If you’re a fan of horror and pinball machines, like myself, then you probably really like horror themed pinball machines. In a new category of posts, I am getting into machines that I have played myself. The first one being the Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pinball Machine from Williams, released in 1993.
History:
The film Bram Stoker’s Dracula hit screens in 1992. I remember seeing it in theaters, and it was a truly amazing film. I specifically remember the movie theater having a creepy looking Dracula display in front of the theater. They had a life size coffin and recreation of Gary Oldman in his old Dracula form. However, I had not played the pinball machine for the movie until recently. The Internet Pinball Database lists that 6,801 units were produced.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pinball Machine Game:
Dracula’s voice narrates your actions and one of my favorite parts is when the ball save is activated and he says that love never dies (although I assure you, that ball save won’t last forever). It has a blood red DMD (Dot Matrix Display) which was unusual for the time, since orange tended to be used.
A major complaint was that there just isn’t enough going on and there is too much dead space in the middle. The mystery prize can be a bit worthless at times, but the mist multiball is interesting, since there is a magnet underneath one of the balls that drags it across the board, which you have to hit with another ball to shake loose. There is also a really cool effect where Dracula’s coffin lights up. If you can hit the ramps effectively, get a few different multiballs going at once, and avoid the death trap bumpers in the middle of the board, I still find this a very fun game.
Versions Available:
There was a digital version of this game available via Pinball Arcade, but the license expired a few years ago, so it’s not available to new customers. Check out the digital version here, but check out the gameplay for the physical game in the YouTube video below:
