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5%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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11[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/galigari.jpg]]]]
12[[caption-width-right:350:Apparently, you have to become Caligari.]]
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14A montage that brings you inside the mind of a character going mad.
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16Music is heard, which may be quiet at first, but steadily increasing in volume and cacophony. Characters from several scenes may be superimposed, with some of them repeating fragments of their lines over and over again, in the manner of a MadnessMantra. Bizarre sequences or surreal images may be used.
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18This may be the time when the character goes AxCrazy and murders someone. Alternately, he may be screaming at the top of his voice, trying to drown out the chaos assaulting his imagination.
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20Compare BlackBugRoom. Compare also ThroughTheEyesOfMadness, which takes a mad character's POV for a sustained amount of time.
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22!!Examples:
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24[[foldercontrol]]
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26[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
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28* There's a single-page version of this near the end of the ''Manga/DeathNote'' manga. Followed by an absolutely ''amazing'' [[SlasherSmile psycho grin]].
29* In episode 4 of ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', Naota fears that his father is in a relationship with Haruko. When his father uses Haruko's catchphrase "mouth to mouth", he sees Haruko climbing out of his father's mouth dressed as a mouse and being mauled by a giant cat with large testes, interspersed with random clips of Haruko from earlier episodes, a voiceover of Haruko from the first episode, all over a soundtrack of indistinct whispering and a swelling distorted guitar track, eventually prompting Naota [[spoiler:to beat his father with a baseball bat. Luckily, he's actually a robot]]. Unusually, Naota remains completely still through the entire scene - not even a hint of Ax Crazy (although probably lots of HeroicBSOD).
30* There are a whole bunch of these in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', including all of the last two episodes, and the whole Third Impact part of the movie.
31* [[TheWoobie Poor, ]][[TheMadHatter poor ]][[MadScientist Stein]], who spends a good deal of ''Manga/SoulEater'' trying to fight hallucinations of melting scenery and a certain seductive witch. In the anime, this culminates in a good part of an episode being focused on his hallucinations stumbling through a fog of crazy.
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34[[folder:Comic Books]]
35* ''ComicBook/{{Grendel}}'': Eppy Thatcher gets these every so often.
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37
38[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
39* A wordless version of this is the track 'In The House- In a Heartbeat' from the ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' soundtrack. Spooky.
40* The Ken Russell film ''Film/AlteredStates'' has an example. Or does William Hurt flying around on a flaming cross wearing a 12-eyed goat's head count?
41* The last scene of ''Film/TheAviator'', as Howard Hughes, finding himself unable to stop repeating the phrase "the way of the future," looks into a mirror and sees a reflection of the first scene of the movie.
42* Reversed: There's a montage like this in the mind of John Nash, in ''Film/ABeautifulMind'', as he's ''proving'' his madness to himself.
43* ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'' is the UrExample. "You must become Caligari!"
44* The montage used in ''Film/TheLonelyLady'' has become legendary, having been used in [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward the Razzies']] award ceremony for years.
45* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. To show that 'Mad' Max deserves his nickname. While trying to escape from the Citadel Max has hallucinations of his family that he failed to save.
46* ''Film/TheManWhoChangedHisMind'': After being laughed out of the auditorium by the scientific community, and Lord Haslewood cuts off his funding, there is a montage showing Dr. Laurience's rapid descent into insanity.
47* The end of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', if you take the AgentScully approach to the plot and see it as all just a hallucination.
48* ''Film/{{Pi}}'', also by Creator/DarrenAronofsky, has several of these, illustrating Max's degenerating mental state.
49* ''Film/RequiemForADream'': When Mrs. Goldfarb's abuse of amphetamines catches up with her.
50* ''Film/SecretWindow'' has his.
51* Used as the climax of the movie version of Music/PinkFloyd's ''Film/TheWall''. The same thing, albeit obviously limited to the trope's audio portion, applies to the album.
52* All the hallucinations poor Lawrence has in ''Film/TheWolfman2010''.
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55[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In her introductory episode, Glory suffers one in the build-up to the MindRape she commits to restore her equilibrium.
57* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E11TheGodComplex The God Complex]]" this is shown whenever the VictimOfTheWeek is about to be devoured by the MonsterOfTheWeek, which turns their fear into faith which it then [[AbstractEater devours]]. Their mental state is shown by close-ups of them screaming and laughing in rapid succession. The words "[[MadnessMantra Praise Him]]" also appear in various fonts.
58* In the ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "[[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS11E05MacAndDennisMoveToTheSuburbs Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs]]", one of these occurs as Mac and Dennis start to lose their minds over being completely unfit for suburban life, set to the tune of "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Highlights include Dennis screaming over traffic during his commute, Mac staring blankly while their dog begs for food, Dennis throwing a plate of macaroni and cheese onto the floor for no reason, and the two men losing their minds over a smoke alarm that keeps them awake at night.
59* Episode "The Time Is Now" of ''Series/Millennium1996'' featured a 10 minute variation of this. It pretty much portrayed [[spoiler:Lara Means']] mind shattering in the face of the [[ApocalypseNot Coming Apocalypse]].
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62[[folder:Music]]
63* An audio interpretation of this trope can be heard at the end of the Music/{{Queensryche}} album ''Music/OperationMindcrime''.
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66[[folder:Theatre]]
67* In ''Theatre/TheAddingMachine'', when Zero hears from his boss that he's been fired after twenty-five years on the job to be [[JobStealingRobot replaced by a machine]], music starts soft and grows louder and louder as the stage revolves increasingly rapidly. The boss's voice is obliterated under a deafening cacophony of sound effects, and a sudden flash of red ends the scene.
68* The climax of the "Loveland" DreamSequence from the musical ''Theatre/{{Follies}}'': Ben stops singing "Live, Laugh, Love" and goes into a hysterical rant ("I don't love me!"). The orchestra continues playing and the dancers keep dancing... about a dozen musical numbers ''simultaneously''.
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71[[folder:Webcomics]]
72* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002879 subverted with John,]] [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006273 played straight with Karkat.]]
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75[[folder:Web Original]]
76* When ''WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows'' sees the [[Music/LadyGaga Bad Romance]] video for the first time - bits and pieces flash on the screen until he begins screaming that she's a demon from hell.
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79[[folder:Western Animation]]
80* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}''. Jinx in "Happy Progress Day" to show [[CuteAndPsycho how unhinged she's become]] during the TimeSkip.
81* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short ''Fresh Airedale'', [[VillainWithGoodPublicity "good old"]] Shep gets jealous over another dog that's gaining fame and has an abstract dream with the phrase "Number One Dog" echoing in his mind.
82* An unlikely example from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The empty white room where Squidward is ''alone.''
83[[/folder]]

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