History Main / NightmareRetardant

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Up and sleepless at 3 AM because you watched ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets''? [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MarbleYellowjackets No worries.]]
** In the similar [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MarbleBumbleBee Marble Bumblebee,]] Slendy comes off as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvTUTR9v98s clumsy,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v2Hdx_eQkI petty,]] or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYPiZs5Ag6g an attention whore]].
** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acBnEHT-fBo No wifin in da club,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0wPdfArGy4 Gimme 20 dollas...]]''
** When you've seen a few other {{Alternate Reality Game}}s have the wind taken out of them by people making jokes (such as [[WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID Slendy just wanting to get buff]]) or saying "this is all fak y u guys takng so srsly", it becomes clear that this is why MH disabled comments on their videos.
** Also, on the Marble Hornets DVD; watch the entries with the DVD commentary on. It's hard to take entry #1 seriously ever again while Troy Wagner (i.e. Jay) explains how Joseph [=DeLage=] (i.e. Alex) made a promise to go streaking if the video ever reached a million hits on Youtube. And they absolutely RUIN the Totheark videoes in terms of scariness. The boys realize they're too short for proper commentary, so they just put stupid jokes over the top of them. More or less the commentary removes all the scary and replaces it with [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments pure, unadulterated funny]].
** Also, if you're unfamiliar with Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos, you might mistake [[FanNickname Slendy]] for [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Jack Skellington]]. In fact, in ''Blog/SeekingTruth'', Zeke even refers to the drawings made by the first victim as "...what looked like Jack Skellington with about six extra arms and no eye holes, or any facial features, for that matter."
** In the radio interview with the two creators, they mention how any attempt to make the Operator's head snap towards the camera in Entry 6 resulted in a Film/ANightAtTheRoxbury head bop on the Operator. Cue Haddaway!
** The whole mood is also a bit lost when you realize that, with Slendy spending most of his times watching hidden in the background, most entries on the mythos can be seen as Literature/WheresWaldo's spooky cousin...
** For the realization of a similar concept, see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtkrf1oKGwI this video,]] courtesy of {{WebVideo/Retsupurae}}.
** There's also "Trenderman", a character created on Tumblr after someone noted that the faceless, featureless clothing store mannequins resemble Slenderman. He generally shows up just to give fashion advice.
** Any of the shorts on [[https://www.youtube.com/user/troyhasacamera troyhasacamera,]] and the simple knowledge that these are the same people behind WebVideo/MarbleHornets, is enough to put one's mind at ease just a bit.
** There's also the fact that the first appearance of [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]] online was on Website/SomethingAwful, during one of their regular Photoshop competitions.
* The ''Arise'' Flash Series, especially if the viewer is viewing WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}'s Retsuflash of the games.
** With special mention to the infamous "John [=McCain=] Face".
** "''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUvPebGSrl0 Horror!]]'' [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer ...No, that's really the game's name.]]"
* ''WebOriginal/SuicideMouse'' is [[BlatantLies a purported lost animation by Walt Disney]] that supposedly causes insanity and suicide to whoever watches it. That's why kitty0706 was kind enough to provide you with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6PL8ODp8T8 The GMod Suicide Mouse Survival Guide!]]
* Encyclopedia Dramatica has a page on {{creepypasta}}. However, they also have that page for "Retarded Creepypasta", which were either attempts at creepypastas that fell flat, or silly parodies of creepypastas. (Some of the most infamous being "[[MemeticMutation THEN A SKELETON POPPED OUT]]" and "THEN WHO WAS PHONE?")
** Speaking of creepypastas, give Soviet Creepypastas a try if American ones freak you out.
** "TEH DAY OF ALL THE BLOD" was created by Website/{{Bogleech}} as an intentionally SoBadItsGood creepypasta in all caps about a man who starts bleeding everywhere until everyone gets sick of it and sends him to outer space. And the final twist is [[spoiler: that he was YOU (or he was a lady if you are a lady) and you forgot this ever happened.]]
** It's been pointed out that the fact that WebOriginal/JeffTheKiller burnt off his eyelids makes him a crappy villain; if he comes for you, even if he's able to see you despite never being able to blink or sleep, just put your fingers in his eyes and pull out his eyeballs. Also, did you notice that he [[http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130105190519/creepypasta/images/9/97/Funny_shit.png looks like]] a bastard child of ComicBook/TheJoker and [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]]?
** In general, for every good creepypasta there are at least 10 written by people who have no idea what they are doing. You can often recognize them before even reading them. They tend to be of the "haunted video game" variety and usually involve lots of "hyper-realistic blood".
** A lot of characters who may have once been terrifying have been turned to jokes due to overexposure and a fandom developing around them. The aforementioned Jeff the Killer was a mediocre story in the first place, but good luck ''ever'' taking him seriously again after finding out there's a [[DistaffCounterpart Jane the Killer]], and countless others, each one more OP than the last.
** For those unfamiliar with the origin of the name (or even some who are)[[note]] It's derived from the term Copy Pasta, a bastardization of Copy Paste.[[/note]] the name "creepypasta" is a nightmare retardant itself. If you were trying to explain it to someone not versed in internet culture, there would probably be a moment they would think you are terrified of Italian cooking. It's kind of like if we called horror movies spookysalads.
* [=VooDooWop=] pokes fun at paranormal investigating shows in their skit called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDTHrxrXrZM Haunted Homes.]]
* [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/joke-scps Joke]] [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCPs]] are a deliberate use of this trope.
** As for accidental examples, [=SCPs=] tend to be much less terrifying if you recognize the decidedly non-anomalous source of the page image. For example, there's one of a large, strange mass of random aircraft parts which is instantly recognizable to anyone who's visited (or even walked past) the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, on account of being a perfectly ordinary ([[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible as ordinary as modern art gets, anyway]]) sculpture on permanent display, smack dab in the middle of the main courtyard out front. The mundane images are meant to be placeholders of things that are merely similar or put you in mind of the actual object. [[FridgeHorror The real photos are too high clearance for you to see]].
** Invoked in-universe with SCP-2006, a shapeshifter that wishes to instill pure fear in people. Thankfully, the SCP Foundation has managed to convince it that terrible {{B Movie}}s are the pinnacle of horror. Also subverted. The Foundation has to remind employees that 2006 is an extremely powerful entity with no known limits and that a single slip-up is all that it would take to have it wreak untold havoc on the world. A short story by the author of SCP-2006 also implies that ''it's actually perfectly aware of the Foundation's very real fears''.
---> '''SCP-2006:''' [[LargeHam FEAR ME MORTAL. I AM THE MIGHTY RO-MAN! COWER IN FEAAAAAAAR!]]
---> '''Dr. Louef:''' [[BadBadActing Please mighty Ro-Man! Don't h-hurt me!]]
** The community has a trend to use most horrific [=SCPs=] to crack up jokes and/or make humorous explanations in the forums\chat. An example lampshading the trope right in the post title is [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-441733/snippets-from-chat-seven#post-1490145 "THE DAY 110 MONTAUK STOPPED BEING SCARY TO ANYBODY EVER."]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Exmortis}} 3'' - the third installment of a series of flash games - is considerably less scary than the previous two. Things become a ''lot'' less scary when your character becomes a superhuman that has telekinesis and can cause people / evil beings to explode. With his mind. This is especially pronounced when you come to a horror-filled room with a cannibalistic survivor that wants to eat you. Until you immediately pwn him and hold him up in the air with your mind. He practically pisses himself in fear, and the horrific feeling kind of...goes away.
* This is a natural hazard for horror-themed {{Play By Post Game}}s, given that they usually have a very crude art style in order to update in a timely manner. Even [[Roleplay/RubyQuest the better ones]] only become scary once you've been reading long enough to get sucked in--it's difficult to adequately convey the scariness of a particular section to someone who hasn't been read previous sections.
* [[http://wwwrunningwonthelp-lya.blogspot.com/ H(a)unting]] is a blog about three people and their encounters with [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]], who is one of the most genuinely creepy mythos creatures out there, particularly considering his origin - with the Rake and a second Slender-creature known as //IT// showing up later - and the Rake is essentially the main character's dog, Slenderman gives her candy for winning a Pokemon tournament and brings her a flashlight during a storm, and can not only be beaten up by her but by her pet chicken too. Oh, and she's conveniently immune to Slendy and the Rake's powers and is special in almost every way. In any case, you simply cannot be afraid of a Slenderman who is afraid of a silkie chicken, brings frightened girls flashlights, and gives people Reeses candy for winning a video game tournament.
* In ''Webcomic/HyperboleAndAHalf'', the main character tried to give her younger sister nightmares with a ghost story about blood, closets, killers, blood, ghosts, and more blood. [[{{Narm}} It didn't work.]]
* Anytime Slenderman appears in the works from ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. He is usually calling out "Hey Guys!" in a friendly tone (with demonic distortion), almost always has a smile on his face compared to his [[TheFaceless usual faceless appearances]], and seems like he actually wants to be part of whatever Marik and Bakura are doing at the time, whether it be filming a movie or making appearances in their Let's Plays.
* The ''WebVideo/VaguelyRecallingJoJo'' series turns the horrifying moments of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' into unintentional moments of hilarity.
** The scene where Steely Dan mostly kills Enya with Dio's buds is ruined by the Biohazard parody.
** The nightmarish Page is replaced with the {{gonk}} Pesci
** The scene where Telence shows off his doll collection is ruined by the {{cameo}}s within that collection.
** Scary Monsters, or to put it in Film/JurassicPark terms:
---> Holy fucking shit, It's a Dinosaur! Jesus Christ- What the fuck?! Oh my fucking God, Fucking Dinosaurs! Holy shit- what the fuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkk!
* Invoked with the ScreamerPrank at the beginning of ''20 Haunting Halloween Facts'' by [[WebVideo/MatthewSantoro Matt Santoro]]. This is immediately [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] afterwards.
-->'''Matt''': Did I get you? No? Alright.
* If a {{Creepypasta}} fails in scaring Mutahar of WebVideo/SomeOrdinaryGamers, he will not be afraid of chewing it out, often adding hilarious images to it. Then there's the "Shit-Pastas" series, where even his reading becomes more half-assed and often broken up by laughter.
* ''WebVideo/ChillingTalesForDarkNights''' reading of the r/nosleep story [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7BsuVpNpE "I'm at Your Bedroom Window"]] would have been much more terrifying had Alicia Pavlis's voice for the thing in the story not sounded like Bubbles from ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls''.
* ''Podcast/TheThrillingAdventureHour'' does this in-universe in the "Beyond Belief" segments. Frank and Sadie are generally too jaded and/or drunk to be appropriately frightened by whatever supernatural evil is menacing them. Most evident with [[MonsterClown Nightmares the Clown]] because although Frank was initially frightened, Sadie finds all clowns hilarious, and it's very hard to generate the fear he feeds upon when someone is constantly giggling and asking him to do clown routines and honking his nose.
--> '''Frank:''' Sadie please, do not taunt the nightmare clown monster.
--> '''Sadie:''' Oh, or what, he’ll get in small car with all his other clown friends and drive away? Oh, they can use the high-occupancy vehicle lane!
* At the end of Volume 4 of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Team RNJR deal with the monstrous Grimm known as the Nuckelavee, which ravaged Ren and Nora's hometown and killed Ren's parents. Despite its monstrous appearance of being a demonic creature riding a demonic horse, it's main attack is to strike with its long stretchable arms. While frightening, some fans found it hilarious, comparing it to one of those inflatable men used to attract customers. It gets worse when [[http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/219/851/eb3.gif it gets compared to a]] ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' CutawayGag.
* Website/{{YouTube}}r easportsbig899 collates examples of {{Public Service Announcement}}s, which in British culture are rather revered for the sheer unbridled NightmareFuel they consist of and which this account is necessarily loaded with. easportsbig counteracts this by adding his own personal opinions on the [=PIFs=] to both the video titles and the descriptions. One, which he describes as the most terrifying he's ever seen, is named "I Just Shit Me Pants". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak_fKhM95YI Another extremely creepy one]] is given the following gem of a description:
-->I'm sure that, if I were the person looking through this warehouse, then I would shit my pants until my head exploded - and I'm not even sure if that's possible.
* Let's Player LetsPlay/SuperGreatFriend discussed this at the end of his playthrough of ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub''. He felt the first half was genuinely good CreepyPasta horror, praising it for managing to be subtle, taking its time to build things up, and being a creative {{deconstruction}} of typical gamey scenarios where the player character is able to solve the problems of everyone around them. However, the second half went too far into over the top, stereotypical scares that he found more funny than anything.
* During ''WebVideo/OneyPlays'' run of ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', Ding Dong Julien takes a jab at the various video game {{Creepypasta}}s like ''WebVideo/BenDrowned'' with his own "scary" story:
--> I have a ''scary'' story to tell about Crash Bandicoot! One time I tried to turn the game off, but it ''didn't turn off!!!'' Instead I shocked my finger on it kind of. And I went 'Yikes! Wowie zowie, my finger kablowey!' Mother and Father did not believe me. They squeezed my orange juice really badly that day to punish me for it...
* [=YouTuber=] Creator/TomScott tried to build a "lie detector" based on an [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/criminal-confession-skeleton-patent apparently-never-actually-built 1920's patent.]] The device is: a dark room, a skeleton with glowing red eyes, and a spooky amplified voice. As a device for obtaining confessions, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU2hjhw1RCs it fails miserably.]] One of the test subjects admits that the suspense of being in a dark room with an unknown interrogation device almost have convinced them to spill the beans, but as soon as they saw the skeleton, they just felt silly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in ''Film/{{Alien}}''. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail. The alien is menacingly sitting on the ground, blending in with the environment... and then proceeds to awkwardly scoot across the floor to Lambert and showcase what is [[SpecialEffectFailure obviously just a man in a suit.]] The scene is just so laughably odd and off-putting, even if that was the intention in the first place.
* The creature from Creator/RogerCorman's ''Creature from the Haunted Sea'' (1961) is one of the goofiest looking monsters in the history of cinema-- though considering the movie's supposed to be a comedy this may be intentional.
* More or less the entirety of ''Film/ExorcistIITheHeretic'' - quite infamously, given that it's the sequel to what's often considered the scariest movie ever. Highlights include a goofy "mind synchronizer" device, Reagan suffering an attack during a jazzy tapdancing performance, reams of nonsensical pseudo-metaphysical exposition, and James Earl Jones dressed up as a giant locust, spitting a leopard from his mouth.
* The dancing ghost boy in ''Film/{{Insidious}}''.
* The scene in ''Film/DragMeToHell'' wherein the goat is possessed by the malevolent spirit and the lamia dances. Although, being directed by Creator/SamRaimi, this was probably the goal.
* All five of the ''Film/ScaryMovie'' films, along with ''Film/StanHelsing'', are based entirely on this trope. Best exemplified in the 2nd ''Scary Movie'', when Brenda points out how stupid it is to run away from DemBones, [[TakeThat comparing it to running away from]] Creator/CalistaFlockhart.
* Narrowly avoided during shooting of the original ''Film/{{Predator}}''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GfUoB0kog The original costume had a bulky space suit with a snake-like head sticking out that bounced around like crazy.]] It was everything the directors did ''not'' want and they demanded a new design after one day. (also helping was changing the actor from [[Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme a short martial artist]] to [[EvilIsBigger a huge man]])
* ''Film/EightLeggedFreaks'', though played for BlackHumor, had a potentially very scary premise: realistic-looking giant spiders are pretty horrifying by themselves, but the decision to give the spiders all sorts of "wacky" jabbering noises as they run amok utterly wrecks the terror for the most part. There are some scenes that aren't played for laughs that manage to be genuinely frightening, but they are rare. There is a memorable scene where a spider jumps on the stuffed head of a moose, only to take a bite and look visibly annoyed at the taste. Though the shot of a truly gigantic tarantula moseying through a parking lot to a sinister, minor-key riff of "The Incey Wincey Spider" can be rather effective.
* The 1931 version of ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' contains two misguided attempts at symbolism: a close-up shot of a Jerusalem cricket (which looks a lot like a giant bee) crawling out of a coffin and a "giant rat," played by an opossum. In the Spanish version of the film, the "giant rat" falls off of the ledge it is walking on during the shot. And then there are the [[MisplacedWildlife armadillos]] and the ''"terrifying"'' rubber bats on strings in that and ''so many other'' early Dracula films.
* ''Film/TheThingFromAnotherWorld'' builds up suspense very competently, but the reveal is let down a lot by the very unscary alien, who basically just looks like a big bald guy with a swollen forehead, a far cry from the shapeshifting assimilator of [[Literature/WhoGoesThere the original novella]] and [[Film/TheThing1982 the 1982 remake]].
* ''Film/TheFly1986'' was kind of scary; [[Film/TheFly1958 the older movie it was a remake of]], not so much. One of the biggest problems while filming the movie was having to cut the scenes short because Creator/VincentPrice couldn't [[{{Corpsing}} help but laugh]] at co-star David Hedison's costume in the middle of filming. Many viewers had a similar problem.
* ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'': in the opening scenes, the villagers claim a werewolf roams through the forest at night. The atmosphere is really creepy and the audience wonders what this creature will look like. When the protagonist goes to sleep the camera shows a wolf-like creature walking in the forest, but it's clearly not a werewolf, left alone a wolf, but a striped hyena! And it's strange to downright ridiculous that this animal is walking around in Transylvania, Romania. This is one that was FairForItsDay, as a hyena would have a been a much more obscure animal than it is now to European viewers, and appeared almost wolf-like but not quite, befitting the appearance of a werewolf.
* The "bat suit" in ''Film/BramStokersDracula''. Apparently, it was added because Gary Oldman didn't feel he could be scary enough for that scene. Ironic, since he was a lot scarier without the dippy rubber suit.
* The title character from ''Film/RobotMonster'' (pictured above) was a guy in a gorilla suit. And a diver's helmet.
* The [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] commentary for ''Film/TheIncrediblyStrangeCreatures'' --which definitely ''definitely'' fits here-- was one of the earliest uses of the term "Nightmare Fuel". The earliest was ''Film/SantaClaus1959'' -- which actually ''was'' pretty scary, but not in the intended scenes.
* In ''Attack of the Prehistoric Women'', the women at one point need to defend themselves from a ferocious dinosaur, [[{{Slurpasaur}} played by a superimposed iguana]].
* ''Film/NightOfTheLepus'' is about giant rampaging killer rabbits... which are played either by cute little bunnies on a scale-model set, or people wearing garish rabbit suits. Yes, it's as hilariously awful as it sounds. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Od92391upY Here.]] The saddest part is that the portions of the movie where the rabbits aren't on screen are actually pretty decent, and the miniature work is, for the most part, very good. It's just that, well, you've seen the clip. One instance of miniature work that ''isn't'' good is the down-the-empty street shot... with the 'giant killer stagehand' stepping off to the side.
* ''Film/BeginningOfTheEnd'' featured giant mutant grasshoppers played by regular-sized grasshoppers crawling across pictures of the Chicago skyline.
* ''Film/TeenagersFromOuterSpace'' used the shadow of a lobster for its giant monster.
* ''Film/Werewolf1996'' had a monster that changed its look throughout the film. One of which being the producer's own pet dog. Yuri's ''[[ImprobableHairstyle hair]]'' was scarier than the Werewolves.
* Any character played by Creator/TorJohnson. "Time for go to bed!" As parodied in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/EdWood''. Although the above line was from ''Film/TheUnearthly'', which wasn't a Wood movie.
* A lot of Film/{{Sy Fy Channel Original Movie}}s suffer from this. Hard. Considering that the movies are made almost exclusively by the infamously Z-quality [[Creator/TheAsylum Asylum Studios]], this is hardly surprising. Every now and then, Syfy actually comes up with ideas that sound promising and might be a little scary. [[SpecialEffectsFailure Then the monster appears.]]
* In a scene near the end of the film version of ''Film/TheDayOfTheTriffids'', the characters shelter at the top of a lighthouse while a Triffid's tendril crawls up the stairs towards them. Unfortunately, it's quite obvious that the tendril is a sock puppet. Also, the Triffids themselves were basically giant sunflowers. SUNFLOWERS.
* ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'':
** While [[Film/FridayThe13th1980 the first movie]] in the series is pretty good, all of the other films of the franchise fit this trope to a T. There is something strangely comedic about seeing a guy in a hockey mask wander around the woods like he's lost, machete or no machete.
** The bits where [[spoiler: Mrs. Voorhees]] assumes the character of Jason and starts saying things like "Kill her, Mommy!"
** The production team and writers seemed to invoke this trope willingly for ''Film/JasonX'' when he's presented with a hologram of 2 busty, naked co-eds saying that they love partying and having unprotected sex. HilarityEnsues. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTIuYjzqBU0 After a cut-back]] to the crew of the ship.
* The original ''Film/KingKong1933'' was released as a very frightening horror movie and was effective as such for many years. There were people fainting in the audience when it was first shown. [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny Advanced effects have made us jaded]]. The [[Film/KingKong1976 version from 1976]] has aged even worse, mostly because it doesn't even ''try'' to have Kong move like anything but a guy shuffling around in a gorilla suit.
* ''Film/SpiderMan3'': ComicBook/{{Venom}} is pretty much living horror, so it's a little disconcerting to hear Creator/TopherGrace's voice coming out of his mouth. And whenever he talks he pulls back the face so Topher Grace's face can be seen; that also doesn't help. As lampshaded by ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'', what was [[FridgeLogic even the point]] of having the scary [[GameFace Venom face]], if he just pulls it back when he talks?
* ''Film/Venom2018'' is not much better, with the titular symbiote [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext developing a taste for tater tots]] and admitting that he is a loser on his homeworld, which is used to justify his HeelFaceTurn.
* There is one part of the video-game-to-film adaptation of ''Film/SilentHill'' in which the CreepyChild bursts into flame and says "Look...I'm burning." Owing to how subjective this trope is, you either were creeped out by it or laughed your head off.
* ''Film/Troll2''. The first one was no masterpiece, but this not-really-a-sequel about goblins who turn people into spinach or something is just SoBadItsGood. [[BigOMG "Oh my GAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWSH!"]]
* A lot of other horror/comedy movies just aren't scary because, no matter how much blood, gore, and death the sadistically evil villain leaves in his wake, he's so absurdly funny that you're laughing too much to take him seriously. For example, there's ''Film/{{Leprechaun}}'' (leprechauns aren't scary, no matter how ugly they are, especially when they're afraid of four-leaf clovers), ''Film/SantasSlay'' (a BadSanta is ''funny'', not scary), ''Film/JackFrost1997'' (you can have this guy rape a woman in the shower if you want, but the fact that he's a snowman still makes it hard to take him seriously), and ''Film/TheGingerdeadMan''. (This guy is ''a living gingerbread cookie''! How is anyone supposed to be scared of ''that''?)
* In ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny don't pack the terrifying punch they used to]], though they still scare some younger kids.
* The 1925 version of ''[[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925 The Phantom of the Opera]]'' appeared to have passed the test of time when it comes to this. Although reactions may not be as extreme today, the unmasking scene will still make many people jump in surprise. It even has the ever creepy uplighting technique. Unfortunately, when the Phantom jumps up and points directly at Christine after the unmasking, things that were once considered scary turn hilarious... at least if you're a fan of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', in which the Phantom's iconic scene was adapted for the Evil Monkey. Otherwise, the Phantom is still pretty damn petrifying.
* On the other hand, the Phantom in [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004 the 2004 movie musical version]] gets his mask pulled off to reveal... [[spoiler: Gerard Butler with a nasty sunburn.]]
* Listen to the noise the parasites in ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' make. It sounds like WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, for God's sake. Or maybe Yoshi. Fortunately, Clover's roar more than made up for the silly parasite chittering.
* In ''Film/TheCreepingTerror'', the eponymous creeping terror was an alien who ate things to study their biology (or something like that), and it was clearly supposed to strike fear in the viewers, but only made them giggle. It resembled a large carpet slug that shuffled along slowly, and its victims, instead of running away like most sensible people would have done, stood there and screamed while the creature ate them. The costume was such that the victims actually had to crawl into the hole in the front that was supposed to be its mouth.
* Creator/WesCraven's ''Film/{{Cursed|2005}}'' was a good example of this trope, where the scenes meant to be scary were downright funny, and the scenes meant to be funny were downright cheesy. From the predictable plot to the bad acting, to the [[{{Narm}} cheesy dialogue]], this movie has it all. Strange how a film intended to [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent reinvent the werewolf genre]] ends up falling back on every single [[NewerThanTheyThink Hollywood werewolf convention]]. There's the scene where a werewolf appears above the balcony after Christina Ricci's character taunts its fashion sense, flipping the bird and roaring "fuck you!", before dying in a hail of bullets. To be fair though, the movie turned out this way in part due to ExecutiveMeddling.
* Another example from Wes Craven that ended up this way due to ExecutiveMeddling is ''Film/DeadlyFriend'', in large part because it ''wasn't even originally intended to be a horror film'', but the studio wouldn't allow Craven to film it any other way. Most infamously, the scene where Samantha [[YourHeadAsplode obliterates an old woman's head with a basketball]] is played for horror value, but it's so ridiculously filmed and [[SpecialEffectsFailure looks so unconvincing]] that it's impossible to find it horrifying in the slightest. Even worse in this regard is the GainaxEnding where [[spoiler:Samantha transforms into a robot and strangles Paul to death]].
* The [[ScareChord Scare Chords]] in the otherwise creepy ''Film/TheDescent''.
* The 1989 horror movie ''Film/FoodOfTheGods2'' has a scene in which giant rats attack a swimming competition. The cheesy special effects, however, kills any shred of horror from the scene. The intercutting shots of panicked people in a normal sized competition pool with shots of ordinary-sized rats walking around and splashing in an obvious miniature pool had no credibility whatsoever.
* The original ''Film/TheFoodOfTheGods'' featured similar "giant" rat scenes and was just as unscary.
* Super Shredder in ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze'' was supposed to be scary, but all anyone remembers is that he yelled, pounded a boardwalk above it, ''[[DroppedABridgeOnHim got crushed by the damn boardwalk]]'' while yelling some more, then died. Doesn't help that Super Shredder was played by Kevin "argh my quad!" Nash either.
* The '80s horror film ''Film/{{House}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmzsp4zbtG0 Sandywitch,]] a disgusting, nightmarish monster that attacks and tries to kill main hero Roger Cobb. But any pretenses of it being scary quickly fade when it speaks, as it talks in a high-pitched chipmunk voice.
* The undead Sammi Curr in ''Film/TrickOrTreat'' is an electric ghost, whose weakness is water. Fine enough, but when your movie's villain is shown being hurt by having his foot stuck in a toilet, he loses all credibility as a threat.
* ''Film/MaryPoppins'' has a nightmarish sequence when the Banks children flee their father's bank after accidentally throwing it into chaos. In their panic, they wander into the East End slums, dodging various frightening people until it climaxes with them colliding with a dark man seeming about to abduct them. However, when that dark man turns out to be their dear trusted friend, Bert, the whole mood instantly lightens with the audience knowing the children are in safe hands now.
* The movie ''Film/{{Link}}'' from 1986 is about a chimpanzee called [[AntagonistTitle Link]] who goes on a rampage killing people. While that does sound like a pretty neat concept for a horror film, it is ruined by several things, the first problem being he's [[WTHCostumingDepartment dressed up in a butler's outfit]], making him look rather silly and not very threatening, and the second biggest problem is that he's [[WTHCastingAgency played by an Orangutan]], something that the filmmakers tried (and failed) to hide by [[SpecialEffectFailure shaving the Orangutan's fur shorter, then dying it black]], even though anyone with a brain can easily tell that Orangutans and Chimps physically look nothing alike, making the character look even more ridiculous and hard to take seriously, especially considering that Orangutans aren't particularly scary. To make things more jarring, they already had actual chimps used in the movie, leaving one to wonder why they couldn't just use a chimp to play Link instead of a Orangutan poorly disguised as one. The end result is [[{{Narm}} unintentional comedy]] from start to finish.
* ''Film/TheHappening'' could, at one point, have been a suspenseful horror with a strong mystery element. Poor acting and the ridiculousness of the premise scuttle any chances of that, however. It's a tough ask to find walking around open, grassy fields in sunshine scary. It's a bigger ask to buy that some people nevertheless manage to get run over by harvesters.
* Most of shark attack scenes in ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' are terrifying since you don't actually see the shark. Then when the shark does appear in the end, it looks so fake that it becomes laughable. Even when the film was being made, Creator/StevenSpielberg felt the shark looked too phony, resulting in the NothingIsScarier approach. Spoofed by Marty [=McFly=] in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' when the future's 3D Jaws sequel: "Eh, Shark still looks fake."
* Invoked in ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984''. Freddy loses a lot of his menace when Nancy essentially [[ImNotAfraidOfYou wishes him out of existence]]. The last scare at the end attempts to revert this, but to a lot of viewers, [[GainaxEnding it just came off as weird]].
* Ultron's moveable humanoid face throughout ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. For some, it's just not as scary compared to the other images that closely resemble the twisted metal abomination he's based on. Also, the fact that Ultron appears to have ''[[ToothyBird teeth]]'' despite being a robot with no seeming need for human food. Ultron's penchant for snappy one-liners utterly ruins his scary factor. Compare to his first appearance, where he can barely talk.
* ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' has this trope as the whole premise of the franchise: there are horrific and powerful forces lurking in the shadows ready to do their evil at any time. However, they can be studied scientifically by learned experts, who in turn can develop effective and easy to use weapons and countermeasures those eldritch menaces will never see coming. In short, if you have the knowledge, the tools and the courage to face these supernatural entities of your darkest nightmares, they will have real reasons to ''fear you!''
* ''Film/TheByeByeMan'':
** The fact that the killer's name is [[UnfortunateNames the Bye Bye Man]].
** The Bye Bye Man's [[SpecialEffectFailure dog]].
** Elliot convulsing while driving and singing along to "Bye Bye Love" by Music/TheEverlyBrothers.
* ''Film/TheInvasion'' suffers many moments like this. For one, Nicole Kidman's character searches for the term ''my son is not my son'' on Google with no quotation marks. In another scene, many people are avoiding showing emotion to avoid the body snatchers. They tell the protagonist not to show emotion, then one of them snaps. The entire group, minus the protagonist, then fails to escape, even though nothing was stopping them beyond fear of a railway line (the alternative being captured by monsters and, for all they know, killed). In early scenes, the sense of paranoia is ruined when groups of people who very blatantly have something wrong with them are roaming around, long before anything being wrong with them is introduced as a concept.
** This movie avoids calling itself a horror movie (a trait which, in horror stories, is associated with being made by people thinking their movies are "too good" for the horror genre). It's the only adaptation of the source story to replace the pod aliens with drink-infecting chemicals. Yep, it almost screams "never mind the shoddy writing, we've got rape imagery! Everyone's going to take us seriously now!"
* ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' makes no attempt to soften the numerous deaths and murders from its source material... and gets away with that by adding generous amounts of this. The fearsome Captain Flint, for example, is shown at the beginning murdering fifteen of his own crew to keep his treasure a secret. Later, Long John Silver laughs over Flint's chosen signpost of two dead bodies on the path to the treasure. And finally... we find out that Flint once dated Benjamina Gunn...who is played by Miss Piggy. Who complains that ''he was co-dependent.''
* The ''Film/FinalDestination'' series usually thrives on ParanoiaFuel, taking ordinary situations and turning them deadly in rather unexpected, but at least plausible manners. However, the more implausible deaths tend to have the opposite effect, and either has you rolling your eyes or laughing hysterically. This was especially bad in the [[Film/FinalDestination3 third]] and [[Film/FinalDestination4 fourth]] films, where both of them include the overuse of illogical [[RubeGoldbergDevice domino effects]].
* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' had the velociraptors suffer badly from this trope. WebVideo/HonestTrailers noted it, and dubbed [[SoundtrackDissonance Yakkity Sax]] over the scene where a raptor chases Malcom around an abandoned laboratory to highly how far the predators had fallen as it continually fails to catch a middle-aged mathmatician due to repeated pratfalls. And then a teenage girl manages to kill a velociraptor with gymnastics.
* One scene in ''Film/JurassicPark3'' features Alan Grant falling asleep on a plane to [[LivingDinosaurs Isla Sorna]]. When he wakes up, the plane is abandoned and still flying through the sky. Then Grant hears [[RoarBeforeBeating a low growl]] to his left, and turns to see [[RaptorAttack a Velociraptor sitting right next to him!]] It's surreal and unnerving...until the Raptor [[SuddenlySpeaking suddenly blurts out "Alan!"]], its lips matching the words perfectly and [[DissonantSerenity his arms resting peacefully on the seat in front of him]]. [[AllJustADream Alan then immediately wakes up]], finding the plane back with its original passengers. It's such [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment a bizarre and out of left-field scene]] that most people end up [[{{Narm}} laughing at it]].
* ''The Monster of Piedras Blancas'' initially just shows glimpses of its title monster, and when its face is finally shown, it is inexplicably vomiting water at the same time.
* ''Film/Aladdin2019'': Jafar's genie form looked outright diabolical in the animated version. In live action? He just gets bigger. Audiences actually seemed more freaked out by Will Smith's UnintentionalUncannyValley genie.
* "Mrs Kersh" from ''Film/ItChapterTwo'' was fairly creepy when she was assuming the form of an old lady. Then she goes on the attack and transforms into... [[https://youtu.be/SWt8NfN-gL4?t=162 this.]]
* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': Ares looks pretty sinister, so long as he's got his helmet on. When Diana knocks it off, all audiences can see is [[spoiler:[[Film/HarryPotter Remus Lupin's]] head on [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron's]] body]]. However, even when wearing the helmet, Ares lacks the [[FaceFramedInShadow shadowed face]] and [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] of his more well-known counterparts, meaning [[spoiler:Sir Patrick's 1910s style mustache]] is distractingly visible under the helmet.
* The second segment of ''{{Film/XX}}'', ''The Birthday Party'', revolves around a woman trying to hide the fact her husband has died during their daughter's birthday party, but it's difficult to find scary at all due to the absence of any real threats, the lack of a spooky atmosphere (outside of a handful of cheap {{Jump Scare}}s) and the [[IdiotPlot sheer ridiculousness]] of the story (the woman could resolve the issue quite easily by calling the police, but chooses to try and hide the corpse in increasingly complicated and outlandish ways). It works a lot better as a straight-up BlackComedy than as a horror story, even though [[OddballInTheSeries it's part of a horror anthology film]].
* Despite its potentially creepy premise,[[note]]college girls are hunted down by a cult masquerading as a fraternity [[/note]] many viewers felt ''Film/BlackChristmas2019'' rarely managed to pull off genuine horror and was even [[{{Narm}} unintentionally funny]] at times. Most of the "scary" moments come in the form of cheap {{Jump Scare}}s you can see coming from a mile off and the more violent scenes are heavily (and awkwardly) [[GoryDiscretionShot edited]], which undercuts much of the tension. The big twist that the killers are [[spoiler:being mind-controlled and given preternatural strength/endurance by ''magic black goo'']] was also widely found too silly and outlandish, given the movie's attempt at a serious tone.
* ''Film/BloodFreak'': The idea of a vampire (or vampire wannabe) feeding on the blood of drug addicts could make for a genuinely good horror story, but the [[NoBudget visibly low budget]], said vampire's ridiculous appearance as a man in a cheap turkey mask, and the awkwardly shoehorned-in religious message make it impossible to take any of it seriously.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/Portal2'' has Wheatley tell a ghost story as you follow him over a conveyor belt full of mangled and crushed robot parts. Of course, Wheatley being [[TheDitz Wheatley]], it doesn't have quite the impact he intended it to have. There is a grain of truth in his story though. There is a room in Aperture, completely filled with screaming robots. [=GLaDOS=] built it for shits and giggles. [[spoiler: She contemplates sending Wheatley there for ten years after he's taken over her facility and [[ItMakesSenseInContext stuffed her in a potato]].]]
-->'''Wheatley:''' They say the old caretaker of this place went absolutely crazy. Chopped up his entire staff... of robots. All of them robots. They say at night you can still hear the screams... of their replicas. All of them functionally indistinguishable from the originals. No memory of the incident. Nobody knows what they're screaming about. Absolutely terrifying. Though obviously not paranormal in any meaningful way.
* ''Franchise/SilentHill'':
** In ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'', you are able to control the transition from the fog world to the nightmarish otherworld by touching a mirror. It significantly lessens the power of being transported to a nightmarish industrial Hell if you do it willfully and deliberately (or worse, go back and forth between worlds trying to figure out what to do next).
** Mind you, that at least feels congruous with the story there. It's not as bad as the Patients from ''VideoGame/SilentHill4: The Room''. They could have been scary, but due to the noise, they make when hit, well... Nothing like a monster that BELCHES when hit to derail the scary, folks!
* The ''Arise'' flash games. Just try to actually get scared from the randomly appearing Halloween masks and stock horror music. (That or just watch the WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}s.)
* ''VideoGame/ClockTower3'' establishes several of its villains by re-enacting some of their most brutal murders ([[HarmfulToMinors one of which was done to a 12-year-old girl]]) in front of the player in a grotesque, stone-serious manner. Yet, many of the means to repel these killers consist of cartoonish and silly pratfalls, complete with wacky reaction shots. The fact that the creators tried to shoehorn humor into a game that otherwise is ''not'' presented as tongue-in-cheek spoils the horror they were hoping to foster, and the slapstick bits are made shockingly unfunny and inappropriate by the horrific violence that precedes them.
* Azrael from ''VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma'' is so frighteningly badass that even Hakumen hauls ass in any opposite direction. However, he loses points for seeing a battle with Bang Shishigami as a friendly match as well as [[spoiler:be captured twice by Kokonoe, once in the start of his story, the second at the end of his story.]]
* ''Horror'', another laughably terrible Newgrounds game that has been [[{{WebVideo/Retsupurae}} retsupuraed]].
* In ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'', there's Fulgore. He's a badass killer robot with long, sharp claws, [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]], and some of the goriest {{Finishing Move}}s in the game. He also makes elephant noises when you hit him.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' introduced the "fast zombies," truly terrifying monstrosities that looked like flayed, emaciated corpses, moved like wild baboons on speed and howled loudly in blood-curdling screams as they attacked you. Except one of the stock sound clips was taken from the title sequence of ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters''. The horrific screaming the headcrab zombies when they're set on fire is also hard to take as seriously when you look at one of many comments/videos on the internet about how it sounds like they're screaming [[MemeticMutation "YABBA! MY ICING!"]] And it turns right back into NightmareFuel [[spoiler:when someone else comments that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsBFN8PC1s they're screaming "OH GOD HELP ME" backwards]]]]. However, [=DasBoSchitt=] turns this Nightmare Fuel right back again into this on the third and sixth episodes of WebAnimation/TheGmodIdiotBox.
* ''VideoGame/NightmareDoors'' is a satirical example of horror filled with this.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'': The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJYvCHm3Ov4 "Mansion Basement" theme]] from the soundtrack for the [[UpdatedRerelease DualShock]] version of [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 the first game]] tries to sound ominous, but instead sounds like someone playing a trombone while drunk.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'' had several critics note that they were incapable of feeling tense while playing this survival horror game because they kept focusing more on [[DistractedByTheSexy the voluptuous, wet female ghosts]]. The game's water-theme led to [[SexySoakedShirt many clothes clinging to ghosts and player characters alike]], including [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2015/10/18/fatalframe1016151280jpg-996aa1_1280w.jpg loose kimono]] giving several characters a NavelDeepNeckline.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** The stalchildren from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' are skeletons that appear from the ground at Hyrule Field when the sun goes down, [[ParanoiaFuel and immediately start going after Link.]] Scary, huh? Not very, actually. The stalchildren are ridiculously easy enemies that don't deal much damage, they are very slow, and they have high-pitched chattery giggles when they attempt ''to slap you''. If you take a look at them, they even look [[UglyCute ridiculously cute.]] The fact that they are defeated in just two hits and even may lose their heads in a comical way makes them even more un-frightening.
** Phantom Ganon in ''Ocarina of Time'' has a second phase where you're basically ''[[TennisBoss playing tennis]]'' with him. You can make the retardant factor even stronger by [[GoodBadBugs using a bottle instead of a sword]].
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': In the 3DS remake and ''Hyrule Warriors'', the moon's face's features were greatly [[http://i.imgur.com/3rIzhsv.png exaggerated.]] The intention was probably making it look more unsettling, but it ended up looking far too grotesque and over the top, to the point of looking more derpy and cartoony than scary.
** In ''{{VideoGame/The Legend of Zelda Oracle|Games}} of Seasons'', the entrance to the final dungeon is a volcano with a mouth for an entrance (complete with teeth) and eyes that actually follow Link as he moves around the screen. Cool ''and'' intimidating - right up until you go to enter the dungeon and the volcano goes cross-eyed.
** The Imprisoned is a large, menacing monster that haunts Link's nightmares throughout the first part of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword''. But when you finally face the thing in battle, it may be hard not to crack up at its almost cutesy-looking feet with flabby "toes" and the fact that it looks like a giant man-eating pinecone.
---> '''[[WebVideo/GameGrumps Dan Avidan]]:''' Oh ''God!'' He is so scary when you think he's a giant snake monster, and then ''so cute'' when you see his doopy [[Franchise/TheMuppets Muppet]] feet!
** Also in ''Skyward Sword'', the boss of the Sandship is Tentalus, a particularly ridiculous-looking [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Kraken/Medusa/Cyclops mishmash]] that looks like it got lost on its way to a ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' audition.
* The indie horror game ''Forest'', being similar to ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'', does have a generally creepy atmosphere but if you get caught by the ghost girl, you see she has the face of the [[Creator/{{Laina}} Overly Attached Girlfriend]].
* While the NightmareFace in the Japanese ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}''-style horror game ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-0jYuKrwHs&list=PLYsfDB-PuCZsJw7ZuWyZ94oDqtlzQYxMb Death Forest]]'' is genuinely terrifying on its own, the fact that it's just a 2D floating head using billboarding to constantly face the player sort of ruins the impact.
* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', on the AmusementParkOfDoom, there are [[MonsterClown zombie clowns]]. Punch them in their faces, and their noses give off a hilarious little honk.
* ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' has Shadows as its main enemies. They are supposed to be creepy and scary, being a mixture of hallucinations and zombies in the Other World. Unfortunately, they are mostly gray models that walk a little doo-hickey funny and their garbled speech is not as frightening as was likely intended. The only thing about them that could be terrifying is the wide, black mouth of theirs, which isn't visible up close enough to honestly leave an impact.
* An intentional example - The video game ''VideoGame/NightTrap'' was an FMV Game in the 90s where the filmers tried to invoke this trope. In fact, one of them even admitted that in one of the times you see the characters die, the augers take out a device that's so unrealistic and over the top that there's no way kids would ''ever'' try to replicate it. One of the directors even said that there were people laughing on the stage.
* In ''[[VideoGame/WarioWare Game & Wario]]'''s "Gamer" stage, 9-Volt's mom goes all horror movie on her son, doing stuff like punching his windows open, [[Film/TheRing emerging through his TV]], and flailing on his bedroom floor to scare him. Much of the mood is caused by the eerily quiet atmosphere until she suddenly bursts in. However, you are also simultaneously playing loud and silly-looking games on the Wii U [=GamePad=] involving stuff like flattening dough or picking noses.
* In Chapter 4 of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', there's a whole bunch of hype leading up to the chapter's villain. When you first arrive, you learn that he had cursed the bell to turn Twilight Town's residents into pigs whenever it tolls. Even the mayor falls victim to the curse! When you venture into the forest to get to this monster, you come upon a very creepy church-like steeple. You fight through it to eventually reach the top... Only to find that the "monster" that was causing all this trouble is [[spoiler: a BedsheetGhost wearing a party hat and bowtie...]] Yeah, people laughed. However, he IS a real threat in that chapter and even becomes a recurring villain, as he [[spoiler:[[GrandTheftMe somehow switches bodies with Mario and steals his identity]], trapping Mario inside the solid purple body, unable to say his name]].
* How do you apply this to a NightmareSequence setpiece where you're locked inside an asylum/prison cell, while [[DescendingCeiling the ceiling]] and the walls move to make the space smaller and smaller, forcing you to stay close to the door, where the BigBad known for an InUniverse instant liquefaction touch is watching you? As ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]: Extraction Point'' shows us, wait [[GoodBadBugs for the collision physics to wonk up and glitch you through one of said moving walls]].
* ''Videogame/MonsterHunter4'':
** The Frenzy virus caused by {{the dreaded}} Gore Magala, which is stated to be a very major cause for concern for humans...but at best, it eventually grants buffs that increase {{Critical Hit}}s if the infected overcomes it by attacking monsters enough, and at worst it stops their natural health regeneration for a few minutes and causes Frenzy pools to slowly sap their health, and even then it doesn't stop the afflicted hunter from just using instant-healing items like usual.
** The Zamtrios is this. It's a great white shark in every sense of the word, but with developed limbs and the ability to crawl out of the sea in the frozen tundra. It can also swim through the ice and snow if it so pleases and can freeze you. If that isn't terrifying enough, it'll eventually generate ice that makes it more powerful and much more terrifying, making it a very intimidating boss. Fight him enough and he powers up again... by inflating like a balloon and bouncing and rolling around like one. One of the coolest, most badass and terrifying looking monsters to the most hilarious thing you've ever seen. Especially when you inflict enough damage for it to leave that phase, at which point it helplessly deflates like a cartoon character.
* In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'', the {{Bad Future}}s are exactly that: Eggman has taken over, and everything has either become mechanical, is in some state of decay, or both. Each Bad Future also looks appropriately bleak and depressing, with muted grays, browns, and olive-greens. However, nearly every enemy in a Bad Future is equally worn down, oftentimes comically so. For instance, a Tentou will normally chug along to the right, dropping explosive mines. A Tentou in a Bad Future will move a little bit slower, cannot drop mines, and looks tired out. A Sasori rolls around and will shoot at Sonic from [[BewareMyStingerTail its stinger tail]], but in a Bad Future, Sasori will just sit in front of Sonic and wiggle up and down.
* Alf-Layla-Wa-Layla from ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' may look scary ([[BodyHorror his transformation isn't particularly pleasant to watch either]]), but the voice work for him just kills the scare factor. It tries to make him sound booming and powerful, but it just sounds like he inhaled a tank of helium, which has the unintended effect of making him sound like a petulant man child. Just try to listen to him say "The stories of this world are MINE!" without laughing.
* ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'': The Wendigo are meant to be absolutely terrifying, but can easily fall into this. The {{Wendigo}} is a creature that occurs when a human commits cannibalism; eating human flesh transforms them into a giant, creepy ''thing'' that has no lips or toes and the skin is pulled away from the teeth. Sounds utterly dreadful, but the Wendigo in this game don't come across like that. Mostly because they stumble and squirm around by walking on all fours and looking like clumsy spiders. There's also the case of [[spoiler:Wendigo Hannah]] still walking around with underwear on.
* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve2'': A relatively early cutscene shows a young woman transforming into a monster, which Aya must fight. However, many people agree that the creature's roar at the end sounds so much like a horse's neighing that it ruins the scariness of the scene.
* ''VideoGame/SpookysHouseOfJumpScares'' plays with this extensively. The villain's main motivation for collecting horrors is that she wanted to (innocently) scare people, but was too cute to do so. While several of the monsters that appear in the game are scary, the overall setting is deliberately not, and the ending likewise balances the two against each other.
* The introduction of the [[BossInMookClothing Gekko]] in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' is done like a horror movie, where they are heard in the distance by soldiers before showing up and effortlessly (and gorily) slaughtering the entire squad. Because the Gekko moo like cows, however, the scene fails to be even the least bit frightening or tense.
* ''VideoGame/ArthursNightmare'' suffers from this, though it's hard to tell whether or not it was [[IntendedAudienceReaction intentional]].[[note]]While most of the game is played as a straightforward horror scenario, the backstory (involving a member of the original series' FanDumb) and the author's description of it as a "meme game" muddles the intention.[[/note]] To start with, every enemy in the game uses a flat picture of themselves (most obvious with [[spoiler:DW]], who is prominent in every single room from the third level on). While Arthur and [[spoiler:DW]] are altered enough from their original appearance to at least possibly be unnerving, [[spoiler:their parents]] use barely-edited pictures of themselves with TearsOfBlood poorly added (particularly non-scary since said trope is heavily frowned upon in {{creepypasta}} communities). Not helping is that their {{Jump Scare}}s' audio, while certainly [[SensoryAbuse loud]] enough to be startling, is either a "HEY!" from the show's ''theme song'' or [[spoiler:either parent yelling "ARTHUR!"]], neither of which is particularly frightening - it's along the lines of a WebAnimation/YouTubePoop.
* A lot of Franchise/{{Pokemon}} can come off as creepy or at least something you would not want to mess with (most legendary Pokemon fitting the bill). This is doubly so in ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' where the Ultra Beasts are nightmarish looking Pokemon that are stated to be extremely dangerous. The scare factors completely go out the window when you realize that you can pet them and feed them like any other Pokemon and they'll grow happier and more fond of you as well.
* ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'': [[BigBad Alexander]]'s face when you look at his portrait with the SanityMeter below 50% is a legitimately horrifying sight... until you see how similar it looks to a [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Creeper]]'s face.
* ''VideoGame/TheClueFindersReadingAdventuresAges912MysteryOfTheMissingAmulet'' has one section in which you have to feed the stone head (speaking in a very slow, low pitched, and raspy voice) reading comprehension answers. Sure enough, if you give it the wrong answer, it'll sound like it's choking or throwing up, making it humorous.
* In ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'', all the BodyHorror monsters in the Bio Swamp (Weeping Hunchback, Irradiated Sore, Vomiting Behemoth, Mound of Despair and the boss Writhing Mass) are intended to be frightening with horrifying attacks such as self-evisceration, sloughing their flesh off or writhing in agony. However, the lack of any images plus the frequency of the monsters using self-harm moves and doing absolutely nothing with their other moves[[note]]with one exception being the Vomiting Behemoth's Form Tank, which hits for an extremely laughable 10 damage in a game where you start with 600 HP[[/note]] takes away most of the horror and makes them seem like comically inept buffoons instead.
* ''Magrunner: Dark Pulse'' is a ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''-esque puzzle game where the protagonist Dax auditions for the [[MegaCorp Gruckezber Corporation]] using their latest scientific invention, when suddenly monsters from the Franchise/CthulhuMythos invade the facility. The one who summoned them there turns out to be [[spoiler: Xander, a scrawny, stereotypical nerd responsible for designing the facility. And even after turning into a corrupted HumanoidAbomination hellbent on sacrificing Dax to unleash Cthulhu on the world, he's ''still'' a scrawny, stereotypical nerd and hardly intimidating at all. The fact that the FinalBoss battle against him amounts to the two of you chucking boxes at each other doesn't help matters, either.]]
* ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'' has The Pigmask attacking Saturn Valley and intimidating Mr. Saturns with a Frightbot, which tells scary stories such as [[spoiler: Pants-wettingly scary story. Bloodcurdling story. A story so scary you want to cover your ears. A story so scary you'll never go to the bathroom at night again. A bone-chillingly scary story. A story so incredibly scary that your teeth won't stop chattering. A spine-tingling story. A story so scary you couldn't help but laugh. A scary story with some deep, touching moments mixed in, and also might tell an accidentally tell a cute, funny story.]] Not only they did nothing on your characters, the Frightbot itself looks goofy.
* The first ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' game features a boss fight with giant [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Ursula]]. The setting is appropriately intimidating, being trapped underwater in a dark, swirling abyss with an enemy a great many times larger than you, but the fear factor is diminished somewhat by Ursula herself. Her eyes follow Sora as he swims around the arena, which is a good effect when it works, but she'll often go cross-eyed or look in two different directions at once when Sora gets close enough to attack. Some players like to take her [[BossBanter repeated taunts of "This won't be pretty!"]] as a warning of incoming derp faces.
* The next to last foe faced in ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', [[spoiler:the SA-X in a monstrous form]], has a horrifying appearance, but its only attack is easy to avoid and it goes down in 3-4 hits, which limits the scariness it could have had. Its Core-X form afterwards is actually more dangerous than the monster itself.
[[/folder]]

* ''NightmareRetardant/FiveNightsAtFreddys''

* ''Videogame/MonsterHunter 4'':

* ''Film/Aladdin2019'': Jafar's genie form looked outright diabolical in the animated version. In live action? He just gets bigger. Audiences actually seemed more freaked out by Will Smith's UncannyValley genie.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' reimagines Krang as [[CompositeCharacter an entire species akin to the Utroms called "The Kraang]]", who get around using disguises that, even compared to the stylized designs of the show, [[UncannyValley look very, very fake]]. They ''seem'' like they'd be borderline ParanoiaFuel... But then they start [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment speaking in nothing but redundant, corrupted metaphors or literal-minded phrases]], pretty much destroying the fear factor.

* The movie ''Link'' from 1986 is about a chimpanzee called [[AntagonistTitle Link]] who goes on a rampage killing people. While that does sound like a pretty neat concept for a horror film, it is ruined by several things, the first problem being he's [[WTHCostumingDepartment dressed up in a butler's outfit]], making him look rather silly and not very threatening, and the second biggest problem is that he's [[WTHCastingAgency played by an Orangutan]], something that the filmmakers tried (and failed) to hide by [[SpecialEffectFailure shaving the Orangutan's fur shorter, then dying it black]], even though anyone with a brain can easily tell that Orangutans and Chimps physically look nothing alike, making the character look even more ridiculous and hard to take seriously, especially considering that Orangutans aren't particularly scary. To make things more jarring, they already had actual chimps used in the movie, leaving one to wonder why they couldn't just use a chimp to play Link instead of a Orangutan poorly disguised as one. The end result is [[{{Narm}} unintentional comedy]] from start to finish.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' introduced the "fast zombies," truly terrifying monstrosities that looked like flayed, emaciated corpses, moved like wild baboons on speed and howled loudly in blood-curdling screams as they attacked you. Except one of the stock sound clips was taken from the title sequence of ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters''. The horrific screaming the headcrab zombies when they're set on fire is also hard to take as seriously when you look at one of many comments/videos on the internet about how it sounds like they're screaming [[MemeticMutation "YABBA! MY ICING!"]] And it turns right back into NightmareFuel [[spoiler:when someone else comments that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsBFN8PC1s they're screaming "OH GOD HELP ME" backwards]]]]. However, [=DasBoSchitt=] turns this Nightmare Fuel right back again into this on the third and sixth episodes of Machinima/TheGmodIdiotBox.

* ''WebVideo/ChillingTalesForDarkNights''' reading of the r/nosleep story [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7BsuVpNpE "I'm at Your Bedroom Window"]] would have been much more terrifying had Alicia Pavlis's voice for the thing in the story not sounded like Bubbles from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.

* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'' had several critics note that they were incapable of feeling tense while playing this survival horror game because they kept focusing more on [[DistractedByTheSexy the voluptuous, wet female ghosts]]. The game's water-theme led to many clothes clinging to ghosts and player characters alike, including [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2015/10/18/fatalframe1016151280jpg-996aa1_1280w.jpg loose kimono]] giving several [[AbsoluteCleavage insights]].

* ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'': Invoked In-Universe. Comicbook/DoctorOctopus thinks his [[AnimalMecha Flying Octopus]] looks menacing. Franchise/SpiderMan thinks it looks dumb. And goofy. But mostly dumb.

* ''FanFic/LegolasByLaura'': Normally a story involving a ten-year-old being tortured by orcs would be horrifying. [[BeigeProse Not this one.]]

* ''FanFic/DoomRepercussionsOfEvil'': "AndThenJohnWasAZombie." Perhaps if the fic wasn't written by Creator/PeterChimaera...
* ''Film/TheRing'' and ''Film/JuOn'' are legitimate NightmareFuel... but the Internet has largely defanged them thanks to fanart showing them as [[CuteMonsterGirl Cute Monster Girls]] / emphasizing their {{Woobie}} status, getting stuck in the TV when the GenreSavvy victim unplugs it ([[Rule34 or taking it in different directions entirely]]), or, with the proliferation of smartphones, Sadako coming out of the screen a few inches tall.

* In-universe example: during ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', Lucy is separated from the party and forced to break into a magician's study to find a spell. She climbs up the stairs and goes down the long hallway on her own, during which [[NothingIsScarier everything is dead silent]] and [[EvilMask creepy masks watch her from the wall]] — she even gets a minor JumpScare when she catches a glimpse of her reflection in a "bearded mirror" (a mirror that makes her look as though she has a beard). However, once she gets the spell, Aslan himself shows up and the magician, Coriakin, turns out to be a [[CoolOldGuy Cool Old Guy]],

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': In the 3DS remake and Hyrule Warriors, the moon's face's features were greatly exaggerated.[[http://i.imgur.com/3rIzhsv.png]] The intention was probably making it look more unsettling, but it ended up looking far too grotesque and over the top, to the point of looking more derpy and cartoony than scary.

---> '''[[WebVideo/GameGrumps Dan Avidan]]:''' Oh ''God!'' He is so scary when you think he's a giant snake monster, and then ''so cute'' when you see his doopy [[Series/TheMuppets Muppet]] feet!
** Also in ''Skyward Sword'', the boss of the Sandship is Tentalus, a particularly ridiculous-looking [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Kraken/Medusa/Cyclops mishmash]] that looks like it got lost on it's way to a ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' audition.

* An intentional example - The video game ''Videogame/NightTrap'' was an FMV Game in the 90s where the filmers tried to invoke this trope. In fact, one of them even admitted that in one of the times you see the characters die, the augers take out a device that's so unrealistic and over the top that there's no way kids would ''ever'' try to replicate it. One of the directors even said that there were people laughing on the stage.

* ''Videogame/MOTHER3'' has The Pigmask attacking Saturn Valley and intimidating Mr. Saturns with a Frightbot, which tells scary stories such as [[spoiler: Pants-wettingly scary story. Bloodcurdling story. A story so scary you want to cover your ears. A story so scary you'll never go to the bathroom at night again. A bone-chillingly scary story. A story so incredibly scary that your teeth won't stop chattering. A spine-tingling story A story so scary you couldn't help but laugh. A scary story with some deep, touching moments mixed in, and also might tell an accidentally tell a cute, funny story.]] Not only they did nothing on your characters, the Frightbot itself looks goofy.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': parodied, how does The Flash (who switched bodies with [[{{BigBad}} Lex Luthor]]) convince the other villains he's evil? He doesn't wash his hands.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJYvCHm3Ov4 "Mansion Basement" theme]] from the soundtrack for the [[UpdatedRerelease DualShock]] version of [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 the first game]] tries to sound ominous, but instead sounds like someone playing a trombone while drunk.

** The Grand Duke of Owls ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'' is supposed to be a scary villain, but he's just [[SissyVillain so goofy in characterization]] and concept (he uses his magical powers by ''puking lucky charm clouds'') that it's impossible to take him seriously.

** A non Treehouse of Horror example is the Screamatorium, a very low budget and pathetic ghost ride that features cheap ghosts stuck to the walls, a coffin containing nothing but a spring, and an old woman telling people about the "ravages of age." It then becomes hilarious when there's a skeleton that goes hee-haw like a donkey!

* If a {{Creepypasta}} fails in scaring Mutahar of WebVideo/SomeOrdinaryGamers, he will not be afraid of chewing it out, often adding hilarious images to it. This is turned UpToEleven with the "Shit-Pastas" series, where even his reading becomes more half-assed and often broken up by laughter.

* Any character played by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_Johnson Tor Johnson.]] "Time for go to bed!" As parodied in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/EdWood''. Although the above line was from ''Film/TheUnearthly'', which wasn't a Wood movie.

* ''Film/{{Werewolf}}'' had a monster that changed its look throughout the film. One of which being the producer's own pet dog. Yuri's ''[[ImprobableHairstyle hair]]'' was scarier than the Werewolves.

* Many, many ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' stories, usually due to either a ridiculous/nonfrightening subject matter or shoddy writing, or both. Given that they're written by a large ensemble of ghost writers, the level of quality varies like you wouldn't believe, with many stories landing this trope pitifully easily, and others ending up being...[[NightmareFuel genuinely terrifying]]. [[DeathOfTheAuthor Sometimes in ways that the author didn't intend]].

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' regarding Music/{{Silverchair}}'s "Tomorrow" music video

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': As terrifying as the titular Titans can be, the appearances, expressions, and actions they can get up to will often make taking them seriously almost impossible if they're not currently trying to eat someone. Like the titan who poses like he's channeling [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure DIO]], or the [[https://i.redd.it/mbuvpqv1u7x21.gif one who runs making finger gun motions]].

* Maria's faces in the Anime adaptation of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''. The original visual novel succeeded in making Maria creepy through subtle expressions and description. That's not mentioning her head on a plate, that instead of creeping most fans out, inevitably reminded them of [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Tako Luka]], and thus ended up being morbidly cute. The Anime decided to [[http://gargarstegosaurus.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/umineko3_15.jpg take a different route]]... (Warning: Link is not an example of this trope.)

* Any character played by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_Johnson Tor Johnson]]. "Time for go to bed!" As parodied in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/EdWood''. Although the above line was from ''Film/TheUnearthly'', which wasn't a Wood movie.

* The '80s horror film ''Film/{{House}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmzsp4zbtG0 Sandywitch]], a disgusting, nightmarish monster that attacks and tries to kill main hero Roger Cobb. But any pretenses of it being scary quickly fade when it speaks, as it talks in a high-pitched chipmunk voice.

* "Mrs Kersh" from ''Film/ItChapterTwo'' was fairly creepy when she was assuming the form of an old lady. Then she goes on the attack and transforms into...[[https://youtu.be/SWt8NfN-gL4?t=162 this]].

** In the similar [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MarbleBumbleBee Marble Bumblebee]], Slendy comes off as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvTUTR9v98s clumsy]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v2Hdx_eQkI petty]], or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYPiZs5Ag6g an attention whore]].
** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acBnEHT-fBo No wifin in da club]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0wPdfArGy4 Gimme 20 dollas]]...''

** For the realization of a similar concept, see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtkrf1oKGwI this video]], courtesy of {{WebVideo/Retsupurae}}.

** Any of the shorts on [[https://www.youtube.com/user/troyhasacamera troyhasacamera]], and the simple knowledge that these are the same people behind WebVideo/MarbleHornets, is enough to put one's mind at ease just a bit.

* [=VooDooWop=] pokes fun at paranormal investigating shows in their skit called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDTHrxrXrZM Haunted Homes]].

** The community has a trend to use most horrific [=SCPs=] to crack up jokes and/or make humorous explanations in the forums\chat. An example lampshading the trope right in the post title is "[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-441733/snippets-from-chat-seven#post-1490145 THE DAY 110 MONTAUK STOPPED BEING SCARY TO ANYBODY EVER]]".

* ''WebVideo/ChillingTalesForDarkNights''' reading of the r/nosleep story "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7BsuVpNpE I'm at Your Bedroom Window]]" would have been much more terrifying had Alicia Pavlis's voice for the thing in the story not sounded like Bubbles from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.

* [=YouTuber=] Creator/TomScott tried to build a "lie detector" based on an [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/criminal-confession-skeleton-patent apparently-never-actually-built 1920's patent]]. The device is: a dark room, a skeleton with glowing red eyes, and a spooky amplified voice. As a device for obtaining confessions, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU2hjhw1RCs it fails miserably]]. One of the test subjects admits that the suspense of being in a dark room with an unknown interrogation device almost have convinced them to spill the beans, but as soon as they saw the skeleton, they just felt silly.

** The stalchildren from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' are skeletons that appear from the ground at Hyrule Field when the sun goes down, [[ParanoiaFuel and immediately start going after Link.]] Scary, huh? Not very, actually. The stalchildren are ridiculously easy enemies that don't deal much damage, and they are very slow, too. If you take a look at them, they even look [[UglyCute ridiculously cute.]] The fact that they are defeated in just two hits and even may lose their heads in a comical way makes them even more un-frightening.

** Also in ''Skyward Sword'', the boss of the Sandship is Tentalus, a particularly ridiculous-looking [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Kraken/Medusa/Cyclops mishmash.]]

* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in Film/{{Alien}}. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail. The alien is menacingly sitting on the ground, blending in with the environment... and then proceeds to awkwardly scoot across the floor to Lambert and showcase what is [[SpecialEffectFailure obviously just a man in a suit.]] The scene is just so laughably odd and offputting, even if that was the intention in the first place.

* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in Film/{{Alien}}. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail. The alien is menacingly sitting on the ground, blending in with the environment... and then proceeds to awkwardly scoot across the floor to Lambert and showcase what is [[SpecialEffectFailure obvioualy just a man in a suit.]] The scene is just so laughably odd and offputting, even if that was the intention in the first place.

* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in ''Film/{Alien}''. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail. The alien is menacingly sitting on the ground, blending in with the environment... and then proceeds to awkwardly scoot across the floor to Lambert and showcase what is [[SpecialEffectFailure obvioualy just a man in a suit.]] The scene is just so laughably odd and offputting, even if that was the intention in the first place.

* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in ''Film/Alien''. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail. The alien is menacingly sitting on the ground, blending in with the environment... and then proceeds to awkwardly scoot across the floor to Lambert and showcase what is [[SpecialEffectFailure obvioualy just a man in a suit.]] The scene is just so laughably odd and offputting, even if that was the intention in the first place.

* The "crab walk" DeletedScene in ''Film/Alien''. It features the titular alien attracting attention to Lambert, the film's HystericalWoman, with its very long tail.