I know you've already replied to this, but I just wanted to stress how true of a statement this is. Lets use Bram Stoker's Dracula as an example, since you said you like the theme, but worried about it's brutality and depth. While it's not the deepest game, I can almost guarantee that no matter how often you play it you're going to get excited hearing the "30 million" callout because reaching it feels like an accomplishment. To me, that rush of adrenaline quality is much more important then a game having a deep rule set. Mist multiball is also super cool.

Here is my list of DMD games...
The Getaway: High Speed II
Judge Dredd
World Cup Soccer
Revenge From Mars
Johnny Mnemonic
Stargate
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Jurassic Park
Demolition Man
Baywatch
Batman Forever
Black Rose
Who Dunnit
NBA Fastbreak
Last Action Hero
Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

If you want to add another $500...
The Shadow
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Fish Tales
Tales from the Crypt
Road Show
Indianapolis 500
Dirty Harry
Doctor Who

The Shadow is my wife's favorite game. She likes the "toys"; the battlefield as a fun mini-game, you have a fun lock shot with the magnet, and both ramps have player controlled diverters.