Doorways to Public Domain Horror

I picked up this "Doorways to Horror" game way back in the 90's.  I've been doing this garage saling thing for a long time.  I remember seeing the commercial for it in the 80's and really wanting it, but never did get it until I found it for $2 at a sale.

"No two games ever the same!" But they all suck.

Released in 1986 by Pressman, it was an attempt to capitalize on the VCR game craze started by Parker Brothers' "Clue: The VCR Mystery Game".

I've forgotten the rules over the years, but the general idea was to roll the die, watch a clip from the video and follow the narration provided.  It was a great concept, but unfortunately a pretty boring game.

The videotape showcases clips from movies like "Medusa Against the Son of Hercules" and "Creature from the Haunted Sea" that were in the public domain and uses broad definitions of the monsters described.  A hairy man might be called a "werewolf" and any "monster" or (human for that matter) might be a "zombie".  It even uses footage from an old Popeye cartoon.  The most recognizable movies used are "Nosferatu", "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "White Zombie".  There were also attempts at humor by the narrator of the scenes which pretty much put the nail in the coffin for this game.

But it was a favorite of my nieces and nephews when they'd spend the night at our house, so it has some good memories.

Here's the original commercial that initially enticed me. It's much better than the actual video.

If you care to suffer through the videotape, here it is:

For more information and a full list of clips used in the tape, visit here.