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Beetlejuice Pinball Machine Review | Spooky Pinball Have Done Something Special!

Gonzo's Pinball Flipperama·video·35m 44s·analyzed·Jun 29, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Gonzo hails Beetlejuice as a masterclass in pinball design, artwork, and theme integration.

Summary

Gonzo's enthusiastic review of Beetlejuice declares it an exceptional standard-width machine that represents the pinnacle of modern pinball craftsmanship. He praises Christopher Franchi artwork as possibly his best work, highlights innovative features like the dancing sandworm and voice-activated Spooky Speak technology, and positions Beetlejuice alongside recent masterpieces (Evil Dead, Dune, Harry Potter, Jaws) as evidence of a new golden age of pinball driven by manufacturer competition.

Key Claims

  • Beetlejuice represents Christopher Franchi best or near-best artwork to date

    medium confidence · Gonzo comparing Beetlejuice artwork directly to Evil Dead artwork he has on-site, stating 'This might be his best work' and 'it's impossible to say' given Franchi's body of quality work

  • Christopher Franchi is the best pinball artist in the industry

    medium confidence · Gonzo's direct assertion: 'Franchi is the best pinball artist in the industry'

  • The game is packed with two, possibly three 'pinball moments' (major mechanical/narrative highlights)

    medium confidence · Gonzo's gameplay commentary describing the density of major features and design elements

  • Spooky Pinball is no longer a boutique manufacturer; they have become 'bona fide pinball manufacturers' after selling over 1,000 Evil Dead units

    medium confidence · Gonzo's closing statement: 'What do they sell? Over a thousand Evil Dead? They're not boutique anymore. These are bona fide pinball manufacturers'

  • Beetlejuice is a standard-width machine, unlike Evil Dead which was a widebody

    high confidence · Gonzo's opening remarks: 'this is a standard sized pinball machine, as opposed to Spooky Pinball previous offering, which was Evil Dead, which was a wide body'

Notable Quotes

  • “I believe we are living through one such era right now because some of the pinball machines being produced over the last couple of years are some of the best pinball machines that have ever been made in pinball full stop.”

    Gonzo@ 0:16 — Sets context for viewing Beetlejuice as part of a 'golden age of pinball' driven by inter-company competition

  • “Did a company build the best pinball machine they could have done? I think they did. I really, really do.”

    Gonzo@ 3:27 — Direct assessment of Spooky's execution quality on Beetlejuice

  • “Franchi is the best pinball artist in the industry.”

    Gonzo@ 7:40 — Strong endorsement of Christopher Franchi's artistic standing in the industry

  • “The battlegrounds, and I say that as a healthy battleground between pinball companies upon which the wars are now being fought, mean that we're no longer just looking at shots. We're looking at pinball moments.”

    Gonzo@ 4:24 — Articulates the shift in competitive pinball design toward holistic experiences rather than isolated mechanics

  • “This is a stunning game. I can't say that that surprised me that the game was going to be this good looking. But I was surprised at just how good it was.”

    Gonzo@ 9:27 — Indicates Beetlejuice exceeded even high expectations for visual quality

  • “What do they sell? Over a thousand Evil Dead? They're not boutique anymore. These are bona fide pinball manufacturers.”

    Gonzo@ 35:22 — Reframes Spooky's market position based on production volume and manufacturing capability

Entities

BeetlejuicegameSpooky PinballcompanyChristopher FranchipersonEvil DeadgameGonzopersonNeil McRaepersonAttack from Mars

Signals

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Gonzo explicitly reframes Spooky Pinball from 'boutique' status to 'bona fide pinball manufacturer' based on 1,000+ Evil Dead sales, signaling industry recognition of production scale and quality parity with larger manufacturers

    high · 'What do they sell? Over a thousand Evil Deads? They're not boutique anymore. These are bona fide pinball manufacturers.'

  • ?

    design_innovation: Beetlejuice features a motorized sandworm that 'dances' rather than simply moving, with choreographed 'bob and weave' motion synchronized to music; represents elevated mechanical toy design

    high · Gonzo: 'They could have made it so it just moved, but they didn't. They actually made it dance... it's jiving... it's moving.'

  • ?

    design_innovation: Game features 'Spooky Speak' voice-activated system allowing players to start game and trigger in-game events by saying 'Beetlejuice' three times; voice recognition integrated into rules gameplay

    high · Gonzo testing 'say my name three times' feature and noting it accepts English accent variations

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Gonzo describes game as 'packed' with meaningful shots and moments; emphasizes learning curve and playfield depth comparable to Attack from Mars; multiple ball-save mechanics noted

    high · 'Everything feels like a fun shot... it is packed, absolutely packed... There's a lot to learn.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Beetlejuice already scheduled for exhibition at Medway Pinball Club and UK PimpFest; indicates rapid integration into community event circuit post-release

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.107

0:00
A new golden age of pinball. An overused term? Quite possibly, but it doesn't mean that it's not true. And I believe we are living through one such era right now because some of the pinball machines being produced over the last couple of years are some of the best pinball machines that have ever been made in pinball full stop. Just looking back at a few recent games like Jaws, Dune, Evil Dead, Harry Potter, these stand up to some of the best games that have ever been made.
0:49
And I say that as somebody whose favourite game is Attack from Mars. What we're getting into now is, I think, competition between companies resulting in bigger and better pinball machines. And in the case of Beetlejuice, not necessarily bigger, because this is a standard sized pinball machine, as opposed to Spooky Pinball's previous offering, which was Evil Dead, which was a wide body. But this is no lesser game because of it. Make no mistake about it. This game is epic. In this video, I'm going to talk you through my initial impressions of the game. I will try and give you some close ups of the fantastic artwork by Christopher Franchi. We'll have a little bit of gameplay and I really will give you my initial thoughts on this game. They are initial thoughts. I haven't played 10 games on it yet. Thank you for watching. Probably not my favourite theme in the world. For a lot of people this was a dream theme.
2:24
I liked the film. The film was okay. It certainly wasn't the Goonies for me. I could think of a number of better films from the 80s than this one. I don't think they'll ever do a trade in places, Pinball Machine, no.
game
Jawsgame
Dunegame
Harry Pottergame
Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
Sonicgame
Medway Pinball Cluborganization
PimpFestevent
Guns N' Rosesgame

high · Gonzo: 'This game is actually going to be appearing... at the Medway Pinball Club... This is also going to PimpFest'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Gonzo articulates shift in competitive pinball from isolated shot design to integrated 'pinball moments' encompassing artwork, sound, media, theme integration, and mechanical novelty

    high · 'We're no longer just looking at shots. We're looking at pinball moments... artwork, sound, media assets, translight artwork and cabinet artwork. All of this stuff is now under scrutiny.'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Spooky released Beetlejuice as standard-width (vs Evil Dead widebody predecessor), suggesting deliberate product segmentation strategy or market positioning diversity

    high · 'This is a standard sized pinball machine, as opposed to Spooky Pinball's previous offering, which was Evil Dead, which was a wide body.'

  • $

    market_signal: Gonzo frames current era (last 2 years) as 'golden age of pinball' driven by inter-company competition; cites multiple recent releases (Jaws, Dune, Evil Dead, Harry Potter) as among 'best games ever made'

    high · 'Competition between companies resulting in bigger and better pinball machines... stand up to some of the best games that have ever been made.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Gonzo notes Beetlejuice is not running latest code; mentions minor trough eject adjustments needed; indicates early-stage software maturation

    medium · 'This isn't running on the latest code... I've got to do the camera again. I don't mind doing that stuff [tweaks].'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Gonzo's repeated assertions about Christopher Franchi being 'the best pinball artist in the industry' and his work reaching peak quality elevate artist's profile and market position within boutique/premium tier

    medium · Multiple statements: 'Franchi is the best pinball artist in the industry' and 'This might be his best work'

    • 2:39
    But I do appreciate it for what it is. A young Winona Ryder, of course Catherine O'Hara, Michael Keaton absolutely stealing the show with a real effervescent performance and a performance in the film I think was so good that actually reflect back and think actually maybe they got it the wrong way around when he played Batman and Jack Nicholson played Joker. Jack Nicholson was a fantastic Joker by the way but Keaton could have played Joker I've no doubt about that. In terms of theme integration, this is flawless. If you love the film, you're going to love this pinball machine. If you don't love the film, then it's highly likely you're going to love this pinball machine.
    3:23
    So much is right. We often ask the question on this channel, did a company build the best pinball machine they could have done? I think they did. I really, really do. I think when you look at this, and I understand the game is not for everyone, but it's a bit like the first time you ever approach a Guns N' Roses JJP pinball machine. You just look at it and it's just packed. And you think there's no more room for anything else. Everything that needs to be in here is in here. But it doesn't stop there because this game is packed with two, possibly three pinball moments. And it was always going to be hard for Spooky to match the standards which they set themselves, which of course is with the Evil Dead, which is by any standards a magnificent, absolutely magnificent pinball machine. I think the battlegrounds, and I say that as a healthy battleground between pinball companies upon which the wars are now being fought, mean that we're no longer just looking at shots. We're looking at pinball moments. We're looking at artwork, sound, media assets, obviously translight artwork and cabinet artwork. All of this stuff is now under scrutiny because if you haven't got all of those boxes ticked, then as a pinball machine, it's probably not going to be as good as one of your competitors because everybody seems to be throwing everything at. These games now, and you've got to do that. So hopefully at some point next week, I will be taking delivery of a JJP Sonic. So I'm going to be stood right here, which is the only place I can do it with these toppers. Yes, this one has a topper. We'll get to that in a minute. www.sternpinball.com The Pimble Game This is probably just a bit of pinball porn, if anything, if you're looking at some close-ups of the ramps, of the powder coating, of the artwork, and if you're looking to see somebody of quite a poor standard play a few games of pinball, then look no further, because we're going to take a close look at all of this game. And we have to start, well I think, well I am going to start by talking about the artwork. I don't know if this is Christopher Franchi's best artwork yet.
    7:04
    As I stand here now, right behind that camera, I'm looking at an Evil Dead, which very, very kindly lent to me by Neil McRae. I don't know, Neil, if you've forgotten it's here. It's still here. It's wonderfully appreciated. It's being beautifully taken care of. I think it's hard to call any piece of artwork where it was a man with blood over his face holding a chainsaw beautiful, but it is expertly, expertly done.
    7:32
    This is an absolute triumph. This might be his best work. I don't know. He's done so much good work. It's impossible to say. One thing I'm very, very confident in saying is Franchi is the best pinball artist in the industry. Thank you for watching. I love the way he uses purples, pinks in particular, greens is really, really great. The tie in that he's made, not only with the colours that you would believe tie in with Beetlejuice, but also Beetlejuice himself, where he has the, it's not really a pinstripe is it, but a black and white stripe, the way that is mirrored, it's replicated, as you can see here on the artwork on the speaker and screen panel. I J E Pinn and I see you next time I just taken this off because it is one big magnet for the for the apron there I think that looks really cool as well I hope I probably haven lined it up correctly I taken my glasses off so you don't um so it's not reflected so I can't see quite so well without my glasses on I think the side I am standing on has the slightly better artwork hopefully if I'm any I'll have edited that in there so you can look at that now. It's absolutely, I just think it's stunning. This is a stunning game.
    9:27
    I can't say that that surprised me that the game was going to be this good looking. But I was surprised at just how good it was. I will tell you precisely what I was surprised about. Thank you for watching. Stunning. The best powder coat I've ever seen? I don't know. We're spoiled now. I've looked at so many. Certainly my favourite purple powder coat. It's gorgeous. It's rich. It has a depth of vibrancy to it. Absolutely beautiful. And as you can see on this side as well, these are magnets. You don't have to have them on as well. Thank you for watching. It's disgusting, it's gross, it is, but it's meant to be disgusting and gross.
    11:09
    The toppers are just on another level now. I actually don't have, because it's Neil's game, I haven't put the topper on Evil Dead. It's stayed in its box and rightly so. The topper's on here, but the Evil Dead one is incredible. As good as that, I think that's hard to do, but it is magnificent. When you look at what these toppers are like now, Thank you for watching. Thank you. I do it all the time.
    12:40
    You've got sculpts, you've got toys, you've got everything that you would hope to have on this game. I haven't thought anything's missing.
    12:48
    Okay, maybe I'm not somebody, maybe I would notice, maybe if I'd watched the film ten times, which I haven't, I watched it once when I was younger and I've watched it once recently. So, you know, but I don't feel that anything's missing.
    13:03
    The I'm excited for you to see the sandworm dancing. They could have made it so it just moved, but they didn't. They actually made it dance.
    13:18
    And when it goes to the day, oh, song is, as I say, it's not just moving from side to side. There's a bob and a weave. They've made it dance. It's moving. It's jiving.
    13:33
    I'm going to try something for you now and after I've done that I'm going to take that camera off of its perch and we're going to go on a little tour around the play field. At the screen now you probably can't see it from your angle. It says say my name three times. Now obviously the film is an American film. So I was very conscious when I first started doing it. Is he going to accept saying Beetlejuice three times in an English accent?
    14:16
    I tried it. It has worked, but it seems to, there's a point during the game where you have to say the name three times as well. So I find myself starting the game by saying Beetlejuice three times in my own accent and then sort of forming a generic US accent during the game, which is fun in itself. This is spooky speak. Other people will describe it better than I will, but it allows you to start the game. It's a voice activated system where you can start the game, but also, as I say, during the game as well. www.sparrowsoffun.com And that started the game.
    15:23
    I'll give you a tour now. Okay, here we have the game. So we'll give you a little look at the play field, I think.
    15:35
    I mean, so many of these things are magnets, which I really like that. You can choose whether to have them on there or not. But it's probably worth showing you just underneath this magnet here. You still have that beautiful, rich, purple powder coat.
    15:51
    Hopefully you can see this here. We've got two wire forms, one of them in the purple, which you can see just to the left of the screen. The other wire form is maybe a light red, a deep orange. That's very metallic.
    16:14
    And also just down the bottom here. Maybe this is a bit bright for you. There's the magnet. Now the magnet is very very interesting because if you do your skill shot correctly then the ball will launch from here underneath here and this little thing here if you can see it will lift up. I'm not going to force it because it's obviously on a mechanism. www.sparrp.com www.scooby-doo.com I think they're playing the flipping out tune there. There you are.
    17:49
    That how I call advertisement they got Right you probably can see this too well so let just turn that The Crypt Stone
    18:16
    This particular shot here I really like by the way. So first of all you've got this which is like an orbit. So some of the ball paths on this are magnificent. Turn it up a little bit more for you. This one in particular, this lifts up and once you do that, once one of those shots allows you to lock the balls on the sofa at the back which is cool as hell. This is, I guess it's a bit like Attack from Mars in the sense that you have your three targets there and then this bank of targets drops down which will reveal the sandworm. We'll see a lot more of him later on. He's really cool.
    18:59
    Just to give you some close-ups at the back here. These models are just so cool. So nicely done. Here's the sofa. Can't really see it too well at the moment, can you? Let's just... Hopefully that helps. Rolls along here and you're going to lock three balls in there for a multi-ball. Really cool. Sorry, I'm having to adjust the ISO levels on this constantly because of the lights.
    19:26
    But I want you to have the experience of seeing the light in there. Down here you have some pop bumpers. www.sparrott.com Just loops back round and down this orange ramp. We have another shot here. So plenty of shots.
    20:44
    As you can see, the playfield artwork is stunning. Absolutely stunning. Not just the playfield artwork. Oh, you see, Frenchy pinball art. That was well-timed as well. Purely accidental, I can assure you.
    21:00
    There's the speakers. And here is the wonderful, wonderful artwork of the back glass. Finally, last but not least, this dude.
    21:27
    He is nasty. He is a nasty, nasty looking dude. There is no doubt about that. Thank you for watching. during gameplay he moves maybe if it was set on a tracks he possibly would move as well
    22:15
    but I think you'll agree it's really cool Okay, just to remind everybody I'm a very bad pinball player. That way if I do anything remotely, even half impressive, I've set expectations really low. The glass is off, so that means it's going to be louder, not too pleasant for your ears, but hopefully allow you to see the ball without www.sparrott.com I didn't quite manage it, what a shame.
    23:32
    Oh, managed to get it up to the upper playfield there. That was a bank of targets before the sandworm.
    23:51
    The Come on, that was unfair. That was unfair. Okay, just give me your ball, see. Okay, it's fine, I don't mind it. Lovely sound on the spinner, by the way. Oh, wow, that's fast. Whoa. I was meant to hit the camera then, but I didn't quite manage it in time. That's a lovely ball pass, by the way, that one there.
    24:51
    Okay, I've probably got to sort out the plunge power on that. I've definitely got to sort out the trough eject.
    24:59
    I missed orange. As I say, there's a lot of tweaks. It's a brand new game. I don't mind doing that stuff.
    25:09
    I mean, there is just so much to learn. And it is packed, absolutely packed. I mean, what is clear about this game, just from the outset, It really is fun.
    25:23
    Everything feels like a fun shot. I've got to dial the shots in, of course. Damn, I needed to hit the camera again.
    25:40
    Damn it, damn it. See, that's about learning the game. There's actually a little light here. It goes over that rollover switch. It'll say light camera. you've been gonna hit the shot hit the Polaroid camera this is fun there's no doubt about it I've got it there you go it's saved the ball it's saved the ball it throws it in different ways and different different power every time that's not the top on the upper flipper
    26:18
    I love the LED at the back where it says now serving it's like the ticket machine. Ghosts and Sheets.
    26:48
    Okay you couldn backhand that one I love that shot That a great shot It definitely wants me to hit it in this scoop here which definitely you can't backhand. I wonder if you can... No. Let's see if you can post pass. I don't know why it's giving me another ball there. I should probably say this isn't running on the latest code.
    27:33
    I've got to do the camera again. Oh, it's too late. Oh man, I almost lost the ball then. Okay, so Beetlejuice mode is lit.
    27:56
    Again, I've got to sort out that trough thing. At least you know I'm not lying when I say I haven't tinkered around with it. Yeah, that's easily rectified that. Just do a little bit less trough power. There you go. Or you could just do that, but I think just sort out that shock power.
    28:17
    Okay, that's locked in behind Beetlejuice. This is the beetle snake, so he's going at the top. The rattle on the rattlesnake's lit, his head's moving side to side.
    28:36
    Oh man, come on. Love that shot, by the way. I know I've said it three times now, but you've got to say it three times on this game.
    28:56
    Not three times. I don't know why I'm hitting the action button. I haven't learned. Oh, man, that is really good. I was going to say, I was very unlucky there. One is locked on the sofa.
    29:15
    Oh, man. Two balls locked on the sofa. Are we saying couch? I probably should be saying couch. Okay, that's a nice, when that works, that is a nice shot.
    29:38
    Yes, I got the camera. I did it. Oh, man, I've got to get that save. That's a ball save, surely. Yes.
    29:58
    It's very fast. Okay, there's a target here which says handbook, which I've just hit. Something didn't seem to help.
    30:08
    Okay, I've got the wrong camera target. Oh man, come on. Oh, that was shit. Shit play. Shit play. I'm quite close to a couple of things here. I know that much even though I don't understand the game particularly well. It's exciting. This is an exciting game.
    30:55
    Sorry, that's probably quite loud when you're watching this. Barbara, honey, it's too late. We have to go through with this. Okay, here's your ball safe thing again.
    31:10
    There you go. Oh man, please give me that again. Thank you. No, don't you dare. Oh, that was, I'm near, I'm very close. The sods law I lose the ball now because I'm actually quite close to doing something yes that was the snake sorry the sandworm Okay, hopefully you can see it there. There's a shark and shoot it. Does the sandworm eat the ball? Yes, he does.
    32:30
    Shoot the sandworm to stun it. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. That power on that scoop needs to be adjusted. Yeah, that wouldn't have been fair.
    32:50
    No, of course, it's tough. Don't you dare. Two more of those, it lights the extra ball, apparently. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No!
    33:50
    Arseholes. That's good fun. That is good fun. I'm sure it wasn't the best score in the world, but that is good fun.
    34:01
    Okay, you didn't get to see the multi-ball, unfortunately. There you go. Anyway, there you go. So, this game is actually going to be appearing, is that the right word?
    34:35
    At the Medway Pinball Club, we're going to be doing a Beetlejuice day there. So keep your eyes, if you're not following them on social media, follow them. I'll let you know on this channel as well. This is also going to PimpFest, UK PimpFest.
    34:48
    It's a cool game. I think Neil might also be bringing his one to PimpFest as well. This is good. This is a really, really good, fun game. There you go. You've got to see him move there at least.
    35:02
    I hope you enjoyed that. Hopefully you enjoyed the video. Hopefully we've got a JJP Sonic coming for you very soon.
    35:14
    There you go. Beetlejuice by Spooky Pinball. They're getting really good at this stuff now. What do they sell? Over a thousand Evil Deads?
    35:26
    They're not boutique anymore. These are bona fide pinball manufacturers. And rightly so. They're doing a great job.
    35:35
    You