The Ultimate Guide to Splatterhouse: A Horror Classic

Explore the gory history of Namco’s Splatterhouse. This definitive guide covers the game’s horror movie inspirations, boss strategies, every sequel, and the story behind the controversial 2010 remake.

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In the golden age of 1980s horror cinema, legendary sagas like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street captivated audiences with their dark atmospheres and iconic slashers. It was inevitable that this tidal wave of terror would spill into the world of video games, giving birth to a generation of horror-themed titles.

Among them, one game stood out as the perfect embodiment of this trend: Namco’s Splatterhouse, a true love letter to the decade’s most gruesome cinematic horror.

The development team’s passion for the genre was no secret. In a 1989 interview, they openly discussed the films that shaped their bloody creation, crafting a game that was not just inspired by horror but was a direct celebration of its most shocking elements. This guide delves into the entire history of the series, from its cinematic roots and controversial reception to its many sequels and modern rebirth.

The Birth of a Monster: Cinema’s Influence

Splatterhouse wears its inspirations on its blood-soaked sleeve. The game’s planner, Kazumi Mizuno, specifically cited several films that had a profound impact on the game’s design and tone. A key influence was the sixth installment of the Friday the 13th saga, where Jason Voorhees is resurrected as a giant, unstoppable zombie capable of breaking human spines with his bare hands. This particular version of Jason was the direct inspiration for

Splatterhouse‘s hero, Rick Taylor, a college student who dons a supernatural mask to save his girlfriend, Jennifer, from the cursed West Mansion.

Other cinematic nods include Dario Argento’s Phenomena (1985), with its infamous scene of a protagonist falling into a pool of corpses and larvae, and the shocking final scene of Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976), where a hand bursts from a grave. The game’s setting also heavily borrows from The Evil Dead (1981), while the main antagonist’s name, Dr. West, and the presence of grotesque, tentacled creatures are a clear homage to the literary universe of H.P. Lovecraft, particularly his story Herbert West–Reanimator.

A Guide to Surviving the Horror: Boss Strategies

West Mansion is filled with monstrous bosses waiting to tear Rick apart. Here’s how to defeat some of the most memorable ones.

### Stage 1: Corpse Eaters

The first boss encounter is a room swarming with blood-sucking corpse eaters that leap from both sides.

• Strategy: From your starting position, immediately crouch down. Stay in this position and continuously perform low kicks to the left and right to take out the 20 monsters that attack.

### Stage 2: Poltergeist

In this room, an evil spirit hurls various objects at you, including a chair, paintings, and daggers.

• Strategy: Move to the far right of the screen and crouch. Use your slide kick to destroy the objects as they fly toward you. After the poltergeist exits through the window, run to the left side of the screen to avoid the falling chandelier.

### Stage 3: Biggy Man

One of the series’ most iconic enemies, this boss has a sack over its head and chainsaws emerging from its forearms.

• Strategy: The shotgun is extremely effective here. If you don’t have it, the slide attack is another valid strategy, but it requires precise timing to execute correctly.

### Stage 5: The Mother

This grotesque boss protects itself by generating a constant stream of slimy, monstrous offspring from its womb.

• Strategy: You must get close to the boss and hit it repeatedly (at least 30 times). It’s crucial to ignore the “newborns” she spawns, as they will continue to appear endlessly.

The Horror Comes Home: Conversions and Censorship

The game’s arrival on home consoles was met with both excitement and controversy, leading to several changes and censored versions.

• PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 (1990): Generally an excellent conversion, though with simplified graphics. To avoid potential legal issues with the owners of Friday the 13th, the iconic hockey mask was replaced with a purple variant in the Western TurboGrafx-16 release. Religious elements, such as the inverted cross boss, were also censored. The release famously included a warning on the box: “The horrifying theme of this game may not be suitable for young children… and cowards”.
• FM Towns Marty (1992): An almost arcade-perfect port, released only in Japan for the Fujitsu console.
• PC (2003): A late release exclusive to Japan, this version is considered identical to the arcade original.
• Namco Museum (2017): Released as part of the Namco Museum collection for modern consoles, this is the original arcade game enhanced with extras like level select and a new challenge mode.

The Legacy of Splatter: Sequels and a Modern Reboot

While a direct port of the original never came to the Sega Mega Drive, the console instead received two exclusive sequels.

Splatterhouse 2 (1992) saw Rick, now sporting a skull-like mask, enter a new mansion to save Jennifer’s soul.

Splatterhouse 3 (1993) evolved the formula into a more traditional beat-’em-up, allowing players to move freely around the screen as they fought to save Rick’s new family.

The series remained dormant until 2010 when it was resurrected with a full reboot for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In an interview, producer Dan Tovar revealed the team’s immense passion for the originals, stating that for them, “hyper-violence was fundamental”.

They even used the highest ratings from censorship systems as a “checklist” to ensure they were pushing the game to its absolute limits. Though it received a mixed reception at launch, the reboot is now viewed more positively and smartly included the original arcade game and its two Mega Drive sequels as unlockable content.

The series’ legacy also includes a cartoony Famicom spin-off, Wanpaku Graffiti, which remained a Japanese exclusive until its 2020 release in the Namco Museum Archives collection. Today, the saga continues to live on through impressive fan projects, including a promising port of the original arcade game to the Mega Drive.

Just like the slasher icons it emulates, it seems horror classics never truly die. For fans of dark, challenging games, you can explore more in our collection of Hollow Knight: Silksong guides.

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