Line #241 VideoGame/Splatterhouse


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8	->''"When a knife is thrown at Rick, what does he do? FUCKING PUNCHES IT, that's what! When was the last time ''you'' punched a knife -- ''fist-to-blade'' -- and it was ''the knife'' that lost? Yeah, that's ''never'' happened, 'cause you ain't as badass as Rick! Rick will fuck you up!"''
9	-->-- '''[[WebVideo/StopSkeletonsFromFighting The Happy Video Game Nerd]]'''
10
11	''Splatterhouse'' is a series of BeatEmUp games created by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment. Players control the 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). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an AncientArtifact that confers great and terrible powers upon anyone who wears it -- and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]].
12
13	Namco released the first ''Splatterhouse'' in arcades; in the United States, its graphic violence sparked a media frenzy from MoralGuardians, which got the game pulled from arcades. The game's later release on the Platform/TurboGrafx16 received some {{Bowdleri\|se}}zation to avoid the same fate; later games did not get such treatment, as the relative obscurity of ''Splatterhouse'' spared the port and its sequels from the crosshairs of the early 1990s "violence in video games" moral panic spawned by ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and ''VideoGame/NightTrap''. (That the first three ''Splatterhouse'' games featured no real human foes to beat up probably helped, too.)
14
15	The first two ''Splatterhouse'' games feature 2D side-scrolling ''VideoGame/KungFuMaster''-style gameplay; Rick can splatter most enemies in one hit, but can only survive a few hits himself. ''Splatterhouse 3'' plays more like a ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage''-style beat-'em-up and includes a non-linear exploration element where players navigate a maze of rooms to reach a boss battle.
16
17	Namco also published ''Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'' ("Naughty Graffiti"), a bizarre and [[LighterAndSofter wacky]] prequel for the Platform/{{Famicom}} that features SuperDeformed versions of the game's characters and parodies of numerous horror films (and their associated tropes).
18
19	The series sat dormant after ''Splatterhouse 3'', and fans clamored for a new game for years. Namco Bandai delivered that game in 2010 with ''Splatterhouse'', released for the Platform/PlayStation3 and the Platform/XBox360. This remake[=/=]re-imagining of the first game works as a modern-day version of its 16-bit predecessors, with all that description entails (for example, if Rick takes a lot of damage, he loses 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) as unlockable bonuses, which turned the disc into the ultimate ''Splatterhouse'' collection.
20
21	''Splatterhouse'' fan-site [[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/ "The West Mansion"]] has a load of information about the entire series and a collection of fan creations.
22	----
23	!!The ''Splatterhouse'' series contains the following tropes:
24
25	* OneUp: In the third game, you can find hidden rooms that leads to books that gives Rick an extra life.
26	* TwoAndAHalfD: There are sidescrolling segments in the 2010 remake.
27	* AdvancingWallOfDoom: As the original game began life in the arcades, all levels in it contain a device to keep players from stalling, in the form of a slow-moving wall of glowing, rippling purple ''something'' that pursues you until you reach the boss. The console-exclusive ''Splatterhouse 2'' does this twice; once by having the Kraken chase you across a collapsing bridge, and once as you're escaping Hell by having a giant glowing creature -- which is possibly the Evil One -- pursue you while shooting energy balls at you.
28	** A couple of the side-scrolling segments in the 2010 game have some form of this as well.
29	* AlienBlood: ''Demon'' blood in this case -- while plain ol' red is pretty prevalent as well, quite a few of the enemies have blood of various other colors. Strangely enough, it seems that backgrounds in all three of the classic games are allowed to be as red as possible, but blood from enemies has to be another color if it's freshly spilled (such as a low-level mook in part 3 with bloody red stumps where its head and hands should be, but still bleeds green). Even then, it's not a strictly enforced rule, as a boss in part 2 explodes into a crimson spray that even runs down the screen.
30	* AllThereInTheManual: In the 2010 remake, the corpse that crumbles to dust after Rick knocks over the sarcophagus it resides in actually has a backstory, only accessible in dialogue in the game files; the corpse was formerly a conquistador named Francisco Miguel Cortez, whose ship crashed on an island with an Aztec temple. As his men died or became Corrupted, he took refuge in the temple, and eventually found the sarcophagus with the Terror Mask in it. Afterwards, he was sealed in the sarcophagus himself, and [[AndIMustScream completely left unable to die]] thanks to the Mask.
31	%%* AmplifierArtifact and ArtifactOfDoom: The Terror Mask. See CoolMask below.
32	%%* AnotherDimension: The Void.
33	* AntiVillain:
34	** Dr. West in the remake, although this mostly applied to him before [[spoiler:Rick killed his (demonic) wife, fulfilling a StableTimeLoop]].
35	** The Terror Mask veers towards this and AntiHero in the remake, as it does have justified reasons for wanting to destroy the Corruption (see NobleDemon below) but was still manipulating Rick into its unknown agenda.
36	* ArcadePerfectPort: The version of the original arcade ''Splatterhouse'' included in the 2010 remake matches the original 1-to-1, from the visual aesthetics, the sound, the music, everything all is here. It even uses ''credits'' as if the player is playing the actual arcade cabinet.
37	* ArcWords: "She doesn't have to die." in the reboot. Said only twice, but in a very significant context. To motivate him to wear the Terror Mask, it tells Rick those words, and [[spoiler:when Dr. West monologues in a later level, he says that he heard a voice tell him that sentence, motivating him to try and bring his wife Lenora back to life, with the Terror Mask's voice slightly overlapping his when he says those words.]] [[note]] The mask says the same thing to compel Rick to put it on and come back to the mansion to save Jennifer in the second game, as well. [[/note]]
38	* ArmorPiercingAttack: In the remake, Rick's Berserk mode attacks will cut through the shielding that an Aegis gives to other creatures. Rick clones that go into Berserk mode can harm Rick when he's in his normally invulnerable Berserk mode.
39	* AscendedExtra:
40	** Dr. West was the one who kidnapped Jennifer in the game that started the franchise, but never actually ''appeared'' on-screen, and indeed didn't exist ''at all'' until the manuals for the home console port were printed. He appears in full in the remake, with a fairly fleshed out backstory.
41	** Mirror Rick becomes an actual boss in the remake, as opposed to a generic enemy that Rick has to fight. He would have had actual lines too, but they were cut (he intended to KillAndReplace Rick).
42	%%* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: [[spoiler:The Terror Mask]] invokes this in the bad endings to the third game.
43	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Hell Chaos, the last boss of the first game. His head alone is as tall as Rick. The rest of his unseen, rotten body is underground.
44	** The remake gives us Golem, an enormous tentacled beast grown from a doll full of tentacles that armors itself into a humanoid shape using furniture from throughout the house.
45	** The giant Boreworms are really giant this time.
46	** The final boss, The Overlord, is a massive, vaguely humanoid beast composed of ten thousand corpses supplied by your rampage against the monsters of the game.
47	* AxCrazy: The Terror Mask in the remake. He keeps urging Rick to kill more stuff.
48	** Which, believe it or not, makes him ''better'' than his original trilogy persona; the few lines the mask spoke in the classic games imply that it is a very cold and cunning being; while the new personality seems to be interested in ''only'' killing other demons and just having "fun" [[spoiler:with a little bit of a revenge quest snuck in]], the old one wanted to outright kill ''every being'' in its path for world domination, Jennifer, David and even Rick himself included.
49	* BadassBoast: The Terror Mask gets one in the opening of the remake after Rick asks what it is.
50	-->'''The Terror Mask:''' "Let's just say I'm God. ''Your'' God. Well, at least the only one who's listening right now."
51	** A subtle, but present, example at the start of the second game:
52	-->'''The Terror Mask:''' "Rick... she doesn't have to die. You can still save her. Only I can give you that power. Rick... ''you need me''."
53	* BadFuture: One of the places you travel to in the remake, New York City, thirteen months after failing to save Jennifer, the Corrupted have basically [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt ended everything]].
54	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The final battle against [[spoiler:the Terror Mask]] in the third game.
55	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Before the first boss fight in ''Splatterhouse 2'', three monsters choose being ''torn apart'' by the boss rather than face Rick.
56	* BitingTheHandHumor: The Xbox 360 exclusive Terror Mask skin's description tells you that it can "Turn every arena into a red circle of death," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the infamous Red Ring of Death that plagued the first Xbox 360 consoles released.
57	* BlackoutBasement: The second stage of part 2 features this sort of of setting. The background is pitch dark save for a few very dim fluorescent lights on the walls, which reveal ghostly faces each time they flicker out.
58	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The name "Biggy Man" is actually meant to be "Piggy Man", which is the actual romanized spelling used in the PC Engine version's manual (as well as in the official soundtrack). In an early strategy guide for the [=TurboGrafx-16=] version for the first game, Piggy Man's name was mistranslated "Biggy Man" and this mistake was propagated by fansites, eventually making its way into the American-developed 2010 version.
59	** The third game has a pretty good translation... save for a few hilarious typos.
60	--->'''Mask''': David it ''[sic]'' that child.
61	* BloodierAndGorier: The remake compared to the original trilogy. In every way [[SerialEscalation imaginable.]]
62	* BloodyHilarious: The remake. The Terror Mask gets off on making quips about the stuff you kill.
63	* BloodKnight: The Terror Mask. Established in the remake, as according the original trilogy's very few dialogues and manuals, the mask is very clear on its primary goals and doesn't seem to crave fighting and killing as much as it does in the remake.
64	* BodyHorror: It's hard to find a series with more body horror than this one. In fact, it's hard to find a single frame of a ''Splatterhouse'' game that doesn't have some kind of body horror in it.
65	** There ''is'' [[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/spla0187.png a scene in the first game with Rick in front of an altar]]. But that's about it. Really, these games are '''''SICK'''''.
66	* BonusStage: The Strange Zone (Stage X) in the third game, they're essentially bonus stages with no timer where you fight off some enemies and pick up some 1-Ups and power stones. Every time Rick completes the bonus stages, Rick consistently responds with wordless confusion.
67	-->'''Rick''': "......?"
68	* BodyOfBodies: The FinalBoss of the second game. Also the one from the remake... this time more literally, as some of the bodies he's composed of will occasionally fall off, revive and charge at you.
69	* BossInMooksClothing: In some areas of the remake you'll find a single, apparently ordinary mook all alone. For some reason, it can kill you with one DeadlyLunge if you're not careful enough, even at full health.
70	* {{Bowdlerise}}:
71	** Believe it or not, the 2010 game got a small bit of this; instead of the game's easy difficulty being called "Pussy", Namco higher-ups made them change it because they felt it would be insulting to gamers. It was changed to "Coward". It's particularly odd because this is a game in which the Terror Mask constantly berates your character's reluctance or fear with lines like "I'm sorry, did your ''vagina'' say something just now?"
72	** In the second game of the original trilogy, it was made clear that Rick did in fact kill Jennifer and in the second game had to fight his way into the underworld and bring her back to life. The US version states that the creature from the first game wasn't her and she was trapped in the other house the whole time.
73	** The Terror Mask was originally the "Hell Mask" in Japan.
74	** In the first game, the Inverted Cross boss was reskinned into a monster head for the console ports.
75	* BreakableWeapons: Especially in the Remake. Justified, as Rick is swinging said weapons with unearthly power. Furthermore if they weren't breakable they'd be a GameBreaker. You can use that unearthly power to increase weapon durability but even that only works for so long. They also break in only one or two hits against enemies above a certain weight class regardless of how fresh they are (thankfully that single hit does full damage).
76	* BreakingTheFourthWall: The Terror Mask in the remake is fond of doing this.
77	-->"See, that's the kind of shit that got us an M-rating."
78	* CameBackWrong: When Dr. West used the information given to him by [[EldritchAbomination an extra-dimensional creature]] to both prolong his life and bring back his dead wife Lenora. While West didn't die, it's implied that the life extension process affected his mind and transformed him into [[HumanoidAbomination something else]] while the resurrection process he used on his wife (which he based the life extension process from) plays this trope straight as while she has brief moments of lucidity, most of the time she's a slavering, beastial, monstrosity that's been implied to have, on one occasion, killed and eaten children.
79	* ChainsawGood: For Rick in ''Splatterhouse 2''; it's also the best weapon in the remake (next to the shotgun).
80	** Chainsaw Not-So-Good: The infamous boss Piggy Man from the first game had chainsaws where his hands should be.
81	* ClusterFBomb: Rick and the Terror Mask in the remake, especially the Terror Mask.
82	* CoolMask: The Terror Mask, an ancient relic that gives its barer immense, demonic strength.
83	* CreepyCrosses: A boss in the first game is a floating inverted cross. This was replaced [[{{Bowdlerise}} with a more generic-looking floating monster head]] in the American [=TurboGrafx=]-16 release.
84	* CuteGhostGirl: Jokers, the ghost girls that drops skulls from above from the original game.
85	* DeadpanSnarker: The Terror Mask in the remake, who always have a quip to make for just about any situation. And usually at Rick's expense.
86	* DegradedBoss:
87	** The Teratoid in the remake.
88	** Inverted with Mirror Rick, who was just a normal enemy to overcome in the original game. The remake, however, makes Mirror Rick a full-on boss, albeit occasionally throwing weaker Mirror Ricks at you before coming back to the fight.
89	* DemonicPossession: Rick can give up control to the Terror Mask in the remake for short periods of time. The resulting juggernaut is able to flay demons apart in single strikes, siphon blood out of multiple enemies at once, and risks killing Rick if it's maintained past the enforced duration.
90	** [[spoiler:Jennifer becomes a victim of this at the end of the remake. Thanks a lot, West.]]
91	* DemotedToExtra: The Boreworms are a recurring enemy in the original trilogy of games, but are smaller and weaker in the reboot (to the point Rick can just casually step on them), becoming a fairly minor way to get extra blood points.
92	* {{Determinator}}: Monsters kidnap Jennifer. Rick kills all the monsters. [[spoiler:Jennifer turns into a monster and must be killed.]] Rick goes to hell and gets her back. Eldritch horrors invade Rick's mansion and attack his family. [[MultipleEndings Whether he saves them or not]], there is going to be hell to pay.
93	* DieChairDie: In the original arcade game, justified as they were possessed and out to kill you. In the remake, you can smash some of the crates, barrels, and other objects laying around for Boreworms and get their blood.
94	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Pretty much all you do throughout all of the games. Sometimes you [[ImprovisedWeapon also smash Cthulhu up with 2x4s]].
95	* DifficultyByRegion: The Japanese version of Splatterhouse 3 is significantly more forgiving than the overseas releases. Enemies take much less damage to kill and the time limits are significantly more forgiving, meaning you can save your family more easily and get to Stage X for more lives with less trouble. The downside is that Rick doesn't have his spin kick and flesh wave attacks, giving him less crowd control.
96	* DownerEnding: The first game, and all but one ending to the third.
97	** In the first game, [[spoiler:Rick is unable to save Jennifer as she turns into a monster and has to be killed. After killing Hell Chaos (implied to be the remnants of Dr. West), the Terror Mask breaks, and Rick escapes the burning mansion alone, with the mask rebuilding itself behind him and laughing evilly. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHWFeMgeEps The somber music]] that plays over the credits really hammers it in]].
98	** In the third game: [[spoiler:If Rick fails to save either his son, Jennifer, or both, with the Terror Mask [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil promising that it will come back]] to haunt him.]]
99	--->'''Rick:''' Alone. All alone...
100	* DownloadableContent: The 2010 game features alternate masks for Rick to wear, such as the Retro Hockey Mask resembling the [=TurboGrafx=]-16 version, a masked based on Dia de Los Muertos, and a skull-like mask. There are also extra survival arenas available for purchase.
101	* EarlyBirdCameo: After you defeat Head Snake, the keeper of the gate to the Void in ''Splatterhouse 2'', you see a huge, red mass being expelled from the passage. It's the Ultimate Evil, and you fight it as the final boss later.
102	* EarnYourHappyEnding: The original trilogy. Rick went through utter hell in his life via wandering through an abomination-filled haunted house, being forced to kill his girlfriend, [[ToHellAndBack went to literal Hell to save his girlfriend's soul from demons]], racing against time when said demons and their leader invade his new home and family and prevent them from being killed or turned into mindless beasts, and [[spoiler:wreck his own mask for manipulating him so it could take over the world]]. By the end of it, [[spoiler:Rick is able to resume his newly built family in peace, with no more forces of evil attempting to ruin both the world and his personal life.]] And according to (Bandai) Namco, this is the canon ending for the original trilogy.
103	* EasyLevelTrick: Biggy Man is a ''hard'' boss in the original game, but you can turn him into a cakewalk by carrying both shotguns into the fight, simply swapping them out repeatedly as you move and using low kicks to deal with the lesser enemies.
104	* EldritchAbomination: Pretty much everything, to some degree. The House itself, and some of the monsters from the second game counts.
105	* EliteMooks: Many enemies have a stronger counterpart, namely the Teratoid and Abhore have the Demon Teratoid and the Demon Abhore.
106	* EmbeddedPrecursor: The 2010 revival has the original trilogy of ''Splatterhouse'' games as unlockable bonuses.
107	* EveryTenThousandPoints: In the first two games. Every 30,000 points in the first game and 20,000 points in the sequel respectively earns you an extra life.
108	%%* EverybodyLives[=/=][[EverybodysDeadDave Everybody Dies]]: The best and worst endings of the third game.
109	* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Aside from the ordinary hellish creatures from AnotherDimension, things that attempt to kill Rick include random wildlife, furniture, household tools, his own reflection, [[spoiler:his girlfriend/wife-to-be, and his son's teddy bear]].
110	* EvilFeelsGood: The Terror Mask in the remake is constantly trying to get Rick to admit he loves the power and strength it gives him.
111	%%* EvilIsVisceral: Pretty much everything in this game series.
112	* EvilMask: The Terror Mask. Although an evil artifact, it's willing to help Rick save his loved ones [[spoiler:except in the third game of the original trilogy, where it shows its true colors]].
113	* EvolvingAttack: In the remake, you can purchase skill upgrades that further enhance some of your existing moves.
114	* ExactTimeToFailure: Usually played straight in the third game, but [[AvertedTrope mercilessly averted]] when it comes to Stage 2. "Alright, I beat the Giant Boreworm with (any amount of time below 2 minutes) remaining, I-- wait, JENNIFER DIED?!"
115	* ExactWords: The Terror Mask's deal in the remake is that he won't get off of Rick's face until Jen is safe in his arms. [[spoiler:He doesn't come off, because it's not ''Jen'' in her body...]]
116	* ExcusePlot: Demons kidnapped your girlfriend. Maim them. Slightly less so in the 2010 remake.
117	* EyeScream:
118	** The second stage boss in the second game is a huge spectral face that you [[AttackItsWeakPoint have to attack in its bulging eyes]]. Once you defeat it, its eyes explode.
119	** One of the monsters in the remake is a colossal eye (complete with eyelids) blocking your way. You must defeat it and rip it out in order to pass.
120	* {{Fanservice}}: In the 2010 remake, each stage has four pieces of a photograph. Finding all of them will reward you with a picture of [[MsFanservice Jennifer]] either dressed, half dressed, or completely naked.
121	%%* FinishingMove: The Splatterkills in the remake.
122	* FlunkyBoss: There are a grand total of ''two'' bosses in ''Wanpaku Graffiti'' that aren't this.
123	** Master Dead from the original game relies on reanimating zombies to fight you.
124	* FourthWallObserver: The Terror Mask in the remake seems to be very aware of the fact that it is in a video game.
125	** In one of its dialogues with Rick, it tells him that he's been a killer "in other games".
126	** He comments on how the current situation is what got them an M-Rating. Rick had just shoved four demons, ass first, onto a conveyor belt's "recepticals" and imploded them with the sonic machinery.
127	* GainaxEnding: In ''Wanpaku Graffiti''. [[spoiler:Or perhaps not. Obtaining two crystals reveals that while Rick and Jennifer lived happily after the ending, being a movie and all, they would face a tragedy later, with the picture of both of them running to a mansion in a nasty storm... the opening of the original ''Splatterhouse'', thus ''Wanpaku Grafitti'' can serve as its prequel.]]
128	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Hell Chaos from the very first game had ''zero'' explanation. Whose grave is this outside the Splatterhouse? Why does the Terror Mask interact with it? What exactly is the giant final boss monster underneath it? After the [=TurboGrafx-16=] expanded the evil mansion's backstory to include one "Dr. West", it started to make more sense.
129	* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: The Terror Mask:
130	-->"Who am I? Let's just say I'm God. Your god. 'Least the only god that's listening right now. What do I want? Ah, the same as any god. Little faith. For without faith, I am nothing. And without me... ''you're [[PrecisionFStrike fucked]].''"
131	* GoodThingYouCanHeal: The Mask in the remake has an amazing healing power. Pretty much required, as some injuries will leave you with missing chunks of flesh, exposed bones, and missing arms.
132	* {{Gorn}}: The series gets off on this, sometimes to the point of being stomach-churning.
133	* GrandFinale: ''Splatterhouse 3'' serves as the final conclusion of the original series, since it has Rick battle the Terror Mask after learning it is EvilAllAlong in the final boss fight and, [[MultipleEndings depending on how quickly the player beats certain levels]], ends with Rick living happily ever after with his wife and son while the Terror Mask is permanently defeated.
134	* GrowingMusclesSequence: Rick goes through a pretty gruesome one as soon as he wears the Terror Mask in the beginning of the 2010 remake.
135	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Rick is strong enough to rip enemies into sizeable chunks, or punch them into half with his bare hands.
136	* HarderThanHard: The second and third game has Game Master difficulty, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment a difficulty above the Difficult difficulty]].
137	* HauntedHouse: Perhaps not so much haunted as ''possessed''. Dr. West's experiments have filled his home with all manner of monsters, demons, and spirits. In the third game, Rick's mansion suffers a similar fate when the Evil One attacks it.
138	* HurricaneKick: In ''3'', pressing Back->Forward->Attack when untransformed will make Rick spin around kicking everyone in his path. It's actually the most damaging attack by Rick, even moreso than anything from his powered-up form.
139	* HockeyMaskAndChainsaw: Rick wears a hockey mask and can sometimes use a chainsaw. In sequels, the mask was redesigned to look more like a skull, but the similarities to Jason's signature mask were still pretty apparent.
140	* HowWeGotHere: The intro of the remake is only part of the introduction; playing further shows more bits and pieces of it, including how Rick was dying, why the Terror Mask was lying next to him, and why there are photographs of Rick and Jenny lying on the lobby floor.
141	* ImAHumanitarian: "The Children consume human flesh with much relish. I tried it once. It was not to my taste."
142	* ImprovisedWeapon: The [=2x4s=] and similar weapons, which can be used to smack enemies around and into walls. In the 2010 game, you can use ''your own arm'' if it was severed and a move you can learn lets you rip enemies arms off and beat them with it.
143	* JumpScare: [[spoiler:''Splatterhouse 2'' ends with one after the credits.]]
144	** In the remake: [[spoiler:during the Meat Factory, the game suddenly flashes images of Jennifer's hideously deformed face saying "Rick, save me."]]
145	** ''The initial screen'' of the remake is a jump scare.
146	* KaizoTrap: The original arcade game pulls this ''three times''. The first boss fight has a final leech leap out of the hanging corpse. The second boss fight has the infamous OneHitKill FallingChandelierOfDoom. The penultimate level's boss (a giant uterus) spews out deadly embryonic fluids upon being killed.
147	** For the second game, Rick must stay clear away from the first boss's stomach when it explodes or acid is drenched all over him.
148	* {{Karakasa}}: ''Wanpaku Graffiti'' has umbrella ghosts as the outdoor enemies in the secret pagoda level.
149	* LampshadeHanging: Terror Mask acknowledges how gruesome some of the things he has Rick do to the Corrupted are.
150	-->"[[BreakingTheFourthWall See, that's the kind of shit that got us an M-rating.]]"
151	* LargeHam: In the 2010 game, the leering Dr. West is even more rubber-faced than Creator/JimCarrey.
152	** The Terror Mask himself is exceptionally hammy, not surprising seeing as how it's voiced by the prolifically hammy Creator/JimCummings.
153	--->"For a Dick, you are such a pussy!"
154	* LastDitchMove: Done by the second boss in the first game via FallingChandelierOfDoom. It [[OneHitKill takes away all your health hearts]] if it lands on you.
155	** The first and sixth bosses do the same with a hidden last enemy and acid blood, while ''Part Two'' has only the first boss doing this splashing you with gastric fluids.
156	* TheLegionsOfHell: The monsters you face in the original trilogy, ranging from ghouls, zombies, and hellish abominations. The remake has the Corrupted, hellish monsters summoned by Dr. West.
157	* LetsPlay: [=Batman9502=] has done a Let's Play of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6zbprR2OZs the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO4K4BY9H6w original]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTi9P45BbCw trilogy]] during [[HalloweenEpisode the Halloween season]]. [[WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged NathanGraves989]] also has done one for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvg8-ekMJfc the 2010 remake]].
158	* LifeDrain: The Splatter Siphon in the remake, which lets you drain blood from nearby enemies.
159	* LifeEnergy: {{Inverted\|Trope}} with Necro, which is the energy of the ''dead''.
160	* LifeMeter: In the first two games, your hit points were presented as hearts, as in the actual organ. The third game and the remake has a more straightforward gauge display, alongside a meter to show how much juice the Terror Mask has.
161	* LighterAndSofter:
162	** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatterhouse:_Wanpaku_Graffiti Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti.]] [[note]]And in case you're wondering, yeah, it's awesome.[[/note]]
163	** The 2010 Splatterhouse is less horrific and more action-fantasy ish compared to the 16-bit originals.
164	* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Every time you go back to a checkpoint. Due to the difficulty, this can lead to long stretches of more loading than playing.
165	* TheLostLenore: Dr. West's wife, who Jennifer greatly resembles. Named Lenora, in case you didn't spot the metaphor.
166	%%* LoveMakesYouEvil: Dr. West in the remake.
167	* LudicrousGibs: The various "Splatterkills" you can perform in the 2010 remake. One particularly [[SarcasmMode charming]] one involves Rick shoving his hand up a creature's asshole and ripping out its intestines.
168	* MadeOfPlasticine: Most enemies are, to some extent. That, or the Terror Mask is just ''that'' powerful.
169	** Considering that the arcade version of the original game opens with Rick having to be saved from death by the Mask after he enters the mansion, the latter is likely the case.
170	*** Made all too clear in the remake. Rick without the mask is damn near sliced in half during the attack that leaves him dying; Rick with the mask is able to rip the same enemies to shreds with his bare fists.
171	* MadScientist: A boss in the second game. He chucks beakers of incendiary chemicals. (In the Western version, he's Dr. Mueller, a research partner of Dr. West. In Japan, he ''is'' Dr. West.)
172	%%** Doctor West in the remake.
173	* MagicPants: In the first game, during the fight against [[spoiler:the mutated Jennifer, she transforms back into her human form]] after being hit enough times, with her clothes literally reappearing out of nowhere.
174	** In ''Splatterhouse 3'', whenever Rick transforms into his SuperMode, his shirt rips off, but when he reverts, his shirt grows back.
175	* MagneticPlotDevice: Obtained from evidence from the manuals and games, [[spoiler:it is revealed that the [[ArtifactOfDoom Terror Mask]] is the one thing responsible for summoning evil spirits and turning houses into massive horrifying fleshpiles. Apparently, it's a magnet for evil of all sorts. Even the Wanpaku Graffiti ending featured it coming to life, and laughing evilly while poltergeists proceeded to trash the studio.]]
176	* ManaMeter: The POW Meter, which is used for your Mutant Rick form. The 2010 has the Necro Meter, which is used for your Splatter Moves and Berserk mode.
177	* MirrorBoss and EvilKnockoff: Both in the original and in the 2010 game, Rick must fight clones of himself generated by evil mirrors; only in the remake is the battle treated as a boss fight.
178	* MonsterClown: The 2010 remake has Clown Corrupted as enemies "Phase Seven: Scream Park". Cut Dialogue also reveals that Rick is afraid of clowns, which the Terror Mask, of course, has fun with.
179	* MsFanservice: Jennifer in the remake. You even get to collect some naked pictures of her throughout the remake.
180	* MultiPlatform: The 2010 remake, released on the [=PlayStation=] 3 and Xbox 360.
181	* MultipleEndings: In the third game, whether or not you complete certain stages before the time limit is up determines which ending you see. Two of the game's objectives are to rescue Rick's wife, Jennifer, and their son, David. They can only be rescued by making it to the end of levels two and four respectively as quickly as possible. Depending on whether you save both of them, only one, or neither of them, the game ends on a positive note with Rick being reunited with his family, or results in one of three possible {{Downer Ending}}s where either Rick is a widower who has to raise his son alone, Rick and Jennifer are bereaved parents, or Rick is left alone after losing both his wife and his son.
182	* MuseumGame: The 2010 ''Splatterhouse'' remake is a softer museum example, as beating this NintendoHard game earns the right to play the original 3 games, while also viewing extra art and information on them. It's basically a playable tour through the ''Splatterhouse'' franchise plus art and information. This is done as both a nostalgic reward for fans of the original series (especially as many wanted to play the uncensored game but never could) and to educate new players about the cool stuff that came before.
183	* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: Unlike the player, Mirror Rick doesn't have to jump in the air to launch a slide attack at you.
184	* MythologyGag: [[MythologyGag/{{Splatterhouse}} Now has its own page.]]
185	%%* {{Necromancer}}: [[FlunkyBoss Master Dead]] in the original game.
186	%%* {{Necromantic}}: [[spoiler:Dr. West in the remake.]]
187	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Thanks to a StableTimeLoop, [[spoiler:Rick was the reason Dr. West made a deal with The Corrupted in the first place]].
188	* NightmareFace: Fail to [[spoiler:save Jennifer in time]] in the third game, and you will be treated to a [[NightmareFuel horrifyingly realistic]] [[http://opcfg.kontek.net/t3m/mindless_beast.png image]] where [[spoiler:Jennifer bares her fangs. Quite literally]].
189	* 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.
190	** In an inversion of this trope, however, the "Brutal" difficulty can be much easier compared to "Savage", [[NewGamePlus since you are able to bring any upgrades you have gained into a new game]], if you chose to carry them over.
191	** The classic games were no joke, either, with the first two ''Splatterhouse'' games working on arcade levels of fiendish TrialAndErrorGameplay. Enemies, death obstacles, and traps all worked to take you by surprise in a way that even tight reflexes might eventually fall to, forcing the player to have to learn the games more like a routine rather than be able to inch your way through them the old-fashioned way.
192	** The third game taking a GenreShift to more of a brawler, however, came with the difficulty of getting the good ending. Not only was pretty much every boss fight a DamageSpongeBoss, even if you tapped into the Terror Mask's SuperMode, but the story-imposed TimedMission in almost every stage meant you had to reach the boss ''and'' defeat them under the time limit or else Rick's family would meet a horrible fate in some way or another. And these time limits were ''tight'' to boot, complete with Stage 2's cruel aversion of ExactTimeToFailure for first-time players[[note]]If the timer hits two minutes left, the worm's already [[BrainFood burrowed into Jennifer's brain]] and doomed her[[/note]], and thus forcing the player to exploit the game mechanics and enemy AI in every way possible.
193	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As said in this let's play: an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zKc5s_jYXa4#t=659s Undead Robot Cyborg Gorilla]].
194	* NobleDemon: [[spoiler:In the remake, the Terror Mask tells Rick that after escaping the influence of the Corrupted, he took up the role of a protector to the ancient Aztecs, and was actually pretty good at it, and partly wants revenge on the Corrupted because they killed all the people he was protecting. When Rick doesn't believe the Terror Mask, he tells Rick that, if a [[IncorruptiblePurePureness good guy]] like Rick could do a few [[EvilFeelsGood bad things]] (which he certainly has at this point), then the [[GoodFeelsGood opposite]] could be true with [[BloodKnight himself]].]]
195	** [[spoiler:Much in contrast to his personality in the original trilogy; there, the Terror Mask wanted the other demons dead for his goals of world domination, no revenge involved. Overall, the classic Terror Mask is more of a ''cunning evil bastard'' and the new Terror Mask is a ''happy killer''.]]
196	* NostalgiaLevel: Some sections of the 2010 game are two-dimensional corridors filled with enemies that you [[BreakingTheFourthWall can smash into the fourth wall with your 2x4]] and massive death traps, while a musical score that sounds like the ones from 80s horror flicks blares loudly.
197	* NotSoDifferentRemark:
198	** The Terror Mask tries to use this frequently, telling Rick that he loves killing the demons as much as it does, although it's pretty obvious that Rick is a ''far'' better person than the Mask could ever hope to be.
199	** During one of their final confrontations, West notes that he and Rick share "the same interests, the same purpose... the same woman."
200	* NoYou: This exchange between Rick and Dr. West from the 2010 game.
201	-->'''Rick:''' Yeah? Well, ''fuck'' you!\
202	'''Dr. West:''' No, Rick! '''''FUCK''' YOU!''
203	* OffWithHisHead: Rick can decapitate enemies when he's using a machete. This is also how Rick kills many of the bosses in the remake, most notably the Giant Boreworm. He can even do this with some of his Splatterkills.
204	** Blue Hominis can do this too to Rick, which is obviously instant death for you.
205	* OneHitKill: In the older games, anything Rick did would gib regular enemies. In the remake, even the weak enemies can take a fair beating, but two special grab attacks — the arm rip grab and the held weapon grab — will kill enemy mooks with a single use.
206	%%* OneWingedAngel: The [[spoiler:Terror Mask itself, in the final level of ''Splatterhouse 3'']].
207	* OnlyAFleshWound: In the latest version, Rick can have his right arm severed and still keep fighting. One of the creatures from the third game can even attack you with part of his skull missing.
208	* PainfulTransformation: Rick's sudden muscle gain in the beginning of the 2010 game breaks his leg initially. Half his skin is also displaced when [[SuperMode Terror Mask goes all out]].
209	** [[spoiler: Jennifer]] in the original game doesn't sound like she's having a good time mutating either.
210	* PaintingTheMedium: With blood in the remake. After killing the boss of Stage IV in ''Splatterhouse 2'', blood explodes onto the screen and then runs down on it.
211	* PerfectPlayAI: Biggy Man seems to keep tabs on your moves. He'll even jump backwards if you try to dropkick him.
212	* PasswordSave: ''Splatterhouse 2'' and ''3'' each have a password system to record the player's progress, although you only get your password if you lose all of your lives and get kicked into the Game Over screen.
213	* PictorialLetterSubstitution: The title logo for the remake of the game has the [[MaskOfPower Terror Mask]] for the O in "house".
214	* ThePowerOfBlood: Almost every door or trap in the 2010 game is powered and/or unlocked by massive doses of blood from the enemies you kill. You also buy moves using blood points.
215	* PreOrderBonus: Those who pre-ordered the 2010 game at [=GameStop=] also got a statue of the Terror Mask.
216	* PrecisionFStrike: Rick does this to Dr. West in one of the 2010 game's trailers.
217	** During the last phase, Rick confronts Doctor West, and after revealing his big plan for revenge against Rick [[spoiler:(for things West accidentally set in motion himself)]], Rick replies "Yeah... well fuck you." To which Doctor West shouts, "[[NoYou No, Rick. FUCK YOU!!!]]"
218	%%* RatedMForManly: ''Especially'' the 2010 game.
219	* RecurringBoss: All the mini-bosses and also the Giant Boreworm, who you have to fight (and some times behead) at least four times, if not more.
220	* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: The new design of the Giant Boreworm, complete with fangs and a [[CreepyCentipedes centipede-like tongue]].
221	* RetCanon: In the 1988 original, the concepts of Dr. West and "West Manor" didn't exist until the game was ported to the [=TurboGrafx-16=], after which they were firmly cemented as part of the canon and the central antagonists of the 2010 remake.
222	* SavedForTheSequel: In ''Splatterhouse 2'', Rick runs away from the Evil One once he rescues Jennifer, he has no intention to fight him. The game's [[TheStinger stinger]] implies that [[SequelHook Rick's troubles are far from over.]] Sure enough, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', the Evil One becomes a boss that Rick actually has to fight against instead of running away from.
223	* SceneryPorn: The blue lake and the green forest is a pleasant sight after escaping the gloomy mansion in ''Splatterhouse 2''.
224	* SealedEvilInACan: The Evil One, The Corrupted, [[spoiler:and the Terror Mask in the third game]].
225	* SequelHook: The 2010 game [[spoiler:ends with Jennifer possessed by one of The Corrupted, complete with BlackEyesOfEvil]].
226	* ShoutOut:
227	** A third of the fun in the games is to spot all the references to famous horror movies (just for starters, ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'', ''Franchise/EvilDead'', ''Film/TheDeadlySpawn'', and ''Film/{{Poltergeist\|1982}}''). The Famicom spinoff ''Wanpaku Graffiti'' went ballistic on this, including references to (and parodies of) ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', ''Film/TheFly1986'', ''Music/{{Thriller}}'', and many more.
228	** Perhaps the funniest shout out are the disembodied hands giving Rick the finger, straight out of ''Film/EvilDead2''.
229	** One of the heads circling the "inverted cross" boss from the first game is the head of ''Film/TheToxicAvenger''.
230	** The horror movie references are visibly obvious, but the oddly detailed plot came from [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] before it became trendy, mixed with bits of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood''. Who would have guessed the Terror Mask was based on more than Jason Voorhees?
231	** During the final phase of the last boss fight in the second game, the boss takes on the form of a bat-like creature and music suspiciously similar to "Bloody Tears" from ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' plays.
232	** In a reversal, the title character's look from ''Film/JasonX'' may be a [[http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1740/xvs3.jpg reference to or borrowing back]] from ''Splatterhouse 3''.
233	** In the 2010 game:
234	*** When Rick first obtains a shotgun, the gun's previous owner appears to be [[Franchise/EvilDead Ash Williams]].
235	*** The game packed in references to the works of Lovecraft: in Chapter Six, a monstrous beast resting in a tank towards the end of the level looks a lot like [[Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu Cthulhu]]; several spells and prayers spoken by Dr. West -- himself, a reference to [[Literature/HerbertWestReanimator Herbert West]] -- mention "Chtulhu fhtagn" and "Shub-Niggurath"; sharp-eyed players can spot other minor references to Cthulhu in the backgrounds of several stages, such as a piece of wall decor in Chapter 11; and Jennifer and Rick attend a university located in Arkham, the fictional city featured in numerous Lovecraft stories.
236	*** Players can find the word "[[Film/TheShining 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.
237	*** One of Rick's attacks has the name "[[VideoGame/GodHand Pimp Hand Strong]]".
238	*** For shout outs to the original series, see the Call Back and Mythology Gag entries above.
239	*** Almost certainly a coincidence, but Rick's bones sticking out in his mutant form bare an uncanny resemblance to Trent Fernandez/Mikoto Nakadai's Super Dino Mode/Abare Mode in ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder''/''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger''. Compare [[http://game-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/29851ScrnShot_S0009-1024x576.jpg them]] for [[http://rangerarchive.com/Power%20Rangers/2/Dino%20Thunder/Super%20Dino%20Clone.jpg yourself]].
240	*** The ending, [[spoiler:where Jennifer is [[FaceRevealingTurn revealed to be possessed by the Corrupted]] and Dr. West [[EvilLaugh laughs maniacally]]]], certainly owes homage to Music/MichaelJackson's ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' music video.
241	* ShowsDamage: The 2010 remake. As Rick gets damaged by enemies and traps, you can see pieces of his flesh ripped apart; even his arm can be ripped off, as shown in Chapter One (which also cripples your ability to fight back). Thanks to the Terror Mask, though, he can regenerate lost flesh and arms.
242	* SlideAttack: A possible maneuver in the first two games. The second game changed this so that you have to do a full jump to perform a slide attack instead of being possible regardless of jump height in the first game.
243	* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:Sometime in the past, Dr. West witnesses a masked figure re-killing his already-dead wife Leonora and vows to make humanity pay. Moving forward a few hundred years, West kidnaps Jennifer and mortally wounds Rick, forcing him to put on the Terror Mask. Eventually, Rick will go back in time -- he's the masked figure that West saw kill his wife, thus causing his StartOfDarkness.]]
244	* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Double Subverted with Jennifer and Dr. West in the remake. Dr. West grabs Jennifer by the arm and drags her through the mansion and across time to complete the ceremony. While Jennifer is no fighter, Dr. West looks to be a fairly frail old man. At one point, however, Jennifer takes the initiative and stabs West through the temple with a jagged dagger, only for West to [[HumanoidAbomination completely shrug the attack off and haul Jennifer out of sight]].
245	* SpinAttack: A possible maneuver in the third game, and you might need it to save precious time when dealing with several enemies.
246	* SplatterHorror: As the title suggests, the series allows the player to dismember enemies in showers of gore.
247	* SuperMode: Rick can do this on command in the third game, hulking out and gaining massive strength. Rick can also do this in the 2010 game, but instead of gigantic muscles, his bones grow out of his body and form blades. In both games, your super mode drains your Power and Necro Meter respectively.
248	* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: The penultimate boss in ''Splatterhouse 2'' gives you ''plenty'' of points worth extra lives, and you might need them if this is your first time playing the game blind.
249	* ATasteOfPower: The remake starts with The Terror Mask putting Rick in Berserk Mode and pumping him full of power. Rick can't take that much power at once, so the Mask decides that they'll need to "take it slow".
250	* 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 dramatic names like "Apocalyptic Havoc".
251	** As well, at the end of the game [[spoiler:after dealing the final blow to the boss, Rick and Jennifer are about to be crushed. Cue a QTE that begins to the shredding chords of "Pounding Nails (Into The Lid of Your Coffin)" by The Accused as Rick single-handedly throws a skyscraper-sized giant off them, tackles it, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill tears its heart out, and chucks the boulder-sized heart 20 feet]]]].
252	* ThirteenIsUnlucky: In the Meat Factory, there are supposedly fourteen floors, according to the elevator... But oddly, [[SubvertedTrope there's no]] ''[[SubvertedTrope 13th]]'' [[SubvertedTrope floor]]. [[DoubleSubversion You proceed to fight Biggy Man on the floor between the 12th and 14th.]]
253	* TimedMission: The third game is all about this. You have to complete each mission within a certain time limit if you want Jennifer or David to live.[[note]]By the way, ExactTimeToFailure is mercilessly averted in Stage 2. Even if there's still time left, Jennifer can still die (2 minutes or less left, and her brain will be eaten)[[/note]] While failing to do so doesn't harm Rick, you can only get the one Good Ending if they both survive.
254	** The remake has an entire timed level, ''The Wicker Bride'', where you must run through a garden maze before [[spoiler:a fanatic mob of townspeople declare Lenora[=/=]Jennifer a witch and take [[BurnTheWitch the usual countermeasure]] to this kind of situation]]. Because of the [[TimeyWimeyBall time-traveling portals]], you will repeatedly get extra time once you fight through a wave of monsters, but you'd still better [[RunDontWalk book it]].
255	* TitleDrop: After Biggy Man comes back for round two in the remake.
256	-->''"Show him why we call it 'SPLATTERHOUSE'."''
257	* TragicMonster: [[spoiler:Jennifer {{transform\|ationTrauma}}ed into a monster]] is a boss you have to kill in the first game.
258	** ToHellAndBack: [[spoiler:In the sequel, Rick goes into Hell in order to save Jennifer's soul and [[BackFromTheDead bring her back to life]]. AND HE ULTIMATELY SUCCEEDS.]]
259	* VideoGameLives: In the first two games.
260	* VillainProtagonist: In the first game, Rick is dressed like a hospital patient. This is because originally, he was supposed to be an escaped psycho ''chasing'' Jennifer. Him being a standard good guy and her actual boyfriend was a case of last-minute ExecutiveMeddling.
261	* WakeUpCallBoss: The first boss of the 2010 game is a demon that can heal himself and others, is capable of shaking off your combos, and can't be killed by anything else than a Splatterkill.
262	* WhamLine:
263	** The Terror Mask delivers this gem in the third game after the Evil One's defeat.
264	--> '''Terror Mask:''' Good job Rick! Now I can [[spoiler:[[TakeOverTheWorld rule the world...]]]]
265	** One of West's narrations in ''Phase 9: The Ruined Heart'', in the reboot seriously calls into question [[spoiler:how long the Terror Mask has been manipulating people]].
266	---> "For as I lay on the threshold to the eternal abyss, an angel spoke to me. His message - [[spoiler:'She doesn't have to die.']]"
267	* WhatMeasureIsAMook: [[SubvertedTrope Remake Rick expresses sympathy for the monsters he's fighting in the game at times]], [[ZigZaggedTrope while the Mask revels in each of their deaths]].
268	* WolfpackBoss: The first boss of the first game is a group of overgrown leeches that attack in rapid succession from all sides.
269	* WombLevel: The sixth level on the first game; also a ScrappyLevel, because of [[GoddamnedBats the millions of fetuses that continuously spawn]] from the walls. The boss of the stage is a giant pulsating heart fittingly named "Mother".
270	** In the remake, most of the interiors of the House in many levels are fleshy and alive. There are also the "Mouth Guardians" (gigantic living maws that you must feed with monsters), Eye Guardians (Gigantic eyes) and the nucleus of the House, which this time is a gigantic heart.
271	* 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, Namco changed the color to red to likely 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.
272	** As a ShoutOut to this, one of the DLC masks in the 2010 game is a red hockey mask appropriately called the "Retro Hockey Mask".

Context VideoGame / Splatterhouse