History NightmareFuel / TheBindingOfIsaac

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "[[https://antibirth.fandom.com/wiki/2Spooky 2Spooky]]". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[NightmareFace gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[VideoGame/EarthBound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** Judas, the Deceiver, stands out from the rest by seemingly having the luckiest outcome of the bunch and has least bleak outcome in his predicament. He's become a LivingShadow and is stated to be a "shadow eater", and can only use black/soul hearts for health. His main gimmick? Dark Arts, where he performs a FlashStep to shred enemies/projectiles and gain a damage boost for every one he touches before Dark Arts ends. The Deceiver clearly could be considered a perfect mirror of [[TheWoobie Isaac]], being a being that has no issues being a CardCarryingVillain, having embraced the dark magics he toyed with in the past and turning into a SuperPersistantPredator that [[MookHorrorShow could easily scare]] [[TheDreaded even some of the]] [[HorrifyingTheHorror most dangerous monsters in the game.]]

** Judas, the Deceiver, stands out from the rest by seemingly having the luckiest outcome of the bunch and has least bleak outcome in his predicament. He's become a LivingShadow and is stated to be a "shadow eater", and can only use black/soul hearts for health. His main gimmick? Dark Arts, where he performs a FlashStep to shred enemies/projectiles and gain a damage boost for every one he touches before Dark Arts ends. The Deceiver clearly could be considered a perfect mirror of [[TheWoobie Isaac]], being a being that has no issues being a CardCarryingVillain, having embraced the dark magics he toyed with in the past.

What did you expect from a game whose ''entire premise'' is about a little boy whose own mother wants to kill him for the glory of God? For this alone, as well as a boatload of other stuff, ''The Binding of Isaac'' is a contender for Creator/EdmundMcMillen's single most horrifying creation to date.

** Eve, the Curdled, had... something happen to her to give her the power to use BloodyMurder. She uses her own health to spawn blood clot minions to her side, then call them back to heal with her Sumptorium. On top of that, she LooksLikeCesare taken UpToEleven, with the tears on her face looking black and her hair looking much more disheveled and unkempt. And when she's down to her last half heart with no minions out, she wields the Sumptorium as a makeshift Mom's Knife, all while looking like a more bloody/feral version of regular Eve's Whore of Babylon form (which the game files refer to as "Bloody Babylon"). Whatever became of the Curdled, it's dialed up her SelfHarm tendencies significantly, to the point that it makes her incredibly fragile lest she has something to protect her like Holy Mantle or Pretty Flies.

** And you can potentially make all of these worse if you consider the fact that often these effects stack with each other. So, watch as Isaac gradually mutates beyond recognition, becoming a demon with toothpicks under his eyes and a dead fetus on his face!

** Spirit Of The Night: Gives Isaac the power of flight and ghost tears by transforming him from a little boy into a [[NightmareFace demonic specter with pale white eyes]]. [[DealWithTheDevil It doesn't help that this is also a devil room item]].

** The Pinking Shears: This is a giant pair of scissors which, upon use, makes a horrific slashing noise and ''slices off your head'', which you then control, flying it around and crying as normal as your body walks around as a little ally NPC.
** And you can potentially make all of these worse if you consider the fact that often these effects stack with each other. So, watch as Isaac becomes a demon with toothpicks under his eyes and a dead fetus on his face!

What did you expect from a game whose ''entire premise'' is a troubled little boy fleeing from his mother who wants to kill him for the glory of God? For this alone, as well as a boatload of other stuff, ''The Binding of Isaac'' is a contender for Creator/EdmundMcMillen's single most horrifying creation to date.

What did you expect from a game whose basic premise is a troubled little boy fleeing from his mother who wants to kill him for the glory of God? For this and a boatload of other reasons, ''The Binding of Isaac'' is a contender for Creator/EdmundMcMillen's single most horrifying creation to date.

** '''[[BeastOfTheApocalypse THE BEAST]]''', FULL STOP. It is the actual, true, genuine TrueFinalBoss of the game, and it does not disappoint. After Isaac defeats Dogma and gains angel wings from the static cross falling on him, his home falls apart to reveal a massive lava-filled cavern, implied to be Hell itself. The preacher ranting from earlier starts up again as he turns to see a massive three-eyed, horned, blood-drooling ''monster'' rise from the depths. But don't go thinking you fight it immediately — no, you have to fight its heralds, the Four Horsemen first. And all of them have supersized Ultra forms with brand new strategies and attacks. And if/when you finally take them out, the Beast takes centre stage by roaring in the background, then going under and reappearing from the lava in the foreground. It starts chasing you through spike-filled passages, trying to swallow you/incinerate you, and even launching [[WaveMotionGun a truly massive Brimstone beam]] that requires you to get to the top of the screen to avoid. If Dogma was the epitome of ReligiousHorror, then the BeastOfTheApocalypse ratchets it up even further, especially if you're familiar with Literature/TheBookOfRevelation and the Beast of the Sea.

For a game whose basic premise is a mother trying to kill her son, ''The Binding of Isaac'' is pretty unsettling.

* [[BodyHorror Imagine your head being slowly transformed into a tumorous mass filled with flies]], [[FateWorseThanDeath all while]] [[AndIMustScream still conscious]]. You'll want to put those poor Mulligans and Hives out of their misery as quickly as possible. And as of [=WotL=] bringing the Mulligan item to the table, '''you too''' can become one.
** Also from Wrath of the Lamb — the ones that have bombs painfully wedged into their skull and forced to charge at the player. Just imagine it for a second — imagine you got possessed and used as a completely unwilling ActionBomb.

** The Parasite: An aggressive parasite gives Isaac a split shot effect by [[BodyHorror burrowing deep into the back of his skull.]] It also dyes his tears a [[NauseaFuel sickly orangish brown]].

*** Its angel room counterpart, the Dead Dove, it's no better: it also gives Isaac flight and ghost tears, but turns him into a white ghost with the same twisted face as the Ouija Board below. Again, this is supposed to be an [[LightIsNotGood Angel Room Item]].

** The closest this game will ever come to a fight with God himself, '''DOGMA'''.

[[caption-width-right:333:This is The Husk, one of the many, ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many]]'' nightmares you'll see in this game. Believe it or not, he's one of the ''[[BreatherBoss less]]'' dangerous ones.]]

* Ending 17. Isaac's mother enters his room and finds his skeletal remains in the chest. AdultFear in its purest form. Then there's Isaac's shadow turning into a demonic creature with red eyes and a SlasherSmile...

* [[DownerEnding Ending 20]] is both this and a massive TearJerker. Isaac's breath speeding up and slowing down and slowly turning blue as he suffocates in the chest is already bad enough, it has a huge dose of AdultFear in that Isaac believes himself to be a demon and committed suicide after his family broke up. A ''young boy committing suicide'', no less. Perhaps the most haunting aspect is when the camera pans through a wall of photographs and drawings, which starts normal, until Isaac begins to draw himself as a demon with his parents arguing in the background.

* The Whipper is an enemy that has a robe and a whip and, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin whips at you]], and crossing the same horizontal or vertical axis from a distance will have it dash at you before attacking. While its attack pattern is manageable, what makes it verge into NightmareFuel territory is this [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily creepy wide mouth]] that looks unnerving in appearance, and it's even more so when it opens its mouth while attacking. It isn't ''too'' dangerous, just as long as you keep your distance in the process of attacking it from the sides. By the way, it deflects bombs.

* The teaser trailer: now everything is not only 3D, but creepy, rubbery puppets. Check it out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p22Sj-Zllwk here]]. Their use of a photorealistic cat's head for Guppy's severed head is jarring and somehow adds a surreal edge to the horror.

** The theme of the Catacombs, [[https://ridiculon.bandcamp.com/track/capiticus-calvaria-catacombs Capiticus Calvaria]], is an oppressive ScareChord laden track with violent drums. The combat layer is even worse, adding in an absolutely ''evil'' sounding electric guitar.
** [[https://ridiculon.bandcamp.com/track/abyss-the-depths Abyss]]. Gone is the climactic sounding music of The Depths, in its place is eerie whispering, singing and crying/laughter accompanied by a creepy windchime melody. The combat layer adds a pounding, aggressive synth, making it even more nerve-wracking.

* Swingers, the spinning disembodied heads in The Womb. They're a ''crying face orbiting around a lump of meat that slowly edges towards you.''

* The beginning of the fights with Satan and Mega Satan are silent except for the devil room ambience. For the former, you wait a couple of seconds before a [[JumpScare sudden]] fight with The Fallen. for the latter, you walk to a star in the center of the room. At that point, it starts spinning into a pentagram, Satan's battle theme starts playing, and Mega Satan materializes out of nowhere.

* The new song for Sheol... is [[https://ridiculon.bandcamp.com/track/duress-sheol Duress.]]
** You thought Duress was bad enough? Well, try listening to it on [[https://youtu.be/nH25UniPSjg?t=58m31s SLOW MOTION]].

* The spinning disembodied heads in The Womb. They're a ''crying face orbiting around a lump of meat that slowly edges towards you.''

** The sixteenth and final ending. [[https://youtu.be/7fDu_pjm8ZE?t=342 Isaac transforming into a demon]] sounds awesome, right? ''It's not.''
* The beginning of the fights with Satan and Mega Satan are silent except for the blowing wind. For the former, you wait a couple of seconds before a [[JumpScare sudden]] fight with The Fallen. for the latter, you walk to a star in the center of the room. At that point, it starts spinning into a pentagram, Satan's battle theme starts playing, and Mega Satan materializes out of nowhere.
* [[https://ridiculon.bandcamp.com/track/devoid This track for the]] Dark Room.
* [[https://ridiculon.bandcamp.com/track/viscera-womb Also the nauseating]] Womb track.

* There's a new boss in The Womb/Utero called Teratoma. A teratoma is a tumor ''with teeth, eyes, arms, legs, and maybe even internal organs.'' Oh, and they're generally there from birth.

*** This one probably diminishes over time thanks to the description (''[[BlackComedy Yay]], [[CrossesTheLineTwice cancer]]!'') and how Isaac can simply drop it… though it's still rather chilling.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "[[https://antibirth.fandom.com/wiki/2Spooky 2Spooky]]". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[NightmareFare gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[VideoGame/EarthBound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[VideoGame/EarthBound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** In the Hebrew scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is Sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The Greek word Gehenna is used in the New Testament for '''HELL''' and is derived from the Hebrew word hinnom. Other scriptures in the New Testament indicated that Sheol/Hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.

* The Witness — [[AdaptationNameChange now renamed Mother]] — has a bigger sprite than the original ''Antibirth'', and might freak you out. What's worse is that Mother is now fought in a 2x1 hallway instead of the 2x2 big room she had in ''Antibirth'', so you have less room to maneuver. And she even has new tactics to make it harder to fight her. To top it off, you still hear her voicelines of calling for Isaac, but instead of sounding angry and demented… it feels more like she's wailing in despair and anguish. All because you turned the knife on her and killed her outright in the previous chapter. It's scary ''and'' heart-breaking, even though there's no other way for the fight to go.

*** Every enemy encountered in the game so far had been a gross, disgusting monster or a child's interpretation of something from the Bible. Every demon or angel thus so far looked like how a child would likely see them, or just have some slightly funny or cartoonish quirk about them. Dogma… [[KnightOfCerebus is neither]]. Instead of being another faceless angel like Uriel and Gabriel, it resembles how something like an Ophanim would actually look in the Bible, has music that is barely even music and more insane preachers screaming of sin, and the implications of the impact it has on the story means what it represents has done more to cause the story than almost any other boss in the game.

** In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is Sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The Greek word Gehenna is used in the New Testament for '''HELL''' and is derived from the Hebrew word hinnom. Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicated that Sheol/Hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.

*** This one probably diminishes over time thanks to the description (''Yay, cancer!'') and how Isaac can simply drop it… though it's still rather chilling.

* In the original ''Antibirth'', Knife Piece 2 is obtained by merely pressing buttons. ''Repentance'' made it far more terrifying. After breaking down a blocked door with a minecart, you enter a series of dimly lit, empty rooms, all while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyGi1qfHT3Y ominous music plays in the background]]. Eventually, you reach a room with the knife piece on an item pedestal, the room locking you in, forcing you to pick it up. The moment you do, creepy noises start to play as Mother's Shadow, a shadowy head with red eyes and sharp teeth, appears and lets out a distorted version of Mom's laugh. You're then forced into a chase sequence with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB_pUfVGkuQ tense music]], running back through all the rooms that you've passed that now have various obstacles blocking your path, trying to avoid the demonic head charging at you. You lose all of your items (except Knife Piece 1) while inside this area, forcing you to do everything with base stats and little extra protection. It's slightly easier if you play as Azazel or the Lost, who always have flight, but it's still nervewracking as all get out. And while this is the only area that it happens in, it definitely gives you the feeling that this form of Mom will strike again later in the run when you least expect it.

* The Mausoleum was spooky and unnerving in ''Antibirth'', but not genuinely scary. Its alternate version in ''Repentance''? '''Gehenna''', which is a blood-drenched satanic paradise by comparison, filled with goat-headed cultists, brimstone skulls, rolling spike balls, and countless more. It makes Sheol look a safe and welcoming amusement park/carnival ala ''Ride/Disneyland'' in comparison!

* The Mausoleum was spooky and unnerving in ''Antibirth'', but not genuinely scary. Its alternate version in ''Repentance''? '''Gehenna''', which is a blood-drenched satanic paradise by comparison, filled with goat-headed cultists, brimstone skulls, rolling spike balls, and countless more. It makes Sheol look a safe and welcoming amusement park/carnival in comparison!

* The Mausoleum was spooky and unnerving in ''Antibirth'', but not genuinely scary. Its alternate version in ''Repentance''? '''Gehenna''', which is a blood-drenched satanic paradise by comparison, filled with goat-headed cultists, brimstone skulls, rolling spike balls, and countless more. It makes Sheol look safe and welcoming!