Halloween

Spooky Pinball, 2021 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Halloween in the Pinball Genie app →

Designed by Koris Barloff with code by Fawzma & Bug (later updates by Matt Kemp / Luke Peters), Halloween adapts John Carpenter's 1978 film across a five-lane fan of shots (left orbit, left ramp, center ramp, right ramp, right orbit) feeding two elevated mini-playfields — the Strode House (with flippers) and Smith's Grove Sanitarium (gravity-fed, no flippers) — plus a third, purely decorative diorama.

Skill Shots

Before plunging, cycle the flippers to pick which lit shot counts as the skill shot; harder/farther shots score more. There's also a hidden secret skill shot: cycling to the lower-right Judith lane target and hitting it off the plunge instantly traps the ball at the Judith Tombstone instead of requiring the usual 5 hits — a low-risk opener that banks Tombstone Multiball progress.

Jack-O-Lantern Modes

Eight story modes (Death in the Driver's Seat, Bob and Lynda's Demise, Counting Bodies, Escape the Kitchen, Let Me In, Laurie Slashes Back, Stalker, First Kill) are qualified by clearing the 3 center drop targets and shooting the right scoop to pick one. Winning two in a game lights an Extra Ball; winning enough (operator-configurable) qualifies the final wizard mode. After a set number of mode wins (default 3), the next scoop shot becomes Jack-O-Lantern Multiball instead of a mode pick.

Multiballs

Three "story" multiballs each carry a Super Jackpot: Hedge Multiball (lock a ball at each of three hedge scoops, then reveal-and-collect jackpots via the left ramp, with the middle hedge scoop lighting for the Super Jackpot once all three jackpots are collected), Sanitarium Multiball (a 4-step qualifying chain on the middle playfield — drop target, scoop, two standups, drop target, scoop — arms it for the next drain, and once all six patient jackpots are collected the middle-playfield entry scoop lights for a 500k Super Jackpot), and House Multiball (qualify House Attack via 5 center-ramp hits or the instant "Dirty Pool"/Eye of the Needle crossover shot, then beat Myers' and protect Laurie's health bars on the upper playfield under a 60-second clock). Once a multiball's Super Jackpot is scored, it can't be re-qualified until Boogeyman is cleared. Separately, the secret skill shot or 5 hits on the lower-right target lock a ball for Tombstone Multiball — a 2-ball, stackable multiball with a flat 2x scoring bonus.

Blood, Store & Scoring

Blood is Halloween's currency: 3 for lighting a mode, 6 for winning one. Banked blood grants a live scoring multiplier and unlocks a store at the Jack-O-Lantern scoop: 1 blood = 1M points, 10 blood = 2x scoring for the rest of the ball, 12 blood = an instant Extra Ball. There's no classic ladder-style playfield multiplier — scoring boosts instead come from banked blood, Tombstone Multiball's flat 2x, and the "Dirty Pool" loop (repeatedly threading the House-qualifying ramp cleanly for a stacking multiplier).

Combos

Left orbit, left ramp, center ramp, and right orbit all count as combo shots — alternating between them (never repeating one back-to-back) chains escalating value. The best repeatable "money" sequences are the House Multiball crossover reset loop (Super Jackpot relights everything on collection, effectively uncapped), the Hedge Multiball reveal-and-jackpot cycle, and — inside the final wizard mode — the knife-insert double-jackpot loop.

Wizard Modes

Boogeyman (mini-wizard): score the Super Jackpot in all three story multiballs, then relock all 6 balls across three phases (3 hedges, 2 scoops, 1 crossing shot) to fire a 6-ball finale with every major shot lit. The Night He Came Home (final wizard, added v1.14): qualified by a configurable number of completed Jack-O-Lantern modes; race through story locations against a fuel clock, collecting hurry-up location jackpots, knife-insert double-jackpots, and a 10-million-times-balls-in-play Super Jackpot at Judith Tombstone once per location.

Editions

Standard, Blood Sucker, and Collector's Editions all run identical code and playfield rules — differences are purely cosmetic/hardware trim (powder coat, knocker/shaker, speaker lighting, topper).

Goals in Halloween

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Standard Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  Cycle the flippers before plunging to pick which lit shot counts as the skill shot — farther/harder shots score more.

  Reward: Skill shot points; sets your first live shot of the ball.

• Secret Skill Shot — Judith Tombstone skillshot · Medium

  A hidden skill shot: cycle to the lower-right Judith lane target and hit it off the plunge to instantly trap the ball at Judith Tombstone instead of needing 5 hits.

  Reward: Instant lock progress toward Tombstone Multiball with near-zero drain risk.

• Four-Way Orbit/Ramp Combo Run combo · Medium

  Left orbit, left ramp, center ramp, and right orbit all count as combo shots — alternate between them (never repeat the same one twice) to chain escalating combo value.

  Reward: Escalating combo points; doubled if Jack-O-Lantern Mode I is active.

• Dirty Pool / Eye of the Needle Loop combo · Hard

  Thread the center ramp lane cleanly between the two House-Attack drop targets, without knocking either down, to stack a scoring multiplier instead of starting House Attack.

  Reward: ~+100% scoring multiplier per clean loop (approximate), stackable across repeated passes.

• House Multiball Crossover Jackpot Reset Loop combo · Hard

  The single best repeatable bank in the game: cycle orbits/ramps into the crossover Super Jackpot, which resets its value and relights everything for another pass.

  Reward: Super Jackpot = 2.5M + 250k/jackpot + 25k/spinner spin, effectively uncapped, repeatable while the multiball survives.

• Hedge Multiball Reveal-and-Jackpot Cycle combo · Medium

  Reveal Michael behind each hedge with the left ramp, then bank the three hedge jackpots and the Super Jackpot at the scoop.

  Reward: 3 hedge jackpots plus a Super Jackpot worth their sum, plus an add-a-ball on the first Super Jackpot.

• Wizard Mode Knife Double-Jackpot Loop combo · Hard

  In 'The Night He Came Home,' relight and re-collect knife inserts for doubled jackpots — the highest per-shot ceiling in the game.

  Reward: Double jackpots plus a 10M x balls-in-play Super Jackpot at Judith Tombstone per location.

• Hedge Multiball multiball · Medium

  Lock a ball at all three hedge scoops to start a 3-ball multiball — the most beginner-accessible of the three story multiballs.

  Reward: 3-ball multiball with jackpots at each hedge and a summed Super Jackpot.

• Sanitarium Multiball multiball · Hard

  On the Smith's Grove Sanitarium mini-playfield, complete a 4-step qualifying chain to arm the multiball, which begins on the next drain.

  Reward: 2-ball multiball: six 225k patient jackpots plus a 500k Super Jackpot.

• House Multiball multiball · Hard

  Qualify House Attack, beat Myers' and protect Laurie's health bars on the upper House playfield, then finish drop target into crossover to start the multiball.

  Reward: 3-ball multiball with all orbits/ramps lit for jackpots and an escalating crossover Super Jackpot.

• Tombstone Multiball multiball · Medium

  Trap a ball at the Judith Tombstone (via 5 standup hits or the secret skill shot) and release it to start a stackable 2-ball multiball with a flat 2x bonus.

  Reward: 2-ball multiball, orange jackpots, flat 2x scoring, stackable with other modes/multiballs.

• Jack-O-Lantern Mode I — Death in the Driver's Seat mode · Easy

  Easy-tier story mode: hit the four combo shots in any order, doubled if chained as combos.

  Reward: Mode win = 6 blood; progress toward Extra Ball and 'The Night He Came Home.'

• Jack-O-Lantern Mode II — Bob and Lynda's Demise mode · Easy

  Easy-tier story mode: shoot the lit shots left-to-right; the center ramp transfers the ball to the House playfield for a bonus crossover shot.

  Reward: Mode win = 6 blood; optional crossover 'special' shot bonus.

• Jack-O-Lantern Mode III — Counting Bodies mode · Medium

  Medium-tier story mode: shoot alternating green shots between the left-ramp and center-ramp zones while avoiding red-lit shots.

  Reward: Mode win = 6 blood; failing on too many red hits ends the mode early.

• Jack-O-Lantern Mode IV — Escape the Kitchen mode · Medium

  Medium-tier story mode: hit all 6 lit standup targets, in any order, to win.

  Reward: Mode win = 6 blood.

• Light the Blood 2x Scoring Multiplier multiplier · Easy

  Bank blood from qualifying/winning modes, then spend 10 at the store for 2x scoring for the rest of the ball.

  Reward: Flat 2x scoring for the remainder of the ball.

• Stack Tombstone Multiball's Flat 2x multiplier · Medium

  Tombstone Multiball applies a flat 2x scoring bonus for its duration and is explicitly stackable with other running modes/multiballs.

  Reward: Flat 2x on top of whatever else is running.

• Boogeyman (Mini-Wizard) wizard · Hard

  Score the Super Jackpot in all three story multiballs, then relock all six balls across three phases to fire a 6-ball finale.

  Reward: 6-ball multiball with all major shots lit yellow/blue for jackpots.

• The Night He Came Home (Wizard Mode) wizard · Hard

  The final wizard mode: qualify by starting/completing a set number of Jack-O-Lantern modes, then race through story locations collecting jackpots against a fuel clock.

  Reward: Location jackpots, double jackpots, and a 10M x balls-in-play Super Jackpot per location.

• Best Opener — Secret Skill Shot into the Drop Bank strategy · Easy

  The lowest-risk, highest structural-value opening sequence: bank a free lock, then get the mode economy rolling immediately.

  Reward: Locked ball toward Tombstone progress plus a fast mode start.

• Beginner Progression — First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  A concrete shot-by-shot plan for a brand-new player's opening sequence.

  Reward: Skill shot points, an Easy mode started, and Hedge lock progress banked.

• Tournament Priority — Rush the Three Super Jackpots strategy · Hard

  The competitive line: put the 8 story modes on the back burner and race Hedge, Sanitarium, and House Super Jackpots to reach Boogeyman fastest.

  Reward: Fastest path to the game's two biggest scoring tiers: multiball supers, then Boogeyman.

• Earn and Cash an Extra Ball strategy · Medium

  Extra ball is awarded at the Jack-O-Lantern scoop off mode progress and banked blood — keep recycling the drop bank so the scoop stays available to collect it.

  Reward: One extra ball, plus whatever blood-store award you buy on the same trip.

• Sweep Every Jack-O-Lantern Mode strategy · Hard

  The mode-count route: treat the drop bank and scoop as a loop and start every story mode in the stack, which is also the qualifier path for the final wizard mode.

  Reward: Blood on every mode lit or won, and the fastest legitimate qualify for the final wizard mode.