Pinball Manufacturers: Spooky Pinball

Founded in 2013 by Charlie Emery in the small town of Benton, Wisconsin, Spooky Pinball proved that you don’t need a massive corporate factory to build world-class arcade machines. Starting as a passion project deep in the woods of the Midwest, this family-run operation built its reputation on a community-driven philosophy, direct-to-consumer sales, and a fearless embrace of horror, sci-fi, and cult-classic themes.

Spooky Pinball officially arrived on the scene with their debut release, America’s Most Haunted (2014). Designed by famed hardware modder Ben Heck, this highly original, limited-production title quickly gained a cult following for its tongue-in-cheek humor and incredibly solid gameplay. The success of this debut proved to the world that a small, independent manufacturer could successfully produce and deliver high-quality commercial pinball machines.

While Spooky built their brand on licensed horror titles like Rob Zombie’s Spookshow International (2016) and Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle (2018), their biggest disruption to the competitive scene came from an original theme: Total Nuclear Annihilation (2017).

Designed by Scott Danesi, TNA was a masterclass in retro-brutality. Featuring a throwback single-level layout, an original, pulse-pounding synthwave soundtrack, and an incredibly innovative Co-Op mode, TNA became an instant legend in IFPA tournament banks and firmly established Spooky as a heavyweight in the modern era.

Despite their exponential growth, Spooky Pinball remains one of the most successful independent manufacturers in the hobby, fiercely dedicated to pushing boundaries, expanding rulesets, and keeping pinball weird.