloween sort of Halloween horror themed pins Halloween [ __ ] I mean you guys get to meet a couple of the special presenters right before the video started we want to thank those guys for being good we hope they're gonna be good sports yeah we admire their work so we thought what better than to dress up as some of our favorite pinball people right agree all right so let's get it so this is a top 10 list that's going to cover the top 10 horror slash Halloween themed pinball machines right yes what was your first thought about this do you you're really really super into Halloween and horror so at first I thought well okay this is gonna be really easy it's okay mm-hmm simple to do but then when we got into it and you had to leave some things off the list right you were kind of like using anymore what I thought was gonna be easy we wanted to include Rob Zombie yes that's a [ __ ] but you didn't make the cut no we didn't make the cut you guys can phone in phone in hey no message us and tell us what you think if you agree or disagree with some of these picks we'll start with number 10 V number 10 top themes Halloween horror pinball machine is the Addams Family the so that one's gotta be in there right yes and that kind of you this because he's like man or thing really how I'm like yes their Halloween like they're a psychotic family they're actually not a psychotic family they are but they're not they march by they own the beat of their own yes like they kind of like they throw knives they eat spiders and just weird [ __ ] so I'm like that is very much a lloween mom so do you like the film yeah like I should do like this I like the theme I like the film a name you guys know it's a classic it doesn't get better than the Addams Family very true yeah the maintenance oh yeah that's the magnets all right so that's number two number nine is one of my personal favorites as well oh that's right the walking dead one of the guy I love the TV show yeah I love the theme for a pinball machine zombies belong embalming yes and it's not I mean it's kind of a horse never there may be a Halloween thing but it did like premiere on Halloween zombies like you can't not you can't not have horrid Halloween without song that's right so true yeah what number and this is sort of one of my favorites it's a shitty game it is so number eight top Halloween horror themed pinball machine is what Freddy a nightmare Helms that's right so Freddy Krueger with the nasty crew you know I wish this machine it's got so many cool toys and stuff in it it would be great if the code was Bettis and again so just so we can clarify this this list is not based on games they person anyway it is based on on Horrors how does that true in this game i I think the music can call outs they're cool is fantastic oh my god this is a real all yes it is it is actually it's you can't get any better really hardly I don't we do obviously have a few wonderful together but it is it is Freddy Krueger is mold yet on the playful and spits out bowls if you are a horror fan it is like the quintessential pinball machine known in your collection all right so great would you own hey Freddy actually you know really yeah like if I can get it for a decent price I still think people are asking a little bit too much for them for what there's a thousand dollar game to me I don't like into the hundred bucks or so it's a guaranteed multiball ball three yeah but it's neat I mean it's got some cool stuff to it and I play field there's kind of weird it's got the nice yeah man yeah he's got his club now I can finally without broken fingers but do think they're good to leave those there was somebody on inside maker it's the diverter right yes yeah so I'm dude I think it's a wicked cool pin it actually kind of creeps me out a little too much with all the chanting and all the really crazy stuff yes I love it too so that is a good pig alright number seven is going to be system 11 Elvira and the party monsters and I enjoy it man it's a simple game yeah and I have fun every time I play it's got a nice little ramp I love it it's just quirky yeah it's fun I like the ghost well done the artwork is fenomena be mad but I enjoy that as much as scared stiff I know there's a wise like right enjoy yeah that's fine either a deep so you know II have its there's not far off like just scare sniffs a better looking pin I think it's white [ __ ] more yeah mmm no deeper yeah not much deep do yeah well it's one of my better systems let's move on to number six and number six top themed horror and Halloween pinball machine is the thirty moon yeah Bram Stoker's Dracula the little pin that whoops your ass every time you play and try to stack those multi balls very true what do you love about Dracula the pin itself Oh miss multiball easily mm I mean if I'm gonna pick like a gameplay feature now I love Dracula like a real book a few times which is a very long book you've read if you've read Stoker's Dracula it is it's an odd odd book because you know it's all like news clippings and weird stuff like it's it's very odd but I think that it captures the feel of the movie very well captures that oddity I got like the call-outs are very good the music's very unities awesome yes the video mode where you shoot in the wolf yeah graveyard those are that's really it's it's a very deep in like it's not one of my favorite like I want to own it just because I love the theme but it's not one of my favorite playing pins just because there's not a lot going on I like the ramps I like how that one ramp lifts up and the jackpot under there the three different multi balls you try to stick it is it's challenging you know how challenging it is really stacking those that this is a pin you have to have in the collection guys don't don't let this be but it's got to be a little bit larger collection go 10 10 regular 5 would still be a little rough but yeah I agree I agree with that okay now this next one I think just hits the nail on the head when it comes to Halloween spooky themes that it's fun but it's it's in balls always fun so you'd have to find that balance between horror and Halloween and you still find a balance between fun and hokey - it does it would last way the show was that's right Tales from the Crypt that's a good fan tastic oh that's all you hear whatever you're blaming oh my god it's like Chelsea was like you know what yeah you know I would take that pin she's like and then she played it she's like I don't think screaming at me all we played one at Expo a really nice yeah where's all iuv now yeah whatever thing whoever had the Tales from the Crypt at Expo I was loving this I was like your favorite game probably had expose an assignment pirates like free play yeah most the best it's fun to play oh man Tales from the Crypt was a lot of fun it was fun for a data East that things for data is a good mission purpose all the artwork is though oh no I don't think so oh I don't think so I think it's actually very superb like I think that the way that art is done yeah it's like it's like now not there's no proportion on it it's like a wet comic book it was like is it's like a comic like the show you know it so showed the comics supposed to be like a comic book so that's exactly the art that they were going for is that comic book like ugly nasty yeah like it fit I think it's like if you like watch the show again and look at the comics that he does like the flips to the pages it's that hard okay it's a car it fits perfect don't [ __ ] you alright so we'll move on what are we moving on to number 4 is the Creech the Creech I really want the game because like I use again I love Universal Monsters it's such a pretty game and it's just neat the whole 50 lick the drive you know the theme is yeah it's classic good yeah a sick theme classic callouts motorcar I love I got to play something I think color DMV brought olan when the color DMV and brought that one index Pope that was good it was good know the color DMV was in this video I think they brought or Luigi the only thing I hate about creatures of two ball multiball I need a little more than that yeah no more two ball molds well it can be a difficult game though shoots really one of those earlier DM DS yeah but the cabinet I think for for my money that cabinet or even the side details or some of the best in pinball really I think it was a simplicity well with it every time I see that creature yeah swimming and then it's hand up on that side that's so saying like it's me it's very simple mmm-hmm but it's very nice like never revealed the window the room Holland's yeah even like deed Mon yeah because I kind of like that on monster bash to because he sort of does the same thing over there on Monster banished it it does fetch a higher price than I think gameplay scan I wanted ever since you're buying nostalgia you're buying theme you're buying art you're buying music you're buying everything I hate to say that I don't you kind of I agree with you I think the gameplays not there it's nice ramps there's nice stuff going on but it is a classic collectors pin yeah but it's just not like I I don't understand their price on it it's okay it feels kind of like a system 11 game to me with a D and B and I don't know really yeah get that feeling I don't know why I can't really anybody but I understand if he agreed with me it's the costume it's a costume yeah what the hell you get the cool character again and I get uncomfortable character I'm being choked out right now I've got too big of a next to fat like I've got to get like big boy caller extension when I go like to wear like a dress shirt I got a budget around the bag I'm the guy who never buttons the top but I don't either alright so number three for our Halloween horror themes pinball machine number three we both love this haunted house yeah you cannot have a top-ten television yeah horror-themed without a now is house that bad glass is the prettiest it is spooky yeah let's get that lower playfield got the playfield middle play field it's like if you were to win in in like the 80s and you would have like bought like of this like Halloween decoration of a haunted house yeah that's it cut out once you hang on your windows and like that's it that's that's that pin except where's more gorgeous like the coloring again we've talked about were just magnetizes yeah it's sick or interesting that it is gorgeous and the plays it's fun to play it's alright it's alright that's another pin you're gonna spend money not on game player rules so it's an install it's a work of art it's neat looking so number so can you guys guess what never wanted to I think you guys yeah they're gonna think number two is number one let's go with the number two greatest Halloween horror themed based pinball machine is most abash monster banished with draft coming out we've got takes its time we've got a free to go Wolfman we've got which is great because I you can't because to mean when you think of original monster movies you they everything the universal rule that's all Universal did everything with Mamba moment everything yeah the universal ruled that era of horror movies they were the birth of horror film with monster monster movies I guess you should say and then you put that with your boy Gomez design it and lime and doing the code and boy would that is a long plane it really is and some people I mean there there's some simpleness to it but strategy is you gotta have a good strategy going into it to score well sometimes I've played enough to fully know what I'm doing but I always enjoy shoot from the pin and again those 90s Bally Williams those classic later 90s the cabinet art on that well the thing about that game I can't wait to review this game because there's so much bull way to the remake comes out that yeah I think any of them I just want one that's affordable but there's so much going on like you know with Frankie and then him you know him coming down you beat him he raises up you got the money coffin lid that flips over or the sarcophagus that flips out but you got the creature that lights up over here when you hang me oh yeah there's actually so many little unique toys that are simple but you unlock them and open them and see how happy they were and everything right I even what's your favorite show one of my favorite shots I love that Creature Shop great you shut up cuz it's more like Shauna I like it I really very tough love it what do you guys think Monster Bash number two what's number one oh the pinball goddess isn't it it's Elvira scared stiff yeah I have really yeah she goes to a lot of Expos and diverse stuff like the lasting improving endings so scared stiff is it's not a deep game but it's a very fun game yeah very fun game some of the things I like I love the art world it's nothing I'm not gonna call names spider multiball all of us but some person I objectified to his opinion I'll being very nice about it they're good um he was like who wants another Elvira like we started talking about doing another robot yeah I was just like razzing it man and like I do maybe the like younger like we're not very old but maybe younger generations maybe like but I'm down with it because to me like the microscope yeah it speaks pinball eyeball it is like this before our tongue yes but it's pinball it was before our time but part of our time our youth yeah we're ready no we knew what she looked like on TV we've not that I'm gonna get a very young age now so how many cardboard cutouts of their Elvira around everywhere yeah you did like everyone dan howell mean you say like a very like halloween shopping difference others i think i might have had one actually but again like not only does she speak pinball she speaks halloween in and sex appeal sex appeal it it's everything that Halloween is now that she was doing let's turn back then I mean it is I mean I love again cabinet art on that game fantastic it's a crate meet toys what is that thing is that a dragon or a snake what is what's the scope like what's the well just the skull read yeah what is it looks like a snake yeah that's awesome look especially if you've got it lit up right like and those old ramps probably look like [ __ ] but so that covers it up I've seen some people put RGB strips under it and it's pretty phenomenal yeah they're really there's a crate in the back that you thump-thump it's a bachelor but that opens up and you hit it in there the backlash is amazing I don't yeah but again a pricey pin so what is it about these Halloween pin exactly what I said okay I won't ruin anything but in a next video any Bernie that I can talk about it alone but let's just say Halloween is a very popular holiday and it is a fantastic holiday that some people overlook but I think you know I think I think the general consensus is is that Halloween and that's why I think honest I think people love a dude okay there's nothing else you can't take drama you can't take suspense action you can somewhat but there is no other genre like horror that you could take b-list movies and even c-list movies and people watch them and somewhat enjoy this about are you sigh five sock I couldn't go there a little bit a little rough it's it's easier to do can't be more than can't because I'm five I think you're on point here buddy Wow this your wheelhouse this Halloween stuff doesn't it I love it 11 is my favorite here all right so that's the top 10 list we have some honorable mentions like Rob Zombie yes we had ghostbusters yes on Buster's gorg are there's a lot of good horror based but these when we mix it with art when we mix it with overall theme I really like to put Rob Zombie in there but like I think what we're asking why yeah we talked about that an Addams Family but it's kind of a staple I feel any of them that you have there's class of 1812 that's yeah I don't cool it is it is you know I don't really like Rob Zombie to be in there that speaks a lot of it speaks volumes but we observe it to the classics that's our top 10 horror based Halloween themed pinball machines I hope you like them check out other top 10 list them straight down the middle of pinball shows YouTube channel as well as our twitch page as well as everything Facebook yeah everything else we very very much appreciate the support and we want to thank again the guys who we were mimicking because we we like their products we like what they offer to the pinball community so we wanted to pay a little tribute to that before we leave Greg we got somebody else to hear from don't we we do we have superficial yes check us out next week but until then happy Halloween let's roll it [Music] hey guys this is John with John's arcade we're down here in the basement thanks for checking out sttm a pinball show special presentation and another special presentation of straight down the middle of pinball show this way

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 6f557b20-f82b-4b73-9caa-4ebd86f1a420*