After the first episode of the Night Terrors feature pack for 7TV, I was keen to get on with the second installment, and. As regular readers will be aware, made sure that I had everything I needed should the opportunity arise to get another game in.
Needless to say, the opportunity arose.
Whereas the first episode of alien artefacts and FBI cover ups was clearly inspired by films like E.T. and other 'kids on bikes' tales of youngsters in genuine peril from adult dangers, the second episode directly draws from the B-Movie horrors of the 1950s of the kind actually being shown at the drive in.
Strap in for an all out creature feature.
The story picks up with the captured alien being transported by Operation Blacklight to a secure location.
Unfortunately, as the motorcade passed the Moonlight Drive In, the aliens psychic emanations latch on to the heightened emotions of dating teens at an all night monster movie marathon, causing the celluloid horrors to crawl out of the screen to attack.
The terrified teens subjected to this attack were as follows:
Lisa Armstrong, straight A student (star)
Troy Bryers, high school quarterback (co-star)
Albert Jefferson, Drive-In manager (co-star)
Vincent Ash, rebel without a cause (extra)
Kimberley McKenna, Cheerleader leader (extra)
Lori Reynolds, outcast new girl (extra)
6 Teenage Moviegoers (extras)
Any resemblance to teen characters appearing in other sci-fi or monster related franchises is entirely due to the limits of my miniature collection.
The movie monsters would appear in each act as different films appeared on the silver screen and disgorged their villains into the drive in.
Human Fly (co-star)
3 Giant Flies (extras)
3 Giant Maggots (extras)
2 Clouds of Flies (extras)
Giant Ant Queen (co-star)
2 Giant Soldier Ants (extras)
3 Giant Worker Ants (extras)
A Gigantic Spider would be superimposed in layer during post-production through the use of specialist Finale cards.
ACT ONE - Frankenfly (1956)
Screams ring out across the drive-in as huge mutated flies and maggots start emerging from the screen, shortly followed by the movie's villain: the human-fly hybrid, Frankenfly.
Whilst some run in panic, and others fail to notice due to being 'otherwised engaged' in their cars, some of the teenage patrons are perplexed by the creatures, especially the human-fly hybrid, asking each other if it's just the janitor in a mask.
Meanwhile, as others stand dumbstruck, quick-thinking valedictorian and 'girl most likely to leave this dump of a town', Lisa, immediately realises that she needs to shut down the projector and rushes to the managers office to take action.
New girl, Lori, spots Lisa and, recognising someone with a plan, follows.
Over in the centre of the lot a furious melee erupts. Top jock, Troy, and bad boyy Concentrate in the thick of the action, whilst Kimberley back flips into the fight.
Lisa reaches Mr Jefferson who explains that she needs to use his keys to turn off the projector at the fusebox.
Lisa grabs the keys and runs. Seeing the weird new girl in front of her, she tosses the keys to her shouting extremely clear instructions in the manner that won her the inter-state debating competition. Twice.
Surprised to be even acknowledged, let alone included by the high and mighty Lisa Armstrong, Lori grabs the keys and runs, yanking open the fusebox and ripping out everything she can.
The image on the screen briefly flickers and dies, the mutant flies start to fade and a smug. Self-satisfied smile starts to form on Lisa's perfectly formed face until there's a whirring sound and the picture returns.
Mr Jefferson shouts, "it's the back up generator! Behind the diner!"
Realising they are fighting a losing battle, Vincent, Troy and several others behind to back away from the mutated flies. Unfortunately, Vincent's date, regretting being impressed by his leather jacket, falls behind and is literally swarmed to death.
Frustrated, Lisa spots that preening pom-pom (but admittedly athletic), Kimberley McKenna, and the very, very muscular (concentrate Lisa!) Troy heading for the diner and formulates a new plan.
"New girl. Lori, isn't it? Get the keys to the jocks. They'll move quicker than us."
ACT TWO - Atomic Mandible Massacre (1954)
As one horror come to an end, a new one begins, and giant ants begin to scuttle out of the screen.
More teenagers succumb to the swarm whilst Vincent, wielding his dad's gun, starts popping slow moving maggots.
Having took instructions surprisingly well from the weird new girl, Kimberley flips into action, taking the keys as fast as she can to the generator.
Always able to read a play, Troy sees what is happening and acknowledging that he's not currently calling the shots, and goes long behind the diner.
Back in the car park 'Troy's date' (that's all she's credited as) is overwhelmed by the mutated flies.
However, as the creatures devour the unfortunate spandex-clad eye-candy, the are distracted long enough for Vincent to squeeze off two shots, blowing the head of the hybrid apart.
Nevertheless, the Ant Queen and her brood. Acting with inhuman intelligence, we're already on the move.
Lisa finds herself beset by swarms of flies but fends them off with clever use of her hairspray and a lighter.
In case anyone asks, she found the lighter on the floor. It definitely wasn't hers, mom.
After turning off the back-up generator only to find that the monsters were still coming, Troy goes into hero mode, grabs the keys off Kimberley and makes a run for the fuel store. Intent on burning the screen.
However, he runs straight into an ambush laid by the Ant Queen, almost as if she knew what he would do.
Suddenly, a cartwheeling vision in red somersaults into the fray, stamping on the head of one ant and cheering, as she had done many times before for Troy to go all the way (at least that was the rumour).
With well practiced skill, Troy slipped his guard and made a dash for the end zone...erm...I mesn fuel store.
ACT THREE - Night of the Death Weaver (1958)
The film now changes again, the screen lit by an ethereal light not emanating from the projection tower and massive spider's legs behind to emerge.
Even the ants and flies briefly stop to stare in horror.
But not the malevolent malice of the Ant Queen, who chases Troy down like a six-limbed linebacker and dragging him down, the keys sent sprawling into the long grass.
The girls find themselves cornered, but rather than falling into helpless despair as the femme fatales in the movies, the spirit of sisterhood kicks in and they employ every means at their disposal (sarcasm, hair flicks, side-eye, cutting insults and death stares) to kick some ant ass.
But the Queen's rampage continues and as Kimberley and Lori fall, Lisa finds herself as literally the final girl and prepares to fight for her life.
But suddenly, the creatures all around her begin to shimmer and fade. Unbeknownst to Lisa the cause of these horrid events has moved out of range, saving her and a few others, but taking the horror on to a new location.
A distraught Lisa limps over to her new friends and checks to see in they are still breathing.
Roll credits.
***
That was a really fun and engaging game. The asymmetric objectives made for a fun challenge and although I'm not entirely sure that completing the task of reaching four objectives and burning the screen is doable in only seven turns, the final result was very close, with only a point in it.
I liked the staggered arrival of enemies themed to different films and handling the spider through finale cards was clever.
The next episode sees us rejoining Teddy Tucker as he makes it to his school where the roleplaying club are for some reason still there after midnight and things take a decidedly fantastical turn.
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