Line #94 Main/SinisterScrapingSound


1	[[quoteright:330:[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FreddysFrightfulFingers_6263.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:330:Mmm-mmm! [[CreepyLongFingers Finger]]-[[SwordSparks sparking]]-good.]]
3	%%
4	->''"The next moment a hideous, grinding screech, as of some monstrous machine running without oil, burst from the big telescreen at the end of the room. It was a noise that set one's teeth on edge and bristled the hair at the back of one's neck."''
5	-->-- ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', as the Two Minutes Hate begins
6
7	[[AC:For the best reading experience, play the sound from [[https://youtu.be/FvWnsaGCf_A?t=238 this video]] while reading on.]]
8
9	The Sinister Scraping Sound is the issue of the UnholyMatrimony between NailsOnABlackboard and AudibleSharpness, with NightmareFuel acting as the godfather. This is a very basic {{Horror}} trope, the sound of metal scraping on metal, rock, wood, or another hard surface. It might be heard continuously or rhythmically, slowly intensifying as the source approaches.
10
11	It might be a knife on a countertop, a machete against a pipe, a [[SwordDrag sword against the ground]], or a [[ChainsawGood Chainsaw]] against basically anything if you want to ramp up the fear. This usually plays hell with hidden characters who are trying to hide, as it increases their panic. If they can keep their mouth shut, they might survive... or [[BarrierBustingBlow get pulled/impaled through the wall.]] Of course, the noise might be [[CatScare something completely innocuous]] that leads to another, more dangerous scare.
12
13	As the picture shows, it might be accompanied with sparks. Characters arriving after the scraper has left will no doubt wonder at who left the scratches --[[SuperStrength or gouges]]-- on the wall/floor. The foreboding {{Bloody Handprint}}s and body parts everywhere will be easier to piece together (unlike the bodies).
14
15	Often an example of HellIsThatNoise.
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Fan Works]]
22	* In the Homestuck fan adventure ''Webcomic/AlabasterTheDoomedSession'', there is a Pyramid Head parody. No need to say, the monster is predated by the proverbial big knife sound.
23	* In ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', at night, while Paul is lying in bed trying to figure out what to do about John, the reader hears scrape... scrape... scrape. Then scrape #twang#, and Paul finally hears the noise. It's his guitar... is it sliding down the wall? No, it's moving along the floor and then jumps into bed with Paul!
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
27	* The Judge zombie does this in ''WesternAnimation/{{Paranorman}}'' in Norman's late uncle's house while searching for him, slowly scraping his nail across the wall while chipping off the plaster.
28	* Lord Shen's bladed talons do this in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', with him walking extra slowly to add to the effect.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
32	* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAys8oqAAV0 Waterphone]] is used to generate many scraping sounds in horror films and games, including ''Film/SilentHill''.
33	* In the second ''Film/AceVentura'' movie, he tortures a suspect into talking by sitting down to a table setting and running a knife back and forth over an empty plate, making a horrible screeching noise.
34	* ''Film/BlackRat'': When Kengo is trying to escape from [[spoiler:Ryota]], his pursuer is holding a [[PipePain length of steel pipe]] that drags on the floor; making a sinister scraping sound as they inexorably advance on him.
35	* In ''Film/TheButchers'', as the Zodiac Killer is chasing Ren, he drags his [[SinisterScythe sickle]] along the wall of the caravan, producing a sinister scraping sound.
36	* The hospital scene in ''Film/TheCrazies2010'' shows one of the titular crazies scraping a pitchfork along the floor as he prepares to stab people who were [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable strapped down on gurneys]]. Later on, another crazy is seen scraping a carving knife across a wall in a deliberate attempt to scare Judy out of hiding.
37	* Mr. Sleep of the Strangers in ''Film/DarkCity'' scrapes his knife to the wall when he is closing in on the protagonist.
38	* Done in ''Film/GetOut2017'' with a spoon scraping a ''teacup'', of all things. [[spoiler:[[EvilMatriarch Missy Armitage]] uses it to [[MindControl hypnotize and brainwash]] her victims]], making the otherwise innocuous sound downright ''terrifying''.
39	* Though not shown, we see the aftereffects in ''Film/{{Hook}}''. The scratch marks on the wallpaper, combined with a maid's hysterical report, indicate that Hook sauntered through the house, scraping his hook along the walls, until he caught up with the children he was after.
40	* In ''Film/HotelRwanda'' a member of the Hutu militia menacingly drags his machete across the pavement of the road.
41	* In ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'', when Shere Khan drags his crippled leg along the ground, his claws make a scraping sound on the rock.
42	* As pictured above, Freddy Krueger from the ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' series loves to scrape his finger blades along the nearest surface while stalking his latest victim. As well as creating sparks upon the impact of metal on metal, it echoes across the surroundings, screwing with his victims by freaking them out before they even get a chance to see him.
43	* The Spanish-language slasher ''Pesadilla Fatal'' ("Fatal Nightmare") has a killer with a Freddy Krueger-style glove, who does this to torment a blind girl.
44	* When some psycho is chasing one of the model girls in ''Film/TheRatman'', he scrapes his knife to a wall while walking.
45	* ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'':
46	** ''Film/ResidentEvil2002''. The arrival of the first zombie is preceded by the scraping noise made by the fire axe it's dragging along. Watch it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIeBp9RapcI here.]]
47	** The Executioner in ''Film/ResidentEvilAfterlife'' does this by dragging his axe.
48	* Pyramid Head in ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' and [[Film/SilentHill the movie]] has this as his "signature" noise, created by dragging his [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Buster Sword]]-[[{{BFS}} sized]] rusty butcher knife.
49	* In ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'', Sabretooth uses his nails to scratch Kayla's car before killing her.
50	* ''scraaaaaape, clomp. scraaaaaape, clomp. scraaaaaape, clomp. '''[[Film/YoungFrankenstein "Doctor Frankenstein???"]]'''''
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Literature]]
54	* ''Literature/TheFamousFive'': In ''Five on a Hike Together'', Dick sleeps in a barn, and is disturbed by a scratching sound, before somebody gives him a mysterious message.
55	* In ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'': When Edmund has been tied to a tree by the White Witch, he can hear the sound of a knife being sharpened. Fortunately, Aslan's party rescues him before anything happens.
56	* In the ''Literature/MrMen'' ''Annual No. 3'', Mr. Jelly is terrified by a scraping sound in the park, and thinks it is a giant centipede sharpening its claws to tear him to pieces. But it is only Mr. Slow, the gardener, slowly raking the soil.
57	* In ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', the Two Minutes Hate opens with this noise (see page quote) as Emmanuel Goldstein's face appears.
58	* In Creator/DeanKoontz's ''By the Light of the Moon'', Jillian follows Dylan into a house (he had gone off to prevent a woman's murderous grandson from carrying out his plans) and hears the sound of metallic scraping and pinging noises, mentally envisioning someone sliding knives against one another. [[spoiler:It's just a bird scraping its beak against its cage.]]
59	* The dragging of Marley's chains in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''.
60	* ''Literature/SeptimusHeap''
61	** The Boggart scratching at Aunt Zelda's door after having been shot by the Hunter in ''Magyk''.
62	** Ephaniah Grebe scratching at the door of the refuge hut in the middle of the night in ''Queste''.
63	* In Creator/RobertRMcCammon's book ''Stinger'', one of the characters hears a scraping sound and only sees four twisted, alien claws by peering underneath a house that's on bricks. Prudently, he runs away.
64	** That's not Sweet Pea anymore....
65	* During ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]]'', Grinder finds a stack of boxes, each with a mantislike insect that makes a good pet inside. One scrapes insistently - ''scritch, scritch, scritch'' - on its box, so he steals it and puts it in Face's X-Wing, with the idea that he'll notice it in a routine mission and freak out. But Face doesn't. A few nights later, Grinder hears that same scritching in his room every night. Eventually he looks up the insect and finds an entry on the pet, and on its closest relative the Crystal Deceiver, which targets specific large mammalian prey, stalks them, paralyzes them, and starts feeding. Cue Grinder sealing every entrance into his room... and still the scritching continues, and it's in his room! Under his bed! He ends up fainting. [[spoiler: Face is getting back at him for that prank and others.]]
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
69	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
70	** Inverted with the scraping wheeze made by the TARDIS as it takes off (originally produced by scraping a door key against a piano string). Instead of HellIsThatNoise, the TARDIS's sound has become the SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound, both in-universe and out.
71	** Played with in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood Before the Flood]]", when the MonsterOfTheWeek is stalking a deaf woman while dragging a fire axe, but she can't hear it. However, [[RuleOfDrama when it gets close]], she picks up the vibrations in the floor in time to escape becoming a VictimOfTheWeek.
72	* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': Jonathan Crane returns to Arkham to get revenge on the warden who had psychologically tortured him and then taken a bribe to allow him to be kidnapped by a band of petty criminals who wanted his father's fear juice formula. Dressed in his Scarecrow outfit, Crane crosses the darkened room scraping a scythe across a restraint table, giving off sparks and making an ominous scraping sound.
73	* ''Series/JonathanCreek'': In the episode "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb", a subtle Sinister Scraping Sound can be heard drifting along an empty corridor as Jonathan and Joey explore the derelict convent, and again before someone is [[spoiler:nearly crushed by a falling statue]] at the same location. We eventually learn that the sound is caused by [[spoiler:a lurking hitman who habitually runs his thumb along the teeth of a metal comb]].
74	* ''Series/OrphanBlack'' has this as part of [[PsychopathicManchild Helena]]'s {{Leitmotif}}.
75	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' uses this trope a lot.
76	** In "[[Recap/SupernaturalS01E07HookMan Hook Man]]", loud scraping sounds and deep gouges herald the arrival of a murderous ghost.
77	** Hellhounds, the invisible dogs that drag doomed souls to Hell, are accompanied by loud baying and a Sinister Scraping Sound.
78	* In the episode "Prey" of ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'', the Governor chases Andrea into a warehouse, and [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this repeatedly while searching for her inside.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Radio]]
82	* In ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' episode "The Phantom Head Shaver of Brighton":
83	--> '''Bluebottle:''' Captain, Captain - I'm frighted, I'm frighted - I can hear someone in the ammunition hut - it sounds like a man sharpening a dirty big razor.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Roleplay]]
87	* In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', Daigo uses his vampiric blood on a drifter and transforms him into a lizard-like monster. Its giant claws scrape against the ground as it charges off in pursuit of its prey.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Urban Legend]]
91	* ''Click Clack Slide'' is the top half of a woman run over by a train who drags herself around looking for her childen, and is why you should be home by 6:00 PM. You know she's following you because of the clicking of her nails on the ground, and the dragging noise she makes as she crawls forward.
92	** Another version is similar to the Hook-Handed Killer, but with [[ArtificialLimbs a clockwork arm]] making the titular noises.
93	* The Hookman, a SerialKiller who menaces young couples parked at a MakeOutPoint, is said to preface his appearances by scraping his HookHand against the body of his potential victims' cars.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Video Games]]
97	* ''VideoGame/BioShock1'':
98	** Spider Splicers are known to do this when nearby, giving players an audible cue that bad news is coming their way.
99	** Thuggish splicers can do this with their weapons (mostly metals clubs, like pipes, wrenches, etc) as well, although if they're charging like that they're probably screaming at you anyway.
100	* In ''VideoGame/ClockTower'', the main antagonist (most of the time) Scissorman uses a giant pair of scissors which he scrapes together with each step.
101	* A bit of a sound motif in ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot''.
102	* In ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'', the Roivas mansion is full of [[HellIsThatNoise creepy sounds]] that [[ParanoiaFuel probably]] don't mean anything, but one of them is the scraping or sharpening of knives, followed by the sounds of someone being tortured on another floor...
103	** One of the lesser effects of low sanity is hearing knocks and scrapes.
104	** One of the terrifying effects of no sanity is hearing someone sharpening a metal instrument while a woman pleads desperately, before she starts screaming in agony.
105	* One of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3xvpAL13ww dungeon ambient musics]] in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has these sounds.
106	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', the guillotines in the Shadow Temple make a scraping sound as they rise and fall.
107	** The creepy repeating scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-skrrrrrr... sound made by Gold Skulltulas. It's useful for finding them all to gain OneHundredPercentCompletion... and for keeping you awake at night.
108	** [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword The Flying Guardians in the Silent Realms]] scrape their swords together as they slowly but surely float towards your position.
109	* ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXYDvsQU1Mc Endless Hallway]] plays throughout the Zone 3 Factory, and prominently features the sound of a running industrial saw as a backing track, only making the area that much more unsettling.
110	* In the indie horror game ''VideoGame/ThePath'', although nothing is explicitly shown, a sound of knives scraping is heard in the background of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EhF1T5lQ2Q Scarlet's ending,]] leading some people to speculate that Scarlet...may have met a rather violent end.
111	* From ''VideoGame/Persona3'': "Be careful! I sense Death!" A second later, you hear chains dragging across the floor...
112	* In ''VideoGame/SCPContainmentBreach'', the "stone-on-stone" scraping sounds that accompany [[LivingStatue SCP-173's]] movement.
113	* The titular scratching sounds in ''VideoGame/{{Scratches}}''.
114	* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lAgkp2q2UQ Clank clank thunk scrape,]] [[MemeticRapist Pyramid Head]] has come to rape!" Late in the game, James can take (and use) Pyramid Head's Great Knife.
115	%% Any references to the Great Knife Trick should be commented out until we get video proof that overturns the following: https://youtu.be/U81JzUj9i10?t=8m58s
116	** In parts of the DarkWorld Lakeview Hotel, and in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekPaYGVLifY "Black Fairy"]] OST track, a screeching sound similar to a malfunctioning VCR is heard, which may represent the video tape James recorded of his wife's murder being replayed over and over in his mind.
117	** [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute The Butcher]] and his oversized meat cleaver work the same way as Pyramid Head and his Great Knife in ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins''.
118	** And check out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiY6cN1p2PE the song "Rain of Brass Petals (Three Voices Edit)"]] from ''VideoGame/SilentHill3''. It was reused as the ending music for ''Film/SilentHillRevelation''. Fittingly, many feel the song's lyrics refer partially or completely to Pyramid Head.
119	*** And again in ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour''.
120	* The Slayers from ''VideoGame/TheSuffering''.
121	* ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'': Hammer Haunts. First you hear the chains... then you hear the whispers... and if you don't hide, you will then hear [[EvilLaugh the laughter]].
122	* The sound of the VideoGame/DarkFall lurking nearby is ''usually'' somewhere between a deathly gasp and this trope.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Webcomics]]
126	* ''Webcomic/HyperboleAndAHalf'': While she and Boyfriend are watching a horror film, Allie hears a sound which resembles metal grinding against metal. Initially, she's relieved when she finds it's only a honking goose, but then she remembers [[FeatheredFiend how aggressive geese are]]. Things go downhill from there.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Web Original]]
130	* Done with a bat in ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl''.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Western Animation]]
134	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' the virus Gigabyte corners Bob and Dot in an alleyway and scraps his long claws along the wall as he slowly approaches them.
135	* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode, "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E20SquidOnStrikeSandySpongeBobAndTheWorm Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm]]" when Mr. Krabs mentions no one could take on the worm at the meeting, at that moment, a scary but brave-looking sailor man screeches his hook against the window in a moment of dramatic buildup until he simply asks where the bathroom is, [[BaitAndSwitch only needing everyones attention for that]].
136	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / SinisterScrapingSound