History NightmareFuel / NINEINCHNAILS

** [[Jossed]]: It is stated in the ARG that the The Presence looks like a shadow monster only on camera, but looks like a human-ish hand to the naked eye.

** [[Jossed]]: It is stated in the ARG that the The Presence looks like a shadow monster only on camera, but looks like a human-ish hand to the naked eye.

* ''[[NightmareFuel/NineInchNailsBroken Broken]]''

* "[[https://vimeo.com/3685071 Burn]]" is quite the disturbing video. In a similar fashion to the scrapped "Hurt" video (and '94-era live performances of "Hurt"), we see Trent in a warehouse type location in front of a giant screen performing the song whilst images from the movie Natural Born Killers and other b-roll material such as rotting fruit, old family movie footage, footage of the Holocaust, a Nazi rally, animal slaughter, wild animal fights, domestic abuse and other things are played in the background. Throughout the video we see different almost subliminal shots of Trent and the rest of the band dressed like characters from Natural Born Killers and demons. There's a particular shot of Trent which is quite haunting and memorable but it is a blink and you'll miss it moment before the second verse starts in where we see a dazed looking Trent splattered with [[https://media.giphy.com/media/iweujrqzx9rpu/giphy.gif blood]].
* Some of the live visual videos are a mixture of nightmare fuel and tearjerking. The most famous has to be the projector reel for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZjuTjZeydA Hurt]] which would have been seen in the scrapped music video too. We see shots of a decomposing fox, World War 2 executions, close ups of reptiles, burnt concentration camp and holocaust victims, atomic bomb testing, close ups of renaissance era paintings of Jesus' crucifixion among other thought provoking imagery. Similar footage was also reused for the 2013/2014 Tension tour dates. The 2005 visual reel for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV5eP0I-m5s Eraser]] takes things up a notch. Whilst the original 1994 reel showed footage of a storm brewing in the desert slowing being consumed by bugs, the 2005 reel gradually shifts from peaceful landscapes and the animal kingdom to a highlight reel of the worst of humanity with a lot of footage taken from the Iraq and Afghanistan war at the time juxtaposed with stock footage of people enjoying their lives whilst all of this awful footage is being shown ending with the reversed footage of a mushroom cloud whilst Trent and the band scream the final lines of the song "Kill me".

* The LastNoteNightmare of "Corona Radiata", specially with the sounds of an infant screaming and cats hissing being heard in the background.

[[folder:''Not the Actual Events'']]
* ''Not The Actual Events'' can be classified as this, entirely, from Branches/Bones ending on a [[CarefulWithThatAxe cut-off loud scream of Trent Reznor]] to the creepy, mechanical, dead sounding "Dear World" the paranoid whispery and suddenly frantic "The Idea Of You" or the rage fueled "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)", yet special mention goes to "She's Gone Away" which features heavy beats stomping all over the track while Trent's voice and screams echo throughout the entirety of the track, Trent's screams get a special mention as he sounds as if he was in genuine anguish.
-->''[[MadnessMantra She's gone, she's gone, she's gone away, she's gone, she's gone away]] AAAAAARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
* It should be especially noted that She's Gone Away was originally written for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QczxCxFRUf0 "The Nine Inch Nails'" performance for]] ''Series/TwinPeaks'' which brings an extra bit of nightmare fuel to the song by associating with David Lynch, Laura Palmer and the acid trip that is episode 8 of Twin Peaks - The Return. David Lynch rejected Trent's first draft of a song for not being "dark enough" for Twin Peaks. You can definitely say that this has filled the void.
* [[https://www.reddit.com/r/nin/comments/6t92wa/on_the_bside_for_not_the_actual_events_vinyl_has/ If you rip and play the B-Side]] in reverse, you'll hear the three remaining tracks heard from ''Music/TheDownwardSpiral'' until reaching "Reptile". There's a theory that the protagonist of the EP is the same one as in ''The Downward Spiral'', and the reversed tracks may represent a [[CallBack flashback]] of his (presumably failed) suicide attempt.
* If you open the package after purchasing a digital copy of the said EP, you'll get a [[SurpriseCreepy rather nasty surprise]]! You'll find an envelope containing a series of liner note sheets in addition to a black powder and cryptic note. The said black powder will easily stain your hands and many, MANY people who discovered it believed that the powder is dangerous regarding the warning sticker "may contain [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking subversive elements that produce feelings of euphoria and may be harmful and unsettling to the consumer]]". Fortunately, it's actually made out of a non-toxic material known as graphite. No wonder why [[TrollingCreator Trent had the idea of packaging like this]].
* Another strange example came within the search of the supposedly planned ARG for the original concept for the EP trilogy. When Not The Actual Events got it's physical release, fans noticed strange phrases on the packaging. Although Trent is known for adding extra things in lyrics, something about this seemed to be quite off. Particularly the use of a phrase "Blood and Cocksucking Chicken Wing" which in terms of lyrical content, would seem a bit too extreme and too jarring for Trent to use, even if he did use the phrase "Fist Fuck" once. Fans did some research and stumbled upon a Wordpress blog known as [[https://schizophreniasdiary.wordpress.com/ Schizophreniasdiary]] which dates as far back as 2011 which eerily shares similar concepts to the EP, including the very odd phrase 'Cocksucking Chicken Wing' as well as several phrases that were used in the song "Branches/Bones". The actual diary is very disturbing to read and the fact that the original poster has not updated it since 2011 makes things very uncomfortable. As of July 2019, it has not been fully debunked or confirmed that the website was part of a potential ARG or if Trent or Atticus had any involvement in this at all. The image linked [[https://imgur.com/skwlioR here]] shows some of the similarities to the blog post and the lyrics given for "Branches/Bones" on the physical component and the Vinyl/CD releases.

[[folder:''Add Violence'']]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_2sbeuNTU "The Lovers"]], is a very disjointed yet hypnotic track which can make people feel quite uneasy upon the first few listens. Lyrically inspired by a poem Trent wrote about addiction and his experiences with addiction and withdrawal whilst in New Orleans in the 1990's during his stint in rehab within the early 2000's after the death of his friend in a presumably drug related attack and accidentally overdosing in London in 1999. Each of the spoken-word verses are recorded through a dictaphone giving the effect of a stream of consciousness rant over a percussion loop until Trent breaks into a more melodic chorus with Trent using some falsetto. The second spoken-word verse features these particularly haunting lines, "Maybe I could stop it if I wanted to but I’m not the one driving anymore. I know who I am but I know who I am, Right? Please don't leave me here with them".
* "The Background World", the EP's final track (and the longest original song in NIN's discography) starts off calm with vocals from Trent and backup vocals from Mariqueen, but builds to this epic chorus of voices, and roughly halfway through, the music suddenly stops and gives way to a distorted buzzing noise. What begins is an incomplete tape loop that repeats itself approximately 52 times becoming increasingly distorted with every loop until the loop finally and abruptly ends becoming very incoherent and an all out assault on the ears of anyone who may be listening. This "experience" goes on for 7 MINUTES with some fans liking the experience to a panic/anxiety attack or slowly being consumed by something evil or dark. Zane Lowe from Beats 1 called the last 8 minutes "some of the most sonically destructive music I've ever heard." when interviewing Trent and Atticus before the EP's release, and boy, was he right.
** It's actually more uncomfortable if you read the theory about the incomplete loop: It's believed the reason behind the 52 incomplete loops as it distorts is to fit the concept of degeneration of age. Why is it so? [[FridgeBrilliance Trent Reznor became 52 in 2017]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Bad Witch'']]
* The cover art for the LP is pretty unsettling, as it contains two frames featuring human remains and a HumanoidAbomination that will send chills down your spine.
* "Play the Goddamned Part" sounds like a mental breakdown personified through music, with horns and a claustrophobic atmosphere to say the least. It feels like an eternity of tense uncertainty despite the fact being around close to five minutes.
* "Shit Mirror", while an epic opener, has a random SmashToBlack, making you think the song ended... only for it to start off with a strange melody and different atmosphere compared to the angry opening of the song.
* "I'm Not From This World" sounds like it comes straight from the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' Soundtrack. One of the most eerie and foreboding NIN instrumental tracks since anything from Ghosts I-IV. One of the standout moments is halfway through the song is the use of a looped scream at around 3 minutes 10 seconds which then gets locked into a repeating loop until with each loop it gets more distorted and gradually louder, and louder, and louder, AND LOUDER! Until it abruptly ends and the track continues sounding how it started with a gradually pulsating synth and hammering percussion.
* Albeit crossing into TearJerker, the [[LastNoteNightmare prolonged droning noise]] from "Over and Out" may count as this to some.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMptMoFwEoA Track 3]] pf the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' OST has distorted gibberish throughout, along with the horrid, squishing writhings of the [[FinalBoss Hell Mother Shub Niggurath]].
* For those who played ''VideoGame/Doom3'', you may notice that Trent Reznor's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1efLLwGqQs original theme for the game itself]] from the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Alpha release]] is pretty unsettling compared to the other track used in the retail. It's full of [[DroneOfDread droning]], [[HellIsThatNoise breathing noises]], distorted guitar notes, and you can hear the mumbling voices in the background. It's like if you're stuck inside a dark cave with no way to return and getting chased by a horde of monsters. [[ParanoiaFuel Very disturbing]].
[[/folder]]

* It should be especially noted that She's Gone Away was originally written for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QczxCxFRUf0 "The Nine Inch Nails'" performance in the new season of Twin Peaks]] which brings an extra bit of nightmare fuel to the song by associating with David Lynch, Laura Palmer and the acid trip that is episode 8 of Twin Peaks - The Return. David Lynch rejected Trent's first draft of a song for not being "dark enough" for Twin Peaks. You can definitely say that this has filled the void.
* [[https://www.reddit.com/r/nin/comments/6t92wa/on_the_bside_for_not_the_actual_events_vinyl_has/ If you rip and play the B-Side]] in reverse, you'll hear the three remaining tracks heard from ''Music/TheDownwardSpiral'' until reaching "Reptile". There's a theory that the reversed tracks may represent the main protagonist's [[CallBack flashback]] of his (presumably failed) suicide attempt.
* A rather Meta example: If you open the package after purchasing a digital copy of the said EP, you'll get a [[SurpriseCreepy rather nasty surprise]]! You'll find an envelope containing a series of liner note sheets in addition to a black powder and cryptic note. The said black powder will easily stain your hands and many, MANY people who discovered it believed that the powder is dangerous regarding the warning sticker "may contain [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking subversive elements that produce feelings of euphoria and may be harmful and unsettling to the consumer]]". Fortunately, it's actually made out of a non-toxic material known as graphite. No wonder why [[TrollingCreator Trent had the idea of packaging like this]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_2sbeuNTU 'The Lovers']], is a very disjointed yet hypnotic track which can make people feel quite uneasy upon the first few listens. Lyrically inspired by a poem Trent wrote about addiction and his experiences with addiction and withdrawal whilst in New Orleans in the 1990's during his stint in rehab within the early 2000's after the death of his friend in a presumably drug related attack and accidentally overdosing in London in 1999. Each of the spoken-word verses are recorded through a dictaphone giving the effect of a stream of consciousness rant over a percussion loop until Trent breaks into a more melodic chorus with Trent using some falsetto. The second spoken-word verse features these particularly haunting lines, "Maybe I could stop it if I wanted to but I’m not the one driving anymore. I know who I am but I know who I am, Right? Please don't leave me here with them".
* ''The Background World', the final track of the Add Violence EP (and the longest original song in the NIN discography) starts off calm with vocals from Trent and backup vocals from Mariqueen. It starts off very calm but builds to this epic chorus of voices but all of a sudden roughly half way through the music suddenly stops and gives way to a distorted buzzing noise. What begins is an incomplete tape loop that repeats itself approximately 52 times becoming increasingly distorted with every loop until the loop finally and abruptly ends becoming very incoherent and an all out assault on the ears of anyone who may be listening. This 'experience' goes on for 7 MINUTES with some fans liking the experience to a panic/anxiety attack or slowly being consumed by something evil or dark. Zane Lowe from Beats 1 called the last 8 minutes "some of the most sonically destructive music I've ever heard." when interviewing Trent and Atticus before the EP's release, and boy, was he right.
** It's actually more uncomfortable if you read the theory about the incomplete loop: It's believed the reason behind the fifty-two incomplete loops as it distorts is to fit the concept of degeneration of age. Why is it so? [[FridgeBrilliance Trent Reznor became 52 in 2017]].

* "Shit Mirror", while an epic opener, has a random SmashToBlack, making you think the song ended...only for it to start off with a strange melody and different atmosphere compared to the angry opening of the song.

[[folder:''Ghosts I-IV'']]
* While ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6bo86AI5GA 8 Ghosts I]]'' is one of the most awesome tracks in the album, it's riddled with harsh electric guitar noises and thunderous drumming in which a Website/YouTube comment admitted that it sounds like an [[AnarchyIsChaos angry mob kicking and screaming in fury]] while attempting to "break themselves free from the oppressive chains of society."
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHktSBZyJXU 15 Ghosts II]]'' features an odd but chilling xylophone melody accompained by a sample of a cabinet slamming noise throughout the entire track. As the track progresses, expect yourself getting jumpscared by the crowd screaming repeatedly while being cut short.
* While being quite a TearJerker, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4FM3065PxQ 34 Ghosts IV]]'' suddenly [[FromBadToWorse gets really dark]] in 2:37 mark as you'll hear a droning noise (similar to ''[[Music/AphexTwin At The Heart Of It All]]'' from "Further Down The Spiral" remix album) while accompained by a bunch of disturbing synths and a filtered percussion.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxEC4hGdSWI 37 Ghosts]]'', one of the [[HiddenTrack Hidden Tracks]] of ''Ghosts I-IV''. It's easily one of the most unsettling tracks on the album, building into what sounds like a cacophony of distorted, digital screams. Listeners have compared it to an anxiety attack or [[SanitySlippage someone completely losing their mind]] in musical form, among other things.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Ghosts V: Together'']]
* Even though it is meant as a calmer and a more optimistic outlook at the Coronavirus epidemic, it still has plenty of its disturbing moments:
** "Together" for most its runtime is a calm ambient soundscape but towards its end, it starts to distort. The sudden change in mood can be quite unnerving to some.
** "With Faith" has an odd sound coming in from the background clashing against the comforting piano
** "Hope We Can Again" also starts off as a pleasant soundscape until it comes crushing done in its midway point with an incredibly '''LOUD''' ringing noise attacking the listener at the 3:20 mark, some reported of them their tinnitus being triggered thanks to this.

[[folder:''Ghosts VI: Locusts'']]
* Locusts may just be the most unsettling Nine Inch Nails release to listen to from beginning to end, focusing on the more pessimistic side of the Coronavirus pandemic. The bulk of its atmosphere comes from creepy pianos and odd samples. While the entire record is an apocalyptic nightmare, many of the tracks stand out in different ways:
** "The Cursed Clock" is the album's foreboding overture, racking up anxiety for what's to come.
** Out of all the tracks, "Around Every Corner" best exemplifies the "apocalyptic" descriptor. It paints a picture of wandering through a dark, lonely land where countless people have recently died... and you could be next.
** "Run Like Hell" is the tensest track on the album, capturing the feeling of trying to flee and hide from something... [[LastNoteNightmare and failing]].
** In contrast with rest of the album, "When It Happens (Don't Mind Me)" is cacophonous from beginning to end with a [[SensoryAbuse buzzing, distorted beat]].
** "Another Crashed Car" is littered with uncomfortable noises heavily relying on samples. One Website/YouTube comment compared it to being alone in a car wreck in the dark.
** Uncomfortable noises make way for uncomfortable music with the next track: "Temp Fix". It feels like a muffled, off-key, uneasy reprise of "17 Ghosts II".
** "Your New Normal" contains a creepy building atmosphere with dark ambient noises covering it. Its building tension is never stopped until the track suddenly ends.
** If the Coronavirus was a monster, it would probably sound something like "Just Breathe". It features what sounds like strange groans which are surrounded by unnerving ambient noises as a soft, simple piano plays on top ever so often. Sometimes it leaves, leaving you alone with the disturbing ambient noises.
** The longest track "Turn This Off Please" takes the cake as it is 13 minutes of absolute terror which gives very little room to breathe.
** "So Tired" has the piano at its harshest and heaviest.
** The album's closing track, "Almost Dawn" begins with a calm, soothing melody with a hint of [[HopeSpot hope where everything seems to be alright]]. But then, a [[HeartBeatSoundtrack heartbeating noise]] is heard at the 2:48 mark as '''[[HellIsThatNoise the distorted, harsh noise]] [[SensoryAbuse starts getting louder and louder while consuming the track until it stops abruptly]]'''. And finally, the instruments fade away [[LastNoteNightmare while leaving the heartbeat alone in the background]] (while it suddenly stops at the very end of the song).
*** Heck, even if you interpret the end of the song as [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound the heartbeat returning to normal]], the climax of the song still feels like being a hair's breadth away from death by... ''[[NothingIsScarier something]]''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMptMoFwEoA Track 3]] pf the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' OST has distorted gibberish throughout, along with the horrid, squishing writhings of the [[FinalBoss Hell Mother Shub Niggurath]].
* For those who played ''VideoGame/Doom3'', you may notice that Trent Reznor's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1efLLwGqQs original theme for the game itself]] from the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Alpha release]] is pretty unsettling compared to the other track used in the retail. It's full of [[DroneOfDread droning]], [[HellIsThatNoise breathing noises]], distorted guitar notes, and you can hear the mumbling voices in the background. It's like if you're stuck inside a dark cave with no way to return and getting chased by a horde of monsters. [[ParanoiaFuel Very disturbing]].
[[/folder]]

!!Albums witht their own pages:

* The ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' OST. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMptMoFwEoA Track 3]] has distorted gibberish throughout, along with the horrid, squishing writhings of the [[FinalBoss Hell Mother Shub Niggurath]].

!!Videos:

[[AC:''Broken'']]
* The music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfW0ke4bwI4 Pinion]]" (pictured above), a short instrumental track, is downright unsettling. All grainy and colorless, the video starts with a creepy shot of a dirty toilet flushing, with the music lightly tapping away. As the track builds, the video pans down the pipes, getting more intense until you see a leatherbound human being with his mouth against the pipe; twitching silently as he's getting drowned. An agonizing buildup to a final image of viscerally claustrophobic horror.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBOhQamGGuI Help Me I Am in Hell]]" has a video of a man having a meal of steak and wine '''in a room full of flies'''. One has to wonder how many flies he must've ingested while keeping such a straight face.
* The nigh-universally banned "[[https://vimeo.com/3556108 Happiness in Slavery]]." '''''(NSFW)''''' In case you might think of checking this one out for yourself, here's a summary: A man, played by performance artist and super-masochist Bob Flanagan, gets naked, lies down, and allows a machine to rip off [[GroinAttack his penis]] and gradually chop up the rest of his body, then grind him into meat, all depicted quite graphically, though about as artistically as possible... And in black and white. And it's realistic enough to look like an honest-to-God SnuffFilm. You've been warned.
* ''[[https://archive.org/details/NineInchNails-Broken The Broken Movie]]'' is easily the most depraved NIN-associated work in existence. It's a 20-minute short film designed to look ''very much'' like a snuff film. Reznor once claimed that it made the aforementioned "Happiness in Slavery" video look like a Disney movie, and he's not wrong. '''''(WARNING: NSFL)'''''

[[folder:''Broken'']]
* The intro track "Pinion" is very foreboding and intense especially as the distorted guitar section starts off really quiet but then gradually gets louder, and louder, and louder until it segues into the next song "Wish".
* Arguably, the scariest part of "Wish" doesn't occur throughout the frantic main duration of the song, but instead at the very end, composed of [[LastNoteNightmare a strange, just-audible hissing noise]]. It gets creepier to listen to once one sees it coupled with the music video's visuals of an angry mob breaking into the cage NIN is playing in with thorough intents to commit [[NothingIsScarier unseen]] acts of gruesome violence. And then "Last" explodes in your ear.
* When the ending of "Help Me I Am in Hell" finally segues into "Happiness In Slavery", the first thing heard is Trent screaming at the top of his lungs "SLAVE SCREAMS!", which can definitely give any unprepared listeners a good fright.
* The whole of "Happiness In Slavery" could be considered nightmare fuel. Besides from the music video detailed below, the song is a metaphor for Trent's problem with TVT Records which details the abuse this "Slave" (Trent) has to go through from his "owner" (TVT) to the point he doesn't feel like a human anymore to the point and more of a machine (probably giving us a future hint towards ''The Downward Spiral'') and he can only feel pleasure when he suffers under the hand of his "owner".
** Related to this is one of the lines in the EP's packaging after the credits: "The slave thinks he is released from bondage only to find a stronger set of chains."
* "Gave Up" is a track full of nightmare fuel. From Trent's manic screams and yells to the distorted synths and vocals and to the final cathartic minute of the track, it's not a very comforting listen but it has become a massive fan favorite for being so energetic but really intense at the same time, being performed live at all tours since 1994.
* "Suck" has a case of LastNoteNightmare during the outro. Trent's vocals are panned from ear to ear, giving the illusion of him getting closer and closer to you, whilst eerily mumbling and whispering the final stanza of the song, until it gets to the final line "I want to do terrible things to you".
[[/folder]]

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTwZS9R3Bjk Survivalism]]" was the only track from ''Year Zero'' to be released with a music video back in 2007. With several hidden easter eggs for the Year Zero ARG, we follow a SWAT team commencing a raid on an apartment complex through different surveillance cameras showing the lives of the people in the apartment building whilst the band performs the song somewhere in the building. After panning through the different surveillance cameras (which show a topless woman putting on makeup, a gay couple having sex in bed, a team of graffiti artists working with stencils, a woman strung out on the fictional drug 'Opal', a couple watching television among other things) and seeing the SWAT team entering the building and going floor by floor. Near the end of the video we see that all the members of the apartment complex are disturbed by what seems to be noises coming from the hallway as we see the SWAT team burst down a door. The camera then pans to another CCTV monitor which shows the band's rehearsal room destroyed and covered in blood. The final shot shows the lifeless body of Trent being dragged around the corner of the CCTV camera showing the SWAT team were looking for the band.
* "[[https://vimeo.com/3685071 Burn]]" is quite the disturbing video. In a similar fashion to the scrapped Hurt video (and '94 era live performances of "Hurt"), we see Trent in a warehouse type location in front of a giant screen performing the song whilst images from the movie Natural Born Killers and other b-roll material such as rotting fruit, old family movie footage, footage of the Holocaust, a Nazi rally, animal slaughter, wild animal fights, domestic abuse and other things are played in the background. Throughout the video we see different almost subliminal shots of Trent and the rest of the band dressed like characters from Natural Born Killers and demons. There's a particular shot of Trent which is quite haunting and memorable but it is a blink and you'll miss it moment before the second verse starts in where we see a dazed looking Trent splattered with [[https://media.giphy.com/media/iweujrqzx9rpu/giphy.gif blood]].

[[AC:''The Downward Spiral'']]
* While nothing explicitly scary happens in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFwQP86BRs Closer,]]" the grimy, late 19th century setting, out-of-date film stock and unsettling images makes the whole thing feel like some ancient lost silent film.
* The live performance of "[[Music/TheDownwardSpiral The Downward Spiral]]" during the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftbB4gqbg84 Self Destruct Tour]] simply starts with [[NothingIsScarier the screen remaining black while the eponymous title track plays in the background]]. After reaching the 2:24 mark, [[GoryDiscretionShot blood streams slowly descend down until the screen gets completely red]]. And then, the curtains rise up, revealing the group while Reznor's infamous screaming is heard.
* Special mention should go to the Closure home video release. Originally planned as a big budget concert film, Trent scrapped the idea and worked alongside Jonathan Rach and Peter Christopherson to create a visceral and gritty documentation of the Self Destruct era. Tape 1 (or DVD 1 if you have the "leaked" release) features a tour documentary of the Self Destruct Tour and features quite a lot of odd moments and antics from the shows. It's mostly tame besides from a few surreal editing choices, weird subliminal jump cuts and gross out moments (Jim Rose Circus anyone?). However Tape 2 is where things get a bit more... nightmare inducing.
** Tape 2 is a music video collection put together by Peter Christopherson but it's bookended with a weird vignette set in what can only be described as the Closer music video meets a decaying mad scientists' lab and torture dungeon. After each music video plays, there is a random clip of stock footage or from old PSAS. Whether it's an up-close shot of a fly spinning random objects on it's legs, footage of sideshow freaks mugging for the camera, a dead rabbit being bashed around on a mechanical mechanism until it's body breaks apart (synced with the beating noises from Mr Self Destruct), a shot of a projector emerging from a fleshy membrane, footage from Topsy The Elephant's execution, footage of religious people ramming swords through their body among other images. It makes for an intense and haunting watch. The track "A Warm Place" opens and closes the compilation to which a fan made music video for the track has been produced using clips from Tape 2 which can be viewed [[https://youtu.be/zkCxRz9X2aI here]].

[[AC:''The Fragile'']]
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omWQzYycyJk Starfuckers, Inc.]]," features Trent and a typical 'Hawt Blonde Gurl' going to a filthy carnival that looks like it's taking place in the ''Deliverence'' town, featuring all sorts of celebrity TakeThat including a [[GonkyFemme hideously obese Courtney Love]]. The video doesn't get insanely freaky until the end, where it's all in strobe lights and Hawt Blonde Gurl shocks everyone by revealing [[UnsettlingGenderReveal she's Marilyn Manson]]!
* "The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o7eEjMlkCI We're In This Together]]" music video could be considered nightmare fuel to some due to the surreal images within it such as extreme closeups of random people and objects not to mention Trent screaming the lyrics of the chorus while lights flicker. We follow Trent as he wakes up in an abandoned building and notices a crowd of lookalikes similar to him running through the streets of Mexico. Trent decides to follow the crowd up until they catch a train all packed together like sardines. Trent sees glimpses of a woman during this chaos so it's assumed that Trent is trying to follow her but the narrative isn't really explained well. Near the end of the music video, the crowd of people reach a desert to which Trent trips up and almost gets trampled by the crowd cowering into a ball. Afterwards, we see that the crowd of people are now gone, evaporated rapture style with only Trent left alone to wander in the desert in confusion as we see the remains of clothing of the Trent clones all strewn across the desert.

[[folder:''The Fragile'']]
[[AC:Original Album]]
* While featuring [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments more moments of beauty]], [[Music/TheFragile1999 THIS album]] [[FromBadToWorse isn't anything better]] than its [[Music/TheDownwardSpiral predecessor]]...
* "The Wretched" is a looming, seething track riddled with self-hatred. Framed as a dialogue between the protagonist and his conscience, the pre-chorus where Trent mocks himself with jeers of "it didn't turn out the way that you wanted, did it?" that rise to a near-animalistic snarl is especially stomach-turning. The despair is stifling.
-->''"Another day / Some other way / But not another reason to continue / And now you're one of us / The wretched, the wretched..."''
%%* Both "Pilgrimage" and "The New Flesh" are terrifying.
* "The Mark Has Been Made" is mostly an awesome song, invoking the feeling of ''I Am Legend'', ''Need For Speed Undercover'' or ''S.T.A.L.K.E.R''. The last 21 seconds are a different story.
-->''[[LastNoteNightmare "I am getting clo-serrrr...I am getting clo-serrrr...All the time..."]]''
** That is actually part of "10 Miles High" originally on the vinyl version of "The Fragile". It was put in as a little secret.
* "Underneath it All", the ambiguous penultimate song. The erratic electronics, the vocals rising in volume as it goes on, the sheer despair of the lyrics made note of... chills.
--> "[[MadnessMantra All I do, I can still feel you...]]"

--> "Numb all through, I can still feel you..."
--> "Hear your call, [[TitleDrop underneath it all...]]"
--> "Kill my brain, yet you still remain..."

--> "Crucified!"
--> "After all I've died!"
--> "After all I've tried!"
--> "You are still inside!"

--> "All I do, I can still feel you..."
--> "[[LastNoteNightmare All I do (You remain), I can still feel you (I am stained)]]"...
* "Ripe", the closing track in the vinyl version. It's an [[DownerEnding excruciatingly grim ending]] for the album, with fluctuating acoustic guitars disintegrating into disjointed pianos before returning to make an awfully dark conclusion. The whole thing sounds as if it's rotting away under a thick sheet of frost... brrrr.
** Taken UpToEleven with the complete version, "Ripe (With Decay)", from the original CD release. This version adds the remaining part of the song, known as "Decay", where after becoming depressed, the main protagonist tries to find new hope, [[HereWeGoAgain then loses again]]. To add some more salt to the wound, dark, thunderous drums blare in the distance while Trent's unsettling chanting is heard in the background. Perfect for the album's DownerEnding.
** Then again, the song is suppose to represent the idea of returning to that feeling you wanted to leave behind (which in this case, was depression).
*** And also regarding the main protagonist becoming from trying to seek happiness only to lose hope is more likely that [[FridgeHorror his own downward spiral has become a]] ViciousCycle.
* The B-side "10 Miles High". Featuring a creepy "I'm getting closer..." buildup, then a harsh, heavy, metallic riff explosion, then more quiet creepiness, then more heavy riffing, muffled this time so it sounds distant and decaying, then finally an absolutely ''terrifying'' [[LastNoteNightmare ending with creepy processed chanting]]:
-->''[[MadnessMantra "Tear it all down, tear it all down, tear it all down..."]]''

[[AC:"Things Falling Apart" (Remix Album) and "We're In This Together" (halo)]]
* Albeit the whole track counts as TearJerker, Trent's chanting in the beginning of "The Day The World Went Away (Quiet)" is pretty disturbing. It sounds like some goddamn satanic ritual being made in progress!
* The remix version of "Where Is Everybody?" may [[AwesomeMusic/NineInchNails sound pretty awesome]] compared to the original, but the latter features some [[SensoryAbuse very abrasive synths]] and [[HellIsThatNoise muffled human screaming]] being heard in the background.

[[AC:The Fragile: Deviations 1 (Instrumental Album)]]
* 'Taken' is quite a disturbing demo. The majority of the soundscape of the song is Trent groaning and chanting being looped through a synthpad whilst a percussion loop plays as the chant slowly turns into a distorted scream which then fades out and loops all over again until the song ends.
* 'Last Heard From' may be a song related to Trent's score for ''[[VideoGame/QuakeI Quake]]'', especially the main theme as this is another song notable for using a very distorted scream from Trent being looped throughout the track whilst a synth pattern (similar to Missing Pieces) plays.
* 'Claustrophobia Machine (Raw)' is really hypnotic but very hard to listen to for the first few listens. A lot of people have theorised that the 'Claustrophobia Machine' in question is the sound of an MRI Machine booting up and making ungodly noises which has inspired the main percussion loop in this song. Others have more likened the song to an anxiety attack or being hunted down by a figure.
* 'Feeders' starts with a bunch of looped, [[HellIsThatNoise static-like screeching noises]] playing in the background while followed by a distant, fading guitar melody. One minute and fifteen seconds later, an unhinged xylophone melody kicks in until [[DroneOfDread a loud, gurgling drone]] [[LastNoteNightmare consumes the whole track in the end]].
--> "This is it..."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Downward Spiral'']]

* Let's be honest here- pretty much the entirety of ''Music/TheDownwardSpiral'' is this. From the opening ''Film/THX1138'' samples to the noisy, droning LastNoteNightmare at the end of "Hurt" (which brings to mind flatlining ECG). Even the MoodWhiplash of "A Warm Place" manages to count, in a NothingIsScarier sorta way (it's the soundtrack to the point in the album's plot where the protagonist realizes how hopelessly fucked up he is, after all). What would you expect, from a ConceptAlbum about a character's self-destruction, descent into insanity and eventual suicide (even if it wasn't successful, depending on how you interpret it)?
* "Mr. Self Destruct", possibly one of the most harrowing [[IAmSong "I Am" Songs]] ever recorded.
* "The Becoming" has BackgroundMusic that consists of people screaming in fear and the song twitches and jerks like a malfunctioning robot hellbent on murder. Even creepier is that during the 'softer' part of the song if you were to reverse the acoustic guitar section, you would be treated to the cries of Mickey Rourke's character from Film/AngelHeart screaming in terror 'I know who I am', which can also tie in very creepily to the album's storyline as the 'machine' takes over the protagonist.
-->'''''[[MadnessMantra IT WON'T GIVE UP IT WANTS ME DEAD]]'''''
-->'''''[[MadnessMantra GODDAMN THIS NOISE INSIDE MY HEAD]]'''''
* Special mention must go to "Big Man with a Gun", which could be perceived as a rape scenario, or otherwise the protagonist going on a major power-trip, or actually him going on a [[GoingPostal violent and murderous rampage]] (according to the repeated lyrics "[[DoubleEntendre SHO]][[ShootTheDog OT]]!"). Either way, this is the point where the already dark and nihilistic album takes a turn into the supremely fucked up. The intense speed of the song, a highly distorted (and almost unrecognizable) scream of pleasure taken directly from a porn movie and the fierce distortion in the music and vocals building throughout, combined with the lyrics, make this deeply unsettling, particularly when followed immediately by "A Warm Place".
* "A Warm Place", despite its ambient sound and its place as a brief moment of clarity in the album and its narrative, nevertheless feels eerie considering [[ForegoneConclusion what follows it...]]
* "Eraser". Already starts uneasy with distorted guitars and pounding drums, but gets pretty terrifying at the end as Trent screams "'''KILL ME'''" (and possibly "'''HELP ME'''") until his voice dissolves into the surrounding noise.
* Sometimes when performing "Reptile" live, Trent will in the middle add "Please, don't hurt me", which is followed by a horrific crying scream. The most scariest case of this would have to be the one from "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-w0TAE-mQ Woodstock 94 performance]]", where it sounds like Trent is genuinely miserably screaming. Chilling. (4:33)
** The studio version doesn't skimp on the nightmare fuel, either. A seething, looming track with mechanical screeches and creaks punctuated throughout, the instrumentation is sinister and the vocals have an almost-incantatory lilt to them as the protagonist begins to realize the true extents of his self-destruction and muffled screams bleed through in the last minute.
* The TitleTrack itself, what with the detuned guitar riff, the flies buzzing, the muffled screaming "[[BigNo NOOOOOOOO-]]", the thunderous drumming, and the protagonist's SplitPersonality taunting as the poor bastard [[DrivenToSuicide tries to take his own life]]. It sounds like it's rotting and falling apart.
--> "He couldn't believe how easy it was"
--> "[[DrivenToSuicide He put the gun into his face]]"
--> "BANG!"
--> "So much blood for such a [[PrettyLittleHeadshots tiny little hole]]"
--> "Problems do have solutions, you know"
--> "[[NiceJobBreakingItHero A lifetime of fucking things up fixed]]"
--> "In one determined flash"
--> "Everything's blue"
--> "Everything's blue in this world"
--> "The deepest shade of mushroom blue"
--> "All fuzzy"
--> "'''SPILLING OUT OF MY HEAD!'''"
** It's [[FridgeHorror even worse]] if you consider the "NOOOOOO" to be the [[AndIMustScream rational part of him left desperately pleading and failing to prevent the suicide.]]
* "Hurt" is equal parts terrifying and tearjerking, but its LastNoteNightmare is nothing short of chilling... [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound depending on your perspective]].
* The fact that Trent was forced to [[CutSong cut one song out]] because it came off as ''[[UpToEleven a blatant endorsement of suicide!]]'' [[FridgeHorror Imagine all the depressed young people who found that album cathartic having their self-hatred validated]].
* [[HarsherInHindsight To make things even worse]], the album was released one month BEFORE [[Music/KurtCobain Kurt Cobain]]'s suicide on April 5th, 1994. And the title song obviously [[FridgeHorror has some similarities with the actual event that happened]].

[[AC:Further Down The Spiral (Remix Album)]]
* "The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)." At roughly a minute and twenty seconds in, [[CarefulWithThatAxe a genuinely terrifying scream,]] distorted to sound like it's coming from underwater ''and then getting closer'', [[JumpScare bursts out of nowhere]]. Specially the distorted "The deepest shade of mushroom blue" in several parts throughout the track.
* "Erased, Over, Out". At normal speed it's already scary with a sound that sounds like a pained, prolonged scream repeated over the course of the track. But speed the track up. [[SchmuckBait You will see.]]
* "Eraser (Denial; Realization)", the penultimate track of the remix album (rest of the world than in US), is full of [[HellIsThatNoise disturbing synths]], distorted guitar noises and with Trent's slowed down "ERASE ME!" and "KILL ME!" being played throughout the track. And then, the other half of the track starts [[FromBadToWorse becoming even worse]] with [[SensoryAbuse loud screeching noises]] and [[LastNoteNightmare it ends with the beginning sample from the original track]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Fragile'']]
[[AC:Original Album]]

[[AC:"Things Falling Apart" (Remix Album) and "We're In This Together" (halo)]]
* Albeit the whole track counts as TearJerker, Trent's chanting in the beginning of "The Day The World Went Away (Quiet)" is pretty disturbing. It sounds like some goddamn satanic ritual being made in progress!
* The remix version of "Where Is Everybody?" may [[AwesomeMusic/NineInchNails sound pretty awesome]] compared to the original, but the latter features some [[SensoryAbuse very abrasive synths]] and [[HellIsThatNoise muffled human screaming]] being heard in the background.