Night of the Raving Dead
Encyclopedia
"Night of the Raving Dead" is the third episode of Sam & Max Season Two
created by Telltale Games
and published by GameTap
. Compared to the episodes before and after it, it was considered to be disappointing by many reviewers.
The episode begins with Sam and Max trapped in a mortal contraption, the Soul Stealer, by Jurgen, a German
emo
styled vampire
, while reminiscing about how they got themselves in this mess.
It all started when a zombie
stormed in Sam and Max's office and stole one of their most prized items, the right hand of Jesse James
, to replace his lost one. Soon the duo figured that the whole town was infested with lots of them, and their investigations tracked the source of this outbreak to Jurgen's castle in Stuttgart
, Germany
.
Upon arriving at "The Zombie Factory" (which turns out to be a rave
), the freelance police meets the emo vampire, who tells them that there was nothing they could do to stop his intentions, as the zombies were being attracted to his "incomparable style". To thwart his plans, Sam and Max created a series of incidents to break apart his reputation, but after trying to take down Jurgen by themselves, they ended up being defeated and trapped in his "Soul Stealer" device, which transformed them into zombies too, separated from their souls.
With the help of a Frankenstein
-like monster created by Jurgen, Sam and Max managed not only to find a way to return to the world of living, but to make their Euro-nemesis pay the price for good. Just before the end of the episode, Flint Paper, who was following Bosco, revealed to the duo that somehow he disappeared from the Earth.
Sam & Max Season Two
Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space, originally released as Sam & Max: Season Two, is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of the Sam & Max comic series created by Steve Purcell and follows from Sam & Max Save the World.Season Two builds on Season One with...
created by Telltale Games
Telltale Games
Telltale Games is a leading independent digital first publisher and game developer founded in June 2004 as Telltale, Incorporated. Based in San Rafael, California, the studio includes designers formerly employed by LucasArts...
and published by GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
. Compared to the episodes before and after it, it was considered to be disappointing by many reviewers.
Plot
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
styled vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, while reminiscing about how they got themselves in this mess.
It all started when a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
stormed in Sam and Max's office and stole one of their most prized items, the right hand of Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
, to replace his lost one. Soon the duo figured that the whole town was infested with lots of them, and their investigations tracked the source of this outbreak to Jurgen's castle in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Upon arriving at "The Zombie Factory" (which turns out to be a rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
), the freelance police meets the emo vampire, who tells them that there was nothing they could do to stop his intentions, as the zombies were being attracted to his "incomparable style". To thwart his plans, Sam and Max created a series of incidents to break apart his reputation, but after trying to take down Jurgen by themselves, they ended up being defeated and trapped in his "Soul Stealer" device, which transformed them into zombies too, separated from their souls.
With the help of a Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
-like monster created by Jurgen, Sam and Max managed not only to find a way to return to the world of living, but to make their Euro-nemesis pay the price for good. Just before the end of the episode, Flint Paper, who was following Bosco, revealed to the duo that somehow he disappeared from the Earth.
Allusions
- Title of this game is a parody of Night of the Living DeadNight of the Living DeadNight of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
, a 1968 black-and-whiteBlack-and-whiteBlack-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
independentIndependent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
horror filmHorror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by George A. RomeroGeorge A. RomeroGeorge Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:... - After Sam and Max are killed in Jurgen's machine, "You Are Dead" appears on the screen in a similar fashion to the Resident Evil video game series. The typewriter ribbon Sam and Max find in the nightclub is another reference to Resident Evil.
- One of the buttons in Jurgen's DJ booth plays a recorded voice saying "Sub Zero", in allusion to the Mortal Kombat video game series. Another button plays the phrase "Pure Energy," referring to a prominent sample in a 1980s dance song by Information SocietyInformation societyThe aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
. - When Sam unscrews the bulb from Stinky's sun lamp, Max says "Did you just get déjà vu?" This refers to Sam & Max Hit the RoadSam & Max Hit the RoadSam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure computer game released by LucasArts during the company's adventure games era. The game was originally released for DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release included compatibility with Windows and Amiga...
. - Curt, one of the C.O.P.S., explains that S.O.L. (Stuttgart On Line), (which is a play on AOLAOLAOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
"America On Line") their new Internet service provider, is "so simple, even a zombie could use it", a possible reference to an AOL TV ad from several years ago that used the phrase "So easy, even dad can use it." and/or a reference to the famous GEICO "caveman" ad campaign. - The driving game developed by the C.O.P.S. in this episode is an allusion to the 1984 AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
video game, PaperboyPaperboy (video game)Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
. - After Jurgen's monster awakens, he proclaims "Happy Birthday!" This alludes to Frosty the Snowman who says this whenever he appears.
- Jurgen's fighting pose is the "crane stance" from the final scene of the film The Karate Kid.
- The horse call whenever Agent Superball's name is mentioned is a running gag from the film Young FrankensteinYoung FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
. - If you press the button on the buzzer in the TV-studio, Sam will pretend to answer it, saying "Hi, Elaine. Come on up", a reference to the TV-show SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. - When getting the holy water, Max declares 'Sim, Sim, Sala beem!", the catchphrase of Hadji from Jonny QuestJonny QuestJonny Quest is a media franchise that revolves around a boy named Jonny Quest who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964-65 television series and has come to include two subsequent television series, two television films, and a video game.-1964–1965...
.
See also
- Ice Station SantaIce Station Santa"Ice Station Santa" is the first episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. The episode's title is a play on the movie/book title "Ice Station Zebra", a story set in the cold war period.- Synopsis & Plot :...
- Moai Better BluesMoai Better Blues"Moai Better Blues" is the second episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap.- Plot :Sam and Max, after returning from the North Pole, find that a giant triangular vortex is chasing after Sybil and sucking debris off the street into it...
- Chariots of the DogsChariots of the Dogs"Chariots of the Dogs" is the fourth episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on March 14, 2008.-Plot:...
- What's New, Beelzebub?What's New, Beelzebub?"What's New, Beelzebub?" is the season finale of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on April 11, 2008.-Short plot synopsis:...