Rick Taylor

General CVG character
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name= Rick Taylor


caption= Rick, after the Splatterhouse 2 skull redesign of the Terror Mask.
series= Splatterhouse
firstgame= Splatterhouse (1988)
creator= Namco
artist=
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nihongo|Rick Taylor|リック・テイラー|Rikku Teirā is a fictional character, acting as the protagonist of the Splatterhouse series of video games by Namco. He wears the "Terror Mask" (or "Terror Head" according to some translations) which grants him the strength to fight the evil and gory monsters that kidnap his girlfriend Jennifer in the three instalments of the series (with the addition of his son "David" in the third). Later in the series, Rick's mask develops its own personality and becomes its own character, antagonising Rick towards the end of the final game.

Story

He is originally a parapsychology major in college who goes as a student with his girlfriend, Jennifer, to write a paper on the eerie "West Mansion". However, upon entering the building, Jennifer and Rick are separated by supernatural forces. Rick is somehow knocked out, but is later revived by the Terror Mask, which floats down onto his face and attaches itself. Upon waking up, Rick fights his way through the catacombs, the sewer and eventually deep into West Mansion, where he finally finds Jennifer. However, the heartfelt reunion doesn't last long, as Jennifer quickly transforms into a fierce monster, which Rick must fight. After beating the monster, it reverts back to human form and dies in Rick's arms (possibly to confuse him). Having failed his rescue mission, Rick attempts to escape the West Mansion, fighting more monsters along the way, including the final boss, "Hell Chaos". After Hell Chaos is defeated, a spirit (possibly Dr. West's, although this has never been confirmed) rises from the ground and vanishes after shooting grey orbs off in all directions. The ending of the first game depicts Rick in front of the burning mansion. The mask breaks off his face (although Rick's face is not visible in the shadow). After the credits roll, the fragments of the mask reform.

Splatterhouse's ending is seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvdVOMAVhqs

According to the introduction, Splatterhouse 2 takes place three months after Rick's escape. It is said that he spent the three months in torture over the loss of Jennifer and the temptation of the Terror Mask. The mask now has dialogue and speaks to Rick, telling him to "go back to the house", informs him that Jennifer "doesn't have to die" and that it can give him the power to save her. Giving into temptation, Rick puts on the mask and returns to the charred West Mansion. It's not explained why Rick first appears at the site of the ruins unconscious before waking up at the start of the game. After finding a diary (it is never explained who the diary belonged to), he finds out how to open a portal to The Void, accidentally allowing a large monster (The Ultimate Evil) to escape from the void. Rick enters the portal and saves the real Jennifer from imprisonment in a crystal. A being then attacks Rick (possibly "The Evil One") and both Rick and Jennifer must escape from The Void. Arriving back inside the mansion, it starts to quake and rumble, forcing the pair to find a quick escape route. They take a motorboat to get across the lake but are attacked by the water "The Leviathan" which appears earlier in the game. Rick manages to kill (or at least subdue) it by throwing its own spines into its large eye. Reaching the shore, Rick and Jennifer encounter the Ultimate Evil from earlier, which takes the form of the final boss. Later the Mask left Rick, he thinks that it all can happen again. Before it says goodbye, the Mask tells Rick not to forget that he removed the forbidden seal (the mask only says this in the Japanese game version ending). Rick is seen unmasked, embracing Jennifer after the mansion sinks into the lake and out of sight. After the credits roll, something that looks like the mask, or a poltergeist, comes out of the lake.

Splatterhouse 2's ending is seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7PWohetRQg

Splatterhouse 3 develops the game in terms of gameplay and also has far greater emphasis on the plot, where we learn more about Rick. Additionally, the Terror Mask clearly develops into its own character, eventually revealing itself as the primary antagonist. However, Rick's will and love for his family gives him the strength to separate himself from the Terror Mask and ultimately defeats it.

The Terror Mask

History

Little is known about the Terror Mask, except it is a demonic entity whose power is only second to the Evil One and because of that, its plan for world domination was thwarted. According to the US instruction manual for Splatterhouse 2, a Dr. Mueller discovered the Mask in the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple somewhere in the jungles of Cancun. No mention is made of where Dr. West discovered the Mask in any official documentation.

Designs

According to the storyline established by the later games in the series, the Terror Mask originated from Mexico and was said to be a sacrificial mask. It appears in a different form in each game, and also varies from region to region (for example: the Mask in Splatterhouse 2 has eye marking in the Japanese version, but was altered to look like a skull for the American and European releases). As a possible in-game explanation, it could be said that since the Terror Mask is a sentient entity with supernatural powers, it may be able to change shape.

*Hockey Mask (Splatterhouse, Arcade version, FM Towns version, and PC Engine version)
*Red Mask (Splatterhouse, TurboGrafx-16 version)
*Kabuki Mask (Japanese version of Splatterhouse 2)
*Skull Mask (US version of Splatterhouse 2)
*Demon Mask (Splatterhouse 3, Splatterhouse)

Trivia

* In the Western versions of Splatterhouse 2, the Terror Mask takes on a slightly different appearance. The design of the mask had changed from resembling a hockey mask to being skull-like with interlocking skeletal hands to hold the mask on instead of straps making Rick look less like Jason Voorhees, which may have been Namco's intention in order to differentiate Rick as his own character.
* Rick's actual face is never seen in any of the games with the exception of a single photograph that appears in Splatterhouse 3's worst ending.
* Strangely, Rick is depicted without his mask with a full head of hair unlike his masked-self. It's suggested that the Terror Mask can reform the appearance of its wearer, thus Rick being bald. This is supported by the only known maskless images of Rick, in Splatterhouse 2 and 3's endings, respectively.
* The Terror Mask was slightly redesigned and colored red in the TurboGrafx-16 port of Splatterhouse. This change may have been been made to avoid any copyright lawsuits from Paramount Pictures. This has never been verified, but seems to be the most likely scenario, due to the fact that Rick Taylor, in his original arcade incarnation, strongly resembles Jason Voorhees, the main character of the Friday the 13th films (which Paramount Pictures owned at the time).