Sunday, May 16, 2010

Hollow Back, Satan!

Bally/Midway produced a reasonably successful arcade game called Satan's Hollow back in the day -- it's since been released in emulated form on compilation discs, but was never converted to home consoles at the time.  Still, the company ran this magazine ad in Electronic Games magazine to promote the arcade version and push an official t-shirt:


I find two things about this ad amusing.

First, the t-shirt is available to anyone with $4.95 plus $1.00 shipping, whether a person has scored well or never even played the game; it merely proclaims that the wearer has DUELED with Satan of the Hollow, and no verification is required.  Given the game's rarity in the arcades of my youth, the open policy was likely a good decision if the t-shirt offer was meant to bring in any amount of money.

Second, the ad apparently refers not to the fabled Satan of song and legend, but to one Satan of the Hollow, presumably a more provincial cousin of the better-known Prince of Darkness.  This personage is billed only as a Master of Darkness, as though he picked up a night school certificate down to the community college before that terrible combine accident doomed him to a marginal existence, hustling battles with passersby for a quarter apiece.  As pictured in the ad, he seems to be developing a little bit of a pot-belly, probably from hanging out at the Bridge of Fire spicy BBQ joint.

Even Satan's gotta eat.

1 comment:

  1. One of my favorites! I used to see it quite a bit growing up in the mid 80s. I'l love to have one of those shirts.

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