History NightmareFuel / Gladiator

* The scene where the female gladiator is sliced in half by an out-of-control chariot's spiked wheel. Brutal and graphic.

* The scene when a snake is put in one of the senators' bed, killing him, can be very unsettling if you have ophidiophobia.

* The scene where the female gladiator is sliced in half. Brutal and graphic.

->''"Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood."''

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

** Commodus at times seems like an outright CoolUncle, not unlike [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Scar]]. But even then, you can see his villainy. When Lucilla asks a servant "Where is Lucius?" and the servant answers "With the Emperor m'lady", you can see the [[AdultFear terror]] on Lucilla's face. She's relieved when she finds the two of them together with Commodus just telling Lucius stories about the Egyptians. Then he launches into possibly one of the most terrifying monologues in cinema history. What makes it scarier is that he's threatening his sister [[DissonantSerenity whilst pretending to tell his nephew a bedtime story]].

* The scene where the female gladiator is sliced in half. Brutal and graphic.
* The undefeated gladiator Tigris' helmet, which is designed to look like Hercules wearing the Nemean Lion's hide, with the helmet being the lion's head and the visor Hercules' face. When he's defeated, [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps out of]] the ''mask'''s mouth.

->''"Tell me what you've been doing, you busy little bee, or I will strike down all those you care about. You will watch as I bathe in their blood."''

** Later Commodus employs WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: "They tell me your son...squealed like a ''girl,'' when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife...moaned like a whore, when they ravaged her again...and again...and '''again."'''
* Commodus. [[EvilPrince He kills his father]], [[BrotherSisterIncest lusts after his sister]], orders Maximus and his family murdered, taunts Maximus about it later, threatens to kill his own nephew [[{{Squick}} unless his sister marry and have sex with him]] and later challenges Maximus to a duel to the death but [[DirtyCoward wounds him beforehand]] so that he'll have the upper hand. He looks increasingly evil and vampiric as the film progresses. Creator/RidleyScott said that he tried to use Commodus's make-up to create the impression that he's slowly turning to stone as he becomes more and more evil.

* Lucilla's life. As she says to Maximus "You don't know what it's like to not be able to sleep knowing that your son is heir to the throne, to be afraid to mourn your father for fear of your brother."
* The scene when Commodus watches Lucius sleep. You worry for a second that he's going to smother him to death.
* Commodus at times seems like an outright CoolUncle, not unlike Scar. But even then, you can see his villainy. When Lucilla asks a servant "Where is Lucius?" and the servant answers "With the Emperor m'lady", you can see the [[OhCrap terror]] on Lucilla's face. She's relieved when she finds the two of them together with Commodus just telling Lucius stories about the Egyptians. Then he launches into possibly one of the most terrifying monologues in cinema history. What makes it scarier is that he's threatening his sister [[DissonantSerenity whilst pretending to tell his nephew a bedtime story]].
-->'''Commodus:''' (staring at Lucilla) "And one night he sat down with one of them, and he looked at her, and he said: '''''Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood.'''''"
* The undefeated gladiator Tigris helmet, which is designed to look like Hercules, wearing the Nemean Lion's hide, with the helmet being the lion's head and the visor Hercules' face. When he's defeated, [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps out of]] the ''mask'''s mouth.

* Commodus at times seems like an outright CoolUncle, not unlike Scar. But even then, you can see his villainy. When Lucilla asks a servant "Where is Lucius" and the servant answers "With the Emperor m'lady", you can see the [[OhCrap terror]] on Lucilla's face. She's relieved when she finds the two of them together with Commodus just telling Lucius stories about the Egyptians. Then he launches into possibly one of the most terrifying monologues in cinema history. What makes it scarier is that he's threatening his sister [[DissonantSerenity whilst pretending to tell his nephew a bedtime story]].

->"Tell me what you've been doing, you busy little bee, or I will strike down all those you care about. You will watch as I bathe in their blood."

-->'''Commodus''': Tell me what you've been doing, you busy little bee, or I will strike down all those you care about. You will watch as I bathe in their blood.

* The undefeated gladiator Tigris helmet, which is designed to look like Hercules, wearing the Nemian lion's hide, with the helmet being the lion's head and the visor Hercules' face. When he's defeated, [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps out of]] the ''mask'''s mouth.

* The undefeated gladiator Tigris helmet, which is designed to look like a lion's head devouring a human face, with the helmet being the lion and the visor the human face. When he's defeated, [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps out of]] the ''mask'''s mouth.

* Lucilla's life. As she says to Maximus "You don't know what it's like to not be able to sleep knowing that your son is heir to the throne, to be afraid to morn your father for fear of your brother." No wonder she says "I am tired of being strong."

* The scene where the female gladiator is sliced in half. Brutal and graphic, and the fact that [[WouldHitAGirl it was a woman]] makes it worse.

** How about his [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death]]? Being slowly overpowered by your opponent until he manages to slowly shove a spike into your throat, probably leaving you to die slowly as blood fills your lungs. Entirely deserved and satisfying nevertheless.

** How about his [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death]]? Being slowly overpowered by your opponent until he manages to slowly shove a spike into your throat, probably leaving you to die slowly as blood fills your lungs.

* The undefeated gladiator Tigris helmet, which is designed to look like a lions head devouring a human face, with the helmet being the lion and the visor the human face. When he's defeated, [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps out of]] the ''mask'''s mouth.

* The undefeated gladiator Tigris helmet, which is designed to look like a lions head devouring a human face, with the helmet being the lion and the visor the human face.

** How about his death? Being slowly overpowered by your opponent until he manages to slowly shove a spike into your throat, probably leaving you to die slowly as blood fills your lungs.

* The scene where Maximus finds his wife and son crucified is both Nightmare Fuel and a tear-jerker, not unlike the scene where Commodus [[MoralEventHorizon smothers his father to death]].

* Commodus. [[EvilPrince He kills his father]], [[BrotherSisterIncest lusts after his sister]], orders Maximus and his family murdered, taunts Maximus about it later, threatens to kill his own nephew [[{{Squick}} unless his sister marry and have sex with him]] and later challenges Maximus to a duel to the death but [[DirtyCoward wounds him beforehand]] so that he'll have the upper hand. He looks increasingly evil and vampiric as the film progresses. Ridley Scott said that he tried to use Commodus's make-up to create the impression that he's slowly turning to stone as he becomes more and more evil.