INTERVIEW: Stop the Killer slashes its way into the hearts of horror fans
Image courtesy of Stop the Killer / Provided with permission.
Stop the Killer is one of the most respected horror companies in the world. They have a slogan that perfectly speaks to their fine focus: “We make board games and books based on slasher movies!” So far, their creative output has found tremendous success, with preorders of games and books that have genre fans salivating at the mouth.
Currently they are promoting Armando Muñoz’s novelization of Silent Night, Deadly Night, a perfect fireside read during these holiday weeks. Muñoz is also the author behind the company’s earlier movie-to-page adaptation, My Bloody Valentine, and next year will see the release of his Happy Birthday to Me.
Other than the books, Stop the Killer also has a blast with slasher games, including the new Ghost Face the Game, based on the Scream franchise. Previous releases include board games for Halloween II, My Bloody Valentine and Silent Night, Deadly Night.
The creative force behind Stop the Killer is Anthony Masi, who heads the company and also produces horror-oriented documentaries like Halloween: 25 Years of Terror. Recently he exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox and offered all the bloody details on STK’s success and what the future holds. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
The slogan for the company is “We make board games and books based on slasher movies!” When did you realize this combination (games, books, slashers) would work as a business?
Our first Kickstarter was for what was supposed to be a one-off game for Silent Night, Deadly Night. I am one of the producers of the forthcoming remake of the film, and the licensor was looking for merchandise opportunities. And the subject of a board game came up. Having an interest in board games myself, I became obsessed with the idea and designed the game during my spare time.
One day I invited the licensor out to lunch and showed them a prototype of the game that I fashioned from foam board and borrowed pieces from Clue and other games I had in my house. My goal was to create a retro-style game that felt like it came out in the mid-’80s, and the licensor loved it. We approached a company called Fright Rags — a leader in the horror merch space — to have their artists create the illustrations for it, and then we ultimately put it on Kickstarter.
In 30 days, it made $85,000, so that’s when the idea came to me that the idea of horror board games could be more than a one-off idea! We then created a game for the 1981 film, My Bloody Valentine, and when that Kickstarter was also successful, it was a confirmation that games based on slasher movies was indeed being welcomed by horror fans. It was during this same time when the idea to create a tie-in novel happened. The director, George Mihalka, thought it was an inspired idea, and the novel and game sold very well together. If your customers keep buying your products, you know you’re on to something, so we intend to keep offering games and novels based on beloved horror movies.
How important has Kickstarter been to the company’s success?
Extremely important. Kickstarter enabled us to fund our projects and build our customer base at the same time. There is a wonderful thing that happens when your customers actively take part in helping you realize a goal. Most companies pay a manufacturer to create a project, and then they put it on their website and sell it. That’s of course fine! But when you ask your customers to put in their money now for the promise of a delivered product later, it’s an entirely different dynamic. What you’re essentially saying to your customers is: “We need you.” So the fact that we’ve had four consecutive successful Kickstarters has been a wonderful gift because it means we are indebted to our backers. Without them, none of these games would exist. We don’t intend to use Kickstarter for all of our games, but for the ones that are more complicated and costly, we aren’t changing what isn’t broken!
How do you choose the movies you would like to see as games?
We have a “wish list” that we work from, and most of the horror films listed on it are from the ’70s and ’80s. We discuss a potential angle for the game, and if an idea clicks, we then chase the license and see what happens. A big part of the decision is the ability to even get a license deal in the first place! We have games we want to create for horror films whose licensors aren’t licensing merchandising rights, and it’s a bummer.
Are each of these games similar in gameplay, just with different characters and art, or are they wildly different?
The four tabletop games we’ve released so far are part of our “Stop The Killer” series, which play similarly. Basically, if you can play one game, you can play the other. The reason for this is simple: They are played on holidays, and we want people taking them off the shelves on special days and start playing in 5-10 minutes without having to re-learn a bunch of rules each time. So if you can play Halloween II, you can play My Bloody Valentine. Our goal was to create a series of games that feels familiar and are played throughout the year.
What’s on the horizon?
We have games coming that play completely differently, and they range in skill level from simple to complex. We also listen to our customers, and many of them said that they would buy our games if only they had people to play them with. So what did we do? We created a line of solitaire games called Hex Decks, and they are meant to be played solo. The Kickstarter for the Ghost Face game offers two Hex Decks, and we just announced Armando’s Happy Birthday to Me novel, which comes with a Hex Deck designed around the Happy Birthday to Me brand. In the card game, which you play yourself, you are basically building a birthday cake. If you can complete your cake before six of your friends die at the hands of a killer, you win. But if you don’t, then you’re the next victim! We have Hex Decks coming out for a bunch of slasher titles, and we hope our customers collect them all.
Again, if you know how to play one, then you can play the others. We have also created a charades game for the prestigious Horror Writers Association, which is being released in 2024. The best way to know what we’re up to is to get on our mailing list at www.stopthekiller.com!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on Stop the Killer.
