All posts by Manic Exorcism

There is a method to my madness. I've just not figured out what it is yet.

Interview with Fossil Games. Retro Horror Games Fans Will Not Want To Miss Out On!

Image October 28, 2020 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

“Go back to the 80s and solve the mystery of what really happened in the events that unfurled before the Camp Sunshine massacre years later.” – Fossil Games

Camp Sunshine, available now on Steam, is a riotous return to the glory of ’80s slasher films, which is my absolute favorite genre! Fossil Games created one helluva fun experience!

Expectations are high for their upcoming title, Sunshine Manor , a prequel to the previous game. After playing Camp Sunshine (which has gone on to sell over a 100K copies!) I can’t wait to see what gory surprises the team has in store for us next. I had the privilege of sitting down with Fossil Games to get to know the madness behind the magic.

About the Games

Manic Exorcism: After playing Camp Sunshine it’s abundantly clear you guys are horror fans. Not just that, but there is a lot of love for ‘80s culture and ‘80s slashers in this game. When making the game what movies were most influential over the project?

Fossil Games: Definitely Friday the 13th, as that’s how the game began life (as a fan game). I’d have to say Part 4 and Part 6 are my favourites and that’s what really inspired everything but then we began adding more, and more, and more and eventually it became something in its’ own right!

Manic Exorcism: Being horror fans yourselves, what are your personal favorite movies?

Fossil Games: There’s honestly just so many, most recently we really enjoyed Host and The Invisible Man. A little further back it was anything Ari Aster had put out … but after those it’s all about the ’80s horror movies for us! Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Child’s Play – all of them!

ME: And each of those titles find themselves in the game.

ME: One of the first things I noticed was the plethora of Easter Eggs. Made me fall in love with it that much more right away. What were some of your favorite Easter Eggs to include?

FG: Oh man, all of them were great fun. From the sweater in the boiler room, to Bigfoot, the Aliens and all of the posters. It was great fun trying to cram as many in there as possible!

ME: I was glad to find the Silver Shamrock Masks.

ME: On the topic of Easter Eggs were there any you couldn’t include and wish you had? For that matter, do they get an appearance in the upcoming Sunshine Manor?

FG: For Camp Sunshine we kind of reached a limit where they began to become obvious, so the ones we canned we put to one side and they’re going to be in Sunshine Manor.

ME: Another thing that stood out was the soundtrack. Perfectly eerie! Who was behind that and what were the inspirations?

FG: That would be us! We’re huge retro synth fans and so writing the music was so much fun! We grew up listening to bands like Tangerine Dream etc. so it kind of comes naturally.

ME: So Sunshine Manor is a prequel to Camp Sunshine. Do you recommend playing both games in any particular order?

FG: Nope, you can play them in whichever order you like!

ME: What do you want fans to take away from both games?

FG: From Camp Sunshine we’d like people to feel on edge, and vulnerable. You have no weapons and are being hunted down all the time.

FG: For Sunshine Manor we want the player to feel trapped and on edge, this time around you do have psychic powers to protect you – but there are a whole lot more enemies on the look out for you and even more dastardly tricks that we haven’t revealed yet!

ME: What connects both games?

FG: Now this is going to be difficult without giving the plot away completely! However in Sunshine Manor we go through the story of Clement Aitken, our universes Mr. Rogers and what he did to gain his fame … and what it ultimately cost.

ME: How do both games differ from each other?

FG: In Camp Sunshine, you were very much unarmed and vulnerable whilst a maniac with a large knife was hunting you down. In Sunshine Manor you now have Psychic Powers that you can call upon to cast out the nasties in the demon realm, and also give yourself a little bit of breathing room from the evolving Mansion and Shadow Man.

FG: The two stories are intrinsically linked though, and each game sheds light on the other. It’s been fun!

Game Style

ME: The RPG style of gameplay and art design can’t help but remind me of some classic retro games – namely SNES titles. Earthbound readily come to mind. The NES Friday the 13th too. What video games most influenced you?

FG: Definitely Earthbound, but then others like Zombies Ate My Neighbours too – the NES was just a classic machine with it’s own look and feel to each game so there was just so much to choose from!

ME: Given the chance to introduce newcomers to the blood-splattered environments of your games, what other games would you compare the Sunshine games to?

FG: One of our discord members said it the best … Earthbound meets Splatterhouse

ME: That’s perfect!

ME: I might already have guessed this one, based on the copious amount of guts and gore, but what audience are both games targeted towards? And let it be known, those of us here at Nightmare Nostalgia love blood, guts, and gore.

FG: Well the guts and gore are pixellated which I think takes away the real-ness of it really, but we’d have to say if you have a weak stomach or are averse to some weird stuff going on then maybe our games aren’t the best choice … we like to get weird!

ME: We love it weird! Our readers can handle this no problem.

ME: Are there any plans for Sunshine merchandise?

FG: Oh definitely, at the moment we have our Sunshine Anthology which includes a soundtrack cassette, sweatbands and a VHS case but we have been looking at other things too. We’d love your suggestions!

ME: I love that kind of stuff. Maybe a comic book?

ME: Do you manage any social media pages for fan discussion and announcements?

FG: We have Facebook and Twitter and we love talking to people on there about anything and everything it doesn’t have to be about our games, even just what movies we’ve watched recently.

ME: Any plans for DLC?

FG: DLC isn’t something we’d ever look at doing. All of our games (so far) have been complete stories so adding in content has never been something we’ve wanted to do.

ME: Do you see these games becoming a franchise? Are there plans for a sequel? Where would you like to see the games go?

FG: They were always going to be a series of games with a set story – and yes, we have plans for a third game. Every good horror franchise has to have a trilogy!

ME: Are there secret endings?

FG: There are a boatload of secrets in each game, it’s one of things we really like doing – seeing what we can get away with. Even after four years from release, there are still secrets in Camp Sunshine that (as far as we’re aware) no-one has found.

ME: What should gamers be most excited about for Sunshine Manor?

FG: Honestly, I think it’s going to be the tension we’re aiming for. Of course there are going to be scares and spooks, but there is always this pervading tension that is bubbling away with everything you do … it’s almost like the Mansion is waking up!

ME: Even though it’s a long way off can you share anything about the third game in the series?

FG: Oh we can tell you a little bit … it’s going to have the word Sunshine in the title!

ME: What would be a dream project come to life for you?

FG: Oh man, there’s way too many! Finishing off this trilogy will be an absolute dream and then we’ve definitely got ideas for some weird and wonderful stuff in the coming years too!

“Sunshine Manor is the eagerly awaited prequel to the cult horror RPG smash, Camp Sunshine – which sold over 100K copies worldwide on PC and is set to release on all major formats in 2021. There’s also a playable prologue chapter available of the game on Steam – so players really can play before they pledge on this very special title.” – Fossil Games

I’ve had a blast playing Camp Sunshine for hours. It was my horror game fix this October. Looking forward to seeing what the team brings us in the years to come. Sunshine is definitely Manic approved.

I want to thank Fossil Games for taking the time to let me sneak behind the curtain and see what all they’re up to. Stay tuned, Nasties for all of those retro goodies and horror fixes.

Creature Features

Dracula! Bela Lugosi’s Dark Spell

Image October 21, 2020 Manic Exorcism 1 Comment

In honor of Bela Lugosi’s birthday (A day late I’m afraid, but better late than never), I’ve sat down to treat myself once more to the fantastical whimsy of the horror film that really started it all, Dracula. No denying the German expressionism films were the pioneers of horror cinema, but Dracula was the very first ‘talky’ horror film.

The fog crowded scenes and hypnotic visuals of the Count’s foreboding and far-away realm could now be heard as well as seen, and they used sound to their advantage for this eerie new project. Rattling carriages drawn by horses, creaking doors, and hissing bats. Audiences sat dumbfounded by all they heard. It brought the night-shaded horror of Transylvania straight to them. And there was no escape. Horror had entered a brave new era.

There was no going back. Dracula opened a secret door and a monsoon rush of sensational horror films has flooded through ever since.

From the cracking whine of a camera in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the tolling of the bell in Hellraiser, a sing-song lullaby in Nightmare on Elm Street, and, last but certainly not least, the iconic sound Jason makes all stand out in our blood-splattered minds. These sounds immediately take us back to the chills and thrills of the films and are as iconic as the monsters we love.

Dracula began it all.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in each little minute detail of the film, but I’m no expert on the matter, just an avid fan. Somehow rewatching it this time around reminds me of the first time I ever sat my butt down to experience this macabre treasure.

*image courtesy of Universal, Bela Lugosi ‘Dracula’*

Any of you remember those drop-dead sexy VHS covers Universal released a few decades back for each of their Classic Monsters library?

One Halloween my mom got me both Dracula and Frankenstein, both of which I’m still proud to say I still own

I was in 1st Grade and Castlevania had just released earlier that year and was my favorite game. Mom thought it was high time her little Manic watched the very original Dracula movie. I’d seen so many different movies with Dracula in them but never the initial film. That Halloween all that changed.

I don’t think I moved or fidgeted once. I may have not even blinked! I was transfixed to the glowing screen, it being the only light allowed to remain on, as the living shadows of this gothic epic played out spectrally before my eyes. Sure I was a young kid but the film’s unique majesty and gripping narrative weren’t lost on me.

To The Prince of Darkness

Now at the end of Bela Lugosi’s birthday, I lift a glass to his eternal legacy. A cheer of thanks and of memories to him.

Against the odds of English not being his native tongue Lugosi pain-stakingly pronounced each word spoken with adjective deliberate concentration. It gave the Count his often mimicked manner of speech and deepened his mesmerizing effect over horror history .

So the imitated accent of Dracula was in fact Lugosi’s Hungarian one. It served the part well.

Lugosi was not the first choice for Dracula, nor was he even the second. A fact that pained the actor considering how he’d played the part on stage and mastered the role to damn near perfection. So when the time came for him to don the vampire’s cape Lugosi fought and earned his right to bring Bram Stoker’s legendary nosferatu to cinematic life.

As grand and wondrous as he is in Dracula that’s not, in fact, my favorite of his various roles. That honor goes to his hideously fun part in Son of Frankenstein where Lugosi ditches the cloak for a huched back. Playing the nefarious Igor, Bela Lugosi shines and steals the show!

image courtesy of Universal, Bela Lugosi ‘Son of Frankenstein’

I feel that Igor allowed the man to show his more playful side. Even though his face is hidden beneath a ratty beard and layered of makeup the man can’t help but bristle with fun and life. He never loses that sinister sparkle in his beady, little eyes nor that vicious smile.

You know what? Stop right here. If you’ve not seen Son of Frankenstein then I insist you go do yourself a favor and correct that right away, my Nasties. Go watch Uncle Lugosi have the time of his life!

Bela Lugosi had both magnetism and charisma. Not unlike the genius of Lon Chaney before him, Lugosi could captivate people on a whim.

Those who knew Lugosi said he carried an unearthly mystique about him. He would enter a room and every eye would gravitationally be drawn to him.

He was indeed Dracula, so much so that he was even buried in a cape echoing back to his most treasured role.

Hope you’re enjoying this witching season, my Nasties. And I hope that in your Halloween movie watching you have a chance to pay respect to Lugosi’s devilish spell over horror history.

Games

Castlevania! A Halloween Tra(con)dition

Image October 8, 2020 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

Once upon a cold autumn season a game was released that allowed horror fans to travel back into a time of macabre legends, of monsters and madmen. Ingrained in our minds were images of Dracula’s dark castle where the Lord of the Night and his beastly servants dwelt.

Hammer Horror gave us insight into the wonderful abyss of dark intentions, of gothic landscapes, broken vestiges of a land long-held in the iron grip of incarnate Evil, but, most of all, of unlikely heroes armed with stakes and a crucifix and dedicated to hunting the horrors of the Night.

Vividly can we recall watching the brave Van Helsing (played by the one and only Peter Cushing) cornered by Count Dracula (brought to life by the extraordinary Christopher Lee) in a legendary fight to the death.

This was epic. It took the Universal era of horrors and increased the intensity and left us spell-bound. In the final battle, and trust me it was a battle, Van Helsing knows he can’t meet the Vampire Lord by strength alone.

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, ‘The Horror of Dracula’

So the man rushes down a long table and throws himself at some closed curtains, opening them, and allowing the day’s light to blast itself against Dracula, burning him, leaving ash wherever it touches his body.

I was probably a weird kid but fuck all if I didn’t want to fight Dracula too! I wanted to explore the Vampire’s evil castle and go back to times when monsters walked the land. Being part of such gothic adventures enthralled my juvenile imaginations.

Then late September back in 1986 a phenomena hit the land and monster-lovers from all over were given the chance to do just that.

Castlevania Hit The World

Armed with a whip graced with the power to slay Vampires you step into the role of Simon Belmont, the last Vampire Killer, and face the rusty gates of Castlevania.

This lone barbarian warrior stands between the awakened horrors of the Night and the fate of humanity. Destiny is coiled within the whip and should you fail in your task of guiding Simon through Dracula’s haunted castle the human race is lost.

This is Castlevania! A daring action-adventure game made as a tribute to horror films of the past that immediately upon release both enchanted and inspired a generation of blossoming monster fans.

Gamers, young and old, flocked to this nightmarish realm trapped in the shadow of Dracula’s demonic fortress to match whit and strength against the terrors the game had in store for us.

Inspired by the exhaustive lore of both Universal Studios and Hammer Horror films, the game became the definitive monster game and immediately appealed to parents who grew up with those movies and found a new audience of kids who would grow up loving monsters from yesteryear.

image via Hammer Horror, Christopher Lee ‘Dracula Has Risen From the Grave’

All the greatest names of gothic terror are included herein. The Mummy, Frankenstein’s tortured monster, the deep ones and gillmen of the watery murk, werewolves (in later titles), and the Lord of Death himself, Count Dracula!

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, art by Ayami Kojima, ‘Dracula’

Medusa is even included here and you will face off against the Queen of Serpents.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, art by *Ayami Kojima*, ‘Medusa’

Ghosts, vampire bats, haunted suits of armor, and skeleton soldiers! Of course, this game became an instant classic upon its release and the definitive Halloween game to play again, and again.

Upon playing the game countless times images of Frankenstein’s monster, Mummies, and Dracula could not be erased from my head. For the first time the extensive library of monsters given to me via Universal and Hammer came to life in a whole new way. I was now finally able to explore a world filled with them!

I remember getting in trouble in school for drawing a Castlevania pic with Dracula and the Grim Reaper floating over a bloody skeleton.

The teacher had to call in my parents over a ridiculous concern that maybe I was under Satanic influence. Yup, it was mid-eighties and the stupid fucking Satanic Panic was in full swing which made it tough to be a horror fan in school. At least in Minford, Ohio.

Why couldn’t we draw graveyards and zombies under a gibbous moon frosted with Death’s shroud?

Well, that shit was straight up frowned on, kiddies!

Luckily, I had/have cool parents and my mamma raised Manic on classic horror movies and we made a big deal about Halloween. So we agreed the teacher was a dumbass then went home to play Simon’s Quest.

My Introduction to Castlevania

“Hey! Have you heard of Castlevania?” my best friend asked me over recess one day. The name alone captivated my attention. The title was alive with full-moon images of gothic horrors. I just knew it had to have something to do with Dracula.

“It’s game about monsters and has Medusa in it,” he went on to tell me, barely able to contain his own excitement. “And the final boss is Dracula!” This was a big deal to old school gamers. I mean come on! King Koopa was the final boss in SMB which made him Mario’s arch-enemy. Same with Ganon and Link in Legend of Zelda. The final boss was Shredder in TMNT. So the role of Final Boss was designated to the biggest and baddest villain around, the arch-enemy!

So Dracula meant business, and his business was death and terror. And business was good, which wasn’t good at all for humanity.

“You even have to fight the Grim Reaper!” Honestly, I didn’t need to hear anymore because I was sold! I HAD to play Castlevania. It sounded like a horror freak’s dream come true.

The rest of that day draaaaggggggeed on and all I could focus on was getting home so I could tell mom about this amazing game we just had to play.

When the time came I leaped out of the bus and ran my little butt up the hill as if the Devil himself was driving me. I had to get home and tell mom! I had hopes that maybe (just maybe) I could convince her to go out and rent it.

I slammed through the door, yelled out for mom, rushed down the hall, and as I got closer to the back of the house I heard beautiful 8-bit music I didn’t recognize but instantly fell in love with. So I knew she was playing Nintendo. But oh my God what she was playing! She had already gone out and rented Castlevania and was playing it! Playing it and waiting for me to show me this fucking cool game!

Was I hooked? I don’t know. It was more like being drawn to it like a bee is drawn to pollen. Or an ant to a picnic. It was natural gravitation. It felt like a game tailor-made for people like me. For the first time gamers were permitted the opportunity to tread beyond the dilapidated threshold of Dracula’s castle and discover the many dark miracles hidden within.

Castlevania was a game shared by me and mom and became our daily thing to do. It wasn’t until Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest was released that mom and I really got into strategizing together. I’d come home from school and she’d pass the controller off to me to advance the progress. “I got us the chain whip,” I remember her saying one day, and that was huge news for us!

Castlevania Cannot Die!

Crossing generations and gaining new legions of fans the beloved franchise has enjoyed resurgences, and is a celebrated anime now on Netflix. Using the enriched-lore of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse as its source of inspiration (a stroke of genius!) the show takes place a generation before Simon and tells the story of his father, Trevor Belmont’s, war against the Undead.

Once again I was spellbound by Castlevania. The show may not be perfect but it is a beautiful new way to explore the haunted world I grew up playing in. The show also has given people a desire to play the games once again and for that I applaud it.

Might as well throw this in here too. Just in case you can’t display your love for game franchise enough and need more to add to your life there are some beautiful Castlevania figures. A few years back Neca released their own line and their prices are quite hefty. But a new line of figures are being leased now by Diamond Select and are based off the anime.

Castlevania Anniversary Collection

In case you never had the chance to play the original games or if you’re dying to jump back in but don’t have an NES lying around you’re still in luck. The Castlevania Anniversary Collection is available on PS4, Xbox One, Steam, and the Switch.

image via Konami, ‘Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse’

Not only does the CAC come with the three original NES Castlevania trilogy, but it also includes the two Gameboy Castlevania games, Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania: Belmont’s Revenge.

You also get Super Castlevania IV, and the Sega Genesis Castlevania: Bloodlines.

image via Konami, ‘Super Castlevania IV’

And just for the Hell of it they’ve thrown in Kid Dracula.

This collection also includes the original Japanese versions for some of these titles giving Western players the chance to check out their favorite vampire-hunting games in their original format.

We are not sponsored by Konami at all so this is just Manic loving the hell out of a game series he grew up with. Every Halloween I return back to Castlevania to ring in the witching season. So grab your whips and crucifix and let’s celebrate the terrors of the Night.

I know you need some more Halloween fixes from us over here at Nightmare Nostalgia. So be sure not to miss why Michael Myers had blonde hair in Halloween 4 by clicking right here. Yeah, ain’t that the weirdest shit? Our beautiful mind behind our madness here at NN answers all the obvious questions of why, how, and huh so don’t miss it.

And we love all you guys and wouldn’t be what we are today without our faithful readers, our nasties, and our legions. We were honored to be part of Feedspot’s Top 100 Horror Blogs and Websites For Horror Fans ! That’s a huge deal to us. We promise to bring you only the absolute best in horror and retro fun.

So Happy Halloween season, my Nasties!