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Rotating Terror Mask courtesy of Omega Ace Gaming
10/31/2023 - 3:40 P.M. EST:
Happy Halloween, everyone! And happy second anniversary of West Mansion's reopening! I didn't think I'd have a Halloween update this year, but to my surprise, I do.
Today's the day: Zenithfilms has debuted the finale of the series Splatterhouse: Jennifer Smells of Rot, along with the Blu-Ray release! Check out the finale here, then head over to their Etsy page to pick up your copy of the Blu-Ray (check out the trailer here). While you're at it, check out the new batch of stills and other fun things I've posted here.
ohfivepro sent me some new stuff for the original Splatterhouse: an insert from a 1990 issue of Gamest magazine that has a cassette cover you can cut out if you've made your own arcade OST, as well as a surprising reveal from Kawagen. Check those out here. Batsinthebelltower also debuted a new piece of Splatterhouse-inspired music yesterday, "Splatterhouse: Jennifer's Call," which you can check out here. Two of the Japanese ads have been translated by Rodrigo Shin (check them out here and here - look for a surprise piece of info in the PC Engine ad), and today, Sega Lord X released his review of Splatterhouse 3, which I've linked to here.
To top things off, Lucifer recently announced their next album, Lucifer V, would be released on January 24, 2024. Check the video for "At The Mortuary (Halloween Edit)" below!
10/22/2023 - 7:00 P.M. EST:
Chances are that this is going to be the closest thing to a Halloween update this year. I don't have a lot of news, but there are some new things to check out. First is a fantastic piece of fanart, by Nikita Orlov, along with an accompanying video. Check it out here. I've also included two videos about Rick, by A Question of Character. Check those out here.
Zenithfilms recently announced that not only would the finale of the series Splatterhouse: Jennifer Smells of Rot be coming soon, but so would a Blu-Ray release! Keep an eye on their pages for more details!
Finally, I turned up a nostalgic (for me, anyway) little bit of Splatterhouse history recently. Anyone remember the TV show Video Power, starring "Johnny Arcade"? And if you do, do you remember it before or after it switched to a game show format, like Nick Arcade, in the second season? I lost interest when the format change happened, so I never really watched that version, but I remember the first season very well. Not only was it the first time I saw Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse in action, but it was the first (and only) time I ever saw the original Splatterhouse on U.S. television, aside from the original commercial.
With all of that said, here's "Johnny Arcade," hamming it up as he reviews the Turbografx-16 port of Splatterhouse.
10/1/2023 - 7:36 P.M. EST:
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, it's officially October, and the second anniversary of West Mansion's resurrection is coming up fast. Whether or not I'll have anything special for you this year on the 31st remains to be seen, though.
However, I do have new stuff for you today. First is the latest announcement from Unbox Industries: they're finally releasing Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti toys! Check out the first two at the bottom of the page here. Second is a fantastic-looking custom Splatterhouse 2010 Rick figure available from Sculf! It's definitely a bit on the pricey side, but would make a nice addition to anyone's Splatterhouse collection. Check it out at Sculf's page, or check out the pictures here.
During the The History of Splatterhouse roundtable that I hosted back on July 15th (which you'll find available to view in the previous update), the subject of the hanging... thing at the end of Splatterhouse 2's opening came up. PrimeOp decided to see if we could get our first real look at the thing using a tile viewer. Sure enough, he did, and he sent me the end result of his work. There's not much new, but it is the first full view of this thing we've ever gotten.
Finally, PCE Works has reissued their Cleavers & Broomsticks sets from 2017. I received a copy of the Splatterhouse set last week, and I am very impressed with it. The presentation is top-notch, from the case the games come in to the extras, like reproductions of the original arcade cards and flyer, a poster, and a glow in the dark Splatterhouse sticker. It comes with reproductions of four games: the PC Engine Splatterhouse, the ROM hack of the PC Engine game Splatterhouse Chrome, and both the FM Towns and Windows ports of the arcade original. Best of all, the sets are still available, but once they sell out, they'll be gone. Check out the contents of the set here, or just head over to PCE Works' website to snag a copy before they're gone!
One other thing: ever have a moment where you find out about a band that's been around for years but somehow you've never heard of? That was my experience a couple of weeks ago when my friend Sam (formerly of The Light Sword Cypher Mainframe) introduced me to The Birthday Massacre (visit their official website here). He sent me links to a couple of their videos. I liked what I heard, so I began digging into their catalog, and before I knew it, I was hooked. If you're like me and you've never heard of them until now, check out the video for "In The Dark."
8/22/2023 - 6:00 P.M. EST:
As many of you have seen, the Splatterhouse arcade soundtrack vinyl by Spacelab9 has been released! If you pre-ordered from them, chances are you've received it by now. I was provided with review copies, and now that I've had a chance to thoroughly absorb it, I've written a short review, complete with loads of pictures and links to where you can pre-order a copy if you missed out on the original pre-order. Check it out here on the Music page.
Also, for those of you that missed it, The History of Splatterhouse roundtable that I hosted back on July 15th is available to watch on the Dire & Bette YouTube channel. My guests were my regular co-host Mike, MercuryCDX of Hardcore Gaming 101 and Derek, who most of you are familiar with from his YouTube channel Stop Skeletons From Fighting, but you may also remember from the Splatterhouse videos he did back when he was known as the Happy Video Game Nerd. If you missed them, I've had them linked over in the YouTube videos section for a while now.
Watch The History of Splatterhouse video below (be warned, it's a LONG one).
7/13/2023 - 1:55 P.M. EST:
Man, I've got to update more often.
Got a metric boatload of stuff for you to check out today. First up are all the additions I've made to the Splatterhouse arcade info section. You'll find rare Japanese and European magazine scans, screencaps from the 6/22 livestream on YouTube (the day Splatterhouse was released for the Arcade Archives), plus sales info from Atari and lots more. Many thanks to ohfivepro and "Critical Kate" Willaert on Twitter, and to the website solvalou.com for all of these great scans and info.
Next, over in the Fanart section, I've added some fantastic pieces of art by the one and only Rusty Shackles, including the full cover artwork of the book I co-authored for Hardcore Gaming 101: Digest Vol. 3: The Guide to Retro Horror. Also, be sure to check out the new final entry on the Trivia page for information on a couple of surprising cameos in the Nintendo Switch game Pro Yakyuu Famista Evolution.
I was also recently asked what Master Dead says when he revives the dead in the original game. Not knowing the answer myself, I decided to ask someone that would know, Takashi Oda. As he put it to me: "Master Dead says, 'anokorowa, ha!' It's a spell. It’s a word that sounds like 'At that time, ha!' It seems to be a director’s idea with no deep meaning. It’s a word we use when we think about the past. You may be able to take it as meaning that you want to go back to those days."
Fascinating stuff!
Finally, this Saturday at 9 PM EST on my YouTube channel Dire & Bette, I'll be hosting the stream that all of you have been waiting for: The History of Splatterhouse! I'll be joined by my regular co-host Mike (aka Sotenga of Hardcore Gaming 101), and we have some special guests coming on as well, one of which is Derek from Stop Skeletons From Fighting! We're going to be discussing all things Splatterhouse. Like and subscribe if you haven't already, and feel free to jump in the chat and ask questions or just talk with us and your fellow Splatterhouse fans.
6/14/2023 - 10:10 A.M. EST:
Presenting the latest in Unbox Industries' Splatterhouse series:
It's the Hanging Dead, sculpted by Takashi Oda himself! Preorders start this Saturday, June 17. Head here for all the info you'll need.
6/8/2023 - 9:30 A.M. EST:
An hour ago as of this update, the news went out: the original arcade Splatterhouse is being re-released via Hamster's Arcade Archives series on June 22!
Many thanks to Kyle for the heads-up on this news! I've also updated the Miscellaneous section with information about an officially licensed t-shirt that was released during West Mansion's decade of inactivity. Go take a look!
5/5/2023 - 1:30 P.M. EST:
corpse monger's comic book, Slaughtered Kingdom, has arrived! Intended to be the start of an entirely new series, this first chapter sets everything up nicely. If you're an eagle-eyed Splatterhouse fan, see if you can spot the homages and references to the games scattered throughout. It's a fantastic gift to us from corpse and Steph, and has earned my 100% approval.
If you missed the Kickstarter, you can buy your own copy of Slaughtered Kingdom here for only $8 plus shipping, and you can check out the soundtrack by Surgeryhead on Bandcamp as well!
3/9/2023 - 6:35 P.M. EST:
Big news! For the first time, the soundtrack to the original arcade game is being released on vinyl, and Spacelab9 Records is going all out on this release!
Not only that, but yours truly provided the liner notes and gave the team full access to the entire West Mansion archive. For the full details, as well as the link to preorder, check out the Music section which has received a much-needed update, including information about an earlier Spacelab9 release, or head here to preorder. You know you want to.
In additional news, Zenithfilms has released the fourth part of their fanfilm Splatterhouse: Jennifer Smells of Rot. You can check it out by going to its dedicated page and hitting the link for part four.
Finally, the Kickstarter for corpse monger's upcoming comic book, Slaughtered Kingdom, has reached its goal, with only five days to go! If you haven't backed it yet to get your own copy, there's still time: head to the Kickstarter and support Mike and Steph today!
2/14/2023 - 11:20 P.M. EST:
Happy New Year. Yeah, I know it's the middle of February, but I haven't been up to updating the site. My health hasn't been the greatest recently.
That said, I do have some new stuff for you. First, the 2023 Wonderfest happened in Japan recently, and Takashi Oda was there with sculptures and gachapon toys. He shared this image of the Biggy Man sculpture box on Twitter:
Speaking of Takashi Oda, I was recently gifted the Unbox Toys translucent Egg Ova, sculpted by the master himself. I was not expecting that.
I'll be showing some more pictures of it soon. Finally, corpse monger (aka Mike Wasion), who composed some of the most twisted Splatterhouse stories ever to be posted here on West Mansion, has unveiled the Kickstarter for his upcoming comic book, Slaughtered Kingdom! It features the artwork of Steph Dumais, who is no stranger to comics: he's done work for Mirage's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line, along with several independent horror comics. This promises to be a bloody, twisted good time, so why not check out the Kickstarter and support Mike and Steph today?
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