"Tower of Terror" aired in 1998 as part of Pokémon: Indigo League, produced by OLM and animated for the Japanese television run before being localized for Western broadcast by 4Kids. The episode arrived during the height of Pokémon's global breakout, when the anime served as a companion piece to the games and trading cards flooding the market. Ghost-type Pokémon were still a novelty to audiences at this point, and episodes built around Lavender Tower folklore carried extra weight for a franchise still establishing its darker corners. This slice of animation history sits within that early, formative stretch of the series.
This cell carries the name Haunter, the gaseous, grinning Ghost/Poison type long prized by collectors for its mischievous reputation and its place in Pokémon's small early roster of spooky designs. The person named here is Gengar, Haunter's evolved form, a character whose appearances in these earlier episodes are especially sought after given its stature as one of the franchise's most iconic Ghost types. Cells labeled with a single character name typically isolate a key figure from the episode's animation stock, offering collectors a direct artifact tied to a specific, memorable presence within the Tower of Terror story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour positive release print of Pokémon: Indigo League – Tower of Terror (1998).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames side by side, indicating an anamorphic or twin-frame layout, with two frames visible in total.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the strip's edges and the light panel reflection.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image shows saturated blues, purples and reds consistent with an intact colour dye set.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be identical or near-identical consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and background are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The saturated colour dye image and 35mm four-perforation layout are consistent with a 1998 theatrical release print; no anachronistic stock or soundtrack format features are visible.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
