Play Horror Night for Free

The backdrop for the game appears to be haunted house, rendered in black and white and replete with bats flitting about in the shadows. The title of the slot is scrawled across the top of the screen in dripping blog red letters.

In execution, the graphics are technically pretty shoddy, and yet it is this less-than-perfect rendering that makes the game so chilling. The scariest films aren’t necessarily the ones with the most impressive effects; often it’s the low budget arthouse flicks that will give you goosebumps and sleepless nights. Horror Night is distinctly low budget to look at, but that only adds to the game’s oddball appeal.

The playing card symbols that feature in the game use the same dripping blood effect as the title. Then there’s the horror symbols to behold and what a sight they are. We have a terrifying clown, modelled on Stephen King’s IT, a terrifying wolf and a terrifying grim reaper, sickle raised above his head – and that’s just for starters.

The scatter symbols, comprising a flock of bats silhouetted against the moon, are spooky rather than scary. That’s more than can be said for the bonus symbol, two hideous looking conjoined twins (one body, two heads) who are repulsive and yet strangely mesmerising.

With a soundtrack that’s as spooky as the cut-price graphics, Horror Night provides a one-two suckerpunch of guts and gore, tinged with a nagging sense of unease. It’s all jolly good fun. In action, the game provides 25 paylines across its 5 reels. The coin size can be adjusted from 0.01 to 0.2, with anywhere from 1 to 10 coins per line.

Horror Night also comes with a bonus game, because Portomaso Gaming figured the main game wasn’t scary enough. They were wrong, but it’s a welcome feature nonetheless. The bonus symbols are surprisingly scarce but when they do slip into view, the eery sound effects will make their presence known.

Despite its simple layout, there’s more than enough action to be had and coins to be won in the main game. As you’d expect, it’s a case of notching 3, 4 or 5 in a row to chalk up a win/ There’s the usual wild symbol, which substitutes for other symbols, and scatter which comprises the aforementioned bats.

Ultimately, there are two types of slot player who Horror Night will appeal to. There are the hardcore slots demons who simply want to try their luck on a new machine; slots players are a superstitious bunch after all, and if you’re not experiencing any joy on your regular slots, a fresh challenge will hopefully herald a change in fortunes.

The other group who the game will appeal to of course is horror fans, specifically horror fans who revel in the macabre, the creepy and the cheap and nasty. Whether Portomaso Gaming intended to create a game so chilling in all its downmarket grimness is debatable. If they did, they’re geniuses; if they didn’t, they’ve inadvertently stumbled upon a winning formula.

After an hour spent spinning the reels on Horror Night, you’ll emerge looking shell-shocked and nursing an unshakeable urge to watch Troll 2. The golden era of movie horror may have came and gone three decades ago, but the golden age of horror slots has only just begun. Be afraid. Be very afraid.