[Rondal Scott, the Zack Morris of Strange Kids Club, fires up the DeLorean for a roundup of the best 8-bit grue the NES had to offer.]

Video games inspired by the horror genre span as far back as console gaming itself. From Wizard’s 8-bit adaptation of Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the Atari 2600 to the upcoming Chucky title by TikGames, fear has served as an inspiration to game developers the world over and vice versa (a fact well proven by the Resident Evil franchise). The industry is littered with the viscera of chainsaw-wielding maniacs, otherworldly monsters and demonically-possessed creatures conjured from the darkest corners of the imagination. In fact, few gamers would be able to list their top ten favorites without naming at least one horror video game.

While our list could easily cover more than 100 titles (and that would just be part one), I figured we’d narrow it down to the Top 5 Horror Video Games per platform, beginning with the NES.

5. SWEET HOME (Capcom, 1989)

Originally released on the Famicom, which eventually became the NES, Sweet Home is a survival horror RPG that was actually never distributed outside of Japan. The story takes place in a haunted mansion where five friends must fight an evil spirit to survive. While its 8-bit graphics might be considered crude by today’s standards, the visuals are nonetheless just as creepy and disturbing as ever. In fact, many of the game’s elements (and the corresponding feature film) would inspire the original Resident Evil.

4. CHILLER (American Game Cartridges, 1990)

While the Nintendo Entertainment System wasn’t particularly known for hardcore horror games, Chiller was the first game to visually present graphic violence on the console. In the game, players are put in the role of a killer who “murders, maims and mutilates” his victims on his way to victory. As an unlicensed arcade port, the NES version of Chiller did attempt to censor certain bits of the original game, but it remains pretty horrifying nonetheless.

3. GHOSTS ‘N GOBLINS (Capcom, 1986)

Besides being one of the first games released for the NES, Ghosts ‘N Goblins also carries the distinction of being one of the hardest. Players take control of Arthur, a knight tasked with rescuing Princess Prin Prin (there was a lot of that going around in the ’80s) from the evil clutches of Satan himself – that’s EPIC! Naturally, Satan’s not about to give up the princess, so he throws all manner of ghosts, demons, zombies and, yes, goblins Sir Arthur’s way. The rub is that you only get two hit points, effectively making Ghosts ‘N Goblins the first survival horror game.

2. MANIAC MANSION (Lucasfilm Games, 1987)

While Ghost ‘N Goblins may have arguably been the first survival horror game, Maniac Mansion was the first to effectively convey the elements of an ’80s horror film (group of kids, mad scientist, space aliens, cheeky humor) thanks to a story by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick. Ported to the NES in 1990 by Jaleco, Maniac Mansion featured Dave Miller and his teenage friends, who ventured into the titular mansion to save Dave’s girlfriend (Sandy the Cheerleader) from a mad scientist who, in turn, was being controlled by an evil meteor. Unfortunately, the NES version of the game was heavily censored (unlike the unauthorized port of Chiller) and many of the subtle Easter Eggs and bits of dialogue were left on the cutting room floor.

1. CASTLEVANIA (Konami, 1987)

While all of the games on this list pull elements from the horror genre, from haunted mansions to mad scientists, Castlevania is the only one to actually feature a classic movie monster: Dracula. While not quite as epic as fighting Satan in Ghosts ‘N Goblins, getting the chance to take on the Lord of Vampires with nothing but a bullwhip and a bit of magic is an unrivaled experience. I can still remember the first time I made it all the way through Castle Dracula and came face to face with the sinister, 8-bit bloodsucker. To my seven-year-old mind it was every bit as monumental as the cover art promised.

Rondal Scott is a Monster Kid at heart. He’s also a strange kid, which might explain why he started Strange Kids Club back in 2009 as a virtual clubhouse for collective nerdism that filters the underbelly of pop culture on a daily basis. He’s also hopelessly addicted to Red Bull and serves as Co-Editor of Fuel Your Illustration when he’s not lurking in the shadows of the Rue Morgue forums…