What's new
By:
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Is a scary pinball possible?

Judge Dreads

Judge Dreads

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
2,312
Location
Y Felinheli
Is this possible, a machine that leaves you feeling on edge, something like a cross between Silent Hill and Paranormal Activity, movies and video games can be quite scary when viewed in the correct environment, I remember paying DOOM when it first came out (ground breaking game) in a dark room and 30-45 mins used to be enough without a break after being chewed a few times by something coming out of nowhere, Silent Hill was also quite eerie back in the day which made me think.

Is a scary pinball possible? a game that is so immersive that playing it in a dark room on your own could make you forget that you were playing pinball enough to traumatise you, video games manage this and create that ugly adrenaline surge, how about a pinball or is pinball just too much fun which will always cut through any theme, lighting and sound effects?

I would like to play one ;)
 
Last edited:
id have thought so, you'd have to have some sort of time delays on eeary noises so you dont expect them. I think things that make you jump would be the only way to do this. maybe some sort of scary image on the PF in UV paint used in conjunction with UV light flashers.
 
Maybe it's time for someone to manufacture the first pinball ever conceived that has been specifically designed to create these emotions, sounds a bit more interesting than playing another car themed pin.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jww
Judge Dreads said:
Maybe it's time for someone to manufacture the first pinball ever conceived that has been specifically designed to create these emotions, sounds a bit more interesting than playing another car themed pin.
Click to expand...
JJP's third machine with Pat Lawlor could be the one.....weren't there some Haunted House rumours?
 
I think it would have to be more Aural than visual, the fact that most of the playfield is visable even when the machine isnt being played.

Of course electric shock flipper buttons etc could be used..
 
May be a couple of doors in the backbox that open and a fist comes out, cuckoo clock style, which you need to duck!, when you get a tilt warning
 
ianw said:
May be a couple of doors in the backbox that open and a fist comes out, cuckoo clock style, which you need to duck!, when you get a tilt warning
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: honest I haven't been drinking ....
 
A Haunted House remake may have its moments but I was thinking more of a pin that was designed around the prime objective of generating tension and fear, JJP's large display could be used to full effect, a machine that broke the mould, the first machine with an age certificate, Saw, Cube etc
 
Judge Dreads said:
Is this possible, a machine that leaves you feeling on edge, something like a cross between Silent Hill and Paranormal Activity, movies and video games can be quite scary when viewed in the correct environment, I remember paying DOOM when it first came out (ground breaking game) in a dark room and 30-45 mins used to be enough without a break after being chewed a few times by something coming out of nowhere, Silent Hill was also quite eerie back in the day which made me think.

Is a scary pinball possible? a game that is so immersive that playing it in a dark room on your own could make you forget that you were playing pinball enough to traumatise you, video games manage this and create that ugly adrenaline surge, how about a pinball or is pinball just too much fun which will always cut through any theme, lighting and sound effects?

I would like to play one ;)
Click to expand...
Hell yeah.
I had an idea for a retheam to make a Silent Hill machine.
Something like that is all in the music and a shock somewhere down the line.
Would be a cool machine if done right.
 
replicas said:
Hell yeah.
I had an idea for a retheam to make a Silent Hill machine.
Something like that is all in the music and a shock somewhere down the line.
Would be a cool machine if done right.
Click to expand...

I agree them games are creepy as fook I rem getting well into one called silent hill room 41 or something like that was well good
 
Hmmm. Sometimes I read about people and how the game has a "Story". Never got that myself. Whack a ball around, aim at a few lights, try to do it enough to get a multiball etc. I don't feel a need to pretend that my LOTR is telling me the plot of a movie. I really don't see any pins dragging you into a scary plot the same way a video game does. Sure there can be surprises such as things popping up but for me it would never be on the same level as a 1st person shooter etc.
 
I think so far the wolves video mode in BSD is the only thing I have experienced on a pin that can mildly generate that feeling esp in the later rounds.
 
I had the same experience as Dreads with Doom. It was so simple (compared to graphics now), but kept the adrenaline levels up with the constant surprise attacks. Bioshock on PC was the same, didn't like that at all - had to stop playing after only about 30 mins. It was Doom with more realistic graphics. But that dark steampunk vibe from Bioshock might make a cool pin. It could certainly be very different and open lots of scope for innovation.
 
Doom was downright nasty, had to re-humanise regularly when playing that, had a large screen (a wopping 28" :eek:) and pro-logic at the time which added to the adrenalin, when you look at it now is seems so damn primitive but that game was the real deal back in the day, I like the idea of an intense paranormal experience theme rather than being tied to a license, if I was creating, I would work the gameplay around the desired experience and tension rather than working the tension around gameplay if that makes sense.

Prime objective would be to make you crap your pants :)
 
The vibe you get off a video game can totally draw you in and is nothing like it would be on a pinball.
The attract mode on Dracula always catches me out, scarey when you're not expecting it.
 
First off, I really enjoy that raw adrenaline you get from controlled fear. The sort that comes from Japanese horror films such as the 98 film 'Ring' that was remade and watered down into something the west could handle in 02. The sense of being caught, or not knowing when to look or worst when to stop looking. I have been involved in some real life experiences where the same adrenaline flows and afterwards you feel euphoric as a result.

How can a pin recreate that when they are largely repetitive, it would get watered down over a short space of time. Video games fill your brains with visions and noise and you take over the character in front of you. You don't want to get attacked or be killed. I don't want the ball to drain between the flippers but I don't become the ball.
I think a theme could be made, the right sounds, the right lights and good video that would the spooky mood going but once I get involved in the flippering, I think I would start to lose the mood and if anything tried to scare me into losing the ball, I might get angry.

Centaur is a bit creepy, especially when it is powered on but not being played and then makes those freaky noises. GrizZ warned me but it still got me. :rolleyes:
 
Calimori said:
First off, I really enjoy that raw adrenaline you get from controlled fear. The sort that comes from Japanese horror films such as the 98 film 'Ring' that was remade and watered down into something the west could handle in 02. The sense of being caught, or not knowing when to look or worst when to stop looking. I have been involved in some real life experiences where the same adrenaline flows and afterwards you feel euphoric as a result.

How can a pin recreate that when they are largely repetitive, it would get watered down over a short space of time. Video games fill your brains with visions and noise and you take over the character in front of you. You don't want to get attacked or be killed. I don't want the ball to drain between the flippers but I don't become the ball.
I think a theme could be made, the right sounds, the right lights and good video that would the spooky mood going but once I get involved in the flippering, I think I would start to lose the mood and if anything tried to scare me into losing the ball, I might get angry.

Centaur is a bit creepy, especially when it is powered on but not being played and then makes those freaky noises. GrizZ warned me but it still got me. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


"Movie geek mode turned on" actually the yanks remade the first ring and did an even more watered down sequel. There are some cracking and effed up Asian horrors out there and they must be good cuz the yanks keep trying to remake them the ring, the grudge, tale of two sisters, dark water and the latest one old boy. It's only a matter of time before they try and remake ichi the killer which could be done really well if done properly which they won't because they like to make everything pg or 12 these days. One of the most messed up Asian ones I've seen is uzimaki a whole town one by one gets obsessed by spirals and strange stuff ends up happening to them. Some lad ends up turning into a human snail with a big shell on his back and a bloke kills himself by putting himself in a tumble dryer he ends up all mangled and spiralled up lol
 
RudeDogg1 said:
actually the yanks remade the first ring and did an even more watered down sequel.
Click to expand...
I think we are agreeing with each other as that was what I was trying to say, however I didn't mention the sequel because it was too soft.
The Grudge original was good, I haven't seen Uzimaki and that is sounding like it is really messed up. I like suspense not madness ;).
 
Good question............. I think that while pinball can be creepy (my wife is terrified of Rudy's head on Funhouse) I dont think it is immersive enough to be scary. I agree, games like Silend Hill and Resident Evil are scary (I remembering jumping off my chair when I spider dropped off the ceiling on RE), it takes a while to get involved in the games and characters - but with pinball, you only get a few minutes at best, so not enough time to be engrossed - apart from maybe noises that make you jump?

How about, to be totally immersed, someone could invent a pinball in the shape of a coffin, and you climb inside and play by watching the ball through a glass playfield from underneath? Maybe the playfield could slowly lower unless you get certain targets? -lol.

Cheers, Mark
 
Judge Dreads said:
Is this possible, a machine that leaves you feeling on edge, something like a cross between Silent Hill and Paranormal Activity, movies and video games can be quite scary when viewed in the correct environment, I remember paying DOOM when it first came out (ground breaking game) in a dark room and 30-45 mins used to be enough without a break after being chewed a few times by something coming out of nowhere, Silent Hill was also quite eerie back in the day which made me think.

Is a scary pinball possible? a game that is so immersive that playing it in a dark room on your own could make you forget that you were playing pinball enough to traumatise you, video games manage this and create that ugly adrenaline surge, how about a pinball or is pinball just too much fun which will always cut through any theme, lighting and sound effects?

I would like to play one ;)
Click to expand...

Slightly off topic but have you played any of the Amnesia games? They're really terrifying as you have no weapons.
 
I think any scary pin would have to prioritise randomness, very difficult in a video game as you can play the same game over and over but straightforward with pinball as no two games are identical, this strength should be utilized to ensure that the scare elements are unpredictable and vast, i.e. certain switches or targets hit in numerous different combinations would trigger the disturbing effects and some with random time delays, providing that the shock library was massive, the variety of switch combos could be so large that unpredictability was almost guaranteed especially with pop bumpers, slings, maybe magnets (séance etc) randomising target contact, all this would hopefully result in the player being left anxious and perturbed.

Other essentials: massive video library, blackout, strobe, multipoint shaker motors, I think JJP's platform would be best for the first Cert 15-18 machine ever conceived.

We need a pinball nasty ASAP
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom