History NightmareFuel / BioshockInfinite

** The lottery itself is horrific, with the unfortunate couple being tied to stakes on a stage against a backdrop of [[DarkestAfrica "untamed African jungle"]], with African caricature-faced monkeys as ring-bearer and flower-girl and an equally caricaturish "Witch Doctor" as preacher, all while cheerful, happy crowds look forward to beating them to death with baseballs. Now, you think that this is supposed to be [[UpToEleven exaggerated for dramatic impact]], right? Well, guess what? You're ''wrong''. Lynchings could and often ''did'' have an almost carnival-like atmosphere, with white people treating the hanging, rape, castration, burning and other brutal tortures of African-Americans as jolly good fun for the whole family. If you've the stomach for it, these two links showcase [[http://historicpork.tumblr.com/post/48450937661/the-lynching-of-jesse-washington-washington-was both the horrors of a lynching]] and [[http://blackourstory.tumblr.com/post/88493884899/smiling-faces-because-it-happened-because-were just how nonchalant the participants were]]. '''That''', more than anything, is the ''real'' NightmareFuel here; that the horrors of the Founders are actually nothing that wouldn't have been been done by the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan, and similar scenarios actually ''did'' happen in America during that time period.

** Yep, that is Elizabeth asking in a not-so-subtle way - and Booker confirming - that Cohen sells little girls to people who sexually abuse them. All the horror of Rapture just got taken UpToEleven.

-->'''Motorized Patriot''': ''Blood''... is the ''price''... of ''liberty''! ''[dakka dakka dakka]''

--> ''The Lord judges,'' '''''[[PreAssKickingOneLiner I act.]]'''''

--> Fireman: "It burns! It burns so much! Let me out! PLEASE!"

--> '''Elizabeth:''' Baptism is the rebirth of the spirit. But sometimes [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill the mind gets in the way]]. If the mind will not yield, then you must [[MindRape expose the mind to every version of itself]]. Either [[BrainwashedAndCrazy the mind will yield]], [[EmptyShell or be reduced to a blank.]]

-->'''Booker''': '''She's YOUR Daughter, you son of a bitch!! And you abandoned her!'''

-->'''Elizabeth''': "What do you think Cohen's customers do with the children? Do they-"
-->'''Booker''': "Sometimes. But those types lack the capital of Suchong and Ryan."
-->'''Elizabeth''': "That's a blessing."

--> '''Elizabeth:''' "This world values children, not childhood." *light flicker* "There's a profit to be made," *flicker* "and the men who make it."

*** Worse still, it's thought in some circles that Cohen makes those by slathering his victims with plaster...
*** And the book confirms that. He just gets his disciples to torture some first or slits their throats. And the poor blokes are so pumped on ADAM that they're almost numb to what they're doing, and when they eventually realise it, they can't do anything about it and are miserable.
*** Just about all of Sander Cohen's silent films in all their ''Film/TheRing''-esque glory are this. Most of them are a series of [[SurrealHorror disjointed, incredibly creepy images]]. It makes you realize just how truly screwed up this guy was even before the Fall of Rapture.

* [[AdultFear Possibly scarier]] than any monster is the political extremism that has torn the city apart: the Founders are racist, xenophobic, and theocratic despots who openly endorse eugenics and can, and have, used their floating super-weapon to impose their will on foreign countries in the name of imperialistic nationalism. The Vox Populi is a group that started with good intentions only to devolve into bloodthirsty thugs who loot shops, burn down buildings and publicly execute defenseless civilians. In Rapture you fought against mutants whose insanity was explicitly caused by fantastical PsychoSerum. At first glance, in Columbia you fight against ''people'' [[TruthInTelevision turned into monsters by mere ideology]].

** Seeing this plus Comstock House arguably cements Comstock himself as the scariest thing in game (at the very least from an AdultFear perspective). You have this psychotic KnightTemplar who, holding absolute power over an entire city, has not only cyborg monstrosities and Vigor-enhanced zealots at his beck and call, but also enough raw charisma to have his otherwise sane, normal human followers go so far as to perform self-immolation without even a hint of hesitation. In other words, this is the nightmare you get when you take Jim Jones and give him access to state of the art steampunk/sci-fi techonology.

** And to make it worse, it's in first-person rather than third-person; you have to watch this ''through the eyes of'' a drowning person. That is, you're looking up at their faces through the water as they're drowning Booker, seeing the air bubbles escape, watching everything fade to black...there's one mitigating factor to this nightmare fuel, though; at least this is a voluntary Heroic Sacrifice on Booker's part to prevent the rise of Comstock.
* Early in the game's development, 2K games considered making Bioshock Infinite in the style of Art Nouveau, you can even find [[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite_Removed_Content#.22City_in_the_Sky.22 a good amount of their early artwork]] for the game done in this style on Wiki/TheOtherWiki. The sight of Colombia done in Art Nouveau style and the atmosphere it gives out makes even the sight of seemingly unimportant buildings look at best surprisingly creepy and unnerving, and at worst hauntingly ominous. Part of you may wonder what the game would be like if the Art Nouveau style and atmosphere made it in every visual of the final game, but to partially quote [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Sofia Lamb]]: ask yourself; '''do you really want to know?'''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2013-03-28_00001_9818.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[HellIsThatNoise HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burial_at_sea_ep_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''Elizabeth''': Booker, are you afraid of God?\\
'''Booker''': No. But I'm afraid of you.]]

* The Big Daddies have been replaced by the altogether creepier Handymen. Just to emphasize how much more disturbing they are over the Big Daddies, you get a viewport with the subject's beating heart on full display. Just the SOUND of their hands moving should be enough to get anyone freaking out.

* Early in the game's development, 2K games considered making Bioshock Infinite in the style of Art Nouveau, you can even find [[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite_Removed_Content#.22City_in_the_Sky.22 a good amount of their early artwork]] for the game done in this style on Wiki/TheOtherWiki. The sight of Colombia done in Art Nouveau style and the atmosphere it gives out makes even the sight of seemingly unimportant buildings look at best surprisingly creepy and unnerving, and at worst hauntingly ominous. Part of you may wonder what the game would be like if the Art Nouveau style and atmosphere made it in every visual of the final game, but to partially quote [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Sofia Lamb]]; Ask yourself; '''Do you really want to know?'''

* Early in the game's development, 2K games considered making Bioshock Infinite in the style of Art Nouveau, you can even find a good amount of their early artwork for the game done in this style on Wiki/TheOtherWiki: https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite_Removed_Content here]]. The sight of Colombia done in Art Nouveau style and the atmosphere it gives out makes even the sight of seemingly unimportant buildings look at best surprisingly creepy and unnerving, and at worst hauntingly ominous. Part of you may wonder what the game would be like if the Art Nouveau style and atmosphere made it in every visual of the final game, but to partially quote [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Sofia Lamb]]; Ask yourself; '''Do you really want to know?'''

* Early in the game's development, 2K games considered making Bioshock Infinite in the style of Art Nouveau, you can even find a good amount of their early artwork for the game done in this style on Wiki/TheOtherWiki: https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite_Removed_Content , we bring this up because the sight of Colombia done in Art Nouveau style and the atmosphere it gives out makes even the sight of seemingly unimportant buildings look at best surprisingly creepy and unnerving and at worst hauntingly ominous. Part of you may wonder what the game would be like if the Art Nouveau style and atmosphere made it in every visual of the final game, but to partially quote [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Sofia Lamb]]; Ask yourself; '''Do you really want to know?'''

** This level of the game is easily the most reminiscent of old ''Bioshock''/''System Shock'' titles, given that it's happening AFTER the horrible calamity, like in those games, whereas Infinite is happening DURING it.]] It's the only place in the game you encounter the Boys of Silence, and their cronies are nothing but insane patients wearing Founding Fathers mask (much like the Motorized Patriots), banging their heads against the wall or just generally looking broken as human beings. The atmosphere is perfect with the snowy weather, and it all comes to a peak when you take Elizabeth's hand at the end of the level, only to discover she's an old woman and she's looking down on Columbia attacking 1984 New York City. The image of that alone is chilling. Just imagine living an ordinary, every-day 80's life, only to have a forgotten legend descend upon you and rain fire.

** This level of the game is easily the most reminiscent of old ''Bioshock''/''System Shock'' titles, given that it's happening AFTER the horrible calamity, like in those games, whereas Infinite is happening DURING it.]] It's the only place in the game you encounter the Boys of Silence, and their cronies are nothing butDea crazy people wearing Founding Fathers masks]] (much like the Motorized Patriots), banging their heads against the wall or just generally looking broken as human beings. The atmosphere is perfect with the snowy weather, and it all comes to a peak when you take Elizabeth's hand at the end of the level, only to discover she's an old woman and she's looking down on Columbia attacking 1984 New York City. The image of that alone is chilling. Just imagine living an ordinary, every-day 80's life, only to have a forgotten legend descend upon you and rain fire.

** There's this [[http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/886381786432857199/09718F5B06591A57AF8948FBE5D9248F05A036FE/ one small room]] that you have to pass through which contains a ton of the Washington/Jefferson/Franklin masks, just sitting there looking at you. And one of the masks is a Comstock mask, which stares directly down the only path through the room. It has glowing eyes for some reason, and you must pass very close to it to get out. By this point, the player is hypersensitive to the environment, and weird, out-of-place things like this are pure ParanoiaFuel. It seemed almost certain that walking past that mask would trigger ''something'' horrible. [[NothingIsScarier It doesn't.]]

** This level of the game is easily the most reminiscent of old ''Bioshock''/''System Shock'' titles, given that it's happening AFTER the horrible calamity, like in those games, whereas Infinite is happening DURING it.]] It's the only place in the game you encounter the Boys of Silence, and their cronies are nothing but [[http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/886382257805299869/8BD3D2C460C456BFA34EEE7783C5CAAEE8E9B688/ crazy people wearing Founding Fathers masks]] (much like the Motorized Patriots), banging their heads against the wall or just generally looking broken as human beings. The atmosphere is perfect with the snowy weather, and it all comes to a peak when you take Elizabeth's hand at the end of the level, only to discover she's an old woman and she's looking down on Columbia attacking 1984 New York City. The image of that alone is chilling. Just imagine living an ordinary, every-day 80's life, only to have a forgotten legend descend upon you and rain fire.

* At one point, later in the game, you can overhear a Vox Populi fighter talking about eliminating anyone who could be a threat. This includes people with guns... and ''glasses''. What makes this especially frightening is that in RealLife, the Khemer Rouge ''did'' target people with glasses, as they were considered "intellectuals" and thus enemies of the revolution. It gives you a good idea of where the Vox Populi is going to be heading.

** The implication that from his dialogue he was an innocent man that had just been kidnapped off the street. His agonized screaming of "WHY?! '''''WHYYYYY?!'''''" doesn't help. He's Asian. That's crime enough for the Order.

** Ideology turning men into monsters has been a recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' series: Andrew Ryan's "Every Man For Himself" philosophy proved that it would make a sustained society impossible (while he would never admit it, Frank Fontaine was basically the perfect embodiment of his philosophy, someone who cared about nothing but his own advancement and would give nothing to others, who wanted to keep everything for himself) and quickly devolved into total anarchy. Lamb's ideal society was no better, since in a society where no one individual was important and the group was everything meant that horrible things could be done to individuals if it meant the group would prosper. But both were based at least on ideas that had the best interests of everyone at heart. The ideologies expressed in ''[=BioShock=] Infinite'', on the other hand, are based on things like racism, xenophobia, elitism, paranoia, etc. When Ryan's and Lamb's philosophies are taken to their natural conclusions, they lead to anarchy for Ryan, and a Dystopia for Lamb. When you take Columbia's various ideologies together, it leads to "Destroy Everyone Who Isn't Like Us", and "Us" is in debate even in Columbia itself, and given that Columbia is a gigantic flying super-weapon, the questions you have to ask yourself are,

*** The pacing in general is absolutely terrifying. You're basically running around this expansive, acrophobia-inducing, reality-warped deathtrap of a super-weapon (currently in the midst of a ''civil war,'' no less), and absolutely everyone appears to be dangerous lunatics and psychopathic machines that will attack you seemingly at random. There is no escape, anywhere you go there will just be more crazies trying to blast you to smithereens. You don't know where they're firing from, they outnumber you hopelessly, and oh, did we mention the Vox Populi assault airship that will randomly pop in and [[MacrossMissileMassacre spew death everywhere like a sprinkler?]]
** Ideology turning men into monsters has been a recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' series: Andrew Ryan's "Every Man For Himself" philosophy proved that it would make a sustained society impossible (while he would never admit it, Frank Fontaine was basically the perfect embodiment of his philosophy, someone who cared about nothing but his own advancement and would give nothing to others, who wanted to keep everything for himself) and quickly devolved into total anarchy. Lamb's ideal society was no better, since in a society where no one individual was important and the group was everything meant that horrible things could be done to individuals if it meant the group would prosper. But both were based at least on ideas that had the best interests of everyone at heart. The ideologies expressed in ''[=BioShock=] Infinite'', on the other hand, are based on things like racism, xenophobia, elitism, paranoia, etc. When Ryan's and Lamb's philosophies are taken to their natural conclusions, they lead to anarchy for Ryan, and a Dystopia for Lamb. When you take Columbia's various ideologies together, it leads to "Destroy Everyone Who Isn't Like Us", and "Us" is in debate even in Columbia itself, and given that Columbia is a gigantic flying super-weapon, the questions you have to ask yourself are, [[FridgeHorror "What has happened to the rest of the world outside of Columbia?"]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt "Is there a rest of the world outside of Columbia?"]] And if things have gone this wildly, this radically wrong, [[OhCrap "Is even America safe from Columbia?"]] In at least one timeline, it's not.

* The leader of Columbia, "Prophet" Zachary Hale Comstock, is heralded in posters as being the 'Hero of the Battle of Wounded Knee.' Go ahead and look up exactly how that "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord battle]]" went.

** [[FridgeHorror What exactly]] was it that made Booker/Comstock turn into such a xenophobe? Main!Booker sounds fairly haunted by the things he saw and did back at Wounded Knee. What could've made him do a 180?

** Keep in mind that you are given the choice to throw the ball at Fink, do nothing, or start the execution right before the action starts. If you chose the first one the couple will show up later [[BreatherEpisode during a lull from combat]] and thank you with some gear, if you chose the third choice, Fink's assistant will reward you, leaving you to wonder what happened to [[FridgeHorror the condemned couple.]]

** Near the entrance to her room are some of Elizabeth's childhood objects on scientific display alongside levers that activate Tear properties on said objects. The objects are "Companion (Age 1)" (a teddy bear), "Poetry Book (Age 4)," [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and]] ''[[{{Squick}} "Menarche (Age 13)"]]'' (a cloth with blood on it).[[note]] In case you don't know, menarche is the first stage of [[MenstrualMenace menstruation]].[[/note]] If that doesn't speak levels about how creepy and disgusting these "scientists" are, nothing does.
*** Even better, go ahead an activate the levers for each tear. The teddy bear and poetry book simply change color, but the blood on the cloth simply [[NothingIsScarier disappears]]. [[FridgeHorror Remember, tears are gateways to alternate universes]].

* The only two Vigor-using foes-- Firemen and Zealots-- are both brimming with FridgeHorror of various flavours. Little is explained about them other than what powers they fight with and small tidbits about their backgrounds (the Zealots being cultists and the Firemen being former criminals trapped in burning suits), but they exhibit freakish traits that even Booker can't replicate with the same Vigors, like the Fireman's extreme heat resistance and the Zealot's ability to dissolve into a flock of crows at will. And considering that neither enemy has a visible human face, one is left alone to wonder just how Vigor overuse has ravaged their bodies, or how human they may (or may not) still be after it all. It's markedly different from the original, Splicer-like "Vigor Junkie" concepts seen in the official art book, trading the obvious horror of visible Vigor-related deformities for a more subtle NothingIsScarier approach.
** For one thing, you see what it says up there about what Devil's Kiss does to Booker's hands? Yeah, try to imagine that happening to ''your entire body'', 24/7, with no way to make it stop. That's what it's like to be a Fireman...

* The three kinetoscopes you come across in Comstock House. Instead of opening with the "Word of the Prophet" title card, they all feature work from someone named William R. Foreman. What's on them? A sunrise over Columbia, shots of hummingbirds flying around a garden, and a view of Battleship bay. [[NothingisScarier All without any music, text, or people in them. The only ambient sound is the buzzing of the projector. We don't even see or hear Foreman himself]]. They're all very unsettling to watch, and raise a lot of questions. Who put them there in the first place? And why?
** Worst of all, the final one ends with [[DrivenToSuicide the cameraman jumping off the edge of battleship falls, followed by blackness, then text reading ''William R. Foreman (Oct 13 1867-July 2 1909)'']].
** [[FridgeHorror Who says he jumped?]]

* A bit of fridge horror, after Elizabeth's death, only Sally is present, comforting her in her final moments. But Sally is a conditioned Little Sister, and has a specific compulsion regarding 'sleeping angels'. And what do Little Sisters enjoy harvesting ADAM from the most?
* Some more fridge horror, how the universe with the remaining Comstock continued to exist after the drowning at the end of Infinite is never resolved. This could mean that in some of those universes, Old!Elizabeth still happens and lays waste to multiple Earths.
** However, that universe was Burial!Elizabeth visiting the past, as can be seen from Infinite!Elizabeth and Booker running about while you avoid contact or arrive to places just before OR after they went past. Which means it was before the Comstocks got eliminated or that the MAIN universe that Booker and Elizabeth travelled through in Infinite is a constant (as undoing it would undo them undoing all the Comstocks... err..). Since Booker visited Old!Elizabeth who sent him back to save an alternate path version of her, this means at least one Elizabeth lays waste to the Earth before winking out of existence when Elizabeth drowns Booker.
** It could also be because, looking at the semantics of it, that Comstock stopped being Comstock and became another Booker - he underwent the baptism but quit as the leader of Columbia, without having Elizabeth as his "daughter. If something like this could happen, is it also possible for there to be worlds in which Booker became Comstock through some other, later event?

** Ken Levine has confirmed there's a tragic backstory behind the Handymen. Given the imagery on the Handymen booth seen in the fair in the Beasts of America trailer they are likely [[spoiler:sick and/or disabled people who were turned into these monstrosities, probably against their will, given Columbia's eugenicist ideals]]. It doesn't help that they constantly scream that they're in pain while attacking.
*** Actually, it's more direct than that. The entrance of Comstock House shows photos of generic NPC under their various "sins" and a Handyman appears only on a board titled [[spoiler:Pacifist]]. It puts something of a new spin on many of the enemy's quotes, such as "GET DOWN!" when electrifying the skylines. [[spoiler: It's likely not so much a taunt, it's a warning from someone who doesn't want to hurt you but has to fight.]]

** And how do you beat this monster [[spoiler: on your own]]? [[spoiler: You DON'T. There's nothing in your arsenal that can even make [[NighInvulnerable this thing]] flinch, let alone harm it.]] In fact [[spoiler: Future Elizabeth flat out says that in every single alternate timeline where Booker fights the Songbird, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption he ultimately loses and likely dies as a result.]] If getting tossed stories upward into a building and then held at the mercy of this beast (all in terrifying first-person) as Elizabeth desperately begs for your life didn't make you feel utterly helpless, then that little revelation will.]]

** Ideology turning men into monsters has been a recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' series: Andrew Ryan's "Every Man For Himself" philosophy proved that it would make a sustained society impossible (while he would never admit it, Frank Fontaine was basically the perfect embodiment of his philosophy, someone who cared about nothing but his own advancement and would give nothing to others, who wanted to keep everything for himself) and quickly devolved into total anarchy. Lamb's ideal society was no better, since in a society where no one individual was important and the group was everything meant that horrible things could be done to individuals if it meant the group would prosper. But both were based at least on ideas that had the best interests of everyone at heart. The ideologies expressed in ''[=BioShock=] Infinite'', on the other hand, are based on things like racism, xenophobia, elitism, paranoia, etc. When Ryan's and Lamb's philosophies are taken to their natural conclusions, they lead to anarchy for Ryan, and a Dystopia for Lamb. When you take Columbia's various ideologies together, it leads to "Destroy Everyone Who Isn't Like Us", and "Us" is in debate even in Columbia itself, and given that Columbia is a gigantic flying super-weapon, the questions you have to ask yourself are, [[FridgeHorror "What has happened to the rest of the world outside of Columbia?"]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt "Is there a rest of the world outside of Columbia?"]] And if things have gone this wildly, this radically wrong, [[OhCrap "Is even America safe from Columbia?"]] [[spoiler:In at least one timeline, it's not.]]

** [[FridgeHorror What exactly]] was it that made [[spoiler:Booker/Comstock turn into such a xenophobe? Main!Booker sounds fairly haunted by the things he saw and did back at Wounded Knee. What could've made him do a 180?]]

** And then ''Burial at Sea'' comes around to turn her into [[spoiler:AlasPoorVillain]].

** She is actually a quantum superposition of a woman ([[spoiler:namely, Lady Comstock]]) in both her alive and dead states, ''[[AndIMustScream and fully aware of her existence in both]]''.

** Even WORSE: The only time you run into them? Inside a dimly-lit, run-down asylum where it's just you, them and the crazies that stand around in Uncanny Valley-esque president masks and stare at the walls. If a Boy spots you, he'll shriek and alert every psycho around you, who will then grab whatever they can find and try to beat you to death with it. On top of that, ammo is low, you're without your plucky girl sidekick and [[spoiler: one manages to get RIGHT behind you while you're working a control panel and shriek in your face.]]

** The WORST is that one of the Voxophones you find in Comstock House implies that [[spoiler: ELIZABETH]] created them.
*** Speaking of which, they have Tear-powers. As Elizabeth taught us, you get Tear-powers by [[spoiler:having a piece of yourself cut off and put in another Universe. Now, what's under that helmet?]]

--> '''[[spoiler: Elizabeth]]''': "Baptism is the rebirth of the spirit. But sometimes [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill the mind gets in the way]]. If the mind will not yield, then you must [[MindRape expose the mind to every version of itself]]. Either [[BrainwashedAndCrazy the mind will yield]], [[EmptyShell or be reduced to a blank.]]"

** The reason the cops were threatening Booker? [[spoiler:It appears to be the scenario where Booker refuses to throw the first baseball at a "convicted" interracial couple, who are all surrounded by cartoonish depictions... of monkeys]]. And the police aren't too happy about it. ([[SarcasmMode It gets better]]... [[spoiler:the background is of "negro" monkeys conducting a wedding, and the crowd does a mocking rendition of the Wedding March in preparation for the stoning.]] Truly [[NightmareFuel the stuff of nightmares]].)
*** To make it worse, they WILL attempt to kill you, regardless of the choice you made (or even a refusal to throw it). [[spoiler:Because the true reason for their attack is that you are what amounts to be Columbia's Anti-Christ.]]
* From [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBvObOkZRk The First Few Minutes Of BioShock Infinite trailer]], we get a subtle one. There is a quote presented at the beginning: [[spoiler: The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist...]] If you keep this in mind, it gives you a horrifying thought as the opening proceeds: [[spoiler: Does the character actually remember anything, or is he literally creating his past out of things that he sees as he goes along?]] If that is the case, [[spoiler: the main character is literally being dropped into a hellish situation with no training, no memory of his past, and little to no chance of survival. He was literally expected to piece together his mission, and his past, from what he came across along the way. It's like the plotline for ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'', only the main character is doing it without realizing it.]]

** Now that the game is out, we can confirm exactly when this video fits into the timeline of the game and why it appears to be from the early 80's. [[spoiler:It is from the timeline when Booker failed to rescue Elizabeth and she was brainwashed into becoming the new Comstock. The city has likely disappeared in preparation of their attack, given that the Alps are not on the flight path laid out in the lighthouse at the beginning of the game. This documentary would have been released right before Columbia attacks New York!]]

* Early in the game, you're at a carnival and you win a lottery. What good luck! What does that get you? ''[[spoiler:The "honor" of throwing the first stone at the public stoning/execution of a mixed race couple.]]''
** [[spoiler: The lottery itself is horrific, with the unfortunate couple being tied to stakes on a stage against a backdrop of [[DarkestAfrica "untamed African jungle"]], with African caricature-faced monkeys as ring-bearer and flower-girl and an equally caricaturish "Witch Doctor" as preacher, all while cheerful, happy crowds look forward to beating them to death with baseballs.]] Now, you think that this is supposed to be [[UpToEleven exaggerated for dramatic impact]], right? Well, guess what? You're ''wrong''. [[spoiler: Lynchings could and often ''did'' have an almost carnival-like atmosphere, with white people treating the hanging, rape, castration, burning and other brutal tortures of African-Americans as jolly good fun for the whole family. If you've the stomach for it, these two links showcase [[http://historicpork.tumblr.com/post/48450937661/the-lynching-of-jesse-washington-washington-was both the horrors of a lynching]] and [[http://blackourstory.tumblr.com/post/88493884899/smiling-faces-because-it-happened-because-were just how nonchalant the participants were]]. '''That''', more than anything, is the ''real'' NightmareFuel here; that the horrors of the Founders are actually nothing that wouldn't have been been done by the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan, and similar scenarios actually ''did'' happen in the American South of the time period.]]
** Keep in mind that you are given the choice to [[spoiler: throw the ball at Fink, do nothing, or start the execution]] right before the action starts. If you chose the first one [[spoiler: the couple will show up later [[BreatherEpisode during a lull from combat]] and thank you with some gear,]] if you chose the third choice, [[spoiler: Fink's assistant will reward you,]] leaving you to wonder what happened to [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror the condemned couple.]]]]

* When you're given your shield by the Luteces, Rosalind comments, "Surprising that it didn't kill him". ''[[spoiler: How many Bookers have died from that Infusion malfunctioning?]]''

** What makes it even more frightening is the realization that Comstock [[spoiler:''is'' Booker]].

* The scene where Booker is trying to buy a ticket for the gondola while a man is talking on the phone to someone. You can then get two possible choices. First, draw your weapon and threaten the man, which seems like a nasty thing to do. Second, simply ask for help again, to which he apologizes for the wait...[[spoiler: before drawing a knife and stabbing you in the hand.]]
** The man in question is [[spoiler:setting you up for an ambush, and the phone call he is making when you walk up is reporting your arrival at said ambush.]] The wording of the phone call makes it sound extremely suspicious, [[BaitAndSwitch far too suspicious for anything to actually come of it.]]
*** Furthermore, when you walk into the area, people are acting... off. A hotdog vendor is unsure of what he has "Sauerkraut? uh... I guess. That'll be uh... one Silver Eagle." Beyond this there are people talking and a violinist playing beautifully, but when you make it to the counter everyone STOPS WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND STARTS STARING AT YOU. It doesn't help that there's three violin cases, only one of which is open, and one violin. What are they storing in them? Then suddenly, [[spoiler: everyone has a weapon. Oh, [[SenselessViolins that's what that is]].]]

** especially, as it turns out, you can't even trust [[spoiler: yourself.]]

* Towards the beginning of the Soldier's Field area, you're pointed to an ice cream shop where you're given the option to steal from the cash register there. Given that this is the first instance of the ability to steal anything being presented to you, many players probably won't be able to resist the urge to at least try it, resulting in the police being called and everyone in the area turning hostile. However, if you can resist your curiosity and push onwards, you can freely explore the entire area, experiencing Columbia's nightlife in one of the extremely rare instances where everything around you at least seems mildly peaceful and almost normal, at least until you reach the trolley station at the end. [[spoiler:At that point, a loud message is broadcasted to the area, warning of the False Shepherd's presence, and the minute you turn around, literally every civilian in the area will have disappeared. There's no short scenes of people being evacuated or running away, they just vanish into thin air. Seeing the lively, bustling area that you just strolled through [[NothingIsScarier completely empty]] is an extremely eerie experience, and then the militia shows up to makes things worse.]]

** There's this [[http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/886381786432857199/09718F5B06591A57AF8948FBE5D9248F05A036FE/ one small room]] that you have to pass through which contains a ton of the Washington/Jefferson/Franklin masks, just sitting there looking at you. And one of the masks is a Comstock mask, which stares directly down the only path through the room. It has glowing eyes for some reason, and you must pass very close to it to get out. By this point, the player is hypersensitive to the environment, and weird, out-of-place things like this are pure ParanoiaFuel. It seemed almost certain that walking past that mask would trigger ''something'' horrible. [[spoiler:[[NothingIsScarier It doesn't.]]]]

* The three kinetoscopes you come across in Comstock House. Instead of opening with the "Word of the Prophet" title card, they all feature work from someone named William R. Foreman. What's on them? [[spoiler: A sunrise over Columbia, shots of hummingbirds flying around a garden, and a view of Battleship bay. [[NothingisScarier All without any music, text, or people in them. The only ambient sound is the buzzing of the projector. We don't even see or hear Foreman himself]].]] They're all very unsettling to watch, and raise a lot of questions. Who put them there in the first place? And why?
** Worst of all, the final one ends with [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide the cameraman jumping off the edge of battleship falls, followed by blackness, then text reading ''William R. Foreman (Oct 13 1867-July 2 1909)'']].]]
** [[spoiler:[[FridgeHorror Who says he jumped?]]]]
* The whole BadFuture in general with tears and recordings detailing [[spoiler: how they broke Elizabeth]]. But probably the most chilling when you come across a [[spoiler: projector showing nothing but glaring eyes as she expresses disappointment that Booker wasn't there to save her in probably the coldest tone ever. Talk about a guilt trip.]]
** This level of the game is easily the most reminiscent of old ''[=BioShock=]''/''System Shock'' titles, given that [[spoiler: it's happening AFTER the horrible calamity, like in those games, whereas Infinite is happening DURING it.]] It's the only place in the game you encounter [[spoiler: the Boys of Silence, and their cronies are nothing but [[http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/886382257805299869/8BD3D2C460C456BFA34EEE7783C5CAAEE8E9B688/ crazy people wearing Founding Fathers masks]] (much like the Motorized Patriots), banging their heads against the wall or just generally looking broken as human beings.]] The atmosphere is perfect with the snowy weather, and it all comes to a peak when you [[spoiler: take Elizabeth's hand at the end of the level, only to discover she's an old woman and she's looking down on Columbia attacking 1984 New York City. The image of that alone is chilling. Just imagine living an ordinary, every-day 80's life, only to have a forgotten legend descend upon you and rain fire.]]
* After rescuing Elizabeth from the scientists you sit her upright [[spoiler: to find a plug put ''directly'' into her spine]], for an added bonus the scientists are revealed to have not put her under during all of this, meaning she felt the whole process. [[spoiler: Now remember the BadFuture where Booker ''couldn't'' save her... yeah.]] And Booker has to take it out under the same circumstances.

* As one of Comstock's warnings to Elizabeth as they try to reach the First Lady is that Booker would abandon her, it becomes clear that [[spoiler:the Prophet has again looked at the possibilities]], and that he'd been planning out the breaking of Elizabeth as an contingency from the very beginning.
* Another creepy moment from Comstock House. When you first get to the room where you fight the Boys of Silence you can clearly hear Elizabeth screaming her lungs out in the other room. [[spoiler: it's actually coming from a tear, you discover upon returning to the area later in the level. Which arguably makes it ''worse.'']] Her dialogue will even show up in the subtitles if you haven't started the fight.

* Just after throwing the switch [[spoiler:to try and rescue Elizabeth from the [[EldritchLocation snow-covered wasteland]], the player turns around to see one of the Boys of Silence [[JumpScare right behind them]].]] This is also a callback to the first game when you headed into the basement of an area to retrieve something only to find a splicer behind you.

** Now we know the context: [[spoiler:she's torn open a tear just after Booker's freed her from [[BodyHorror the medical procedure intended to keep her from using her powers]], and is daring Booker to stop her from killing Comstock.]] Oh, and before that, she allowed that same tornado to sweep up the doctors that were operating on her.
*** Subverted by Booker answering firmly: "I'm going to do it for you,"

* At the very end of the game, Booker and Elizabeth wander through [[spoiler: Rapture's "Welcome Center" in 1960]]. [[NothingIsScarier Nothing happens]], but the atmosphere itself is unbearably eerie and quiet.
** By the looks of the way things are situated, this is almost ''immediately'' before [[spoiler: Jack sets foot in Rapture himself]]. The signs you first see when you step off the Bathysphere are pretty much in the same place. Hell, it might've been ''after''. You're in this whole situation, might even be able to prevent it and you can't do anything about it.
** Later on [[spoiler: when Songbird dies, it might sound a bit familiar. That's because it actually was in the first Bioshock.]]
* The [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion EVA-esque]] ending when [[spoiler: all those Elizabeths suddenly show up and crowd around Booker to drown him.]] Not only a crazy twist, but a pretty morbid freak out too.
** And to make it worse, it's in first-person rather than third-person; you have to watch this ''through the eyes of'' [[spoiler:a drowning person. That is, you're looking up at their faces through the water as they're drowning Booker, seeing the air bubbles escape, watching everything fade to black... There's one mitigating factor to this nightmare fuel, though; at least this is a voluntary Heroic Sacrifice on Booker's part to prevent the rise of Comstock.]]
* Early in the game's developement, 2K games considered making Bioshock Infinite in the style of Art Nouveau, you can even find a good amount of their early artwork for the game done in this style on Wiki/TheOtherWiki: https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite_Removed_Content , we bring this up because the sight of Colombia done in Art Nouveau style and the atmosphere it gives out makes even the sight of seemingly unimportant buildings look at best surprisingly creepy and unnerving and at worst hauntingly ominous. Part of you may wonder what the game would be like if the Art Nouveau style and atmosphere made it in every visual of the final game, but to partially quote [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Sofia Lamb]]; Ask yourself; '''Do you really want to know?'''

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGq2RgUB8j8 very end]] of ''Burial at Sea'', Part 1, shows us something quite horrifying. [[spoiler: Remember the PortalCut where Elizabeth lost part of her pinky finger? Well, that universe's Elizabeth had it happen to her head. Keep in mind that this happens to a '''baby'''.]]
** Even worse if you consider what happens after the tear closes - [[spoiler:Comstock was only left with the head, and the Booker in that universe was left ''with the entire body''. Whatever happened to Booker following this can only be left to the player to decide.]]
** [[spoiler:The entire final cinematic is just one horrific scene after another - the zombie-like Little Sister Sally presumably dropping down the red-hot ventilation shaft, the sheer contempt with which Elizabeth and the Luteces treat Comstock, and Elizabeth's face getting spattered with blood as the Big Daddy's drill impales Comstock from behind. Talk about a PlayerPunch.]]
** [[{{Squick}} The sounds]] Booker/[[spoiler:Comstock]] makes when he's [[spoiler: killed. Let's run down the list: he hacks up blood and tries desperately to breathe after being initially stabbed, ''screams in utter agony'' when the drill rotates, and lets out a final spluttering cough when it's pulled out. Those are the sounds of a man dying in pain.]]
* The unsettling painting from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsJDrsKNYxI the teaser trailer.]] A somber-looking Booker and Elizabeth are dancing closely in the foreground, while the background is a hellish red with rabbit-masked figures lurking in the shadows. [[spoiler:Not surprising that it's a bit... "off", being a Cohen original.]]

* [[spoiler:The return of Sander Cohen.]] His [[http://i.neoseeker.com/neo_image/81602/news/7/cohen_trailerscreen_web.jpg appearance]], mannerisms and theatrics shows that he was already an utterly deranged MadArtist ''even without the splicing.''

* Elizabeth at the ending of Episode One. [[spoiler: The ending itself is a gigantic WhamEpisode, but it's also a gigantic contrast in reactions to murder. As if her MyGodWhatHaveIDone reaction from killing Fitzroy in the main campaign wasn't frightening enough, her LACK of reaction when the Big Daddy impales Comstock!Booker and splatters blood on her face is somehow even worse.]]
** There's also the implication that [[spoiler:the entire DLC was just Elizabeth and the Luteces toying with Comstock. Elizabeth's mission was to purge the remaining Comstocks from the multiverse, and if she wanted, she could've easily just shot him the moment she walked into his office, but she didn't. She dragged him around on a mission to save the missing girl he was obsessed with, repeatedly put his life in danger (only to save him when things got a little too dangerous), pushed him through the hellscape of the decrepit Department Store, and then, once Comstock realized what he had done and had just enough time to regret his actions, she let a Big Daddy slowly run him through with his drill.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RL4BOXGJzI 2:15 of this trailer for Burial at Sea - Episode 2.]] [[spoiler:Elizabeth]] has gone a long way... but if the {{Chiaroscuro}} lighting is any indication, things are about to go to hell.
--> '''[[spoiler:Elizabeth]]''': "This world values children, not childhood." *light flicker* "There's a profit to be made," *flicker* "and the men who make it."
** [[spoiler: And she's changing from her original clothing, to her corset and dress outfit from the second half of Infinite, to her present outfit, looking menacing all the while.]]
** And in the final product, we see a fourth version of [[spoiler:Elizabeth]]: in her present outfit, splattered in blood.
* The sequence of Elizabeth in Paris. [[spoiler: It goes from a beautiful place full of smiling people who adore Elizabeth and including Disney-esque singing birds, to a hellish grey-tinted nightmare-scape that is deserted of people, most of the buildings are ruined or on fire and one building advertises lobotomies, foreshadowing what is to come later]].

* The boat-ride to the lighthouse. [[spoiler: Instead of the beautiful InnBetweenTheWorlds we saw in ''Infinite'' that was illuminated by countless other universes gleaming as far as the eye can see, this iteration is nearly completely silent and utterly pitch black]].
** And if you look in the water as you're being rowed merrily along... [[spoiler: you'll start noticing all the drowned, staring faces. That's right: you're cruising the River Styx.]]
* In one of the random videos stations scattered about Rapture you'll get the chance to experience a short artistic film produced by none other than Sander Cohen himself! What does this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WcJZSrzIFU film]] consist of, you ask? It begins with a message stating "Please Stand By" in large, bold letters across the screen, only for the image to start slowly rotating as static noises, ethereal wailing, and deranged laughter begin to play in the background. Then a deep, almost demonic voice begins to speak: [[spoiler:'''WHY DO YOU STAND THERE? WHEN SOMEONE IS RIGHT... BEHIND YOU.''' [[ShmuckBait You'll never guess what happens once the video ends and]] [[JumpScare you turn around!]]]] You see [[spoiler:[[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Regard%C3%A8rent_et_Furent_Observ%C3%A9s?file=Cohen_s_surprise.jpg this lovely chap, just sitting there.]]]] [[spoiler: And he does ''absolutely nothing.]]'' Even worse? [[spoiler: ''That isn't a man.'' That's one of Cohen's plaster statues.]]
*** Worse still, it's thought in some circles that [[spoiler:Cohen makes those by slathering his victims with plaster..]]
*** And the book confirms that. [[spoiler: He just gets his disciples to torture some first or slits their throats. And the poor blokes are so pumped on ADAM that they're almost numb to what they're doing, and when they eventually realise it, they can't do anything about it and are miserable.]]

* The lower area of Fink's hidden lab. [[spoiler:All of it is NightmareFuel, from the [[FateWorseThanDeath Handyman]] operating areas (one of the notes written on the chalk board mentions of some of the subjects won't stop screaming), to the areas where cruel test were preformed on innocent animals, to the long hallway filled with deceased dogs being preserved in some sort of liquid.]]
* [[spoiler:Atlas' torture of Elizabeth]] is one of the most brutal appliances of the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique ever seen in a video game. You get to witness the horror of [[spoiler:''a transorbital lobotomy'' (which involves inserting a metal pick just above the eyeball) from a ''first-person perspective''. Then Atlas brings a hammer into play.]] And it gets even worse from there when [[spoiler:Elizabeth remains defiant and dares Atlas to lobotomize her, prompting him to lose his cool and attempt the same procedure on '''Sally'''!]]
** And keep in mind, this is the same [[spoiler:Atlas persona that played you for a sentiment in the very first ''[=BioShock=]''. No, this is not the attitude of the family man Jack knew, this is one of a desperate, ruthless arse, I.E. Frank Fontaine.]]
* The scene where Elizabeth enters the lighthouse and the first thing she sees is [[spoiler: Sally, stuck in a red-hot grate with bars, screaming to be let out. Then it multiplies and soon they're in a circle all around her.]]
* A bit of fridge horror, [[spoiler: after Elizabeth's death, only Sally is present, comforting her in her final moments. But Sally is a conditioned Little Sister, and has a specific compulsion regarding 'sleeping angels'. And what do Little Sisters enjoy harvesting ADAM from the most?]]
* Some more fridge horror, [[spoiler: how the universe with the remaining Comstock continued to exist after the drowning at the end of Infinite is never resolved. This could mean that in some of those universes, Old!Elizabeth still happens and lays waste to multiple Earths.]]
** However, [[spoiler:that universe was Burial!Elizabeth visiting the past, as can be seen from Infinite!Elizabeth and Booker running about while you avoid contact or arrive to places just before OR after they went past. Which means it was before the Comstocks got eliminated or that the MAIN universe that Booker and Elizabeth travelled through in Infinite is a constant (as undoing it would undo them undoing all the Comstocks... err..). Since Booker visited Old!Elizabeth who sent him back to save an alternate path version of her, this means at least one Elizabeth lays waste to the Earth before winking out of existence when Elizabeth drowns Booker.]]
** It could also be because, looking at the semantics of it, [[spoiler:that Comstock stopped being Comstock and became another Booker - he underwent the baptism but quit as the leader of Columbia, without having Elizabeth as his "daughter.]] If something like this could happen, is it also possible [[spoiler: for there to be worlds in which Booker became Comstock through some other, later event]]?

[[center: [-NightmareFuel/BioShock1 | NightmareFuel/BioShock2 | [=BioShock=] Infinite]]-]

!![[DownloadableContent ''Burial at Sea'']]

----

[[center: [-NightmareFuel/Bioshock1 | NightmareFuel/Bioshock2 | Bioshock Infinite]]-]

* In one of the random videos stations scattered about Rapture you'll get the chance to experience a short artistic film produced by none other than Sander Cohen himself! What does this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WcJZSrzIFU film]] consist of, you ask? It begins with a message stating "Please Stand By" in large, bold letters across the screen, only for the image to start slowly rotating as static noises, ethereal wailing, and deranged laughter begin to play in the background. Then a deep, almost demonic voice begins to speak: [[spoiler:'''WHY DO YOU STAND THERE... WHEN SOMEONE IS... RIGHT BEHIND YOU.''' [[ShmuckBait You'll never guess what happens once the video ends and]] [[JumpScare you turn around!]]]] You see [[spoiler:[[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Regard%C3%A8rent_et_Furent_Observ%C3%A9s?file=Cohen_s_surprise.jpg this lovely chap, just sitting there.]]]] [[spoiler: And he does ''absolutely nothing.]]'' Even worse? [[spoiler: ''That isn't a man.'' That's one of Cohen's plaster statues.]]

** Incidentally, what did Booker do to warrant that guy siccing Charles on him? [[HairTriggerTemper Attempt to walk past him, through the gazebo.]] He even assumes Booker to be an assassin when he sees him take a sniper rifle...'''that he was already giving out freely!'''

** Incidentally, what did Booker do to warrant that guy siccing Charles on him? [[HairTriggerTemper Attempt to walk past him, through the gazebo.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK]]

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Elizabeth:''' Booker, are you afraid of God?\\
'''Booker:''' No. But I'm afraid of you.]]

** And in the final product, we see a fourth version of [[spoiler:Elizabeth]]: one splattered in blood.