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Incredible Pinball Machine | Unboxing Spooky Pinball’s Evil Dead – First Look & Gameplay Showcase!

Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama·video·29m 42s·analyzed·Aug 27, 2025
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Evil Dead unboxing, assembly, and gameplay showcase highlighting Spooky's artwork quality and manufacturing evolution.

Summary

Gonzo and Shane unbox and showcase Spooky Pinball's Evil Dead machine in Perth, Australia after air-freighting it to avoid the standard September/October shipping delay. They extensively praise Christopher Franchi's artwork and color palette, detail the unboxing contents and assembly process, demonstrate gameplay across multiple balls, and discuss Spooky's manufacturing quality improvements and the machine's rapid sellout success.

Key Claims

  • Evil Dead sold out at The Pinball Expo and Beach Pinball League after public play became available, with customers still calling daily asking if machines are available.

    high confidence · Direct statement by Gonzo about sales and customer demand post-public play

  • Christopher Franchi was discovered by Spooky after posting Batman '66 artwork on Facebook, which caught the team's attention.

    high confidence · Gonzo references Franchi's own Facebook post from the previous day describing how he was found

  • Evil Dead shipped with 797 collector's edition units and includes a standard topper (unlike most games which don't include toppers).

    high confidence · Direct observation during unboxing and assembly

  • Spooky's earlier games (Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Texas) are underrated and reliable, with minimal quality issues in Australian market.

    high confidence · Gonzo and Shane's personal experience with multiple Spooky games over time

  • Spooky's next announcement is expected in October/November 2025 and will be family-friendly themed (rumored to be Beetlejuice).

    medium confidence · Gonzo's speculation based on typical Spooky announcement timing; Beetlejuice identification is community speculation, not confirmed

Notable Quotes

  • “Take the foam out before you turn the game on. Take the foam out. Take the foam out. Take the foam out.”

    Bug (Spooky Pinball co-owner) @ ~1:07:30 — Safety instruction during unboxing; referenced in an unboxing video Bug created

  • “Your support means everything to us and our family. Here's a few notes... Have fun.”

    Spooky Pinball (included in game box) @ ~12:45 — Tone of Spooky's customer communication emphasizing community relationship

  • “One of the things about Spooky's evolution is acquiring Franchie because that honestly makes and breaks the game.”

    Gonzo @ ~42:15 — Recognition of Christopher Franchi's artistic contribution as critical to Evil Dead's success and Spooky's quality trajectory

  • “The artwork and the color scheme and the palette is like next level... in person, it just is a completely different game.”

    Gonzo @ ~38:00 and ~1:10:00 — Emphasis on how photography/video doesn't capture the visual impact of Evil Dead's playfield design

  • “I don't really like the genre... but it was the FOMO and basically Don from Don's Podcast was like, 'Dude, you need to get one. Like, you're going to regret not getting one.'”

    Gonzo @ ~44:30 — Demonstrates FOMO-driven purchasing motivation even for players outside horror theme preference

Entities

Evil DeadgameSpooky PinballcompanyChristopher FranchipersonBugpersonGonzopersonShanepersonDon Pinball Podcastperson/content_creatorRetro Ralphperson

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Spooky Pinball maintaining strong supply chain relationships with international distributors (Australia route: Chicago → Japan → Perth) and managing logistics to support early access for media/influencers.

    high · Gonzo air-freighted machine from Chicago via Japan to Perth; coordinated through Spooky team (Morgan) and local distributor (Mark); machine traveled Thursday-Monday delivery, cleared customs by Tuesday

  • ?

    community_signal: Content creators (Don Pinball Podcast, Retro Ralph, Gonzo) actively promoting Evil Dead and providing public play opportunities at conventions, generating demonstration effect and demand for machines.

    high · Gonzo mentions Don's Expo unboxing provided feedback to Spooky, encourages viewers to see it. References Retro Ralph and Don recommending purchase despite their own preferences.

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Spooky prioritizes vibrant, detailed color palettes and artwork quality as core differentiator from competitors (referenced Looney Tunes green, Scooby-Doo bright orange as distinctive), with Evil Dead's dark blue-purple palette noted as exceptional.

    high · Shane: 'The games have always like, Scooby-Doo was like the green and then Looney was the bright orange... their lineup of games always just looks so cool just because of the color palette.' Gonzo repeatedly emphasizes Evil Dead palette as 'next level.'

  • $

    market_signal: Evil Dead achieved rapid sellout at The Pinball Expo and Beach Pinball League public play events with sustained customer demand, suggesting strong market appetite despite boutique manufacturer status and $9,999+ pricing.

    high · Gonzo: 'Once the more public got to play it and people are still ringing them every day saying, Is anyone cancelled? Can I get one?'... this game has gotten so much attention.

Topics

Christopher Franchi's artistic contribution to Evil Dead and Spooky's quality evolutionprimaryEvil Dead's rapid sellout and strong market demand post-Expo public playprimaryUnboxing experience, packaging quality, and included accessories (topper, hardware, instructions)primaryEvil Dead gameplay mechanics (flipper locations, shot difficulty, film selection, audio implementation)primarySpooky Pinball's manufacturing quality and reliability improvements across game lineupsecondaryFOMO-driven purchasing and market perception among non-horror enthusiastssecondaryPlayfield artwork detail, color palette, and visual presentation compared to other manufacturerssecondaryAustralian distribution delays and logistics benefits of early air-freightingmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Overwhelmingly positive reception of Evil Dead across all aspects: artwork, manufacturing quality, gameplay experience, customer service, and packaging. Hosts express enthusiasm, admiration for Spooky's improvements, and detailed appreciation for Franchi's contributions. Minor comedic complaints about game difficulty or personal skill are self-deprecating, not critical of the machine.

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

All right, guys. Enzo, obviously, you've seen me before on the channel. It's my friend Shane. You've seen him on the other channel, but we're going to that there's more to come on that. Uh, finally, Evil Dead has arrived in Australia. Thanks to Spooky, Bargain, the team, Morgan, especially Morgan. She's fantastic. And obviously with collab with Mark, our local distributor. Um, we decided to get this game air freighted because basically it's not going to arrive till like end of September, maybe early October if there's any delays. And to be frank, kind of don't want to wait anymore. We've been waiting since January for it. And uh, I just thought maybe there's an opportunity obviously with the channel. We can show you guys the game like as soon as possible cuz we haven't had it on the channel yet. And also, you know, end of October, November, we're probably going to get another announcement from Spooky. So, you know, the game's going to be old. Uh, so we're going to unbox it and then we'll give you a closeup and then hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll do some gameplay. Um, so obviously we got a big bad topper box on top. We'll take that off for now. We'll do that after. Might do a separate video with that. Uh, do it. Um, so uh, we've seen a few unboxings online. Don did an awesome unboxing on uh, Don Pinball podcast. If you haven't seen it, go see it. Uh that's where uh basically Spooky learned what to add in the boxings for like do not do this because uh Don did some stuff that wasn't supposed to. Wasn't supposed to and it flagged some ideas, you know, in in a good way, not a bad way. Cut the box. So yeah, we just cut the box down. Yeah, we don't need to cuz Oh man, I can already see that Frenchy artwork. It's pretty cool. Yeah, it was amazing. There was a post by Christopher Franchie on Facebook just yesterday and where he basically put up a story about how he got chosen or found to do pinball. All it was is he had a picture that he had done of the uh Batman 66 show and the guys were looking for an artist and they came across his um his artwork and were blown away and uh yeah, awesome. awesome storytelling. It's all about being in the right place at the right time. So, so yeah, so we, you know, typically in Australia, we do get everything late, um, unfortunately. So, this went from, uh, obviously, um, Chicago area to Japan and then from Japan to Perth. So, basically left on Thursday, arrived on Monday night, midnight, and then cleared customs late this afternoon being Tuesday. So, uh, yeah, fun times. There we go. You got a nice spooky cheese. It's amazing how much, um, this game has gotten so much attention, you know, and people getting to play at uh, thing the beach and then TPF and basically sold out, you know, once the more public got to play it and people are still ringing them every day saying, "Is anyone canled? Can I get one?" And, you know, it's really set them up. Uh, I I think their next game is probably going to be a day one seller, especially considering it's meant to be familyfriendly theme. Um, I still think everyone still reckons it's Beetlejuice. Hey, so look at that. I didn't even know what color it was. Look at that. Yeah, it's like a dark bluey purple. It's not. So, that's nice. Um, this is a little checklist they give you and some So, they go through they have a sign someone that usually signs it and then a little some details. So, everyone who was JW at Spooky has said that there's four legs, eight bolts, four leg levers, the nuts, the head bolt, the washers, the key chains, instructions, power cord, tilt bolt, pack of six balls, four leg protectors. I get leg felt leg protector 18 red servo, 180 red servo, right plastic headphone. Nice. Yeah, you get an extra servo driver just in case. Uh, thank you for purchasing this. purchasing the game from the smallest, happiest, goofiest little pinball company on the planet. Your support means everything to us and our family. Here's a few notes. So, ideally, play till Peaches 6 and 12°. Your coin door keys are located inside the leg box. Once your game is up on all four, flip the backbox up. The usual stuff. Undo latches and take lock down bar off. Plug the game in. Flip the power switch. Important. Yeah, we know that game is your game is factory set to free play. Have fun. which is a cool cool cool little side note. All right, let's get these legs on. Normally, traditionally, we tend to put the front legs all the way down and then the back ones I tend to leave like two fingers, but it depends who's two fingers. Mine are pretty popular with the ladies. It's a nice It's a nice It is, isn't it? Yeah, the games have always like, you know, Scooby-Doo was like the green and then Looney was the bright orange. Um and then like it was just always like their lineup of games always just looks so cool just because of the color palette. Um I think guys one thing that um in the discords uh we were talking about the fact that like a lot of the a lot of people haven't really given Looney Tunes or Texas a good like a really good opportunity really underrated uh games. Um I I really love Looney Tunes. Texas is a really it's so different from Looney Tunes 2 as a game, which is kind of cool. So, yeah, I think if you really haven't had a chance to play those games, I think they were kind of a bit of a sleeper. Not everyone got got a chance to um to essentially play them. So, um I think a lot of people that they're probably getting these machines are going to see the quality of them, you know, like then make them go back to the back the catalog. Well, you know, a lot of people used to criticize Spooky's early days. And in saying that, like all the games that I've had of theirs or that you've had, we've never really had any issues with them. Looney Tunes hasn't missed a beat. Um Scooby Scooby had a small little thing at the beginning, but it was only in transit that it did. Yeah. In transit. So, you know, that's it. Yeah. And they missed it fast. Like on the TNA's never missed a beat. My Rick and Morty's never missed a beat. Um I think one of our friends that's got Texas had an issue with the ball lock, but that was a an adjustment. I think that was more relevant to Was that more because of the the angle of the game? Yeah, but it's the same. It was the same um as Looney Tunes. Yeah. But all we did is we bent the metal a little bit. Okay. And it was it was fine. But you know like the ones that get seated obviously sit in the container for ages. They get smashed around and pork from port and they get left in the heat as well. So anything can really happen. Um, Looks nice. I don't know when. I think the games have just landed in the UK. Um, so Chris hasn't got his yet. Gonzo um to review. So we're fine. What? We usually Yeah. We usually get ours in October, November. Yeah. So, but you've got yours pretty much months early. Yeah. Well, we just we thought because we want to do like a a spooky launch party. There's never been one here. Um and then obviously I've got a pretty good relationship with Bug and and them and thanks to Don and obviously the channel. So, for us it was um they didn't cut us any favors. cuz we still have to pay to get it here, but you know, um I get good transport costs with work and kill two birds with one stone, why not? So, like Shane's ballad point. So, we get games like especially the spookies and all that. By the time they get here, the codes developed, all the bugs have been ironed out, no pun intended. Um so, yeah, that's one of the benefits as opposed to getting a game that obviously has issues or, you know, um the dragons caught fire or you know, something like that. At least by the time we get it all ironed out. So, um, man, this fra this artwork is just No, that side, this side. So, to give you guys an idea, I'm not even much of a horror person. Like, I don't really like the genre is not really my thing, but it was the FOMO and basically Don from Don's People podcast was like, "Dude, you need to get one. Like, you're going to regret not getting one." Um, and Retro Ralph. Retro Ralph doesn't even like horror. He hated the film growing up as a kid and he's obsessed with it. So [Music] yeah, [Music] When King Kong came, we were like, "Man, Kong's massive." When Dungeons and Dragons game, the dragon was massive. Um, and then we saw a Godzilla in 1998 from Sega, and the the Godzilla's head is just ginormous. So, yeah, very, very cool. So, that looks killer. So, what we're going to do is we'll stop the video. We'll do a closeup of the playfield, and we'll be back in a sec. All right, so we've taken the game out. We've unboxed it. We've uh loaded the balls. We've done everything. We've taken all the crap out. All the foam out. Remember to take the phone out. There's a really cool unboxing where Bug keeps going, "Take the foam out before you turn the game on. Take the foam out. Take the foam out. Take the foam out." So, yeah. Again, I'm just going to keep banging on about this. The artwork and the color scheme and the palette is like next level. Um it's probably one of the best ones. Uh and in person, it just is a completely different game. And as we get closer, the detail, attention to detail. And the games just come loaded, right? Like the, you know, plastic protectors and the way that they've color coded those and Yeah, just so cool. Very cool. I think one of the uh one of the things about um Spooky's evolution is acquiring Franchie because that honestly makes and breaks the game. Everyone's going to call me a Frenchy shield by the end of this. Funny thing is this shotgun like is just massive in in real life when you see it in person. So cool. So, we're going to uh have a game, turn it on, and see see what happens. But we'll show you before we do that. Love my makeup. Uh quick artwork decor. Look, I even found some spooky fabric at my local fabric store and some blood red curtains. So, obviously the standard topper. We've got to unbox the big the big topper. We'll do that next. Um, but yeah, show you guys the closeup. It's just so cool. It's a lot of detail in the artwork. There's little eggs, Easter eggs that you find and you know, just Oh, there you go. [Applause] [Music] It's just like I said before, the way that Christopher Franchi does like people um the the way he draws and the Yeah, it's just like photography, but then like Picasso airbrushed and just awesome. Don't know if airbrush is a good thing cuz it makes it sound like a negative thing, but it's just that the palette, the color palette of it is just phenomenal. Um, yeah, got a little cool magnet there. Obviously, we got the double double buttons there cuz there is the flipper in the sling on this one. But if you're an Evil Dead fanatic, this obviously ticks all the boxes. I actually watched the first movie the other night for the first time since I was probably 18, 19 and I don't remember it and it actually I think I appreciate it more now maybe being older and some of the innuendos and jokes and and all that but I do like the um like the glitter that's in the transl if you can see that but yeah collector's edition 797. Very cool. I'll swallow your soul. It says I met someone that said that once. She wasn't marriage material, though. My mom wouldn't have liked her. Oh god, all the leaves on the roof here. Just trying to get a little bit closer for everybody. There is a cool mod that if if I was to mod anything, someone's made like a road bridge car mod for this plastic flat plastic. Uh, which is pretty cool. That's probably one that I'd possibly look at getting. I don't think this game really needs anything though. Um, I think you can get a bigger hand. Someone's done a bigger hand, but um, yeah. All right, we're going to have a game and uh, yeah, speak soon. All right, guys. So, we got the topper. Uh, obviously, it comes with the normal topper, which is still pretty cool considering most games don't come with a topper at all. Um, we're going to open Cheryl. Uh, and the box weighs a ton. So, let's let's give it a shot and see. Um, hopefully I'm not cutting her hair or anything at the moment, but So, we got bottom extensions. You said to put the top on the ground. I think that's what it is. Bottom extension. So, you got longer cables and stuff. That's pretty cool. We've got a couple notes. We've got checklist. We can't thank you enough for joining us on this wickedly fun journey into the evil uh the world of Evil Dead. From the bottom of our spooky hearts, we're thrilled that this topper has found its way where it belongs, in your game room. Thank you for your support, your passion, and for being part of the spooky family. We couldn't do this without you, and we wouldn't want to. Play hard, stay spooky with gratitude. There is an instruction scan barcode thing there. Really cool. Uh we got some extra hardware that they give you and a spooky sticker. Boom. Oh, look why it's heavy. This holds in the thickness of the wall. Yeah, that's what she said. All right, I'll pass you that one. You can use that to build some furniture with. Yeah, we can uh build something spooky with it. Build one of those spanking boards. Um, right. I'm thinking I can just lift it. Or can I not? I don't actually know. Let's take these bits out. I'll hold the box down. All righty. Oh man, that's uh heavy. She looks a bit bit creepy. That's it's a it's an impressive proper. Like just we've seen so much like look at the detail. Look at this. The wood, the nails. Really cool. Look at the girth on that thing. Does that fit? Asking for a friend. He's jerking. Jerking the chains. Very cool. Very cool. on that side. One on that side there. Open it up. What did I miss? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Be hard to do on this side. But what did I miss? A bit of tape. Look at that. Awesome. There you go, guys. Cheryl do a closeup. Good detail. The fingers, the hands, the hair. Rumor has it that they used hair from like uh you know, they actually use on dolls and stuff. So, very cool. There you go. We'll get this bad boy on. All right. We've installed the uh topper. Very cool. Did you see her eyes? She comes out a lot. That's what she said. It's oozy here. Stop touching that thing. I said stop touching it. Jack of diamonds. Jack of clubs. I never thought I'd say this, but you really need to back off. I missed. What's wrong with you, man? 8 hours of sleep every night. You get really, to be honest, like you get so captivated in it that you just forget to talk. I'm just like taking it all in. So cool. Shoot the blues shots. I dare you. Trying to. The audio is awesome. Oh, failed that one. Well, we all die someday. May as well be now. And that's it, guys. So, topper, we're in. It's all done. Awesome experience. We'll do a live stream probably at some point. Uh yeah, so we started playing at Murphy's law. I had such a good ball one. No, sorry. Ball two. I said we better start recording. The shots are great. Doesn't seem overly like tight anywhere. [Music] Don't know what I did there. [Music] That was cool. That was pretty intense. [Music] So hard to watch you and record at the same time cuz I keep panning. Complete. Let me see if I can finish ball three off. [Music] All right. Still getting used to the fact there's no plunger and having to do like a really cool Oh. You missed your shot. You missed your shot. You never [Music] forgetting to use that flipper. [Music] Would [Music] you stir him up, please? I feel like shooting someone. [Music] I heard you. I heard you in the cellar. [Applause] sake. Make up your mind. That's really cool. Going to have to bury another one. You miss [Music] Pause. Player one. Oh, grand champion me. Look at that. That's really cool on the little AR the graphic. So far so good. Whoops. [Music] Oh my god. What am I doing? You got your name up. Try not to act like a dick about it. Very cool, huh? Stop hoging the awards, man. Yeah. Oh, might be a generic one. Maybe like you can just put a random one. Very cool. You can thank me now. My neighbors probably wondering what the hell's going on. All right, let's do another one. So, the good thing is obviously we can choose the film. I did the first film before, so I'll do the second film now. Uh, yeah. Hey, new guy. Choose that one. Uh, stay out of the woods. It's actually not hard. It's not easy to hit that shot. That looks screw with your head. I'm an expert. Trust me. Oh my god. Enzo. Right down the poop shoot. No, let's say that again. Oh [ __ ] I did say right down the poop shoot. What are you waiting for? You know you want a piece of this. Hey, these evil bastards are not going to kill themselves. I mean, I sure wish they would. [Music] Afraid to get your hands dirty, huh? [Music] What? Scared to launch the ball and fight the forces of evil? Understandable. Yeah, go ahead. Take your time. [Music] Not getting any younger here. Unless you use, you know, AI. [Music] Afraid to get your hands dirty, huh? [Music] What are you waiting for? You know you want a piece of this. [Music] Must have ran home to mama. [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Not getting any younger here. [Music] Afraid to get your hands dirty, huh? [Music] Hey, these evil bastards are not going to kill themselves. I mean, I sure wish they would. Come on. You expect me to do all the work? I'm a lazy son of a [ __ ] [Music]
Morgan
person
Markperson
Pinball Expoevent
Looney Tunes (Spooky Pinball)game
Scooby-Doo (Spooky Pinball)game
Texas (Spooky Pinball)game
Rick and Morty (Spooky Pinball)game
Beetlejuicegame
  • ?

    community_signal: Christopher Franchi's transition to Spooky Pinball as primary artist represents talent migration from larger manufacturers to boutique shop, with his hiring directly credited as 'makes and breaks the game' for Evil Dead's success.

    high · Gonzo's statement: 'One of the things about Spooky's evolution is acquiring Franchie because that honestly makes and breaks the game.' Franchi's Facebook post about being discovered through Batman '66 artwork indicates recent hire.

  • ?

    product_strategy: Evil Dead includes premium accessories standard (topper, extended cables) and optional paid modifications ($450 shotgun handle referenced in KB) representing post-sale customization market.

    high · Unboxing reveals standard topper included (unlike most games), extended cables in topper box, mention of road bridge car mod and bigger hand mods available

  • ?

    product_concern: Spooky's earlier games received criticism for quality/reliability in 'early days' but have demonstrated significant improvement, with Evil Dead representing manufacturing quality benchmark. Minor transit issues noted but quickly resolved.

    high · Gonzo: 'A lot of people used to criticize Spooky's early days... all the games that I've had of theirs... we've never really had any issues.' Also notes Scooby-Doo small transit issue fixed fast, TNA/Rick and Morty/Looney Tunes never missed a beat.

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Even non-horror enthusiasts (Gonzo, Retro Ralph) purchased Evil Dead due to FOMO despite theme preference mismatch, suggesting effective marketing and community enthusiasm transcending typical theme boundaries.

    high · Gonzo: 'I don't really like the genre... but it was the FOMO.' Retro Ralph referenced as 'doesn't even like horror. He hated the film growing up as a kid and he's obsessed with it.'