Elvira’s House of Horrors is the newest creation from Stern Pinball!  Below is an in-depth overview of the machine, and a dive into the features and rules – check it out!

Overview of Elvira’s House of Horrors

Release Details

Elvira’s House of Horrors was officially revealed by an article on IGN titled Elvira: House of Horrors Pinball Machine Revealed – First Images, Video, and Gameplay Details.

‍

Stern released the following one minute teaser video:

‍

The Stern YouTube also released a longer teaser video that goes through some of the features of the machine:

‍

Price

Note: This is a studio title for Stern Pinball, not a cornerstone title, so it does not follow the typical Pro/Premium/LE model.

• Premium
• MSRP: $7,999
• Street Price: ~ $7,699-$7,899
• Limited Edition
• MSRP: $9,599
• Street Price: ~ $9,399-$9,599
• Signature Edition
• MSRP: call for pricing
• Street Price: ~ $15,000-$20,000

Who’s Who

• Design: Dennis Nordman
• Software: Lyman Sheats
• Artwork: Greg Freres
• Lead Engineer: Tom Kopera
• Lead Sound: Jerry Thompson
• Lead Motion Graphics: Chuck Ernst
• Callouts: Cassandra Peterson, Tim Kitzrow

Features

All Models:

• Six balls
• Three pop bumpers

• Elvira’s theme music
• Licensed songs: “Jump, Jive, and Wail” and “Shout”

• Beast Booster Spinner

• Interactive “Junk in the Trunk” ball lock

• Interactive Jumpin’ Gar-Goil stand up targets

• Elvira’s “Hand of Fate” wheel
• Deadhead Family Crypt – a three stage toy which once opened features a sculpted Deadhead bash toy and an entrance into the Crypt with an underground exit for the ball at the Crypt Kicker

• House of Horrors: Front door entrance metal ramp that can lift to reveal shot into the Cellar

• House of Horrors: Diverter in the haunted house changes ball path
• House of Horrors: Gravestone drop target guards entrance to the Garage which is a physical ball lock

• House of Horrors: RGB lights illuminate house, and player’s progression is tracked through lit windows of house

• House of Horrors: Motorized spinning attic turret

• Custom speech and callouts by Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)
• Custom video scenes of Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) specifically filmed for the pinball machine
• “Make your own dang B-movie trailer” feature which plays at the end of each game and is unique, depending on what the player experienced during the game

Premium Model:

• Hypnotic themed cabinet decals
• Black powder-coated armor

Limited Edition Model:

• Limited to 400 units
• Signed collectable from the game design team
• Elvira themed cabinet decals
• “Horror Red Dripping Blood” high gloss powder-coated armor
• Mirrored backglass
• HD speakers
• HD anti-reflection glass
• Shaker motor
• Art blades

Signature Edition Model:

• Limited to 50 units
• Elvira themed cabinet artwork with hyper-chrome embossed surfaces
• Signed Elvira trading card
• Signed Certificate of Authenticity which includes swatch of fabric from Elvira’s iconic sofa
• “Horror Red Dripping Blood” high gloss powder-coated armor
• Mirrored backglass
• HD speakers
• HD anti-reflection glass
• Shaker motor
• Art blades

Rules and Code

A Bit of Background

To fully understand the objective of the game, it is probably best to get a bit of background on the Elvira character. Elvira used to host a comedy show called Elvira’s Movie Macabre which televised B-grade low budget horror films, and featured Elvira introducing the film and then interrupting occasionally with entertaining content. For the pinball machine, Stern integrates many of the campy B-grade horror movies and their characters into the game.

‍

For reference, the movies included in the game are:

• A Bucket Of Blood (1959)
• Attack Of The Giant Leeches (1959)
• Beast From Haunted Cave (1959)
• Don’t Look In The Basement (1973)
• Eegah (1962)
• Hercules And The Captive Women (1963)
• I Eat Your Skin (1964)
• Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1965)
• Lady Frankenstein (1971)
• Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1966)
• Monster From A Prehistoric Planet (1967)
• Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
• Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964)
• Scared To Death (1947)
• Teenagers From Outer Space (1959)
• The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)
• The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
• The Killer Shrews (1959)
• The Manster (1959)
• The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)
• The Terror (1963)
• The Wasp Woman (1960)
• The Werewolf Of Washington (1973)
• The Wild Women Of Wongo (1958)
• Tormented (1960)
• Untamed Women (1952)

Main Objective

Elvira’s mansion has been haunted by characters from the B-movies mentioned above. Help Elvira clean the different rooms in the house by confronting the spirits and returning them to their film!

Skill Shot

Launch the ball into the “back door” of the mansion to score Elvira’s Super Secret Unskilled Shot. This also starts a Haunt (see below).

House Haunts

Each room in the house is considered a “Haunt”, and you have to survive those Haunts to get the spirits out of the house and back on their film. When you enter the house you start a Haunt. You will need to qualify Haunts as you progress further into the game. When the house is not qualified for a Haunt, the diverter in the house will divert the ball to the left so it will come back down to the left flipper. The player can determine which Haunt they will start based on which rooms are lit in the house.

‍

Each window is associated with one of the B-movies, and the windows will go solid as you work your way through the house. The Haunts are timed. The six main Haunts are Werewolf of Washington, Manos: The Hands Of Fate, Teenagers From Outer Space, Night Of The Living Dead, and The Brain That Wouldn’t Die.

‍

Film clips are collected in the Haunt-O-Meter. Winning Haunts builds towards the Director’s Cut and award Trailer Trash Bonus Round.

[Thanks to the Stern Insider Pinball Podcast for some of the information on the House Haunts, Crypt Cleaning and Junk in the Trunk Multiball.]

Gar-Goils

Hit the Gar-Goil targets to keep them jumping and build the Garg-Oil-Guage to reach Gar-Goils Gone Wild!

Crypt Cleaning

Shoot the Deadhead Family Crypt to enter the crypt and bash the Deadhead. When you’ve entered the crypt, a show will come up on the screen and you have woken a Deadhead. Now you’ll use the Deadhead bash toy and it will interact with floating heads on screen that will taunt you. Each Deadhead has a unique personality, and there are twelve different Deadheads.

‍

The ball is ejected out of the Crypt Kicker during these modes. Later in the gameplay, use the Action button to fire the Crypt Kicker and time it right to dispatch the Deadhead so they Rest in Pieces.

Defeating Deadheads gives you the Crypt Phases (seen in the middle of the playfield), compete three phases to light “Super Head Shot”.

Freak Fryer

Switch hits build power to activate the Freak Fryer, and building the power makes Gappa angry. Build enough power to unleash and battle Gappa!

[Note: Gappa is a Triphibian Monster, of course.]

Hand of Fate

When lit, the left outline will activate the Hand of Fate on the display (?). Use the action button to stop the wheel and collect your prize from the Hand of Fate. Collect all prizes to earn a Master Bonus Round!

Unhappy Hour

“Midnight! Elvira’s Tiki Bar is Open – ramp up the Spirits!”

Drive Me Crazy

“Buckle up for a Creepy Ride-Share – is it a Dead End?”

Wild Market Value Hurry-Up

Hit Wild Market Hurry Up Target to “Sell High”.

Junk in the Trunk Multiball

Stand up targets in front of the trunk open the trunk. Shoot the left ramp to lock a ball in the trunk, then you can collect game enhancers from the trunk that help you in other facets of game play. Once you get all game enhancers, you’ll get to Phone a Fiend Phone-a-Thon.

Garage Multiballs

Lock balls in the Garage to start Haunted Multiballs, including Wild Women Multiball, Add-A-Zombie Multiball, and Attic Attack Multiball.

The Locked Room

There is also a locked room which you can enter after collecting the key from the Junk in the Trunk area. That is a collection of bonus movie haunts.

House Party

“You survived! You made it halfway through the Haunts! It’s time to queue up the Organ and Party like a Monster!”

‍

This is represented in the center of the house, and is lit after you get through half of the Haunts.

Attic Final Mode

The attic mode is the final mode in the house which you get to after surviving all the Haunts.

Check out the Dead Flip reveal stream below!

‍