History Main / AccidentalNightmareFuel

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[[caption-width-right:349:Sure, she's not scared now, ''but how is she going to react when she sees that photo?'']]
[[caption-width-right:349:[-See more images on [[ImageLinks/AccidentalNightmareFuel Image Links Wiki]].-] ]]

* Puppet, animatronic, claymation, or CG characters who were meant to be cute, but who instead look like they crawled out from the darkest depths of the UncannyValley.

* [[UncannyValley Unnerving]] children's toys.

Related: UncannyValley

[[quoteright:349:[[HairRaisingHare https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/easter_fun.png]]

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[[caption-width-right:349:Sure, she's not scared now, ''[[FridgeHorror but how is she going to react when she sees that photo?]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[-See more images on [[ImageLinks/AccidentalNightmareFuel Image Links Wiki]].-] ]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/easter_fun.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Sure, she's not scared now, ''[[FridgeHorror but how is she going to react when she sees that photo?]]'']]

[[quoteright:350:[[HairRaisingHare https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/easter_fun.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[HairRaisingHare https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/easter-fun.jpg]]]]

* Puppet, animatronic, claymation, or CG characters who were meant to be cute, but who instead look like they crawled out from the [[NightmareValley darkest depths]] of the UncannyValley.

There is an excellent discussion about this phenomenon and its possible psychological origins in [[http://www.avclub.com/content/node/79299 this blog post]] at ''TheOnion A. V. Club''. And check out the website [[http://www.kindertrauma.com/ Kinder Trauma]] — if you dare.

[[caption-width-right:350:[-See more images on [[ImageLinks/NightmareFuel Image Links Wiki]].-] ]]

AccidentalNightmareFuel refers to things in media that scare people even though they were never meant to. Something that was meant to amuse or entertain to the audience would otherwise result in frightening people to the point of having nightmares. It's particularly common in media aimed at children and general audiences, as kids (usually) get scared more easily than adults, but can be seen pretty much anywhere by anyone, due to the extremely subjective nature of horror.

'''The usual suspects of AccidentalNightmareFuel include:'''

!![[center:This is a {{Fan-Speak}} definition. Please put examples in NightmareFuel.]]

'''This is a {{Fan-Speak}} definition. Please put examples in NightmareFuel'''

* [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence Over-the-top slapstick violence]], such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWhBMDayZPw a character getting run over by a steamroller and turning into a flat photograph]]. It may seem funny to you, but imagine looking at such an event through the eyes of a literal-minded 6-year old.

Contrast with NightmareRetardant, {{Narm}}, and FauxHorrific (it's not scary, but played up as if it is). If the offending material can make you sick, you've got NauseaFuel. For deliberately scary (but not ''very'' scary) kids media, see DefangedHorrors. VileVillainSaccharineShow is when a villain causes this in a show far more light-hearted than one would expect that sort of character to appear in. If it becomes scary only in hindsight, it's FridgeHorror.

* [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence Over-the-top slapstick violence]]; such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWhBMDayZPw a character getting run over by a steamroller and turning into a flat photograph]]. It may seem funny to you, but imagine looking at such an event through the eyes of a literal-minded 6-year old.
* Sudden [[ArtShift change in medium]] between live-action, traditional animation, CGI, or {{Claymation}} especially if it comes without warning and changes back just as quickly.

There is an excellent discussion about this phenomenon and its possible psychological origins in [[http://www.avclub.com/content/node/79299 this blog post]] at ''TheOnion A V Club''. And check out the website [[http://www.kindertrauma.com/ Kinder Trauma]] — if you dare.

Contrast with NightmareRetardant and {{Narm}}. If the offending material can make you sick, you've got NauseaFuel. For deliberately scary (but not ''very'' scary) kids media, see DefangedHorrors. If a villain that causes this is in a show far more light-hearted than one would expect that sort of character to appear in, then it's VileVillainSaccharineShow. Contrast FauxHorrific (it's not scary, but played up as if it is). If it becomes scary only in hindsight, it's FridgeHorror.

Related {{Trope}}s: UncannyValley

Contrast with NightmareRetardant and {{Narm}}. If the offending material can make you sick, you've got NauseaFuel. For deliberately scary (but not ''very'' scary) kids media, see DefangedHorrors. If a villain that causes this is in a show far more light-hearted than one would expect that sort of character to appear in, then it's VileVillainSaccharineShow. Contrast FauxHorrific (it's not scary, but played up as if it is).

If it's scary because it was supposed to be scary, it's HighOctaneNightmareFuel instead. This page has a lot of inappropriate {{wick}}s and [[PotholeMagnet potholes]] from people who confuse the two {{trope}}s; if you find one, please change it to point to HighOctaneNightmareFuel.

Keep in mind: '''This is {{YMMV}}.''' Some of the entries here may come off as nothing scary to you, and that's fine. '''That does not give you the right to delete an entry or argue over it on its respective page.''' Calling someone a wimp because something that you don't mind creeped them out is rude.

Avoid {{natter}} and personal anecdotes.

Related {{Trope}}s:

* UncannyValley

Well, go make sure you've got a fresh bulb in your trusty night light, kiddies. It's time for the...
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!!Examples:

[[center:''Note that examples that are [[TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste intended to be scary]] belong in HighOctaneNightmareFuel.'']]

[[index]]
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Advertising}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Anime}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Art}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/ComicBooks
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Disney}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Film}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/FolkloreAndUrbanMyths
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Literature}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/LiveActionTV
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Music}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/MusicVideos
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/NewMedia
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/TabletopGames
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Theater}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/ThemeParks
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Toys}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/VideoGames
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/WebOriginal
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/WebComics
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/WesternAnimation
** AccidentalNightmareFuel/WesternAnimationFilm
** AccidentalNightmareFuel/WesternAnimationTV
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Vanity Plate}}s
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/TVTropes
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/{{Other}}
* AccidentalNightmareFuel/RealLife
[[/index]]
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->''"Ah, good old fashioned [[TropeNamer nightmare fuel]]!"''
-->--'''[[{{MST3K}} Mike Nelson]]''', ''[[TheIncrediblyStrangeCreatures The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?]]''
-->--Or if you prefer, '''[[{{MST3K}} Tom Servo]]''', ''Film/SantaClaus''

This {{trope}} is named after the phrase "Good Old-Fashioned [[NightmareFuel nightmare fuel]]!", used at least three times in ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' to describe trauma-inducing sights and objects in {{film}}s that appeared by design to be originally intended for children. (For the record, the {{film}}s in question were the incredibly creepy ''Film/SantaClaus'', Roger Corman's ''The Undead'', and a scene in the otherwise silly film ''[[TheIncrediblyStrangeCreatures The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?]]''. And [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB8gYMfeREI this]] was from the first.)

As a side note, this {{trope}} [[RenamedTropes originally went by the name Nightmare Fuel]].

* [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Depressing or terrifying Game Over screens]]; all the more reason for a player to not screw up. Or worse, put off the [[VideoGame game]] for anywhere between days and ''years.''
* An episode with a {{Cliffhanger}} ending, [[DarkestHour where it looks like the hero is well and truly screwed.]] A child who misses the second half (or worse, the show was [[LeftHanging canceled before it could be resolved]], e.g. Alf) might require years of therapy.
* A FaceHeelTurn where a once beloved hero is now doing [[KickTheDog cruel and merciless actions]].
* A FamilyUnfriendlyDeath at its unfriendliest.

Complicating matters is that some things are subtle - you might not think much of something the first time you watch a movie, but start getting freaked out upon watching it again. This variety of FridgeHorror is more common in media for kids, mostly due to catching things that flew right over your head when you were younger, but certainly isn't limited to it.

[[redirect:NightmareFuel]]