In what’s become some of my favorite tables in Pinball FX’s roster, it’s frankly no surprise that came to happen, considering the vintage of both new additions to the game themed around Cassandra Petersen’s iconic character Elvira. Known for her TV show during the 1980s and eventual big screen adaptation, Elvira was seemingly everywhere back in the day, including pinball halls with not only one, but two tables based on her likeness and personality.
The voluptuous Mistress of the Night’s comedic persona is at full effect in both Elvira and The Party Monsters and Elvira: Scared Stiff. The first, originally released in 1989, had the theme centered around, what else, cheesy horror tropes for which Petersen’s alter-ego made her name on, while its 1996 sequel of sorts dove straight into the rich line-up of her show, in which she hosted spooky B-to-C movies on late night TV.
Much like previous Williams releases on Pinball FX, these tables are beautifully recreated in the game, featuring two styles of presentation, one with a more realistic looking approach that’s as close to playing the real thing as it can be, while the other has an added layer of fantastical things going on while you play. By that I mean characters walking over the surface, and unsurprisingly, Elvira herself in different situations.
Gameplay-wise, these are about as good as it gets when it comes to late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s pinball, that is to say, loads of fan material in the form of music, voice samples, and visuals from the source material. Cassandra’s voice constantly blares from authentic-sounding, aged speaker samples, along with a few much welcome guests like a damn close Vincent Price impersonator.
The package takes on a whole new life with the aforementioned added effects, and like past licensed tables based on the real deals, the depth is there to be explored and experienced to its fullest during repeated play. While not nearly as complicated as other Zen Studios’ releases for the game, these tables are extremely easy to get into and a whole lot of fun to do so.
In fact, I could say that Scared Stiff in particular is a close favorite contender among the horror-themed DLC for Williams, competing with Monster Bash when it comes to my digital pinball fan heart. While I’ve yet to have as big of a game in terms of score when it comes down to numbers, it’s the overall enjoyment while playing that counts, and in that regard, boy, what a table, folks.
Its gimmick involving a spider roulette that is spun on the vertical field in order to select a new mission is simple, admittedly, but works to great effect and certainly fits the theme that the designers at Bally were going for. This along with The Party Monsters marks some of the most beautifully put together panels that Williams’ former rival ever put out, and it’s especially exciting to have them to play at any time.
As the collection grows and Pinball FX gets more and more crowded, it’s important to highlight how well Zen Studios’ curation of tables has been doing. Sure, some duds are bound to sink through the cracks like Taxi, but they are few and far between and outclassed by releases such as Elvira’s participation in the pinball business. If you are anything like me and appreciate some good and quick to get to tables, you’ll pick these up ASAP.
