The Spectre Files: Deathstalker Coming Soon to Maiden Alley Cinema
- Dustin Wilcox (Admin)
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Wilcox Arcade route will soon stretch into McCracken County — this time, at Maiden Alley Cinema, where I’ll place a rare arcade game called The Spectre Files: Deathstalker.
Maiden Alley Cinema, for those not in the know, is an “art house” theater located in downtown Paducah, Kentucky. This staple nonprofit organization showcases to its viewership classic, foreign, and — most relevant to my mission — indie movies.
Indie arcade games were already the central focus of my route — I don’t think I need to tell you that — only now, I’ll be able to place them in an establishment where the patrons are likelier to gravitate to them unprompted. Ideally, the kinds of curious folks who would attend an art house exhibition would be predisposed to less mainstream games, as well.
To put it another way, I’d imagine my indie games will pair very well with their indie movies — the mantra guiding me as I erect a complementary attraction within that aforementioned venue. I think it helps, too, that Paducah is a UNESCO city, so it’s kind of known for being artsy, at least by the standards of western Kentucky.
Knowing all this, The Spectre Files: Deathstalker seemed like a natural fit for Maiden Alley Cinema. It’s, in one sense, a classic arcade game: Legendary game director Brian Colin, of Rampage fame, created it in the early 1980s during his time at Midway — intended for release via the then-new medium of Laser Disc, much like Dragon’s Lair or Mad Dog McCree.
The title was envisioned as an interactive movie, within which your choices, as the player, could positively or negatively sway your outcomes. Drawing upon modern references, the most direct comparison I can make is to the Telltale Games library or to visual novels.
The problem is…well, Midway canned the game all those years ago. So, in another sense, The Spectre Files is an indie title: The only reason we have access to it now is because Brian Colin discovered the old 16mm film reels in his garage, after which he recompiled the experience via his own studio, Game Refuge, and published it in partnership with Galloping Ghost Productions, for a limited release in 2017.
Zooming in just a little bit, the only reason I, personally, acquired The Spectre Files: Deathstalker is because Adam Pratt — the owner of Arcade Galactic in West Valley City, Utah — was, coincidentally, ready to part with the machine after housing it for nearly a decade within his venue. Long story short, I’ll be able to expose it to an entirely new audience here in Kentucky.
(I cannot, however, call this the only Deathstalker cabinet in the commonwealth, as another arcade in norther Kentucky also acquired one sometime last year. I genuinely could not believe the odds.)
And shoot, while I’m at it, I should thank my former WKMS boss Derek Operle for putting me in contact with Caroline Few, the executive director of Maiden Alley Cinema, in the first place. Caroline, about a year ago, had requested a pinball machine based off an old movie license, and The Spectre Files was ultimately what I had the means to provide. (Yes…this has been in the works for a while.)
I’ll make sure to share the launch date for The Spectre Files: Deathstalker whenever I can reasonably confirm it. In the meantime, just know that Wilcox Arcade is coming soon to Maiden Alley Cinema in Paducah, Kentucky.
And if you’re really itching to play indie arcade games, I already have Switch ‘N’ Shoot at Know-a-Guy in Murray, as well as Galactic Battleground at Basement Bar Collectibles in Benton. Show the Wilcox Arcade route some love.
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