Gottlieb · 1982 · Early solid state (1977 to 1990)

Haunted House

Name: Haunted House
Brand: Gottlieb

Design: John Osborne · Art: Terry Doerzaph

Haunted House was the first pinball game with three playfields the ball can travel between. John Osborne laid it out like a house, with the main floor in the middle, an attic up top and a cellar underneath, and eight flippers set at odd angles across the three. You get into the cellar through a secret passage, a fake target that drops when you hit it, or through a trap door. The ball can only drain from the main floor, so a trip upstairs or downstairs is always safe. Terry Doerzaph did the art, the backglass flashes lightning, and the game plays Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Gottlieb built 6,835 in 1982 on System 80. It came the year after Black Hole and took that game's lower playfield idea a level further.

Spec at a glance

Maker: Gottlieb
Era: Early solid state (1977 to 1990)
Theme: Original themes
Year: 1982
Players: 4
Made: Gottlieb, June 1982 (model 669)
Design: John Osborne
Art: Terry Doerzaph
System: Gottlieb System 80
Display: 6-digit numeric score displays
Production: 6,835 units
Cabinet: wide-body, three playfields, 8 flippers, two 27 in and two 31 in legs
Also listed as: Gottlieb Haunted House, HH

Bench check

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries: Like every System 80 game, it shipped with a 3.6 V NiCad battery soldered to the CPU board, and the fumes from a leaking one eat copper and connectors, so get a photo of the board. The sound and speech power supply needs a modification before an MA-483 sound amp board goes in, or the amp chip burns out. Ask what sound board it has.
Display: It scores on System 80's 6-digit numeric displays, which run on +60 V DC. Ask for a video with all four player scores showing. Every digit should light.
Playfield: There are three playfields, the main floor, an attic above and a cellar below, and the ball can move between all of them. Ask for photos of all three. The ball can only drain from the main playfield, so look for wear at its flippers and at the entrances to the attic and cellar.
Toys and mechs: The cellar is reached through a secret passage, a false target that drops after a hit, and a trap door that opens for the ball. Two up-kickers bring balls back from below, and a lower playfield kicker can lock on from a failed chip. Ask for a video of a ball going to the cellar and coming back up.
Cabinet and art: The backglass has a lightning animation, and the game uses two speakers in the lower cabinet. Ask for a video of the backbox in attract mode. The lightning lamps should flash and both speakers should play.
Moving it: The legs aren't all the same. Two are 27 in and two are 31 in, so make sure all four come with it. It's a wide-body, so measure your doorways too.
Parts and code: The lower playfield lamps are an exception to System 80's usual 6 V bulbs, so check the bulbs before swapping in LEDs. Ask whether the speech and sound board work, because some Gottlieb sound boards of this era use two chips that are very hard to find.

Should come with it

All four legs (two long, two short)
Coin door keys and backbox key
Manual and schematics

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

Most problems are System 80's, battery damage, connectors and grounds, plus the kickers and trap door that move the ball between levels. The sound board needs care if it's been swapped.

01Battery: Ask for a photo of the CPU board. The NiCad battery should be gone or relocated, with no green or gray solder nearby.
02Cellar: Ask for a video of a ball going into the cellar and back up. The up-kicker should send it up on one kick.
03Attic: Look at the attic flippers in the photos and video. All eight flippers should flip with full strength.
04Trap door: Ask the seller to show the trap door and secret passage in a game. Both should open and reset.
05Displays: Ask for a video of the game running. Every score digit should light.
06Sound: Ask for a video with the sound up. You should hear the organ music from both cabinet speakers.
07Legs: Check the photos for two long and two short legs. The game needs two of each to stand right.
08Backglass: Ask for a video of the backbox in attract mode. The lightning should flash and the paint should be whole.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.

Search “Gottlieb Haunted House pinball” on eBay ↗eBay search

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Maker

Era

Theme

Read

Haunted House

Design: John Osborne · Art: Terry Doerzaph

Spec at a glance

Maker

Gottlieb

Era

Early solid state (1977 to 1990)

Theme

Original themes

Year

1982

Players

Made

Gottlieb, June 1982 (model 669)

Design

John Osborne

Art

Terry Doerzaph

System

Gottlieb System 80

Display

6-digit numeric score displays

Production

6,835 units

Cabinet

wide-body, three playfields, 8 flippers, two 27 in and two 31 in legs

Also listed as

Gottlieb Haunted House, HH

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries

Like every System 80 game, it shipped with a 3.6 V NiCad battery soldered to the CPU board, and the fumes from a leaking one eat copper and connectors, so get a photo of the board. The sound and speech power supply needs a modification before an MA-483 sound amp board goes in, or the amp chip burns out. Ask what sound board it has.

Display

It scores on System 80's 6-digit numeric displays, which run on +60 V DC. Ask for a video with all four player scores showing. Every digit should light.

Playfield

There are three playfields, the main floor, an attic above and a cellar below, and the ball can move between all of them. Ask for photos of all three. The ball can only drain from the main playfield, so look for wear at its flippers and at the entrances to the attic and cellar.

Toys and mechs

The cellar is reached through a secret passage, a false target that drops after a hit, and a trap door that opens for the ball. Two up-kickers bring balls back from below, and a lower playfield kicker can lock on from a failed chip. Ask for a video of a ball going to the cellar and coming back up.

Cabinet and art

The backglass has a lightning animation, and the game uses two speakers in the lower cabinet. Ask for a video of the backbox in attract mode. The lightning lamps should flash and both speakers should play.

Moving it

The legs aren't all the same. Two are 27 in and two are 31 in, so make sure all four come with it. It's a wide-body, so measure your doorways too.

Parts and code

The lower playfield lamps are an exception to System 80's usual 6 V bulbs, so check the bulbs before swapping in LEDs. Ask whether the speech and sound board work, because some Gottlieb sound boards of this era use two chips that are very hard to find.

Should come with it

All four legs (two long, two short)

Coin door keys and backbox key

Manual and schematics

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

Most problems are System 80's, battery damage, connectors and grounds, plus the kickers and trap door that move the ball between levels. The sound board needs care if it's been swapped.

01Battery: Ask for a photo of the CPU board. The NiCad battery should be gone or relocated, with no green or gray solder nearby.

02Cellar: Ask for a video of a ball going into the cellar and back up. The up-kicker should send it up on one kick.

03Attic: Look at the attic flippers in the photos and video. All eight flippers should flip with full strength.

04Trap door: Ask the seller to show the trap door and secret passage in a game. Both should open and reset.

05Displays: Ask for a video of the game running. Every score digit should light.

06Sound: Ask for a video with the sound up. You should hear the organ music from both cabinet speakers.

07Legs: Check the photos for two long and two short legs. The game needs two of each to stand right.

08Backglass: Ask for a video of the backbox in attract mode. The lightning should flash and the paint should be whole.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

Haunted House

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

Black Hole

Genie

Big House

Keep exploring

Haunted House

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

Black Hole

Genie

Big House

Keep exploring