Manufacturer | Gottlieb |
---|---|
Release date | June 1982 |
System | System 80 |
Design | John Osborne |
Artwork | Terry Doerzaph |
Production run | 6,385 |
Haunted House is a pinball game released in 1982 by Gottlieb.
Haunted House, with its industry first of three playfields, is considered to be an iconic pinball game. Although Bally’s Elektra has three playfields and predates Haunted House, Elektra’s lower playfield was self-contained and uses its own captive ball for scoring. The lower playfield of Haunted House is accessible any time during the game, and the one ball travels between all three playfields. Each playfield is themed to be a part of a haunted house, the main level being the main floor, the lower level being the cellar, and the upper level being the attic.
It has been called the perfect pinball package by some admirers. However, it is often criticized for the lack of both speech and multi-ball, which were left out due to cost-saving measures. The ball can only be lost from the main playfield, as the ball draining on the attic or cellar playfields will always be returned to another playfield for play to continue. Haunted House was designed by John Osborne, with artwork by Terry Doerzaph. It is part of Gottlieb’s “System 80” series of pinball machines.
Haunted House has three playfields (a mini underground playfield, a main playfield, and an upper playfield.), eight flippers, at unique angles, four pop bumpers, two kick-out holes, a secret passage (a false target that drops down after impact to allow entrance to cellar.), a trap door that opens for ball, a lightning animation in the backglass and kicking bat targets.
Haunted House employed segments of the well-known Bach organ piece, : during the game's start (the pronounced opening of the Toccata); during the game itself (a repeated playback of part of the Toccata where the tune alternates quickly between one fixed note and others within the D Minor key); and when the game ends (the famous ending of the Fugue).
Haunted House pinball is available as a licensed table of The Pinball Arcade for several platforms. The table was also one of seven Gottlieb tables recreated in Microsoft Pinball Arcade. The demo version of the computer game has Haunted House as the only playable table.