Castlevania is a video game series that’s made its mark in many different ways, sometimes in unexpected areas, like the Internet’s meme culture.
Castlevania started as a spooky action-platformer series from Konami, but the franchise has exploded in massive ways since its origins. There are now dozens of Castlevania games that have been on the majority of the video game platforms and feature a complex history that spans through the series. Castlevania’s most signature characters, like Simon Belmont, have even crossed over into other video games. The third season of a Castlevania animated series is about to hit Netflix and it’s one of the more positively regarded video game adaptations of all time.
Over time Konami’s Castlevania series has matured a lot and learned to embrace its horror elements even more. Dedicated gamers may prefer the sidescroller approach to the series, but the 3D titles have featured some absolutely frightening monsters and battles. There’s a level of sophistication present to the series now, but the earliest Castlevania games were a lot clunkier and certainly products of their time. Perhaps one of the most notorious examples of this is with a popular recurring feature from Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest.
What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse Comes From A Castlevania Game
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest isn’t the most respected entry in the video game franchise, but it at least manages to be memorable. The game involves a day-to-night feature and every time the change takes place the screen freezes as text comes up that says, “What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse.” The repetitive element becomes very annoying very quickly, but it’s also such an absurd statement. There’s never a good time for a curse and the strangeness of the game’s message has gone on to become a popular part of meme culture.
“What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse” has gained a notoriety online, but the impact of the message and Castlevania II has extended on into the music industry. The group, The Black Dahlia Murder, has a 2001 demo album that’s titled after the Castlevania II phrase. Additionally, there’s also a track on the band’s 2007 album, Nocturnal, that also has the same title. There are many impressive advancements that the Castlevania series has accomplished over the years, but it looks like this strange moment from out of their first sequel may outlast them all.