The Return of NES Horror Games

Ah, now we’re moving onto the more famous (and infamous) of the NES’ ghoulish output…

Castlevania (1986)/Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1988)/Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (1989)

The original Castlevania was one of my first games for the system, so I was into it for that reason alone, but it was always a hard game for me and I never got very far in it. All told, I’m not really a fan of the game or the series. I get frustrated easily with games and the Castlevania series is too maddeningly difficult for some with a short-fuse like me.

Frankenstein: The Monster Returns (1991)

A Frankenstein Nintendo game? Hey, cool! Oh wait, no it’s not. I played this one a couple of years ago and it’s pretty bad.

Chiller (1990)

An unlicensed Nintendo game, but if this game doesn’t deserve mention, I don’t know what does. If you’ve never played this game, you owe it to yourself to download find a copy. Easily the sickest NES game ever, but it’s fun in a “I feel dirty for doing this” way.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1989)

One look at that cover and you know it has to be a HORRIBLE game! Sure enough, it’s been reviewed by the Angry Video Game Nerd.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1993)

Would you believe that there apparently is no larger scan of this box art online? Yeah, that’s just about all I have to say about this game. Never saw the movie, looks pretty boring, so why would I want to play the game?

Maniac Mansion (1990)

Maniac Mansion is a classic game (it was originally released for PCs a few years earlier) full of quirkiness and creepiness. I would often rent this game and borrow it from friends. I could never really figure out what I was supposed to do though. Despite the cartoon look of the game, it could still creep me out.

Beetlejuice (1991)

Again, I have nothing to say. Some movies just don’t need to be adapted into a video game.

The Addams Family (1992)/The Addams Family: Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt (1993)

I loved the movies, but for some reason, I never got around to playing the game which was a platformer. Reviews tell me I didn’t miss much. There was a loose sequel featuring Pugsley, but it was based on the 1991 ABC cartoon series (which was inspired by the movie) and not the movie itself.

Fester’s Quest (1989)

Everybody knows Fester’s Quest! I had a friend who owned this and we would always play it down in his basement when I came over, not that it was ever really any good, but my friends and I would play any and all NES games to death, quality was never an issue. It’s such a weird tie-in though for The Addams Family. I could understand this coming out after the movies, but it would be two years before the first one even hit theaters, so it is odd we wouldn’t at least get a game based on the whole family first.

Friday the 13th (1989)

The game sucked, but it seriously freaked me out as a kid. Creep soundtrack and Jason popping up was scary to me in those days.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1990)

I’ve never played this one because I wasn’t a Freddy fan (only in the last 2 or 3 years have I gotten into this franchise) and even back then, it was common knowledge movie games weren’t that good.

Ghostbusters (1986)/Ghostbusters II (1990)

I don’t think I’ve ever played either one of these games! It’s kind of surprising the NES never got a game based on the cartoon.

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