Haunted House

Haunted House, designed by John Osborne with art by Terry Doerzaph, was manufactured by Gottlieb in June 1982. This four-player widebody game on Gottlieb's System 80 platform leans fully into its supernatural adventure theme, and with 6,835 units confirmed produced it was a substantial hit for the company.

The machine's signature feature is its three-level playfield — a full upper level, main level, and basement cellar. A secret passage (a false target that drops down after impact) grants entrance to the cellar, and a trapdoor opens to swallow the ball, adding exploration and discovery to the gameplay. To serve all three levels, the game carries a remarkable eight flippers, along with four pop bumpers, a 5-bank and a 4-bank of drop targets, two kick-out holes, two up-kickers, and a kicking target. Even the cabinet is unusual: two legs are 27 inches and two are 31 inches to accommodate the multi-level design.

The artwork sets an atmospheric, foreboding tone, capped by a lightning animation in the backglass that flashes over the haunted mansion scene. Haunted House remains one of the most distinctive and recognizable Gottlieb games of the early 1980s.