Polterguy
The protagonist and ghost of a man killed through Vic DeWitt’s business dealings. He possesses objects to frighten the DeWitt family.
How it plays
Polterguy explores rooms from an overhead perspective and searches for objects that can be possessed. Each object produces a different scare animation, and the player must use these effects to frighten the DeWitt family out of the current house.
The family moves between houses as the haunting progresses. When Polterguy exhausts the available objects, he must navigate a sewer-like transition area and find a route into another property. Progress depends on discovering usable objects and managing the limited opportunities in each location.
Plan your run
Search every room carefully before activating objects. Some scares are more effective than others, so avoid wasting useful possessions when the family is not positioned to react.
Learn the layout of each house and watch the family’s movement. If progress stalls, revisit rooms and look for an overlooked object or a path through the transition area.
Meet the cast
The protagonist and ghost of a man killed through Vic DeWitt’s business dealings. He possesses objects to frighten the DeWitt family.
The businessman held responsible for Polterguy’s death and the target of the haunting.
Before you begin
Inspect rooms methodically and use objects only when they can affect a family member.
Expect trial and error: unusual objects often hide the important scare effects.
The game’s humor and grotesque animations are central to its appeal, but the repeated house structure can feel repetitive.
Haunting Starring Polterguy is a horror-themed action and puzzle game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis in 1993. You play as Polterguy, the vengeful ghost of a man whose death was caused by businessman Vic DeWitt. Rather than fighting directly, Polterguy scares Vic and his family by possessing household objects and triggering grotesque supernatural events. The game combines exploration, object-based puzzles, and timed pursuit across several homes. Its comic-book presentation and bizarre creature animations gave it a distinctive identity, although its repetitive structure and trial-and-error progression received mixed historical reception. It remains a notable example of an unconventional 16-bit horror game.
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