Pinball machines as we now know them first appeared in the early 1930s and almost immediately were seized upon as opportunities for branding and cash-ins of all shape and form, from sports to popular culture. Cutting through the chaff and whey to the 1970s, the advent of solid-state electronics and digital displays meant that already goggle-eyed youths could be even further entranced by a dazzling array of lights, sound and action.
The ability to feature soundbites and effects from films and TV meant that the marriage of the Silver Screen and pinball was ripe for plunder, with horror films being an obvious target, the dark and dingy arcades being perfect to showcase both classic and modern monsters.
Although downloaded pinball games for phones and computers of all sizes have largely impacted the proliferation of these machines in very recent times, pinball machines decorated with classic horror icons continued to be manufactured well into the 2000s and some of the machines are highly sought after by collectors, the rarest commanding prices of many thousands of pounds.
Daz Lawrence, MOVIES & MANIA
Some image credits: Internet Pinball Database | Daily Grindhouse
