History Main / FaceRevealingTurn

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' has the episode "Our Founding Losers", in which the duo imagines being in the United States during imprtant points in its' history. In one instance, Butt-Head imagines going into a town building, and sees what appears to be UsefulNotes/BetsyRoss sewing the American flag. Butt-Head approaches her while her face is turned away, and does his usual flirtatious "Hey, baby!" pickup line. But then [[spoiler: "she" turns her head to reveal that it's actually Beavis, who responds with his own usual pickup line: "Hey, How's it going?"]] Freaked out, Butt-Head immediately stops flirting is horrified, [[CatapultNightmare and wakes up in shock]].

her back to the audience, completing the conversation she and Ozpin are having at the beginning of the show. It's obvious that Salem is a white-haired woman in flowing black robes until she turns around... revealing a face as white as a Grimm mask, the black sclera and glowing red eyes of the Grimm, a mark in the centre of her forehead like a partially-open third eye, and skin covered in what looks like reddish-black veins.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': At the end of Volume 3, we see the Female Narrator from the pilot episode, her back to the audience, completing the conversation she and Ozpin are having at the beginning of the show. It's obvious that Salem is a white-haired woman in flowing black robes until she turns around... revealing a face as white as a Grimm mask, the black sclera and glowing red eyes of the Grimm, a mark in the centre of her forehead like a partially-open third eye, and skin covered in what looks like reddish-black veins.

This is a must-be effect of almost every zombie movie. The hero sees a person who is facing away. The hero approaches slowly (as does the camera), maybe trying to enter a conversation with that person. More often than not an unnerving music plays. When we come close enough, the person suddenly turns around, [[NightmareFace revealing decaying flesh, bloody teeth and a missing eye]]. Oh my God, it's a zombie! Cue the ScareChord.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom, Part 1]]", Tirek tries to suck the magic out of yet another unicorn bystander, before said unicorn [[LuredIntoATrap turns out to be a waiting Discord]].
-->'''Discord:''' Tirek, I [[TrrrillingRrrs prrrresume]].

* In various incarnations of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', the villain ComicBook/TwoFace is sometimes revealed this way.

* Creator/HPLovecraft's story "The Lurking Fear":

Compare PeekABooCorpse. See also EmergingFromTheShadows, NotAZombie, TwoFaced, GameFace, OverTheShoulderMurderShot.

%%* ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies (at least, the first two have examples). The most disturbing example was probably in ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse'' with the zombie child.

* ''VideoGame/{{Uninvited}}'' for the NES had the infamous "Mysterious Lady." She appears with her back to you, and the game even tries to lull you into a false sense of security by playing a very pleasant piece of music that was written specifically for the sequence. If you do anything other than douse her in "No Ghost," she turns around, revealing her face to be a bare skull, and kills you.

* A heroic version in TheStinger of ''WonderWoman1984'' when a woman wearing a blue cape effortlessly stops a pole falling on a baby carriage. When the mother rushes up to thank her, she turns [[spoiler:[[MythologyGag with a slight twirl]] because she's played by Creator/LyndaCarter who was Series/WonderWoman1975 (though in this case she's playing Asteria).]]

** The sequel, ''Return of Count Yorga'' also does a variant. The hero, Baldwin, and Cynthia, the girl he's trying to rescue manage to kill Yorga and throw him off the manor. Cynthia then hugs Baldwin with the camera staying behind him. She senses something not right and pull back from him, gasping in horror [[spoiler: He's now pale-skinned and has visible bite marks on him (presumably from getting bitten by Yorga's harem that cornered him). Baldwin promptly pulls her back and bites her.]]

* A variation commonly used for the introduction of Baron Ashura in ''Manga/MazingerZ'' and related works: Showing Ashura talking from its male side, then the female, then finally turning or cutting to a shot showing that they're the same being. Achieved vocally as well, by giving each half their own voice, with only one heard when one side is visible, and speaking in unison when both halves are visible.
** Played with in the spinoff ''Manga/MazingerAngels'', [[spoiler:to show that their version of Asura was instead two separate people]].

* When Reenie from the ''TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' fame snoops around [[BigBad Papa]] [[HumanoidAbomination Lazarou's]] lair she hears a faint cry and sees the figure of apparently a little girl that for some reason is facing the wall and crying. Instead of finding it the least bit unsettling or suspicious that a kid is there, she chooses to go all the way to following horror cliches and starts to approach the kid all the while speaking gently and protectively. The figure then turns and she has to suffer not only the shocking displeasure of seeing the leering, ugly face of one of Lazarou's [[DepravedDwarf midget minions]] but also the indignity of hearing his gloating who greatly lampshades her cluelessness by sneering ''I can't believe that you fell for that.''

* In the BadFuture Knightmare at the end of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', this is used to show that a member of LaResistance that Batman has assembled to fight Darkseid is none other than his ArchEnemy The Joker, who is introduced sitting with his back to the audience before turning to shown his [[MonsterClown distinctive makeup]].

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', this is used to reveal Aqua's apparent status as one of Xehanort's vessels: not only has her hair been bleached but her eyes have turned gold like Xehanort's.

** Played with in the spinoff ''Manga/MazingerAngels'', [[spoiler:to show that their version of Asura was instead two separate people]]

* Happens in a nightmare Aya has in ''Manga/AyashiNoCeres'', shortly after the suicide of [[spoiler:Miori]]. In the dream, she sees her LoveInterest Tooya on a beach with his back against her, but when he turns around, he turns into [[spoiler:Miori]]'s bleeding corpse.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': In the vault, Loki is shown from behind. Then he turns to reveal that [[spoiler:his skin turned blue after touching the Casket because he is a Frost Giant.]]
** ''Film/TheAvengers2012'': In the mid-credits stinger, the mysterious figure Loki has been working for slowly turns to reveal a grinning [[spoiler:Thanos.]]
* ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies (at least, the first two have examples)
** The most disturbing example was probably in ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse'' with the zombie child.
* The ''Film/SilentHill'' movie has this with a Grey Child and a slightly different version of this with Lisa Garland, who has lid- and pupilless eyes.

* An excellent example is in ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Not a zombie ([[spoiler: still a corpse though a lifeless, immobile one as they should be]]), but definitely a 'Face Revealing Turn.'
** A similar technique is seen in the [[ScreamerTrailer magnificently confusing trailer]] for the horror film ''Film/Suspiria1977''.

** Another really bad ''[=MST3K=]'' one: "Okay, okay, she's a werewolf!"
* Done in ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead''. They don't even think the zombie in the backyard is an undead cannibal until they see the news.
--> Oh my God... She's so drunk!
** Well, the fact that she ''was impaled on a pipe and got back up'' may have tipped them off that something was wrong.
* In both ''Film/TheGrudge'' and its Japanese counterpart, Kayako's first on-screen victim (the original caretaker) suddenly shows up at the volunteer institution after being missing for several days. Her colleague calls her, she turns around... [[spoiler:she's missing her jaw, causing her tongue to flap down helplessly and blood to pour constantly from her throat. It is quite obvious she's a walking dead, however]].
* Something similar is done in ''Film/TheOrphanage''. Where a certain character is hit by a van, she is taken away by the ambulance who put cloth over her body to hide her face. [[spoiler: Then her hand reaches out, and she pulls back the cloth hiding her face, revealing that her entire lower jaw has been smashed beyond recognition, and is bleeding all over her as her tongue waggles in a horrifying manner. While she's SCREAMING.]]
** And someone gave her ''mouth-to-mouth''. The guy must have a stomach of steel, though being a doctor probably helps a bit.
** There's also the old home movie of [[spoiler: Tomas]].
* ''Film/TheElephantMan''. "Turn around."
* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', [[spoiler:Judge Doom does this when he reveals he's a Toon.]]
* At the end of ''Film/TheMidnightMeatTrain'', a horrible, hulking brute is walking down the isle of the titular train. He looks back at the camera, and [[spoiler: it's the hero, turned into a monster.]]
* Kano in ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' first appears in profile in a poorly-lit room, talking on a cell phone. After he's finished his call, he turns, revealing his metal face prosthesis, to address [[BigBad Shang Tsung]].
* Happens in all 3 versions of ''Film/{{Shutter}}'' when the main character enters the ghost girl's house and finds her corpse.

* Inverted in ''Film/DarkWater''. When Yoshimi realizes that she [[spoiler:is in an elevator with [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Mitsuko]] instead of her own daughter]], she slowly turns around to look at [[spoiler:the child]]... Cue the audience jumping off their seats as [[spoiler:the ''horribly rotted and slimy'' animated corpse of Mitsuko lunges at her while screaming for her mama]].

* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': When Gordon talks to Harvey in the hospital, the latter pulls off a chilling one to reveal that he [[spoiler: had lost half his face in an explosion]]. The trope is drawn out by cutting to a ReactionShot from Gordon the first time, with the full FacialHorror only revealed the second time it happens.
-->'''Gordon:''' I'm sorry, Harvey.
-->'''Harvey[[spoiler:/Two-Face]]''': No. No you're not. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Not yet.]]
* ''Film/{{Frankenstein 1931}}'' uses this to introduce FrankensteinsMonster. Weirdly enough, he had entered through the door to the room backwards before doing so.

* ''Film/CountYorga'' does this at the end of it's film. After Micheal drives off the vampire brides. The camera suspiciously stays off Donna, the girl he just rescued, only focusing on her hand as it pulls away from him while he takes a moment to breathe. When he turns to her [[spoiler: she bares her newly gained fangs and lunges at him.]]
** The sequel, ''Return of Count Yorga'' also does a variant. The hero, Baldwin, and Cynthia, the girl he's trying to rescue manage to kill Yorga and throw him off the manor. Cynthia then hugs Baldwin with the camera staying behind him. She senses something not right and pull back from him, gasping in horror [[spoiler: He's now pale-skinned and has visible bite marks on him (presumably from getting bitten by Yorga's harem that cornered him). Baldwin promptly pulls her back and bites her.]]
* ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''. The protagonists are in a glass-walled elevator going down to the ElaborateUndergroundBase, which they quickly realizes contain a [[MonsterMash menagerie of monsters]]. One of them is a [[CreepyChild child ballerina standing with her back to them]]; she turns to reveal she's got [[NestedMouths nested]] {{Lamprey Mouth}}s instead of a face.

* Two examples in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest''. Bootstrap Bill is seen silhouetted in profile, water dripping off his face, before he looks up and reveals his blue-tinged skin, [[FishPeople barnacles and a starfish clinging to his face]], and sea lice crawling over him. Later, Will searches a shipwreck for survivors; a man falls from aloft and crawls across the deck. Will helps him turn over, only to recoil in horror when he sees that the man's face is [[TheBlank a twitching mass of sloughed-off skin]] due to an encounter with the suction cups on the Kraken's tentacles.
* Done with [[spoiler: half-digested Billy]] in ''Film/DeepRising'', when he's expelled from the gullet of a sea monster. [[spoiler: In this case, it's more a ''[[BodyHorror lack of face]]'' reveal: half his head has been dissolved down into the bone]].
* Perhaps the most shocking moment in ''Film/{{Phenomena}}'' comes when Jennifer tries to escape from the killer's basement and hears crying. She enters a room and sees a little, normal-looking boy with his back turned weeping. The viewer knows from the start that something is off about the whole scene but doesn't know exactly what to expect. Jennifer approaches the kid and tells him that everything is going to be okay and he slowly turns and the noises start to change anddd... [[NightmareFace someone had a really bad night]].
* In the Korean zombie movie ''Film/TrainToBusan'', the train stops at a station protected by the military. As the passengers travel down an escalator they see a line of soldiers facing the outside barrier, but as their faces are revealed as the escalator descends, it's obvious the whole lot of them have been zombified and are only facing away because all the normal humans are outside. Until now.
* ''Film/EventHorizon'': [[EyeScream "Don't worry. Where we're going, we don't need eyes to see..."]]
* The original ''Film/FrightNight1985'' does this in the climax when Charley is confronted by a recently vamped Amy. At first she doesn't look too bad, gold eyes and fangs but still having her features. Charley flashes a cross at her, makeing her cringe and turn away. As she's whimpering about him not protecting her from Jerry, he moves in closer and she suddenly raises her head now having a much more monstrous look to her.
* In the 1981 horror movie ''Ghost Story'', a naked woman is lying face down on a bed. Then she rolls over, revealing her face to be that of a rotting corpse.