Halloween (1983)
Antti MuttaHAPPY HALLOWEEN! Did you know that the Atari 2600 (VCS) had its very own Halloween game based on John Carpenter's classic horror film from 1978?
Halloween the game is surprisingly similar to its silver screen counterpart, especially when considering the hardware limitations. Carpenter's iconic theme plays in the background, the graphics are vivid, and there is enough pixel blood to satisfy any 8-bit gorehound!
The gameplay sees the player control a "babysitter" as she tries to save herself and her children from a "homicidal maniac". The babysitter is, of course, no one else but Laurie Strode (as played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the movie) and the maniac is everyone's favourite knife-wielding, masked psychopath, Michael Myers.
The publisher Wizard Video had already released an Atari 2600 title which was based on another undisputable horror film classic. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre caused controversy on Atari, and many retailers refused to stock a copy. In other words, the game managed to be as notorious as Tobe Hooper's intense celluloid masterpiece.