Was sort of hoping for Scooby, but I like what others have said here…original assets from Evil Dead movies would be awesome but I feel like maybe Spooky is realizing a path toward mainstream themes is the way to grow. True horror-based themes can still be somewhat polarizing to the general public. Scooby is about as mainstream as it gets while still retaining just a hint of creepy-ness.
I would be shocked if it would be themed after any of the universal monsters properties. That’s one of those licenses that universal thinks is still worth boatloads of gold even though the general public could care less about the universal monsters. The only time I ever see anything monsters licensed is when I’m at Universal Studios’ theme park.

If they get Bruce Campbell to do the callouts then they can take my money right now. Here’s hoping!

So….they, like…make enough accessories so that everyone with a machine can get one on their machine? Or have the option to add one to their machine later?
This makes no sense.

I think that Halloween could actually be a great sleeper title. Could be some good opportunities for those ‘pinball moments’ to happen in such a title. It’s been too long since I’ve seen the very first movie, but as I recall there was a lot of building suspense throughout the flick…it wasn’t all hack and slash in the beginning. Certainly not a theme for everyone, and I’m definitely not a fan of those types of films but I would certainly give Halloween a chance to win me over.

Congratulations to the Spooky Pinball team. The twin pins look amazing, and I look forward to seeing them in person. Not gonna lie, I was a little bit “meh” when I heard the theme for Halloween but it looks super fun and innovative. Ultraman is a great idea for a theme…unexpected, but great! Kudos to everyone at Spooky. It’s clear you all have been working your tails off, and it’s nice to see the fruits of your labor/passion/obsession.

Let me preface this comment by saying I love what both Stern and Spooky are doing right now….
If I was a Go-Zillionaire (just like Forest Gump, after he invested in some kind of ‘fruit company’),
I’d buy one Halloween CE and two Ultraman CE’s. One of the Ultraman CE’s would be shipped directly to Stern Pinball Incorporated.
Oh, to be a troll with money. One can dream!

Agree, I think they look great and fit the theme(s) well.

I’d be all-in for a Spooky Pinball rally in Benton.

We should all be buying Charlie a drink. Road trip to Benton…get your asses in the car!!

Glad to hear that you are voting with your dollars, as that’s really the only way to enact change in an industry like this.
I think Stern cares (or at least employs a lot of people who care) but to your point it sounds like they haven’t ramped up their CS department with regard to the increased volume of machines they’re sending out the door. They also rely more heavily on their distribution network to help with customer service, whereas Spooky is more direct. As they continue to grow, if Spooky doesn’t expand their customer service capabilities to match their sales volume then they could find themselves in the same boat. Congratulations on your purchase from Spooky, by the way!

So is the consensus that Spooky will try the twin pin model again? I’d be a little surprised if they do a dual release on the regular, but given the apparent sales success I suppose it’s worth entertaining the thought. In a lot of ways it makes good business sense, particularly if they’re working with themes that they feel are somewhat polarizing to their customer base. I’m guessing that developing two completely different art & color packages was very challenging to manage, but now they’ve established a learning curve with that process. It would be pretty awesome to get two titles at the same time with every new machine release.

So, they’re roughly halfway through the run of the twin games now, does that sound right? Any speculation out there as to when they will announce the next title? This is pretty well a self-serving question…just trying to figure out how much more time I have to save up for a new run of TNA. Doesn’t it make sense for them to follow up the twins with something that Spooky knows is a hit and would be quick to ramp up production? Crank out a few hundred TNA while working on getting things ready to go for the new title?

Same. Inquiring minds want to know.
Ready for TNA.

$7.5K is the number I’m willing to pay, and honestly I’d rather have a stripped-down model without any upgrades. They can send the armor/trim and legs in bare metal for all I care. All I want is the game NIB. TNA is my dream theme. It’s really the only other game I feel like I ‘need’ in my very small collection. It’s an awesome game, and maybe I’m just being a cheapskate but I can’t justify the purchase at 9.

I don’t think we will find the ceiling for NIB pricing in this instance, but it is somewhat encouraging to see people in disagreement about the pricing of this game in particular. It seems like more and more people in general are pushing back (or at least say that they are).
I don’t doubt that the cost of materials and labor (even in Benton, WI) has increased significantly. That being said, it would be naive to think that the folks at Spooky haven’t also looked at the used market and taken those prices into consideration. If used games are selling for 7, 8, 9K…why wouldn’t they try to sell for the same price (or more)?
Spooky will likely make enough profit margin on the games that sell during this run, so if they don’t sell out then at the very least they’ve covered the cost of parts and kept their production line running until the next introduction. Pretty smart!
Does this line of thinking make me feel any better about the $9K price? Absolutely not.

Spoiler alert, TNA is already sold out.
Sorry.

- Martin S. McFly

As long as their website can hold up, I think they will be sold out within the first 60-90 mins.

+1 for The Last Starfighter.
While we are dreaming, please add KRULL and Clash Of The Titans to the list (the original, not the remake).

Bob’s Burgers for the win! I think it could be a Simpson’s-esqe masterpiece…but I’d be surprised to see Spooky do it.
Not that they couldn’t or wouldn’t, but they seem to be of the ‘been there, done that’ mindset with their themes lately.
They do what they want, have fun with it and then move on to something completely different for the next theme.

KKFOS would be a great theme! Although it might not do very well on location…SO many people out there with Coulrophobia. Weirdos.

I think you have to have seen it during your childhood to develop an affinity.
My son loves that movie. He is 16 now, but when he was a little tyke he used to pretend that he was Westley and I was an ROUS chasing him around.
I’ve talked to folks who I was certain would LOVE the movie (people who are into fantasy, D&D, et cetera) and they think the movie is just meh…but they didn’t see it for the first time until they were an adult.
I really think the sentimental connection with The Princess Bride happens when a person is still young (or young at heart).