History NightmareFuel / MOTHER

** Not to mention when he starts calling out your name repeatedly...

%% *** You ever wondered what it would be like if you could actually HEAR Giygas say those lines? Well, wonder no more! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws_zY5vkiis Enjoy the nightmares!]]

** In spite of you defeating him through ThePowerOfLove and Prayer, Giygas constantly says, "It Hurts" as you attack him. Even if he is a horrific evil abomination that threatens to destroy the universe and you are killing him with IncorruptiblePurePureness, it still kind of makes you question yourself.

The first game, ''[=MOTHER=]'' / ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'', has its own page [[NightmareFuel/EarthBoundBeginnings here]].

* Last but certainly not least is the one that [[SignatureScene everyone knows about]] - '''''Giygas.''''' Put simply, he is generally agreed to be the single most terrifying Nintendo villain in all of the company's history, which, considering [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Nintendo's track record]], says ''quite'' a bit. He is, of course, the most terrifying part of the game, not to mention the most memorable. After having spent the entire game fighting cartoonish monsters with baseball bats and frying pans, Ness and his friends are now fighting an EldritchAbomination with a terrifying, amorphous visage that looks like a demonic, ghostly hurricane with a warped, screaming face. The creepy, amorphous, jarring background music (and the dialogue inspired by the creator's trauma of catching a glimpse of a murder scene, which he thought was a rape scene, in [[Film/TheMilitaryPolicemanAndTheDismemberedBeauty a movie]] as a young child) only adds to this. The fact that most of the rest of the game is so childlike and cartoonish only makes this more frightening, because it seems ''so out of place.''

[[quoteright:256:[[VideoGame/EarthBound https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giygas_background.png]]]]

The first game, [=MOTHER=] / [=EarthBound=] Beginnings, has its own page [[NightmareFuel/EarthBoundBeginnings here]].

* Threed, anyone? Up until this point, the game has been pretty cheery, and then it drops you into a dark, zombie-infested nightmare where the undead can occasionally even be found walking around near the usually "safe" areas of town, also making it the first level in Earthbound where DungeonTown is in full effect. Sure, it's all PlayedForLaughs, but try telling that to a kid.

** Giygas gets ''even worse'' if you've played or are familiar with MOTHER[=/=][=EarthBound=] Beginnings. He was once an alien creature who was adopted by a human who he genuinely loved. However, his conflicting loyalty to his species who sought revenge for humanity stealing the secrets of their technology from them and his love for his adoptive mother caused him to undergo catastrophic SanitySlippage. The Giygas American players are more familiar with is the end result of Giygas' incredible PSI powers collapsing in on themselves due to his mental conflict until an [[EldritchAbomination amorphous]] AlmightyIdiot was all that remained. With that being said, his "It's not right" line might just be the last rational part of Giygas [[AndIMustScream horrified at what he's become,]] [[MadnessMantra provided it isn't just his madness echoing it endlessly, no longer knowing what it means.]] To further drive the point home: that demonic face screaming in agony? It's more than that; when flipped upside down, it becomes his face from the first game.

** [[WordOfGod According to Itoi,]] the final battle was supposed to be a [[NightmareSequence nightmarish sequence]] similar to the fight against Giygas from [=EarthBound=], except [[NothingIsScarier this time with no dialogue.]] It had to be cut out of the game because it was ''[[GoneHorriblyRight too]]'' [[GoneHorriblyRight nightmarish.]] The battle backgrounds are theorized to be remnants of this cut sequence.

** The Japanese version is even scarier; where in English the spirit informs you, "I shall steal your sight," in Japanese he says he will "crush your eyeballs." See [[http://earthboundcentral.com/m2eb/dalaam/ here]] for the comparison between the Japanese and English versions.

** The Japanese version is even scarier; where in English the spirit informs you that he will "I shall steal your sight," in Japanese he says he will "crush your eyeballs." See [[http://earthboundcentral.com/m2eb/dalaam/ here]] for the comparison between the Japanese and English versions.

** [[FridgeHorror It gets worse on a second playthrough]]. That red static in the beginning? If you compare the above intro to end of the game where you've dealt the killing blow to Giygas, you realize that's not static. '''''[[WhamShot That's Giygas]]'''''. Even before you start the game, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou Giygas knows you're here]] and is just waiting patiently to show his face in the FinalBattle.

[[caption-width-right:256:'''''NESS... IT HURTS...IT HURTS...''''']]

** Giygas gets ''even worse'' if you've played or are familiar with MOTHER[=/=][=EarthBound=] Beginnings. He was once an alien creature who was adopted by a human who he genuinely loved. However, his conflicting loyalty to his species who sought revenge for humanity stealing the secrets of their technology from them and his love for his adoptive mother caused him to undergo catastrophic SanitySlippage. The Giygas American players are more familiar with is the end result of Giygas' incredible PSI powers collapsing in on themselves due to his mental conflict until an [[EldritchAbomination amorphous]] AlmightyIdiot was all that remained. With that being said, his "It's not right" line might just be the last rational part of Giygas [[AndIMustScream horrified at what he's become,]] [[MadnessMantra provided it isn't just his madness echoing it endlessly, no longer knowing what it means.]]

** The present-day version of the cave has a bit of creepiness of its own. After exploring the Lost Underworld, you walk in to this strange cave where you can't do anything, and the only thing that keeps you company is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy3s4Yaabfs this creepy, discordant, almost mocking "song"]]. It's more unsettling than outright scary, especially since it's possible to wander in here earlier than you're meant to.

** In the last section of the Empire Porky Building's Restroom Level, knock on the right-most men's room door and you'll hear an all-too-familiar Ba-DEET! noise. Knocking on it again will result in something banging the door from the inside. Go inside the room and you'll see the Chimera, inches away from you, [[NightmareRetardant on a toilet.]]

* In the Lost Underworld, Ego Orbs can be this, especially on first sight. They move really fast, much faster than the Chomposaur or Wetnosaur. Like most enemies, they can also detect you if they're even partially on-screen, catching careless players off guard, [[JumpScare as well as giving them a nasty surprise]]. Lastly, there's their faces, which easily fall into UncannyValley territory and make them suddenly darting toward your position from off-screen all the startling. How would you react if ''[[https://wikibound.info/wiki/File:EgoOrb.gif this]]'' made a beeline for you?

* In the Lost Underworld, Ego Orbs can be this, especially on first sight. They move really fast, much faster than [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs the Chomposaur or Wetnosaur]]. Like most enemies, they can also detect you if they're even partially on-screen, catching careless players off guard, [[JumpScare as well as giving them a nasty surprise]]. Lastly, there's their faces, which easily fall into UncannyValley territory and make them suddenly darting toward your position from off-screen all the startling. How would you react if ''[[https://wikibound.info/wiki/File:EgoOrb.gif this]]'' made a beeline for you?

* Desert Wolves cause a lot of FridgeHorror. Not only do their battle sprites show them constantly drooling despite living in a desert, but they can attack with poisonous fangs even though wolves aren't venomous. The only sensible conclusion is that they're rabid.

* Try entering the Clayman Factory while on your way to Saturn Valley. It's now abandoned, the Pigmasks will attack you and it's all accompanied by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uIjzatIi1Q this tune]].

* Really, there are some pretty unnerving tunes in this game. Most of it has to do with creating an otherworldly-effect on the atmosphere of certain parts; a good example would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53IZJDOANGM/ Alien Invasion]].

** Some players may be frightened when they hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl7xXa7IJAc Whoops!]] which plays during the Threed Hotel ambush and Magic Cake scenes.

* Wait through the logos for Nintendo, Ape (now Creatures), and Halken (now just HAL Laboratories). Eerie red static flashes on the screen, with an quiet, high-pitched noise, and as the flashing slows down, we see a scene of [=UFOs=] shooting lightning at a city. DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Cue ScareChord.

* Threed, anyone? Up until this point, the game has been pretty cheery, and then it drops you into a dark, zombie-infested nightmare where the undead can occasionally even be found walking around near the usually "safe" areas of town. Sure, it's all PlayedForLaughs, but try telling that to a kid.

* [[TearJerker Flint's breakdown after learning of Hinawa's death.]] [[AdultFear Home-hittingly scary, isn’t it]]?

* If you've seen the unused sprites, you can pretty much tell what happened between the prologue and chapter 1. As seen in this vid [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDNtHp5prPA&feature=related here]]. To make matters worse, this happens ''before'' the twins were found in the river ''while'' they were still with [[AdultFear Hinawa.]]

--> '''Giygas:''' Ness... ah, grrr, ohhh... I feel... g...o...o...d.............

--> '''Giygas:''' [[MadnessMantra NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS NESS]]...

--> '''Giygas:''' It's not right... not right... not right...

---> ''Paula's call was absorbed by the darkness.''

** Giygas gets ''even worse'' if you've played or are familiar with MOTHER[=/=]Earthbound Origins. He was once an alien creature who was adopted by a human who he genuinely loved. However, his conflicting loyalty to his species who sought revenge for humanity stealing the secrets of their technology from them and his love for his adoptive mother caused him to undergo catastrophic SanitySlippage. The Giygas American players are more familiar with is the end result of Giygas' incredible PSI powers collapsing in on themselves due to his mental conflict until an [[EldritchAbomination amorphous]] AlmightyIdiot was all that remained. With that being said, his "It's not right" line might just be the last rational part of Giygas [[AndIMustScream horrified at what he's become,]] [[MadnessMantra provided it isn't just his madness echoing it endlessly, no longer knowing what it means.]]

** By the end of Chapter 7, everyone is gone as they have moved to New Pork City. All the doors are locked, and the only people left behind are complaining about their lot. The town is still there, but its soul is sucked away bit, by bit, by bit until everyone's gone. Shudder.

*** If you have a fear of spiders or deathly terrified of anything spider-like, then the Horsantula is truly the scariest thing you'll come across. [[https://ssl-forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0030/0609/Horsantula.png Just look at it.]] Someone hacked off a horse's head and stitched it on top of a gigantic freaking spider's head (not helping matters is that the horse's head looks as if its in pain either), they also killed other horses nearby and ripped off their legs and stitching those to the spider after they had ripped off all eight of the spider's own legs. Then there's also those four big yellow spider eyes staring straight back at you. Shudder.

->''[[NothingIsScarier Nothing after nothing came bursting out.]]''

* Speaking of Porky, that's basically nothing compared to his canonical fate. True, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard he did it to himself]] and he probably deserved it at this point, but still: he ends up being trapped {{f|ateWorseThanDeath}}orever in the Absolutely Safe Capsule. A capsule that will keep whatever's inside it [[WhoWantsToLiveForever completely immortal]], [[GoneHorriblyRight and can never be destroyed or opened from outside]] ''or from inside''. [[TimeAbyss Even after the death of the sun]] and possibly ''the universe itself, [[AndIMustScream Porky Minch will still be alive.]]''

* Speaking of Porky, that's basically nothing compared to his canonical fate. True, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard he did it to himself]] and he probably deserved it at this point, but still: he ends up being trapped {{f|ateWorseThanDeath}}orever in the Absolutely Safe Capsule. A capsule that will keep whatever's inside it [[WhoWantsToLiveForever completely immortal]], [[GoneHorriblyRight and can never be destroyed or opened from outside]] ''or from inside''. [[TimeAbyss Even after the death of the sun]], ''[[AndIMustScream Porky Minch will still be alive.]]''

** Some players may be frightened when they hear [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9jIoitV8S-U/ Whoops!]] which plays during the Threed Hotel ambush and Magic Cake scenes.