History NightmareFuel / SuperMarioBros

* In what is gaming's first instance of [[NothingIsScarier liminal space horror]] World 7's first mini-fortress is [[NothingIsScarier completely abandoned]], save for the Boom-Boom at the end. There's one room where you can see enemy-related infrastructure, such as the center posts for the Rotodiscs and the lanerns for the Hot Feet, but the enemies themselves are missing. Also the exit is non-obvious, and someone who doesn't think to use Raccoon or Tanuki form to fly up to the Warp Pipe may get stuck and die of time over all alone. It definitely gives off the feeling [[InferredHolocaust something horrible happened in the fortress, be it a natural disaster or something else entirely]], [[AfterTheEnd and you're just traversing through the aftermath.]]

* World 7's first mini-fortress is [[NothingIsScarier completely abandoned]], save for the Boom-Boom at the end. There's one room where you can see enemy-related infrastructure, such as the center posts for the Rotodiscs and the lanerns for the Hot Feet, but the enemies themselves are missing. Also the exit is non-obvious, and someone who doesn't think to use Raccoon or Tanuki form to fly up to the Warp Pipe may get stuck and die of time over all alone.

!! ''Super Mario Galaxy 2''
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hellvalley_skytree.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:271:They're watching you...]]
* The black holes, much like in the first game, can be found in many places just waiting to suck Mario in if he falls off within range. The [[HellIsThatNoise sounds they produce don't help matters at all]].
* This game introduces the Cosmic Clones, shadowy dopplegangers of Mario with glowing yellow eyes who mimic his every movement and cause damage on contact, suddenly appearing from nowhere with a high-pitched cackle and vanishing with a pained scream when the conditions are met to defeat them (usually doing something to make the level's Star appear). They'll likely only seem like a minor nuisance the first time you come across them, but in more restrictive spaces and when they spawn in large numbers, it's easy for just one brush with them to lead into either being dogpiled or knocked to your doom. The game also features Clone Comets, which force Mario to go through an entire level while being pursued by them, and which often feature [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiPYVJ_KC0o a menacing theme that combines the underground theme with the original overworld theme]].
** Bear in mind it also [[NothingIsScarier isn't explained how or why these things exist]], and the fact that there's an entire ''comet type'' that causes them to appear seems to imply they have no affiliation with Bowser and are simply created by some kind of mysterious force that naturally exists within the galaxies.
* Digga-Leg is essentially a smaller version of the first game's Megaleg boss, sharing several of the same menacing qualities such as its gas mask-like face. Compared to its big brother, it's ''far'' less imposing in size and can't crush Mario instantly, but it still dwarfs the Mario bros., has [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and emits smoke from its "mask" on top of being far more mobile than Megaleg, being able to ''leap'' off-screen. It also has to be fought [[OneHitPointWonder under the conditions of a Daredevil Comet]].
* Mattermouths, new enemies to the series, appear as large and disembodied Dry Bones heads surrounded by dark purple aura that somehow consume matter itself, eating through parts of levels and leave gaping holes behind them. They can't be defeated or harmed, and the only thing Mario can do to them is stomp on them to make them eat in the opposite direction. The trails they leave behind have a similar appearance to Dark Matter in the first game, which combined with their names implies they're ''made'' from Dark Matter.
* Sorbetti, the boss of Freezy Flake Galaxy, a giant spiky [[SlasherSmile grinning]] snowball creature [[MonsterClown with a freaky clownish face]] that produces almost nothing but shrill giggles. It's big enough that Mario actually walks around on its body before launching to the arena planet, and in the fight it constantly rolls after Mario, only stopping when it hits him, which causes it to laugh before rolling at him from the opposite direction. After two hits, both it and the music will stop abruptly before starting up again at a faster pace as Sorbetti begins ''[[TurnsRed furiously]]'' rolling after the plumber, all the while sporting a terrifying grimace and making constant maniacal grunting sounds. It's difficult to outrun the thing even ''with'' the snow structures and trees which slow it down, and even then it mows through them relatively effortlessly.
** Speaking of Sorbetti, the planet leading up to it is quite a spooky area. It's engulfed in a blizzard which very suddenly kicks in as it's approached, and it obscures much of Mario's surroundings, leaving the entire place floating in a misty white void. It also uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6k7y_GkX1w a pretty mysterious and lonely theme]] that provides a major contrast with the galaxy's usual upbeat tune and atmosphere.
* Haunty Halls Galaxy is a [[SarcasmMode delightful little place]] which features pathways that move between ghostly portals, forcing Mario to hurry along rapidly-moving platforms fading in and out of existence, and the first mission has an entire area where Yoshi's Bulb Berry power-up is needed to traverse - get knocked off of Yoshi, and the entire level will vanish, leaving the plumber to fall to his doom in the endless abyss. It's worth mentioning that the level also features the aforementioned Mattermouths, as well as ghostly Octoombas that are bigger than Mario.
** The game's main ghost-themed galaxies continue to make use of the [[LifeStream ominous background featuring ghostly faces floating towards a light]] used in much of ''Super Mario Galaxy's'', but now they also include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXu_N5HZVUU a very menacing remix]] of ''Super Mario World's'' already creepy Ghost House theme, which sounds even more oppressive with the higher quality instruments than it did on the SNES.
** There's also the ''giant'' Boo and its lackeys which will suddenly appear behind Mario and give chase. Thankfully, they don't appear in the Prankster Comet mission... [[FromBadToWorse because the comet mission for this galaxy is a Clone Comet, and Cosmic Clones will give chase throughout the entire level instead]]. Have fun!
* The slide segment of Slipsand Galaxy features Rhomps, giant rolling stone enemies which roll towards Mario from behind and need to be avoided. They're very comparable to Spindels from ''64'', except unlike them and their toothy grin, Rhomps only have an emotionless, unchanging smiley face carved into them, something which [[DissonantSerenity presents a bit of an unnerving contrast]] with the fact they instantly flatten and kill Mario on contact.
* Shiverburn Galaxy appears to take place in some kind of canyon, as the level is surrounded by two enormous rock structures that tower over it. If you change the camera to first-person mode and look toward the cliffs above you, you can see three shadowy alien figures (pictured above), watching you. No matter where you are in the galaxy, [[ParanoiaFuel they will always be there, and they will always be watching]].[[NothingIsScarier Not once is their existence so much as hinted to in the game itself, and even to this day, absolutely no official reference has ever been made to the figures or their presence.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWhqKaV1Yhg The eerily tranquil music used for the galaxy really doesn't help matters either.]] The skybox implies that the cliff background is very far away, suggesting that these figures are somewhere between the size of a ''large hill to mountain-sized''.
* Flash Black Galaxy is a nyctophobe's worst nightmare - a near pitch-black stage which is only briefly illuminated by flashes of light that occur in time with beats in the music, which is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tf3xgSeG3E an ominous remix of the underground theme]]. The level itself takes Mario through a tall vertical house area and a maze-like series of rocky platforms above a dark pit, with the background appearing to be a dark nighttime forest with a large tower-like structure in the distance.
* Boss Blitz Galaxy, a BossRush against five of the first game's bosses, features [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDCqMZDtFU0 a rather quiet but urgent-sounding track]] that lends the stage a frighteningly lonely atmosphere and gives the periods before each fight an incredibly prominent sense of danger. Not helped by the galaxy's nearly pitch-black space background that stands in sharp contrast to both games' largely colorful takes on cosmic backdrops, or the fact that the stage includes the likes of Bouldergeist, a boss who already provides the image for the first game's NightmareFuel page.
** Even worse? You have to go through it again under the conditions of a [[TimedMission Speedy Comet]], making the music's urgent feel even more apparent than before. Good luck!

* [[https://www.mariowiki.com/Boss_Bass Boss Bass]], a hungry, fast-moving fish that constantly chases you as you race against time to get to high-ground as the water level rises... if you don't make it to high ground in time, or worse, ''fall'' in the water, he will ''[[SwallowedWhole swallow Mario in one gulp]]'', no matter how big you are, and [[OneHitKill you instantly lose a life]]. Unlike the Angry Sun, you cannot get rid of him for good — even if you do kill him, he will return just a few seconds afterwards, ready, willing, and very much able to kill you.

** ''NightmareFuel/MarioAndLuigiSuperStarSaga''

* Koopa's TransformationRay that can de-evolve his prisoners into their evolutionary ancestors or worse, especially in the [[https://youtu.be/M1kzWq20a9I?t=136 deleted scene]] where a technician gets devolved into primordial slime and sloshes out of the chair and onto the floor. As Koopa puts it, "it's [[FateWorseThanDeath more than just death]]--it's being... undone".
** The reason Koopa had the guy devolved: ''He sneezed''. We get that Koopa is a germaphobe, but it kinda makes you wonder how many people he had slaughtered for even the slightest "infraction".

!! ''Super Mario Bros.'' (original)

!! ''Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA)''

* In the SNES and GBA remake, they made warping much, ''much'' eerier. When you enter the Warp Vase, a creepy tune plays in the background while [[InterfaceScrew the screen becomes distorted and fades to black.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2peaeVGjQ4E See the warps in the SNES remake here.]]
* In the ending of the SNES and GBA remake, while Wart is being carried away, you can see what looks like ''blood'' coming out of his [[EyeScream eye sockets.]]

!! ''Super Mario Bros. 3''

!! ''New Super Mario Bros.''

!! ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_2855.JPG]]

* The final boss fight first starts off with a regular Bowser-on-the-bridge boss fight. Mario looks up to what appears to be Peach, a remix of [=SMB1=]'s ending music playing... before it starts LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand, unveiling Kamek in a Peach disguise. He gets on his broomstick and gives Bowser some magic...the ground starts shaking. Kamek looks down, wondering what's happening... and then, Bowser ''springs up'', looking tremendously huge, his eyes ''glowing'' [[RedEyesTakeWarning a blood red]], and he's '''''very pissed.''''' He starts chasing Mario down relentlessly in a mindless rage, with intense orchestral music playing and only becoming even more intense in the second phase...and it's [[HellIsThatNoise his roar that really sells it.]]

* This game introduces the Cosmic Clones, shadowy dopplegangers of Mario with glowing yellow eyes who mimic his every movement and cause damage on contact, suddenly appearing from nowhere with a high-pitched cackle and vanishing with a pained scream when the conditions are met to defeat them (usually doing something to make the level's Star appear). They'll likely only seem like a minor nuisance the first time you come across them, but in more restrictive spaces and when they spawn in large numbers, it's easy for just one brush with them to lead into either being dogpiled or knocked to your doom. The game also features Clone Comets, which force Mario to go through an entire level while being pursued by them, and which often feature [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiPYVJ_KC0o a menacing theme that combines the underground theme with the original overworld theme.]]

* Digga-Leg is essentially a smaller version of the first game's Megaleg boss, sharing several of the same menacing qualities such as its gas mask-like face. Compared to its big brother, it's ''far'' less imposing in size and can't crush Mario instantly, but it still dwarfs the Mario bros, has [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and emits smoke from its "mask" on top of being far more mobile than Megaleg, being able to ''leap'' off-screen. It also has to be fought [[OneHitPointWonder under the conditions of a Daredevil Comet]].

** There's also the ''giant'' Boo and its lackeys which will suddenly appear behind Mario and give chase. Thankfully, they don't appear in the Prankster Comet mission... [[FromBadToWorse because the comet mission for this galaxy is a Clone Comet, and Cosmic Clones will give chase throughout the entire level instead.]] Have fun!

* Shiverburn Galaxy appears to take place in some kind of canyon, as the level is surrounded by two enormous rock structures that tower over it. If you change the camera to first-person mode and look toward the cliffs above you, you can see three shadowy alien figures (pictured above), watching you. No matter where you are in the galaxy, [[ParanoiaFuel they will always be there, and they will always be watching.]] [[NothingIsScarier Not once is their existence so much as hinted to in the game itself, and even to this day, absolutely no official reference has ever been made to the figures or their presence.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWhqKaV1Yhg The eerily tranquil music used for the galaxy really doesn't help matters either.]] The skybox implies that the cliff background is very far away, suggesting that these figures are somewhere between the size of a ''large hill to mountain-sized.''

!! ''New Super Mario Bros. 2''

** As the game goes on, Fury Bowser starts to get ''angrier.'' Yeah, the new SuperMode powered by anger ''isn't as angry as it can get yet.'' By the endgame, he's become so apocalyptically furious that the sky TurnsRed, and then ''goes past that'' to become a menacing pink. And as it turns out... Fury Bowser is actually a lesser threat compared to the more aware and more intelligent ''Giant Bowser.''

** If that wasn't enough, user Insidious_NX made a mod that uses the more demonic-looking Giga Bowser from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' as his base model, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlBC0CbJDVY& the combination is absolutely monstrous.]]

--> "THANK YOU MARIO!" \\

!! ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''

* "Be Afraid of the Dark" is [[SurpriseCreepy a terrifying level in a cutesy, charming game]]. The level's primary enemies are [[TheJuggernaut invincible]] MonsterClown ragdolls [[AnAxeToGrind with axes]] chasing you throughout the stage. They can pop out from the background at any moment, make a [[HellIsThatNoise horrific screeching sound when doing so]], [[JumpScare and one moment has them appear]] ''[[JumpScare en masse]]'' [[JumpScare when you hit a winged cloud.]] Even worse is the atmosphere, since almost everything is dark and dreary, and even the ''text boxes'' are ominous jumbled phrases that would feel more at home in a psychological horror game. And to top it all off, there's [[SymbolicBlood red paint on the walls]] as a stand-in for blood.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/super_mario_bros_movie_nightmare_fuel.jpg]]

* Koopa's TransformationRay that can de-evolve his prisoners into their evolutionary ancestors or worse, especially in the [[https://youtu.be/M1kzWq20a9I?t=136 deleted scene]] where a technician gets devolved into primordial slime and sloshes out of the chair and onto the floor. As Koopa puts it, "it's [[FateWorseThanDeath more than just death]]--it's being...undone."

'''All spoilers are UNMARKED [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff per wiki policy]]. Read at your own risk! Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''

!! ''New Super Mario Bros Wii''

!! ''New Super Mario Bros Wii''
* Boohemoth. He just pops in out of ''nowhere'' in two of the ghost houses. Can easily frighten an unsuspecting player.

* Boohemoth. He just pops in out of ''nowhere''. Can easily frighten an unsuspecting player.

* In every level, after defeating Bowser, [[note]]Or rather, one of Bowser's minions, as they are all wearing disguises as the Koopa King until level 8-4. This raises some horrifying questions along with it, but that's for another time.[[/note]] he [[CruelAndUnusualDeath falls into a giant pit of lava]]. This can be seen as cruel, as even though Bowser is evil, subjecting him to his body melting off in the lava is very scarring to the children who played this game.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Mamma-mia!"'' indeed...]]

** As the game goes on, Fury Bowser starts to get ''angrier.'' Yeah, the new SuperMode powered by anger ''isn't as angry as it can get yet.'' By the endgame, he's become so apocalyptically furious that the sky TurnsRed, and then ''goes past that'' to become a menacing pink. And as it turns out... Fury Bowser is actually a lesser threat compared to the more aware and more intelligent ''Giga Bowser.''

** The inky darkness is actually [[spoiler: paint from Bowser Jr.'s magic paintbrush. What makes this a different case from ''Sunshine'' is that in that game, the paint was weak enough that ordinary water could clear it off. Here, the paint is so strong that it's acting more like ''oil'', floating on top of the water and not being affected by it at all.]]
** As the game goes on, Fury Bowser starts to get ''angrier.'' Yeah, the new SuperMode powered by anger ''isn't as angry as it can get yet.'' By the endgame, he's become so apocalyptically furious that the sky TurnsRed, and then ''goes past that'' to become a menacing pink. And as it turns out... [[spoiler: Fury Bowser is actually a lesser threat compared to the more aware and more intelligent ''Giga Bowser.'']]

* In the ending of the SNES and GBA remake, while Wart is being carried away, you can see ''blood'' coming out of his [[EyeScream eye sockets.]]

[[quoteright:304:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_160_89.png]]
[[caption-width-right:304:[[NothingIsScarier That could be anything in there]], [[ParanoiaFuel right?]]]]

* If you fall into lava, not only does it [[OneHitKill defeat you instantly]],like in the older games, but you additionally hear [[HellIsThatNoise a violent sizzling noise with Mario exclaiming in pain]]. Alongside this, you can see a unique death animation.

* If you fall into lava, not only does it [[OneHitKill defeat you instantly]], but you additionally hear [[HellIsThatNoise a violent sizzling noise with Mario exclaiming in pain]]. Alongside this, you can see a unique death animation.