History Videogame / SplatterHouse

** Perhaps the funniest ShoutOut are the disembodied hands giving Rick the finger, straight out of ''EvilDead2''.

*** When Rick first obtains a shotgun, the gun's previous owner appears to be [[EvilDead Ash Williams]].

* ShoutOut: A third of the fun in the games is to spot all references to famous horror movies (just for starters, ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'', ''Evil Dead'', ''The Deadly Spawn'' and ''Poltergeist''). The Famicom spinoff ''Wanpaku Graffiti'' went ballistic on this, including references to (and parodies of) ''{{Alien}}'', ''TheFly'', ''{{Thriller}}'' and many more.
** Perhaps the funniest ShoutOut are the disembodied hands giving Rick the finger, straight out of ''Evil Dead 2''.

*** Players can find [[TheShining the word "REDRUM"]] written on the walls in Chapter One, [[Film.ChildsPlay Chucky the doll]] partially hidden under a bed in Chapter Two, and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy's hat, shirt, and clawed glove]] in Chapter Six.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Aside from scrapped enemies, the 2010 game once had a level that took place in a frozen Nazi hangar; Rick would have fought Nazi zombies and mechs.

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: In the remake, any time Rick goes into his super form, the game picks one of a collection of metal songs to play, all with WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome names like "Apocalyptic Havoc".

* [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-Genesis]]: Even though the first game was originally a coin-op release, the sequels were made for the SegaGenesis with no prior arcade version.

* TheWormThatWalks: The Boreworm in 3 is a literal one. That means, a huge, fanged worm with legs.

*** Players can find [[TheShining the word "REDRUM"]] written on the walls in Chapter One, [[Film.ChildsPlay Chucky the doll]] partially hidden under a bed in Chapter Two, and [[ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddie's hat, shirt, and clawed glove]] in Chapter Six.

* TheWormThatWalks: The Boreworm in 3 is a literal one. That means, a huge, fanged worm with legs.

->"When a knife is thrown at Rick, what does he do? FUCKING PUNCHES IT, that's what! When's the last time ''you'' punched a knife -- ''fist-to-blade'' -- and ''the knife'' lost? Yeah, that's ''never'' happened, 'cause you ain't as badass as Rick! Rick will fuck you up!"

* BadassBoast: The Terror Mask gets one in the opening of the remake after Rick asks what it is.

** When the Terror Mask tells Rick of his time on earth before West (see the NobleDemon entry below), Rick is the one who identifies the people the Mask met [[spoiler:and protected]] as Aztecs. The Terror Mask will say that he always thought they were Mayans, who were said to have created the Mask in the first game.

* {{FanService}}: [[http://www.ripten.com/2010/12/03/jen-picture-guide-mauler/ In the 2010 remake, one of the collectable items is pictures of Jennifer either dressed, half dressed or just plain naked.]] (Link {{NSFW}})

* LighterAndSofter: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatterhouse:_Wanpaku_Graffiti Splatterhouse - Wanpaku Graffiti.]][[hottip:*: And in case you're wondering, yeah, it's awesome.]]

* [[spoiler:{{Necromantic}}: Dr. West in the remake.]]

* NintendoHard: The 2010 game is pretty hard, compared to other modern beat-em-ups. The very first room past the TasteOfPower opening can kill you repeatedly on normal difficulty. Opponents don't have much MookChivalry, Rick needs only a few hits to die, and he isn't very good at crowd-clearing.

** All four games are NintendoHard, to be perfectly honest.

** The horror movie references are visibly obvious but the oddly detailed plot came from [[HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] before it became trendy, mixed with bits of [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]] part 1. Who would have guessed the Terror Mask was based on more than Jason Voorhees?
** During the final phase of the last boss fight in the second game, the boss takes on the form of a batlike creature and music suspiciously similar to "Bloody Tears" from ''{{Castlevania}}'' plays.

* TheWormThatWalks: The Boreworm in 3 is a literal one. That means, a huge, fanged worm with legs.

* ShoutOut: A third of the fun in the games is to spot all references to famous horror movies (just for starters, ''Film/FridayThe13th'', ''Evil Dead'', ''The Deadly Spawn'' and ''Poltergeist''). The Famicom spinoff ''Wanpaku Graffiti'' went ballistic on this, including references to (and parodies of) ''{{Alien}}'', ''TheFly'', ''{{Thriller}}'' and many more.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As said in this let's play: an [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zKc5s_jYXa4#t=659s Undead Robt Cyborg Gorilla]]

*** There are plenty of references to the works of Lovecraft; in Phase Six, there is a monstrous beast in a tank towards the end of the level that looks incredibly like Cthulhu.
*** Even better, listen carefully at the spells/prayers cast by West: it mentions "Chtulhu" a couple of times.
*** You can find [[ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddie's hat, shirt and clawed glove]] and [[Film.ChildsPlay Chucky the doll]] partially hidden under a bed as well.
*** One of the moves is called "[[GodHand Pimp Hand Strong]]".
*** Not to mention Henry West itself, could easily be a shout out to [[{{Reanimator}} Herbert West]].

* WritingAroundTrademarks: In the arcade version of the first game, the Terror Mask resembles the symbolic hockey mask of Jason Voorhees; in the [=TurboGrafx-16=] port, the mask's color is changed to red, probably to prevent a lawsuit. The sequels returned the color of the mask to white(-ish), but altered the mask's design to be more skull-like.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Aside from scrapped enemies, the 2010 game once had a level which took place in a frozen Nazi hangar, where Rick would have fought Nazi zombies and mechs.

'''''Splatterhouse''''' is a series of BeatEmUp games from NamcoBandai; players control protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''{{Splatterhouse}} 3'', his son). His constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons is the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact which confers great and terrible powers upon its bearer, but seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]]...

The first ''Splatterhouse'' was originally an arcade game; in the United States, its graphic violence sparked a media frenzy from MoralGuardians, which got it swiftly pulled from arcades. It was later released on the [=TurboGrafx=]-16, although its American release was [[{{Bowdlerise}} Bowdlerised]]. (Later games did not get such treatment, since they were console-only games.) The relative obscurity of ''Splatterhouse'' at the time of its arcade release spared the port and its sequels from many a Moral Guardian's crosshairs during the ''MortalKombat''[=/=]''NightTrap'' moral panic of the early 1990s.

The first two ''Splatterhouse'' games were 2D side-scrolling ''Kung-Fu Master''-style games where Rick could splatter most enemies in one hit, but only survive a few hits himself. ''Splatterhouse 3'' was a noticeable departure: it was a ''Streets of Rage''-style BeatEmUp with a non-linear exploration element (almost every stage had players navigate a maze of rooms to reach a boss battle).

Besides the main series, there was also a [[WidgetSeries bizarre]] and [[LighterAndSofter wacky]] prequel on the {{Famicom}} -- ''{{Splatterhouse}}: Wanpaku'' (or "Naughty") ''Graffiti'' -- where all of the game's characters were SuperDeformed and numerous horror films (and their associated tropes) were parodied.

The series sat dormant after ''Splatterhouse 3'', leaving fans clamoring for a new game until 2010 -- when Namco Bandai delivered with ''Splatterhouse'' (released for the [=PlayStation=] 3 and the [=XBox=] 360). This remake[=/=]reimagining of the first game is essentially a modern-day version of its 16-bit predecessors, with all that description entails (one example: if Rick takes a lot of damage, he'll lose massive amounts of skin and ''body parts'' until he can heal). Namco Bandai also included [[EmbeddedPrecursor the entire original trilogy]] (including the uncut arcade version of the first game), essentially giving fans a ''Splatterhouse'' collection on a single disc.

* '''''Splatterhouse''''' ~ During a nasty storm, "parapsychology" students Rick Taylor and Jennifer Wills take refuge in West Mansion, known to locals as "the Splatterhouse" due to rumors of insane experiments carried out by the mansion's owner, renowned -- and missing -- researcher [[{{Re-Animator}} Dr. West]]. Once inside, Jennifer is kidnapped by a group of demons, while Rick is attacked and left for dead. When Rick awakens in the mansion dungeon, he is wearing the [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure "Terror Mask", a Mayan artifact]] discovered by West which is capable of sentient thought. The Mask has fused itself to Rick, giving him superhuman strength while encouraging him to explore the mansion to find Jennifer. Rick kills pretty much anything (emphasis on ''thing'') in his path as he climbs to the mansion's upper floors. When he finds Jennifer, Rick is horrified to see her transforms into a monster -- and since it's a "kill or be killed" situation, Rick is forced to kill the monster to stay alive. An enraged Rick soon discovers that the mansion itself is alive, and after he destroys its "womb", it "dies" and is set ablaze. After escaping the mansion, Rick kills the final creature blocking his way (in the graveyard outside of the mansion), the Terror Mask explodes, and Rick returns to normal.
* '''''Splatterhouse 2''''' ~ Three months later, nightmares of the Splatterhouse -- and Jennifer -- still haunt Rick. It's during one of these nightmares that Rick hears the Terror Mask's voice again; it tells him Jennifer's soul lives on, and if Rick can save her soul, he can bring her back to life. Rick reluctantly returns to West Mansion and puts the (reformed) Terror Mask on again, then travels through the ruins of West Mansion to discover a way to a secluded mansion belonging to West's research partner, Dr. Mueller. Mueller's mansion contains a portal into Hell itself, which is where Jennifer's soul is being held by a demonic force known as The Evil One. Rick enters this portal, fights back '''Hell itself''' to save Jennifer's soul, then leaves Hell with Jennifer in his arms and The Evil One chasing him. Rick manages to outrun The Evil One, fight off other pursuing abominations, and lay the Terror Mask to rest once more.
* '''''Splatterhouse 3''''' ~ Five years later, Rick is a successful Wall Street tycoon and lives in a mansion in Connecticut with Jennifer and their son David. David has latent psychic abilities, however, and The Evil One plans to use them to unlock the power of the Dark Stone, an artifact which will open a portal between Hell and Earth large enough for an army of demons to come through and overrun Earth. The Terror Mask senses The Evil One's power as it overtakes Rick's mansion, and with both David and Jennifer in peril, it convinces Rick to fight The Evil One's hordes once more. Jennifer and David's fates are determined by how fast a player finishes levels, although the game ends the same way regardless of their fates: Rick encounters (and destroys) The Evil One, only to discover that this was all a ruse by the Terror Mask, which usurps The Evil One's position and attempts to use the Dark Stone. Rick eventually defeats the Terror Mask once and for all in the game's final battle.
* '''''Splatterhouse (2010)''''' ~ Rick and Jennifer are students of infamous "parabiologist" Dr. Henry West; after arriving to his mansion to interview him, West sends creatures (who serve [[EldritchAbomination The Corrupted]]) to kidnap Jennifer and kill Rick. Rick is fatally wounded, but in the ensuing chaos, the Terror Mask falls out of an ancient sarcophagus, where it comes into contact with Rick's blood. Awakened by his blood, the mask tells Rick that it can heal him and help him get Jennifer back. A dying Rick reluctantly puts the artifact on -- and is transformed into a hulking beast of a man. The Mask has a surprise for Rick, however: until Jennifer is saved, it's not coming off. Rick's path of destruction leads him through West's mansion and beyond as he fights The Corrupted's servants in all their twisted, disgusting forms before [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt West can bring The Corrupted to Earth]]. Portals take Rick through time and space, revealing things that might happen should West succeed and things that have already been (thanks to a StableTimeLoop), before finally bringing him to where the "good" doctor's ready to bring The Corrupted out to play...

WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd, who is a huge fan of the series, reviewed [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-retrospective/ the original trilogy]] (a review which was done before the announcement of the 2010 game) and [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-2010/ the 2010 game]]; in preparation for the latter, he also did [[http://retrowaretv.com/gettin-super-nerdy-splatterhouse-arcade-vs-turbografx-16/ a comparison of the first game's arcade release and home port.]] ''Splatterhouse'' fansite "[[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/ The West Mansion]]" has a load of information about the entire series and a collection of fan creations; after the 2010 game flopped both critically and financially, however, the site transitioned into being an archive "until further notice".

!!This series provides examples of:

----

TheHappyVideoGameNerd, who is a huge fan of the series, reviewed [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-retrospective/ the original trilogy]] (a review which was done before the announcement of the 2010 game) and [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-2010/ the 2010 game]]; in preparation for the latter, he also did [[http://retrowaretv.com/gettin-super-nerdy-splatterhouse-arcade-vs-turbografx-16/ a comparison of the first game's arcade release and home port.]] ''Splatterhouse'' fansite "[[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/ The West Mansion]]" has a load of information about the entire series and a collection of fan creations; after the 2010 game flopped both critically and financially, however, the site transitioned into being an archive "until further notice".

-->-- '''TheHappyVideoGameNerd'''

* LighterAndSofter: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatterhouse:_Wanpaku_Graffiti Splatterhouse - Wanpaku Graffiti.]][[hottip:*: And in case you're wondering, yeah, [[BetterThanItSounds it's awesome.]]]]

* '''''Splatterhouse''''' ~ During a nasty storm, "parapsychology" students Rick Taylor and Jennifer Wills take refuge in West Mansion, known to locals as "the Splatterhouse" due to rumors of insane experiments carried out by the mansion's owner, renowned -- and missing -- researcher [[{{Re-Animator}} Dr. West]]. Once inside, Jennifer is kidnapped by a group of demons, while Rick is attacked and left for dead. When Rick awakens in the mansion dungeon, he is wearing the [[JojosBizarreAdventure "Terror Mask", a Mayan artifact]] discovered by West which is capable of sentient thought. The Mask has fused itself to Rick, giving him superhuman strength while encouraging him to explore the mansion to find Jennifer. Rick kills pretty much anything (emphasis on ''thing'') in his path as he climbs to the mansion's upper floors. When he finds Jennifer, Rick is horrified to see her transforms into a monster -- and since it's a "kill or be killed" situation, Rick is forced to kill the monster to stay alive. An enraged Rick soon discovers that the mansion itself is alive, and after he destroys its "womb", it "dies" and is set ablaze. After escaping the mansion, Rick kills the final creature blocking his way (in the graveyard outside of the mansion), the Terror Mask explodes, and Rick returns to normal.

** The horror movie references are visibly obvious but the oddly detailed plot came from [[HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] before it became trendy, mixed with bits of [[JojosBizarreAdventure JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]] part 1. Who would have guessed the Terror Mask was based on more than Jason Voorhees?

* HockeyMaskAndChainsaw

* {{Gorn}}: The various "Splatterkills" you can perform in the 2010 remake. One particularly [[SarcasmMode charming]] one involves Rick shoving his hand up an creature's asshole and ripping out its intestines.

* [=~Hey, It's That Voice!~=]: The voice of the Terror Mask in the 2010 remake is [[JimCummings Darkwing]] [[DarkwingDuck Duck]], and Dr. West is [[LegacyOfKain Moebius The Time Streamer.]]
** And Rick is WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan.

* LudicrousGibs: A staple of the series.