8-Bit Terror

For those of us who grew up in the 80's chances are you owned a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) console which was released in 1985. The NES was directly responsible for me having spent countless wasted hours sitting in front of an old television developing thick calluses on my thumbs....ah....good times....good times.

In the 80's horror flicks were very popular with younger audiences and the NES was the most popular video game console in America. So to capitalize on that fact the toy company LJN produced 3 horror related games for the NES "Jaws", "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street". I'll cover these games in 3 different blog entries.
 

 

First up was "Jaws" released in 1987 only 3 months after the release of one of the worst films ever made "Jaws: The Revenge".  Although I don't consider the "Jaws" to be a horror film it sometimes does get lumped into that category. The game is pretty much based on "Jaws: The Revenge". When you pop the game into the NES you are met with a cool looking title screen and of course the theme from "Jaws". A trend you'll notice in these entries is that these 3 games had great title screens/sequences....but as you'll find out they seemed to be the only elements of the game the makers put any time or thought into.
 

The Game's Cool Looking Title Screen

The premise of this hastily thrown together game kind of mirrors the the movie "Jaws: The Revenge" and it goes like something like this: You are a diver somewhere in the tropics and you must kill the shark. To do this you have to travel back and forth between 2 different ports on the map screen to power-up.
 

Ports #1 and #2

Power-Up Screen

To power-up you must collect conch shells that you receive in random fight sequences that happen as you travel between ports. The phrase "You've Hit Something" signals you that you are going to the fight sequence where you have to kill squids, rays, and little sharks. As you kill them you not only collect shells but, you also collect golden stars for points and gold crabs that make you swim faster (I promise I'm not making this up).

One of the Game's Random Fight Screens

Before you can power-up to level 2, the first port you come to will give you a tracking device that will beep whenever the shark is near.

HOORAY !!!!

Be careful because if get hit by one of these enemies just once, you'll die and lose a level of power. As the game progresses the number of shells you need increases as you go from port to port. These fight scenes are obnoxious and frequent but necessary to kill the shark. As you are trying to get to level 4, you'll encounter Bonus Scene where you have a chance to gather more conch shells by bombing jellyfish that swim in different patterns from an airplane....yep, bombing jellyfish....from an airplane.
 

Honestly ?!

If you play the game long enough you'll have the good fortune to obtain the mini-sub. The mini-sub fires torpedoes and bombs. If you are hit by an enemy once you lose it and return to being the diver.

The Mini-Sub

Now let's go kill the shark. To kill the shark fairly easily you need to power-up to at least 4. Once you get to power level 4 it's time to kill "Jaws". To do this just sit in place on the map screen and let the shark hit you. Avoid being hit by the shark in the shallows. You won't because it's a bit more difficult with less room to avoid enemies.When your going to fight the shark you got to the familiar random fight screen with the normal enemies but, there is one difference...."Jaws". If your looking for a cool looking shark....you will be sorely disappointed.

Bombs Away

All you need to do is shoot the shark with your harpoon gun and avoid enemies and you go to the final showdown with "Jaws". You'll start out droping bombs on the shark from a boat. Once the shark hits you the harpoon gun is your only weapon. Once you get the sharks power down you'll go to a final battle screen where the shark's fin comes towards you and with a well timed you can use the boat to stab and kill the shark. To get the shark to jump out of the water you use an electrical charge from the tracking device. You get 3 chances to get it right...if you don't you have to back and fight the shark all over again.

DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH

Take That !!!...Stupid Anti-Climatic Game !!!

After stabbing the shark....it's over....after all you've done to get to this point....the pay off ?...the shark sinks to the bottom of the ocean....looking like a grey turd sinking to the bottom of a toilet.

The Sinking Turd

Now what should you do ? .... fly off into the sunset, you fuckin' hero !!!

Good Job, Hoagie !

Although it was widely panned by people for being too difficult or just being lame I LOVED this game when I was a kid....and I still do. Today, instead of playing it on the NES I play it on an emulator. Years before the internet, there were few choices for horror fans to connect to the world of horror films. Fangoria magazine was one of them and a there were a few books that existed as well but for the most part there wasn't much. As a young horror fan I would clamor for anything related to my favorite movies. Sure, the game was as stupid but that doesn't matter when your a kid....at least to me it didn't. Spending hours fighting "Jaws" ?.... and getting to stab him with the front of a boat....it didn't get much cooler than that.

Forgotten Gems: "The Screaming Skull"

 

Free burial service for anyone who dies of fright while watching "The Screaming Skull"  ?.....How could you go wrong by watching a film that promises you that ?
 

Eric and Jenni

Eric (John Hudson) and Jenni (Peggy Webber) are newlyweds who move into a large home Eric shared with his deceased first wife Marion who slipped and fell and as a result "the base of her skull was smashed"....suuuure. Jenni is a troubled and vulnerable woman who spent time in a asylum in an effort to move past the sudden and tragic death of her parents. Oh, BTW....she's rich too....nice !
 

The house and gardens are looked after by Mickey, a strange man-child who was Marion's constant companion. Both spent hours and hours in the gardens planting and tending to the flowers. After Marion's death Mickey continues to keep up the grounds like a shrine to his dead friend. He likes to even bring flowers to her grave which is on the property. Hmm. Shortly after moving in...and by that I mean the next day....the impressionable Jenny begins to hear strange screaming sounds, footsteps, creaking noises, knocking on doors. She also finds lily pads in the house and of course the skull. Scary.


"HOLY LIVING FUCK....AAAHHHH " !!!!!

Suspicion quickly turns to Mickey as the culprit behind all these strange goings on.

The belief is that he trying to scare away the new Mrs. Whitlock. As these strange happenings continue Jenni's already delicate mental state is begining to show cracks. The always reassuring Eric continues to comfort Jenni as he promises to help Jenni realize that she's only hallucinating and there is no skull following her around. To show Jenni she's not as nutty as a squirrel turd Eric decides to burn a painted portrait of Marion as the portrait burns a loud scream is heard and in the ashes....there it is....THE SKULL !!!!

Of course Eric does not see the skull and repeats to Marion that...."there is no skull....there's no skull". After Jenni faints he removes the skull from the fire and hides it nearby and the truth is revealed....Eric has been behind these shenanigans the whole time....trying to drive his wife over the edge so he can get his hands on the money she's got....but is there something coming for him ?
I wont spoil the film's ending. I'll let you see it for yourself here:

http://archive.org/details/TheScreamingSkull1958

"The Screaming Skull" is total B-movie goodness. From cheesy acting and dialouge to the third rate special effects. If your like me and can't resist watching old black and white movies that by today's standards wouldn't scare a 2 year-old kid then you wont be disappointed. If your expecting a riveting storyline and acting that keeps you on the edge of your seat then you need to look elsewhere. I've read several reviews of this movie that pan it for all the bad acting and plot etc. but you have to take it for what it is. Good. Simple. Stupid. Fun.