History NightmareFuel / BatmanArkhamAsylum

-->'''Scarecrow''': Now madness takes you... ''forever.''
-->'''Scarecrow''': And, at the end of fear... '''[[CessationOfExistence OBLIVION!]]'''
-->'''Scarecrow''': You've failed. Now, ''suffer.''
** The morgue, where Batman falls prey to Scarecrow's literal NightmareFuel for the first time. Since it's the first time, you know ''something's'' wrong but you don't know what -- just like Batman. The times afterwards as things increasingly freak out, you realize what's going on more quickly -- again, just like Batman.

*** About the only clue to the hallucinations is Batman coughing. For the last one, it follows a female voice asking over the intercom, "Did anyone catch the game last night?" That itself is creepy, but it masks the coughing. Then the game freezes and restarts. Even for those aware of the scene, it can catch you off-guard, first time it's seen until the twisted BatSignal appears, even past where we see Joker driving the Batmobile, it very much looks like the game had crashed. [[FridgeBrilliance Bonus points for the line being something that would cause a crash in a faulty game.]]
** When Batman is brought into the Asylum on a gurney in the fear gas-induced vision, he screams that he's not insane. Just the thought of the always calm and stoic Batman ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness screaming for mercy]]'' is chilling.

*** And at the end of the sequence, Joker shoots Batman in the face, prompting the game to inform you that [[GameOverMan you failed the mission]], prompting you to "use the middle stick to avoid being shot." [[FissionMailed Choosing 'Retry' will take you to the next part of the game]], but the moment you see that screen is just terrifying. It probably won't be the first time you see the Game Over screen, but in this instance, you're left feeling utterly helpless since ''you have no idea what you did wrong''.

** The noises the psychopaths make are creepy enough, but once you enter the hallway that has Harvey Dent's cell, you can hear a psychopath screaming, but [[NothingIsScarier the place is completely empty]]. At the end, you see a grate in the ceiling. Pulling it down reveals that the psychopath was right on top of it and it immediately [[JumpScare jumps down attacking you]].

* The Chronicles of Arkham. The Asylum's founder, now existing as a spirit in the walls of his own institution and ready to lobotomize pre-criminal Harley Quinn, has the killer of his family strapped into an electric chair and slowly fried to death, sets Poison Ivy on fire, and beats schizophrenics to death to "clean the scum of Gotham City." Granted, none of his victims are exactly angels themselves, but...

** This results in the Asylum having some of the most nightmare-inducing scenery ever seen when you realize the Asylum wasn't created to cure, but to ''punish''. In the maximum security section of the Penitentiary, above a bunch of holding cells for the most delusional inmates surrounded by electrified floors, in massive letters on the wall reads the phrase "''Mors certa, Hora incerta''." It's Latin for "Death certain, hour uncertain."

*** Also, ''Homo Homini Lupus'' ("Man is a wolf to man"). The maximum security cell block is a treasure trove of ominous Latin.

* In an InUniverse example, you, the player, ''are'' the NightmareFuel for Joker's {{mooks}}, swinging down from the rafters...cause you're the [[ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder Goddamn Batman]]. From the nervous chatter that the enemies give make, even when outnumbering and outgunning Batman by six to one, it's clear who's the prey. If not, keep dwindling their numbers and watch them look over their shoulders in jittering fear...and shooting at any small noise, whether provoked by you or not. Just watch as a group of enemies comes towards you. Don't attack them right away. They'll ''hesitate'', until one of them gathers the courage to attack.

** In the halls in said Medical Facility you have to go down to save the doctors, there are these weird plastic medical curtains that hang down from the ceiling. Occasionally, you will see them move without there being anyone to move them. Batman hasn't reached those curtains yet, and they still move like someone just walked through them, even when there's no goons in the hallways left to beat up, so ''who or what is making those curtains move''?

** There are the strap-ridden gurneys EVERYWHERE in the Medical Facility. Croc's got one of his cells there: Busted-out-of and filled with bones and [[ImAHumanitarian human skulls]]. It's more than a little troubling when you also see all the experiments all over the place.
* The perfectly ordinary announcements that come over the PA system before the Joker takes over (especially the ones in the Medical Facility) just make everything else seem that much more hellish. One of the worst occurs in Intensive Treatment, right at the beginning of the game after Joker gets free and releases all the Blackgate inmates. It starts like a normal security level message, and then devolves into ''[[LaughingMad insane laughter]]''.
--->'''PA System:''' ''Security at Level Orange... al... -pha... -pha... [[ComicBook/TheJoker ha-... ha-... ha-... ha-]]...

** Wandering through that particular chamber is creepy enough before you get to that point. You can hear Joker putting together his Titan formula...and he likes to hum while he works. The creepy sound just ''bounces'' off the walls in that dark, dilapidated pit...

* If you try to go through the door to the sewer area before you have to, Killer Croc [[JumpScare pops out of nowhere]] and ''smashes'' against the door.

--->'''Killer Croc:''' I will ''find'' you, rip your flesh like '''''paper'''''.

** The fact that all the damage that's been done to the place is still there (no one's even tried to remove Young's corpse) and the few remaining guards and doctors, like Aaron Cash, are still standing around as if they're still trapped. Go to the medical ward and Cassidy and company are still hiding out behind stacked hospital beds. Even though they're free, they haven't escaped; they're still afraid of what will happen if they walk out the door.

** And in one instance that has never since repeated itself, Clayface ''does'' speak as Gordon. He tells you that Sharp certainly ran off in a hurry. And isn't that strange, since you told him specifically to stay put, so what could he be up to...? [[FridgeHorror What indeed]].

* Zsasz. The very essence of Riddler's riddles later have you encountering in one of the many hidden hard to reach rooms (until Batman obtains an appropriate upgrade to reach it) in Arkham where it looks like a "normal" tea party taking place with the GCPD SWAT officer and Arkham guards sitting there. Zoom in and their necks are slit and severed.

* Maxie Zeus's cell. Batman can find it in Intensive Treatment ''behind a wall'' that has to be opened via Explosive Gel or the Ultra Batclaw. Thankfully, there's no dead body or skeleton in the cell, but you have to wonder: ''How far away was Sharp from literally walling in inmates?'' Or, even worse, perhaps ''he has already started walling in inmates.''

** And if he sees you, the dread you feel knows ''no bounds''. And some of the things Scarecrow says if you die to him are ''terrifying''.
--->'''Scarecrow:''' Now madness takes you...''forever!''
--->'''Scarecrow''': And at the end of fear...[[CessationOfExistence OBLIVION!!]]
** The morgue, where Batman falls prey to Scarecrow's literal NightmareFuel for the first time. Since it's the first time, you know ''something's'' wrong but you don't know what--just like Batman. The times afterwards as things increasingly freak out, you realize what's going on more quickly--again, just like Batman.

*** In the French language version, the chanting voices are Thomas and Martha themselves (or, at least, sounds ''exactly like them'')...and now you get Martha screaming something that sounds a lot like "''sang''"...French for "blood," naturally. It's disturbing.

*** And if you find his secret office (as seen here [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgAn4DkG-k]]), you can see what his real objective is (this [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] the second game).

* As the Dark Knight himself, you must survive a night in the Asylum (which rivals [[VideoGame/BioShock1 Rapture]] in terms of atmosphere), surrounded by a good portion of his RoguesGallery, to stop a plan sprung by none other than ComicBook/TheJoker (voiced by Creator/MarkHamill, no less). The tone is essentially a hard "T" rating. Considering, among other things, you see a man's spine ''[[BodyHorror rip out of his back]], close-up'', it's frankly astounding it did ''not'' wind up with an "M" rating.
* And then you actually have run-ins with Scarecrow and his fear-inducing toxin. With little more warning than a cough from Batman, you get told off by his zombified parents, relive the night of their murder from the perspective of little Bruce Wayne, and get eerily unusual radio messages. To top it all off, each hallucination culminates in a platforming segment through an area that is part black hole and part ''Franchise/SilentHill'', evading the killer gaze of a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever ten-story tall Scarecrow]]. And then, he starts messing with you, the player, directly...

--->'''Scarecrow''': And at the end of fear, [[CessationOfExistence OBLIVION!!]]
** The morgue area, where Batman falls prey to Scarecrow's literal NightmareFuel for the first time. Since it's the first time, you know ''something's'' wrong but you don't know what--just like Batman. The times afterwards as things increasingly freak out, you realize what's going on more quickly--again, just like Batman.

*** In the French language version, the chanting voices are Thomas and Martha Wayne themselves (or, at least, sounds ''exactly like them'')...and now you get Martha screaming something that sounds a lot like "''sang''"...French for "blood," naturally. It's a little disturbing.
*** There's also the chanting when you first "enter" the morgue:
----> "''[[ParanoiaFuel Get outta here... get outta here... get outta here...]]''"

** And the third and final time Batman succumbs to the same gas, with the [[FissionMailed faux console freezing]]. There are several hints for the alert player that this is a Scarecrow moment, but it's still masterfully done.
*** About the only clue to the hallucinations is Batman coughing. For the last one, it follows a creepy female voice asking, "Did anyone catch the game last night?" That itself is creepy, but it masks the coughing. Then the game freezes and restarts. Even for those aware of the scene, it can catch you off-guard, first time it's seen until the twisted BatSignal appears, even past where we see Joker driving the Batmobile, it very much looks like the game had crashed. [[FridgeBrilliance Bonus points for the line being something that would cause a crash in a faulty game.]]

** There's another layer of Batman's fear referenced in this sequence. There have been hints in other media about Scarecrow knowing or at least correctly suspecting Batman's true identity. It gets referenced in this game when Batman's "therapist", Doctor Crane, sighs that he has been like this ''since his parents died''. Just think about that for a minute.
*** Listen close to the background chatter during the scene. The "prisoners" that are making a ruckus for the "guards" off-screen? That's Gordon, Sharpe, Cash, and Doctor Young (who was killed earlier in the game). They're being rounded up and herded outside by Joker's gang, [[ShotAtDawn where they'll be shot]]. And they're ''begging'' Batman to save them all the while, as he lies there on the gurney unable to move.
*** And at the end of the sequence, the Joker shoots Batman in the face, prompting the game to inform you that [[GameOverMan you failed the mission]], prompting you to "use the middle stick to avoid being shot." [[FissionMailed Choosing 'Retry' will take you to the next part of the game]], but the moment you see that screen is just terrifying. It probably won't be the first time you see the Game Over screen, but in this instance, you're left feeling utterly helpless since ''you have no idea what you did wrong''.

*** Arkham Island's a low-level war zone, filled with insane inmates, gun-toting nut-jobs, and several other Bat-rogues--all of whom seem either fear/respect/get gassed by [[BadassBookworm Crane]] enough to let him pass by without question. The ''whole time''. It's damn creepy at best, and a serious [[TookALevelInBadass upgrade]] for the "good" doctor.
* The scene where Joker demonstrates the effects of the Titan formula on two of his mooks, resulting in a seriously grotesque PainfulTransformation for both of them, with rapid increase in muscle mass and bones growing from their bodies, as well as [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing green eyes]] and becoming highly feral.
** And then later on, when Joker uses the formula on himself and becomes a [[OneWingedAngel much bigger]] Titan mutant than the others, with his [[BodyHorror ribs sticking out]], huge bony spikes protruding from his forearms and down his spine and huge talons. That's right, he becomes a literal MonsterClown. With a sick [[DelinquentHair mohawk]] [[RuleOfCool to boot]].
* [[ImAHumanitarian Killer]] [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile Croc]]'s lair. You are walking through an abandoned labyrinthine sewer, supported only by panels of rotting wood, walking as slowly as possible so that Croc doesn't get the drop on you, knowing full well that he can surface at any time, with only a short warning. And then, once you have made your way to the most remote corner of the area, Croc gets hungry. Oh, and if you fail, one of Croc's [[HaveANiceDeath Game Over screens]] ends with a [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou horrific]] case of EatTheCamera.

** After they've been released, a couple of them hide in the ceiling, where Detective Mode can't pick up on them. When you go near them, they drop down, scream and leap on top of you.
** The noises the psychopaths make is creepy enough, but once you enter the hallway that has Harvey Dent's cell, you can hear a psychopath screaming, but [[NothingIsScarier the place is completely empty]]. At the end, you see a grate in the ceiling. Pulling it down reveals that the psychopath was right on top of it and it immediately [[JumpScare jumps down attacking you]].

* The Visitor Center. Dear God, the Visitor Center. The fact that it is the only area in the entire game in which you're forced to use first-person view makes it worse, as does the implication at the end of the game that ''Joker was in there every time you entered it.''
** A little game to play. Go into the Visitor Center, say "hello" to the Joker mannequin, then turn around and head back to the door. Before you leave, look back. Something wrong? This one gets especially creepy when there are multiple mannequins meaning the mundane explanation given by the ending of the game doesn't apply.

*** And it's not his regular laugh either; [[LaughingMad it's sharper, creepier, and is on a three-second loop.]]
** Here's an InUniverse example: Enter the center after you get into the access for Intensive Treatment. Joker will wax philosophic to Batman about how [[ArchEnemy their rivalry]] might end. He feels that one will kill the other, but the winner might not know what he'll do afterwards. If he's being honest, Joker is terrified, not about being killed or winning, but of what the winner will do.
* The part where Zsasz grabs Dr. Young and drags her around a corner with a knife to her throat. She's pleading with him to let her go, Joker's watching from the security cameras ''cheering him on'', Zsasz is on the verge of [[AxeCrazy snapping completely from the pressure]] and killing her anyway; and you're around the corner with a Batarang aimed. Oh, and if you miss, she's going to die. Good luck!
** Some people like to wait out and listen to all of the dialogue of a scene before acting; it's a common thing some gamers do. You do that here, Zsasz kills Dr. Young. Oops. Joker even taunts you, saying "Who would've figured the deranged murderer would kill the poor, little doctor?" [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He has a point]].
* The Chronicles of Arkham. The Asylum's founder, now existing as a spirit in the walls of his own institution and ready to lobotomize pre-criminal Harley, has the killer of his family strapped into an electric chair and slowly fried to death, set Poison Ivy on fire, and beat schizophrenics to death to "clean the scum of Gotham City." Granted, none of his victims are exactly angels themselves, but...
** The scariest part about all this is that it's not really the spirit of Amadeus Arkham, but Warden Quincy Sharp believing himself to be the reincarnation of Arkham. All of the references he makes to any Arkham inmates are the super-criminals that Batman has put there, such as Joker, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc, as well as a sane Harley Quinn (before she joined Joker). The final riddle of the game is to figure out who he is. The last Chronicle you scan is written on the floor of the security station where you rescue the Warden, and it's just a circle with "BATMAN" written over and over again. His last message is that he wants ''you'' to continue on his work. Creepy. Also, throughout the entire asylum, there are posters which hint at this; seeing them when playing the game a second time is truly eerie.
** This results in the Asylum having some of the most nightmare-inducing scenery ever seen when you realize the Asylum wasn't created to cure, but to ''punish''. In the maximum security section of the prison, above a bunch of holding cells for the most delusional inmates surrounded by electrified floors, in massive letters on the wall reads the phrase "''Mors certa, Hora incerta''." It's Latin for "Death Certain, Hour Uncertain." The Green Mile (not to be confused with ''Literature/TheGreenMile'') is down the hall.
*** Same area, "''Liberate Me Ex Inferis''." Can be translated as "Save me from Hell." If you saw ''Film/EventHorizon'', this might add additional creepiness.
*** Also ''Homo Homini Lupus'' ("Man is a Wolf to Man"). The maximum security cell block is a treasure trove of ominous Latin.

*** And if you find his secret office (as seen here [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgAn4DkG-k]]), you can see what his real objective is (this is also {{foreshadowing}} for the second game).
*** Not to mention what happened to [the REAL Amadeus Arkham. After his family was murdered by a mental patient named Mad Dog, Arkham eventually fried him in the electroshock chair, with everyone assuming it was an accident due to Arkham spending time ostensibly treating the psychopath. Arkham himself was eventually committed to his own asylum and died there. The game takes a lot of inspiration from ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''.

* In an InUniverse example, you, the player, ''are'' the NightmareFuel for the Asylum mooks, swinging down from the rafters...cause you're the Goddamn Batman. From the nervous chatter that the enemies give out, even when outnumbering and outgunning Batman by six to one, it's clear who's the prey. If not, keep dwindling their numbers and watch them look over their shoulders in jittering fear...and shooting at any small noise (whether provoked by you or not). Just watch as a group of enemies comes towards you. Don't attack them right away. They'll ''hesitate'', until one of them gathers the courage to attack.
** Pop over to Detective Mode and watch their moods as you attack them. Prior to Batman's assault, they're calm. Once he starts picking them off one by one, they start becoming nervous, then terrified.

** It's a moment of disturbing but also awesomeness, when you pick off a mook and then hide. You can hear and (with Detective Mode) see the other mooks notice the body, try to wake him up, and outright panic, as your Detective Mode indicates they have turned from calm to terrified!

** Thankfully, Cassidy survives and makes a few appearances in the Medical Facility. In the mini-comic that came in the game box, it's revealed that Batman had saved her thanks to an anonymous tip... Which is hinted to have come from Joker...
** Special mentions to Scarecrow's first interview tape, which begins perfectly normal and professional...until you hear the guards bursting into the room, Crane calmly states "as usual, it is difficult to work under such conditions" and you realize that this was Crane "interviewing" one of the doctors. And judging from the reactions of the guards and Scarecrow's other audio tapes, "interviewing" in this case involved massive, potentially permanent psychological damage. Crane's calm demeanor throughout the tape really puts the icing on the cake.

** In the halls in said Medical Facility you have to go down to save the doctors, there are these weird plastic medical curtains that hang down from the ceiling. Occasionally, you will see them move without there being anyone to move them. Batman hasn't reached those curtains yet, and they still move like someone just walked through them even when there's no goons in the hallways left to beat up, so ''who or what is making those curtains move''?
** Go find the head in a jar. It's not even part of a puzzle, or anything. It's just...there.
** One of the Joker's quotes in Medical is especially terrifying, as he drops all pretense of comedy and just goes straight into telling his henchmen they're in for a world of suffering.

** The Mooks themselves complain about how creepy the Medical Facility is, and how hospitals are supposed to be clean. Considering they've only been there about an hour (this is approximately how long it takes at full tilt to get there), they didn't have the time to make it dirty, and Joker is preoccupied elsewhere, so...

-->'''PA System:''' Security at level Orange... al... -pha... -pha... [[ComicBook/TheJoker ha-... ha-... ha-... ha-...]]
* Go back into that sewer/boiler room area in the Greenhouse you have to go through to get to where Poison Ivy is after you find the Titan production facility (but before you enter it to fight the Titan goons). If you climb up to a certain point, which you need to do in order to get to most of the riddles, ''[[JumpScare a dead, mutated goon that was part of the Joker's Titan experiment drops out of a pipe]]''. Right in front of you. Panic ensued.

** Wandering through that particular chamber is creepy enough before you get to that point. You can hear the Joker putting together his Titan formula...and he likes to hum while he works. The creepy sound just ''bounces'' off the walls in that dark, dilapidated pit...

** His quote really sets it:
--->'''Killer Croc''': I will ''find'' you, rip your flesh like '''''paper'''''.

* Remember in the nooks and crannies and hidden areas around Arkham, how some of them would be filled with debris? Sometimes just looked like places where Joker planned his takeover, but once in a while, you'd stumble upon an obvious living area. It can be implied that patients who couldn't quite escape the island, but escaped their cells to live in the forgotten recesses of the compound, eating mushrooms, licking moisture off walls, sleeping in gathered straw beds. Many living areas also have human bones, and one had a full human skeleton and a single candle. Sad and scary when you consider they preferred that "freedom" to whatever their incarcerated lives were like.
* There is a rat with a human-sized bite taken out of it in the ventilation ducts right outside Dr. Young's office. Think about that for a second.

** The fact that all the damage that's been done to the place is still there (no one's even tried to remove Dr. Young's corpse) and the few remaining guards and doctors, like Aaron Cash, are still standing around as if they're still trapped. Go to the medical ward and Dr. Cassidy and company are still hiding out behind stacked hospital beds. Even though they're free, they haven't escaped, they're still afraid of what will happen if they walk out the door.

** As it turns out, not ''all'' the patients disappear once you've finished the game; just the ones you've previously taken out. So you've finished the game, but haven't done much backtracking; you're a little unnerved by the idea of walking around a mostly empty Arkham Island, but at least you're pretty sure no one's going to jump out and attack you anymore... then you walk through the Abandoned Tunnel area looking for collectibles and a lunatic that you missed starts screaming and charging at you.
* Clayface's cameo is cool, but fairly creepy as well. He's locked up in his cell, and you never see him in his clay form. He's disguised as Aaron Cash, Sharp, or Gordon whenever you visit him. He's always changing his disguise, too. If you pan the camera away for just a second, you'll hear him morphing. Look back and, sure enough, he's impersonating someone else. As Cash or Sharp, he will try to trick you into thinking he's the real one, and begs you to let him free (you can't, anyway). However, as Gordon, he will just laugh if you talk to him. Just laugh...and laugh...and in one instance that has never since repeated itself, Clayface ''does'' speak as Gordon. He tells you that the Warden certainly ran off in a hurry. And isn't that strange, since you told him specifically to stay put, so what could he be up to...? [[FridgeHorror What indeed]].

** Speaking of cameo villains, there's also Ra's al Ghul. When you get to the morgue, you can see he's in one of the drawers (you just know it's him by the tag on his foot; you never get to see his face). You investigate him to get his profile and then leave the morgue. Okay. Later, when you come back...''where's the body''? Sure, we know the guy can resurrect, but still, ''damn''.
* Many times you would be in utter silence when the PA system would play its creepy tune before the Joker makes an announcement.

* The game can make you nervous even before you start playing it. When you first load the CD into the [=PS3=], the game's download screen shows a series of shadowed images of characters, whilst a soundtrack plays. Only catch is that the soundtrack is made up of the echoing sounds of [[LaughingMad insane laughter.]]
* If you have Detective Mode, you can see through the doors. At one point, you can see two bodies dangling in the air, kicking, struggling...until finally they go still. Open the door, and two dead guards are hanging from the ceiling execution-style. If you don't have Detective Mode on, you won't realize that you were a mere ''30 seconds'' too late to save them with a well-aimed Batarang.

** Apparently he's the guy [[ContestWinnerCameo who won a contest that let you get a cameo in the game]], meaning that he's somewhere out there and hopefully acting more sane.
* Some of the chatter from the Blackgate prisoners can be this, such as the one guy talking about how Joker ordered him to kill his sister, which he did. Another guy mentioned that he was told the same thing, except that he has no sister, so he just got in his car and ran some random woman down in the street...Joker enthusiastically approved.

* Early in the game, when you break out of the facility, you're in a big courtyard and can meet some guards and talk to them and learn a bit about them along with some medics by an ambulance near the entrance. A trip through the medical center later and they're all dead.
* Zsasz. The very essence of Riddler's riddles later have you encountering in one of the many hidden hard to reach rooms (until Batman obtains an appropriate upgrade to reach it) in Arkham where it looks like a "normal" tea party taking place with the GCPD swat officer/guards sitting there. Zoom in and their necks are slit and severed.

*** Little wonder why he will ''NEVER'' appear in the syndicated cartoons.

* While walking through the hallways during the "rescue the Doctors" section before entering the morgue. You'll hear prerecorded announcements about Arkham's many facilities. Which at some point mentions a "Kid's facility" for children and teens requiring psychoanalysis. This brings whole new levels of horror. There were kids there? Though most likely they only came for appointments during the day. Like a regular psychiatry. [[note]]Hopefully.[[/note]]
* Seeing the levels of sanity that Warden Sharp and [[MadScientist Dr. Young]], [[MadDoctor Hugo Strange]] and multiple orderlies that followed Sharp's orders displayed. Arkham probably wasn't that far off prior to Joker's takeover.
* The cell of Maxie Zeus. Batman can find it in the Intensive Treatment building ''behind a wall'' that has to be opened via Explosive Gel or the Ultra Batclaw. Thankfully, there's no dead body or skeleton in the cell, but you have to wonder... ''How far away was Sharp from literally walling in inmates?'' Or, even worse, perhaps ''he has already started walling in inmates.''

*** Listen close to the background chatter during the scene. The "prisoners" that are making a ruckus for the "guards" off-screen? That's Gordon, Alfred, and Barbara. They're being rounded up and herded outside by Joker's gang, [[ShotAtDawn where they'll be shot]]. And they're ''begging'' Batman to save them all the while, as he lies there on the gurney unable to move.

* The part where Zsasz grabs Dr. Young and drags her around a corner with a knife to her throat. She's pleading with him to let her go, Joker's watching from the security cameras ''cheering him on'', Zsasz is on the verge of [[AxeCrazy snapping completely from the pressure]] and killing her anyway; and you're around the corner with a Batarang aimed. Oh, and if you miss, she's going to die. Good luck!]]

** And then later on, when Joker uses the formula on himself and becomes a much bigger Titan mutant than the others, with his [[BodyHorror ribs sticking out]], huge bony spikes protruding from his forearms and down his spine and huge talons. That's right, he becomes a literal MonsterClown.

*** About the only clue to the hallucinations is Batman coughing. For the last one, it follows a creepy voice asking, "Did anyone catch the game last night?" That itself is creepy, but it masks the coughing. Then the game freezes and restarts. Even for those aware of the scene, it can catch you off-guard, first time it's seen until the twisted BatSignal appears, even past where we see Joker driving the Batmobile, it very much looks like the game had crashed. [[FridgeBrilliance Bonus points for the line being something that would cause a crash in a faulty game.]]

** After they've been released, a couple of them hide in the ceiling, where Detective Mode can't pick up on them. You go near them, they drop down, scream and leap on top of you.

** Also, the mirror in the Penitentiary's bathroom, if you go back after the psychopaths are freed, one is hiding in the stall right beside it.
* The Visitor Center. Dear God, the Visitor Center. The fact that it is the only area in the entire game in which you're forced to use first-person view makes it worse, as does the implication at the end of the game that Joker was in there every time you entered it.

*** And it's not his regular laugh either; it's sharper, creepier, and is on a three-second loop.

* If you try to go through the door to the sewer area before you have to, Killer Croc pops out of nowhere and ''smashes'' against the door.

** As it turns out, not ''all'' the patients disappear once you've finished the game; just the ones you've previously taken out. So you've finished the game, but haven't done much backtracking; you're a little unnerved by the idea of walking around a mostly empty Arkham Island, but at least you're pretty sure no one's going to jump out and attack you anymore... Then you walk through the Abandoned Tunnel area looking for collectibles and a lunatic that you missed starts screaming and charging at you.

* The game can make you nervous even before you start playing it. When you first load the CD into the [=PS3=], the game's download screen shows a series of shadowed images of characters, whilst a soundtrack plays. Only catch is that the soundtrack is made up of the echoing sounds of ''insane laughter''.

** The morgue area, where Batman [[spoiler:falls prey to Scarecrow's literal NightmareFuel]] for the first time. Since it's the first time, you know ''something's'' wrong but you don't know what--just like Batman. The times afterwards as things increasingly freak out, you realize what's going on more quickly--again, just like Batman.

** And the third and final time Batman [[spoiler:succumbs to the same gas, with the [[FissionMailed faux console freezing]]. There are several hints for the alert player that this is a Scarecrow moment, but it's still masterfully done.]]

** When Batman is [[spoiler:brought into the Asylum on a gurney in the fear gas-induced vision]], he screams that he's not insane. Just the thought of the always calm and stoic Batman ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness screaming for mercy]]'' is chilling.
-->''CUT ME FREE!!''
** There's another layer of Batman's fear referenced in this sequence. There have been hints in other media about Scarecrow [[spoiler: knowing or at least correctly suspecting Batman's true identity]]. It gets referenced in this game when [[spoiler:Batman's "therapist", Doctor Crane, sighs that he has been like this ''since his parents died''.]] Just think about that for a minute.
*** Listen close to the background chatter during the scene. The "prisoners" that are making a ruckus for the "guards" offscreen? That's Gordon, Alfred and Barbara. They're being rounded up and herded outside by Joker's gang, [[ShotAtDawn where they'll be shot.]] And they're ''begging'' Batman to save them all the while, as he lies there unable to move.
*** And at the end of the sequence, [[spoiler:the Joker shoots Batman in the face, prompting the game to inform you that [[GameOverMan you failed the mission]], prompting you to "use the middle stick to avoid being shot." [[FissionMailed Choosing 'Retry' will take you to the next part of the game]], but the moment you see that screen is just terrifying. It probably won't be the first time you see the Game Over screen, but in this instance, you're left feeling utterly helpless since ''you have no idea what you did wrong'']].

* The scene where [[spoiler: Joker demonstrates the effects of the Titan formula on two of his mooks, resulting in a seriously grotesque PainfulTransformation for both of them, with rapid increase in muscle mass and bones growing from their bodies, as well as [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing green eyes]] and becoming highly feral.]]
** And then later on, [[spoiler: when Joker uses the formula on himself and becomes a much bigger Titan mutant than the others, with his [[BodyHorror ribs sticking out]], huge bony spikes protruding from his forearms and down his spine and huge talons. That's right, he becomes a literal MonsterClown.]]
* [[ImAHumanitarian Killer]] [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile Croc]]'s lair. You are walking through an abandoned, labyrinthine sewer, supported only by panels of rotting wood, walking as slowly as possible so that Croc doesn't get the drop on you, knowing full well that he can surface at any time, with only a short warning. And then, once you have made your way to the most remote corner of the area, Croc gets hungry. Oh, and if you fail, one of Croc's [[HaveANiceDeath Game Over screens]] ends with a [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou horrific]] case of EatTheCamera.
** Before that, Croc apparently [[spoiler:''eats'' Scarecrow. However, one of the after-game cut-scenes shows that Scarecrow survived.]]

** The noises the psychopaths make is creepy enough, but once you enter the hallway that has Harvey Dent's cell. You can hear a psychopath screaming, but [[NothingIsScarier the place is completely empty]]. At the end, you see a grate in the ceiling. Pulling it down reveals that the psychopath was right on top of it and it immediately [[JumpScare jumps down attacking you]].

* Another one: the Visitor Center. Dear God, the Visitor Center. The fact that it is the only area in the entire game in which you're forced to use first-person view makes it worse, as does the implication at the end of the game that [[spoiler:the Joker was in there every time you entered it]].
** A little game to play. Go into the Visitor Center, say "hello" to the Joker mannequin, then turn around and head back to the door. Before you leave, look back. Something wrong? This one gets especially creepy when there are multiple mannequins [[spoiler:meaning the mundane explanation given by the ending of the game doesn't apply]]
** Another tidbit. After the second time you enter the Visitor's Center, the only thing Joker does when you approach the mannequin is laugh...and laugh...and laugh...and laugh...

** Here's an InUniverse example: Enter the center after you get into the access for Intensive Treatment. Joker will wax philosophic to Batman about [[spoiler:how their rivalry might end. He feels that one will kill the other, but the winner might not know what he'll do afterwards. If he's being honest, Joker is terrified, not about being killed or winning, but of what the winner will do]].
* And another: [[spoiler:Zsasz has just grabbed Dr. Young and has dragged her round a corner with a knife to her throat. She's pleading with him to let her go, the Joker's watching from the security cameras ''cheering him on'', he's on the verge of [[AxeCrazy snapping completely from the pressure]] and killing her anyway, and you're around the corner with a Batarang aimed. Oh, and if you miss, she's going to die. Good luck!]]
** Some people like to wait out and listen to all of the dialogue of a scene before acting; it's a common thing some gamers do. [[spoiler:You do that here, Zsasz kills Dr. Young. Oops. Joker even taunts you, saying "Who would've figured the deranged murderer would kill the poor, little doctor?" [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He has a point]]]].
* The Chronicles of Arkham. [[spoiler:The Asylum's founder, now existing as a spirit in the walls of his own institution and ready to lobotomize pre-criminal Harley, has the killer of his family strapped into an electric chair and slowly fried to death, set Poison Ivy on fire, and beat schizophrenics to death to "clean the scum of Gotham City." Granted, none of his victims are exactly angels themselves, but...]]
** The scariest part about all this is that [[spoiler:it's not really the spirit of Amadeus Arkham, but Warden Quincy Sharp believing himself to be the reincarnation of Arkham. All of the references he makes to any Arkham inmates are the super-criminals that Batman has put there, such as Joker, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc, as well as a sane Harley Quinn (before she joined Joker). The final riddle of the game is to figure out who he is. The last Chronicle you scan is written on the floor of the security station where you rescue the Warden, and it's just a circle with "BATMAN" written over and over again. His last message is that he wants ''you'' to continue on his work. Creepy. Also, throughout the entire asylum, there are posters which hint at this; seeing them when playing the game a second time is truly eerie.]]
** This results in the Asylum having some of the most nightmare-inducing scenery ever seen when you realize the Asylum wasn't created to cure, but to ''punish''. In the maximum security section of the prison, above a bunch of holding cells for the most delusional inmates surrounded by electrified floors, in massive letters on the wall reads the phrase "''Mors certa, Hora incerta''." It's Latin for [[spoiler:"Death Certain, Hour Uncertain"]]. The Green Mile (not to be confused with Literature/TheGreenMile) is down the hall.
*** Same area, "''Liberate Me Ex Inferis''." Can be translated as "Save me from Hell." If you saw ''Film/EventHorizon'', this might add some additional creepiness.

** A single line in the Spirit of Arkham's profile: "Profession: Executioner." After listening to all of his audio diaries, you realize that a cold-blooded KnightTemplar can be even more terrifying than every single CardCarryingVillain who appears in this game, ''combined''. Best of all? [[spoiler:He gets away with it. He claims that Batman has inspired him. You can't find him anywhere else in the game, implying he left the island to do his work.]]
*** It gets so much worse [[spoiler:in [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity the sequel]], ''he's the Mayor'']].
*** And if you find his secret office (as seen here [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgAn4DkG-k]]), you can see what his real objective is (this is also a foreshadow for the second game).
*** Not to mention what happened to [[spoiler: the REAL Amadeus Arkham. After his family was murdered by a mental patient named Mad Dog, Arkham eventually fried him in the electroshock chair, with everyone assuming it was an accident due to Arkham spending time ostensibly treating the psychopath. Arkham himself was eventually comitted to his own asylum and died there]]. The game takes a lot of inspiration from ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''.
** In the Arkham Manor you can see some angel statues framing a door, and they all seem to be looking down from their lofty perch. What is beneath Heaven? HELL.
* In an InUniverse example, you ''are'' the NightmareFuel for the Asylum mooks, swinging down from the rafters...cause you're the Goddamn Batman. From the nervous chatter that the enemies give out, even when outnumbering and outgunning Batman by six to one, it's clear who's the prey. If not, keep dwindling their numbers and watch them look over their shoulders in jittering fear...and shooting at any small noise (whether provoked by you or not). Just watch as a group of enemies comes towards you. Don't attack them right away. They'll ''hesitate'', until one of them gathers the courage to attack.

** Conversely, in the DownloadableContent, Joker is the NightmareFuel for the Asylum guards, who are arguably in an even worse situation than the mooks with Batman. For all his scariness, Batman doesn't kill while the Joker [[AxCrazy has no]] [[TheUnfettered such reservations]].

* Most of the audio tapes, particularly the Riddler's (''Arkham Asylum'' took advantage of the Riddler's canonical craziness and made him a legitimately scary villain) and Zsasz's (leading up to [[spoiler:Dr. Cassidy home alone, Zsasz on the loose, and ''somebody at the door''...)]].
** Thankfully, she survives and makes a few appearances in the Medical Facility. [[spoiler:In the mini-comic that came in the gamebox, it's revealed that Batman had saved her thanks to an anonymous tip... Which is hinted to have come from Joker...]]
** Special mentions to Scarecrow's first interview tape, which begins perfectly normal and professional... until you hear the guards bursting into the room, [[spoiler:Crane calmly states "as usual, it is difficult to work under such conditions" and you realize that this was Crane "interviewing" one of the doctors. And judging from the reactions of the guards and Scarecrow's other audio tapes, "interviewing" in this case involved massive, potentially permanent psychological damage. Crane's calm demeanor throughout the tape really puts the icing on the cake.]]

---> '''Joker:''' Are you scared? Lonely? Good. I said protect Medical and ''you have failed me''.

** There are the strap-ridden gurneys EVERYWHERE in the Medical Facility. Croc's got one of his cells there: busted-out-of and filled with bones and [[ImAHumanitarian human skulls]]. It's more than a little troubling when you also see all the experiments all over the place.

--> '''PA System:''' Security at level Orange... al... -pha... -pha... [[ComicBook/TheJoker ha-... ha-... ha-... ha-...]]

* [[HaveANiceDeath The game over sequences.]] The Scarecrow and Joker's creepy faces taunting you? Bane breaking Batman's back? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XClEPRnynR8 Talk about a reason not to fail.]] One of Croc's game over sequences actually has him ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou eating the camera]]''.
* If you try to go through the door to the sewer area before you have to, [[spoiler:Killer Croc pops out and ''smashes'' against the door out of nowhere]].

-->[[spoiler: Killer Croc]]: [[spoiler:I will ''find'' you, rip your flesh like '''''paper'''''.]]

** The fact that all the damage that's been done to the place is still there (no one's even tried to remove [[spoiler:Dr. Young's corpse]]) and the few remaining guards and doctors, like Aaron Cash, are still standing around as if they're still trapped. Go to the medical ward and Dr. Cassidy and company are still hiding out behind stacked hospital beds. Even though they're free, they haven't escaped, they're still afraid of what will happen if they walk out the door.

** Speaking of cameo villains, there's Ra's Al Ghul too. When you get to the morgue, you can see he's in one of the drawers (you just know it's him by the tag on his foot; you never get to see his face). You investigate him to get his profile and then leave the morgue. Okay. Later when you come back...''where's the body''? Sure, we know the guy can resurrect, but still, ''damn''.

* TheStinger. A crate of Titan floating in the river is grabbed by either Scarecrow, Croc, or Bane. You've seen what it just did to [[spoiler:Joker]], now [[BringMyBrownPants go change]].

* Seeing the levels of sanity that [[spoiler:Warden Sharp]] and [[MadScientist Dr. Young]], [[MadDoctor Hugo Strange]] and multiple orderlies that followed [[spoiler:Sharp's]] orders displayed. Arkham probably wasn't that far off prior to Joker's takeover.

** A small thing I noticed during a replay, in the Arkham Manor you can see some angel statues framing a door, and they all seem to be looking down from their lofty perch. What is beneath Heaven? HELL.

* While walking through the hallways during the "rescue the Doctors" section before entering the morgue. You'll hear prerecorded announcements about Arkham's many facilities. Which at some point mentions a "Kid's facility" for children and teens requiring psychoanalysis. This brings whole new levels of horror. There were kids there? Though most likely they only came for appointments during the day. Like a regular psychiatry. [[note]] I hope. [[/note]]

** There's another layer of Batman's fear referenced in this sequence. There have been hints in other media about Scarecrow [[spoiler: knowing or at least correctly suspecting Batman's true identity]]. It gets referenced in this game when [[spoiler:Batman's "therapist", Doctor Crane, sighs that he has been like this ''since his parents died''.]] Just think about that for a minute.

** When Batman is [[spoiler:brought into the Asylum on a gurney in the fear gas-induced vision]], he screams that he's not insane. Just the thought of the always calm and stoic Batman ''screaming for mercy'' is chilling.

** And then later on, [[spoiler: when Joker uses the formula on himself and becomes a much bigger Titan mutant than the others, with his ribs sticking out and huge talons. That's right, he becomes a literal MonsterClown.]]

* The scene where [[spoiler: Joker demonstrates the effects of the Titan formula on two of his mooks, resulting in a seriously grotesque PainfulTransformation for both of them, with rapid increase in muscle mass and bones growing from their bodies, as well as becoming highly feral.]]

* The scene where [[spoiler: Joker demonstrates the effects of the Titan formula on two of his mooks, resulting in a seriously grotesque PainfulTransformation for both of them, with rapid increase in muscle mass and bones growing from their bodies.]]

** There's another layer of Batman's fear referenced in this sequence. There have been hints in other media about Scarecrow [[spoiler: knowing or at least correctly suspecting Batman's true identity]]. It gets referenced in this game when [[Batman's "therapist", Doctor Crane, sighs that he has been like this ''since his parents died''.]] Just think about that for a minute.

** About the only clue to the hallucinations is Batman coughing. For the last one, it follows a creepy voice asking, "Did anyone catch the game last night?" That itself is creepy, but it masks the coughing. Then the game freezes and restarts. Even for those aware of the scene, it can catch you off-guard, first time it's seen until the twisted BatSignal appears, even past where we see Joker driving the Batmobile, it very much looks like the game had crashed. [[FridgeBrilliance Bonus points for the line being something that would cause a crash in a faulty game.]]

*** Not to mention what happened to [[spoiler: the REAL Amadeus Arkham. After his family was murdered by a mental patient named Mad Dog, Arkham eventually fried him in the electroshock chair, with everyone assuming it was an accident due to Arkham spending time ostensibly treating the psychopath. Arkham himself was eventually comitted to his own asylum and died there]]. The game takes a lot of inspiration from ''ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''.

* While walking through the hallways during the "rescue the Doctors" section before entering the morgue. You'll hear prerecorded announcements about Arkham's many facilities. Which at some point mentions a "Kid's facility" for children and teens requiring psychoanalysis. This brings whole new levels of horror. There were kids there? Though most likely they only came for appointments during the day. Like a regular psychiatry.

*** Not to mention what happened to [[spoiler: the REAL Amadeus Arkham. After his family was murdered by a mental patient named Mad Dog, Arkham eventually fried him in the electroshock chair, with everyone assuming it was an accident due to Arkham spending time ostensibly treating the psychopath. Arkham himself was eventually comitted to his own asylum and died there]]. The game takes a lot of inspiration from ''ArkhamASeriousHouseOnASeriousEarth''.

* The scene where [[spoiler: Joker demonstrates the effects of the Titan formula on two of his mooks, resulting in a seriously grotesque PainfulTransfomation for both of them, with rapid increase in muscle mass and bones growing from their bodies.]]

--->'''Scarecrow''': And at the end of fear, [[CessatationOfExistance OBLIVION!!]]

** A little game to play. Go into the Visitor Center, say "hello" to the Joker mannequin, then turn around and head back to the door. Before you leave, look back. Something wrong?

** Some people like to wait out and listen to all of the dialogue of a scene before acting; it's a common thing some gamers do. [[spoiler:You do that here, Zsasz kills Dr. Young. Oops. Joker even taunts you, saying "Who would've thought the deranged murderer would kill the poor, little doctor?" [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He has a point]]]].

** Some people like to wait out and listen to all of the dialogue of a scene before acting; it's a common thing some gamers do. [[spoiler:You do that here, Zsasz kills Dr. Young. Oops. Joker even taunts you, saying "Who would have thought the deranged murderer would kill the poor, little doctor?" [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He has a point]]]].