When it comes to classic horror games you can't get much more 8-bit monster mashing madness that this classic offers you...

What do you get when you take Frankenstein, the Grim Reaper, Igor, Medusa, the Mummy, an army of ghouls, creatures from the Black Lagoon, bloodthirsty panthers and make them enthralled by the evil that is Count Dracula? You get Castle-freakin'-vania! This is an action platforming classic that lets you bash your forehead against some of the most iconic monsters in movie history and beat their asses down as some awesome music plays in the background.

"Whip it! Whip it real good!"
-Simon Belmont

The story goes that every 100 years, Dracula's castle emerges and unleashes it's evil into the night. Only 1 man, Simon Belmont, has what it takes to enter the dreaded fortress and slay the monsters with his trusted whip... I guess by using the weapon of Catwoman that makes him more masculine or something.... I  don't know, I would've preferred a silver mace or sword if I was him. When I adventure in games like Dante's Inferno or Skyrim I never say, "You know what I could use right now? A whip!" THough Indiana Jones uses a whip and he's pretty awesome, maybe I shouldn't joke about that.

"Ghoulies! Taste the wrath of my whip!"
-Simon Belmont

So you battle the forces of evil, destroy their candles which give you special weapons and heart/soul/things for your special weapons to use as ammo, smash walls to get health. This was the golden horror game for NES, though it's not really scary or creepy and some weird things (Why'd monsters hide food in the walls?), Castlevania gets 4 out of 5 classic Hammer horror monsters.