Line #131 Main/ScreamerPrank


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4	%% Video Examples of this trope are NOT ALLOWED.
5	%% Any videos uploaded will be rejected.
6	%% Please visit this thread for more information:
7	%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15600226610A81760400
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12	[[quoteright:300:[[Website/YouTube https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screamer_prank.png]]]]
13	[[caption-width-right:300:Some schmuck just "won" ''The Maze Game'', they'd say.]]
14
15	->'''Dwight:''' What is this thing you just sent me?\
16	'''Jim:''' Oh, it's so cool. It's a picture of the most relaxing meadow you've ever seen.\
17	'''Dwight:''' I know what this is. It's supposed to lure me into a sense of calmness, then a ghoul pops up and scares me.\
18	'''Jim:''' Now, why would I do that? Dwight, of all people, I know you're unscarable.
19	-->-- ''Series/TheOfficeUS''
20
21	A Screamer Prank (usually referred to as a "Screamer") is a type of JumpScare that's combined with a SurprisinglyCreepyMoment or DisguisedHorrorStory. Originating on the [[WebOriginal Internet]], it pretends at first to be a game, a test, a still image, a video that is not meant to be scary, etc. (more often than not, [[SchmuckBait you will be instructed to look very closely at the image or turn your volume up]]). Then a scary image (usually a NightmareFace) pops up with either a scream or a ScareChord, which is when you realize -- after you've pried yourself off the ceiling, of course -- that you've been pranked.
22
23	While the shrill female screams are more common, loud male screams are not by any means unheard of. All screamers are supposed to startle the viewer, for as a JumpScare, they may give a viewer a brief sense of being attacked by what's more harshly going "Boo!" as though TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou, though some take it further with the NightmareFuel and others are so comical or ineptly done that they end up being NightmareRetardant.
24
25	These are known for utilizing SchmuckBait to a shameless degree and one of the many reasons [[ProperlyParanoid why one should be wary of clicking on certain links on the internet]]. Also see ShockSite (horrifying imagery without the JumpScare) and LastNoteNightmare, the latter being when a song has a creepy ending.
26
27	'''[[Administrivia/NoVideoExamplesPlease Please refrain from adding Video Examples to this trope.]]'''
28	----
29	!!Example subpages:
30
31	[[index]]
32	* [[ScreamerPrank.WebOriginal Web Original]]
33	[[/index]]
34
35	!!Other examples:
36	[[foldercontrol]]
37
38	!!!General:
39	[[folder:Advertising]]
40	* Advertising/KFee is a coffee beverage sold by a German company with a similar name. They have made nine different television commercials that imitate the screamers found online (they were actually shown on TV in Germany). The most popular one is the one featuring a car driving through a scenic country road and disappearing behind some trees, after which a green zombie jumps up with a loud monstrous scream; this is then followed with their slogan, [[FridgeBrilliance "You'll never feel more awake."]] The reason why it is more popular than the other commercials is because it was passed around the internet, and an urban legend that went along with it claimed that it was a commercial that was never aired on TV because a ghostly mist would appear next to the car about halfway through the commercial. In all, there wound up being nine K-Fee screamer commercials:
41	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fTeT3g1AA K-Fee Car]]" - The infamous car commercial that started it all.
42	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGXZKRG7H7Q K-Fee Beach]]" - Shows a couple on the beach looking at each other, then when they are about to kiss, a white demon pops up with the scream.
43	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXgEAKttluM K-Fee Boardwalk]]" - Shows a boardwalk panning to the right before the white demon comes from the top of the screen upside down with the scream.
44	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X14zAgM5HrA K-Fee Buddah]]" - Shows a young girl meditating, then the white demon pops up with the scream.
45	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-JjmYx0U2E K-Fee Golf]]" - Shows a golfer man preparing his golf shot, then the white demon comes from the top of the screen upside down with the scream right when the golfer hits the ball.
46	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osXk3VE4808 K-Fee Fish]]" - Shows a man fishing in the water, then the zombie comes out of the water with the scream.
47	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQ2E1ZzdE8 K-Fee Meadow]]" - Shows a meadow with yellow flowers, a bike, and a tree, then the zombie pops up with the scream.
48	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-zv9ipNEOU K-Fee Surfing]]" - Shows a man running out to the beach to surf, but before he reaches the beach, the zombie pops up with the scream.
49	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijtMIXQXD0E K-Fee Yoga]]" - Shows a person doing yoga on top of a cliff from a far view during a sunset, then the zombie pops up with the scream, this time shaded from the dark. This is widely considered to be the scariest of all of the adverts.
50	** In 2006, there were three parody commercials released on German television to advertise a new variant of K-Fee coffee with less caffeine.
51	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8N0QiHc43M K-Fee Car Lite Parody]]" - Shows a car driving by and a girly man pops up where the zombie would pop up in the normal version. The music is also higher pitched in this parody.
52	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdZuqmi7-5M K-Fee Beach Lite Parody]]" - Shows a couple on the beach looking at each other, then when they are about to kiss, a man in a bear costume pops up and makes a funny noise. The music is also higher pitched in this parody.
53	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31z8xaYDONA K-Fee Golf Lite Parody]]" - Shows a golfer man preparing his golf shot, then a right-side up man wearing a gorilla costume with antennas pops up and says "Ooga Booga" (you can actually see the antennas before he jumps up) when the golfer hits the ball. There are also many more birds chirping in this parody than in the original.
54	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLicfr1AYfo Video featuring all of the K-Fee Commercials (including the parodies)]]
55	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35tUyjrpWjU Video featuring all of the K-Fee Commercials with their jump-scares removed]]
56	** Just for fun, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiMm7XRkUp8 all 9 K-Fee commercials playing at the same time in windows]]
57	* Ride/BuschGardens' 2011 Theatre/HowlOScream TV ad is scary in and of itself, what with the creepy imagery and dark NurseryRhyme being played in the background, but the kicker comes at the end, when the song ends ("Come play in my garden...") and a female zombie tears through the "O" and lets out a very loud scream. If you're ''that'' curious, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWV8a1n9Qo0 here's the ad]].
58	* [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's]] Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights did this for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy4Vt_rQCRQ event's commercial in 2008]], which had the theme of [[MirrorMonster Bloody Mary]]. Considering the famous legend, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out when the screamer comes up.
59	* In 2012, Liberty University put out two advertisements for its yearly Scaremare event. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YG3I7fIWLY first one]] is 30 seconds long and [[SincerityMode contains no screamer]]. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPLOmhTsmwM longer version]] is twice as long, and as soon as you think it's about to end, a cloaked man with a scary-looking red and white striped mask abruptly comes from the side with a loud shriek and tries to [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou hit you with an axe]].
60	* In UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia, during the nineties, many TV programs were preceded by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT22uXUI-vg&feature=youtu.be the vanity plate]] of the TV company ВИД (VID, pronounced "veed"). It is a strange image of moving lines and circles with jackhammer or film projector noise in the background, and then, after a few sparks and loud ScareChord, a mean-looking scary mask appears. Many thought it was Yeltsin's, but in fact, it was a computer-generated image of a statue of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Xiang Guo Xiang]], edited to look mean. WordOfGod is that they picked this because it appeases their sentiment of uncertainty and fear among Russians due to the collapse of the USSR. Nowadays, this video is a hugely popular meme on the Russian segment of internet, because many of the modern Russian Internet users were kids during TheNineties, and they were shit-scared by this video.
61	* This was done for one particularly infamous ad for ''Series/SaulOfTheMoleMen'' which, itself, was known for mood-whiplashing gore in an otherwise Sid & Marty Kroft-style show.
62	** A later example is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvpRLSWSy0 the campaign for season 2 of]] ''Series/TheHeartSheHoller''. They got longer, louder, and more frequent throughout the summer.
63	* This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54U6BgYuJMY Japanese tire commercial]] features two Japanese men driving out in the snow before stopping at a female ghostly figure. At the 17 second mark, the figure immediately appears right on the windshield with a loud sound. There is a warning at the beginning that it is not for the faint of heart.
64	* A PSA from the 1970s showed a wind-up toy CymbalBangingMonkey while a childlike voice said, "They say that people on heroin have a monkey on their back. Isn't that cute?" Then the camera zooms in on the monkey's face while a loud primate scream plays. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AegsJYtwccw Here's a link to the PSA in question.]][[note]]The hands are claws, the eyes are pure black, the teeth are curled fangs.[[/note]]
65	* A 18-rated British PSA from 1987 called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoCuAo1TUPg Scavengers]] (watch at your own risk) takes this to the next level with [[spoiler:animal flesh infested with maggots and flies coming out of a fur coat at 1:13 with multiple loud synth chords]]. The only time this advertisement was publicly shown was during the previews before horror movies in British movie theaters.
66	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0BrPLhTjt8 This ad]] for the 2016 Six Flags Fright Fest starts as a normal ad, with people enjoying the park, and a woman voiceover saying "There's something for everyone at Six Flags". Cue a MonsterClown [[JumpScare jumping onto the screen]] a la the K-Fee car ad and screaming.
67	* An ad for horror film ''Film/TheNun'' drew ire for not only utilizing this trope in an ad played before Website/YouTube videos, but also for imitating an [=iOS=] volume bar being lowered on the screen before showing the movie's monster appearing suddenly with a loud scream. This resulted in some people getting panic attacks or dropping and potentially breaking their phones. The backlash resulted in the ad getting taken down after attention was brought to it, and the site took action against the ad for violating its shocking content policy for ads. This ad would often play when someone was trying to watch completely innocuous videos unrelated to horror or the film.
68	* With ''Film/TheLastExorcism'' coming to DVD and Blu-ray on December 27, 2010, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93IwuRc13-g Christmas themed screamer]] was made to promote it with a woman wearing a Santa dress taking off her coat and gloves and stepping off the screen before coming back as a screaming scary woman.
69	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdE_zjgf-Uk This commercial]] for Carb Solutions takes place at a baby shower, where a guest offers another some snack food. When the person declines the food and instead decides to have the carb bar she's enjoying, the face of the other guest suddenly turns demonic.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
73	* In ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', Minori actually pulls one of these on Ryuji ''personally'' to answer his question. It's funnier than it is scary and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwDJHvD_rdA really must be seen to be believed]].
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
77	* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': Computer demonstrates what a ghost is to Adu Du by displaying two similar images on her screen, prompting him to find their differences. The screen suddenly switches to a picture of a ghost, scaring Adu Du out of his wits.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
81	* An InUniverse example in [[http://www.gocomics.com/theargylesweater/2012/06/01 this]] ''The Argyle Sweater'' comic.
82	* An off-computer variant in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', where Calvin performs an "EmergencyBroadcast test" to his mother - it's just him screaming very loudly.
83	-->'''Calvin:''' Had this been a real emergency, the scream you just heard would have been followed by lots more like it...''[[[GoToYourRoom Cut to Calvin having been sent to his room]]]'' Some day when the house caves in, she'll thank me.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Fan Works]]
87	* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/50960986 Megumi the Trickster]]'', [[Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure Megumi]] tricks Hime into watching a screamer video, which scares Hime right off her chair.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
91	* InUniverse in ''Film/{{Bedeviled}}'': Two of the main characters prank their friend into watching a video that is supposed to have hypnotic imagery, and film his reaction as it shows him a JumpScare from a MonsterClown.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
95	* ''Series/DickAndDomInDaBungalow'' essentially made this a game, in the form of ''Bogies''. Dick and Dom (plus occasional guests and celebrities) would go to public places and gradually increase the volume when saying the word "Bogies". Eventually, they'd get so loud that the word would practically have to be screamed, and the camera crew made sure to capture startled reactions of people nearby.
96	* InUniverse in ''Series/TheGoodWife'' episode "Parallel Construction, Bitches". A couple of NSA techs acting as ThoseTwoGuys are goofing off while on the clock and one of them shoots the other a video. The second one says it'd better not be one of those videos where a guy suddenly jumps up in front of the camera to scare you. The first one says it's a cat video. [[spoiler:It's a guy-jumps-up-in-front-of-camera video.]]
97	* In the drama ''Cyberbully'', the anonymous troll lets Casey know he has full control of her computer by employing one of these.
98	* On ''Series/TheTonightShow'', Creator/JimmyFallon pulls this on The Roots by convincing some of them to watch the ''Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' trailer and give their reactions...not knowing that Jimmy snuck a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHSuHbvgaQc screamer into it]].
99	* In the ''Series/ModernFamily'' episode "Undeck the Halls", Jay Pritchett watches ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet'' which has had a screamer edited into it by Manny as a prank.
100	* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' could have had something like this. An idea was floated to create an episode where the master volume was slowly decreased throughout the broadcast, leading to viewers turning up the volume, perhaps multiple times, and then make an exceedingly-loud noise at the very end, perhaps even enough to [[ExplosiveInstrumentation blow up television sets]]. This was dropped when they figured that even their [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar surprisingly lenient bosses]] at the Creator/{{BBC}} would probably cancel the show if they went through with it.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Music Videos]]
104	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71xpQUFgk_k Love Automatic - NIGHTMARE]] is a stop motion claymation with a scary bluish clay monster popping out of the lower right corner of the screen with a screech at the 3:45 mark after the song ends.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Softwares]]
108	* [=NightMare=] is probably the precursor of all screamer pranks on computers. It was developed in 1990 by Patrick Evans for Commodore Amiga computers and distributed via Fish Disks. All it does is staying idle in the background then, every five minutes, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/NightMare_Amiga_scareware.png a skull with a bleeding crack]] appears all of a sudden for less than a second accompanied by a loud shriek. It is credited as first scareware of its kind.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Video Games]]
112	* ''VideoGame/UpgradeComplete 2'' offers one through the Heartrate upgrade. Upgrade Complete 3 has a three-level Heartrate upgrade. First level is a cartoonish, StylisticSuck little bedsheet ghost that pops up immediately, second level is a slightly scarier one that still lacks the surprise element, and third level is of high quality and delivers the actual scare far later and very suddenly, often during the actual gameplay.
113	* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' has the Krypt Monster, a little fucker that can pop up every now and then when the player is in the Krypt.
114	** Speaking of MK, one of Kabal's fatalities counts as this: [[spoiler: he tears his mask off, revealing a NightmareFace and screams at his opponent, which scares them so badly that their spirits exit their bodies & run away!]]
115	* In the ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' "Mob of the Dead" campaign, if you zoom in on a fireworks display on the roof, a distorted picture of what appears to be Russman's face will appear for a split second, accompanied by a high-pitched scream.
116	* Abused to no small extent in the ''Arise'' series of Flash games, to the point that it's more tedious than actually frightening.
117	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' champion [[ScaryScarecrows Fiddlesticks's]] Crowstorm tends to be used to this effect. He'll jump out of the brush with no prior warning, and then you're getting eaten alive by a murder of crows.
118	* A now-long-defunct location in the ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' virtual world featured a "haunted" maze where visitors could wander the halls to find free money. Occasionally, however, the visitor will trigger a screaming face that appears on screen for a few moments.
119	* ''Eternal Damnation'', a fan-made re-imagining of ''VideoGame/Postal2'' game (and included with it in the ''Fudge Pack'' box set) has a few scare faces thrown at the player during the first mission.
120	* The ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series has the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly-titled]] Screamer, a dark-elemental spell which flashes a photo-negative image alongside a loud scream. Whilst it doesn't deal much damage, it does provide a useful debuff (debuffing Magic Defense in [=EBF1-4=], and debuffing Attack in [=EBF5=]).
121	** The [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5 fifth game]] also has a special comment for Screamer's use from all five playable characters:
122	---> '''Matt:''' [[{{gasp}} gasp]] Don't do that.
123	---> '''Lance:''' EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE- Okay, it's over now.
124	---> '''Anna:''' WHAT THE- I wasn't ready for that.
125	---> '''[=NoLegs=]:''' ?!?!?
126	---> '''Natalie:''' [[ImmuneToJumpScares Haven't you guys seen any horror films? That was nothing.]]
127	* ''VideoGame/{{Soul}}'', on Xbox Live Indie Games, does this. On one of the early levels, the shadowy figure of a girl can be seen standing on the course. When the player passes over the figure, the image of a monstrous screaming woman fills the screen, with appropriate sound effect. The same thing also sometimes happens randomly when you die.
128	* ''[[http://www.kongregate.com/games/misterpersonman/a-triangle-mornings-which-way-game Which Way Adventure]]'', a flash game, features these as a running gag, and in fact the most common way to lose the game. Sometimes you can see it coming, but other times, particularly when you're doing something with a female character that is inteded to be sexy, it will appear and kill you with a loud scream for no apparent reason. Hitting the play button again will lead you back to the start area, but clicking ''anything'' from there will lead to the same screamer. Persevering past that will lead to the manticore that's been killing you sitting in the playground you start in this time, and the same result. From the fourth go on, you can continue to play the game normally.
129	* The Creeper from the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' GameMod ''The Ghoul's Forest 3'' and ''VideoGame/GhoulsVsHumans'' has this as its attack - it's usually almost invisible and creeping across the ground, and attacks by suddenly jumping up in front of its victim's face with a scream, killing them.
130	** ''The Ghoul's Forest 3'' and some custom versions of ''Ghouls Vs. Humans'' also have Yurei, a StringyHairedGhostGirl who has the ability to subject the player to a screamer prank, as a disturbing photo suddenly fills the screen. In the latter games, it's possible for players to turn off the screamers so that they can participate in matches without the fear of being suddenly subject to dead babies out of nowhere.
131	** Many of the infamous "Terry" wads lead the player into a trap room where they are endlessly bombarded with [[HellIsThatNoise ear damagingly loud screams or other noises]], walls of {{Nightmare Face}}s, and EpilepticFlashingLights.
132	* How most of the animatronics attack the player in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' qualify.
133	** A straighter example of this occurs in [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 the second game]] after a game over. Rarely, instead of being taken to the front menu, the player gets to enjoy a few seconds inside an 8-bit minigame where they can wander around. While they are kind of interesting in that some of them portray a little bit of background of the game's setting, they have a tendency to suddenly end with one of the animatronics from the actual game lunging out of the screen.
134	* On June 2nd, 2022 (though most noticed it on June 3rd), the creator of various ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'' [[GameMod addons]] such as Glue Library updated the addons to include NSFW Screamer Pranks with [[ShockSite shock images including]] [[SarcasmMode the legendary]] [[BodyHorror Goatse]] when the player first pressed the W key.
135	* ''[[http://armorgames.com/play/14518/killer-escape Killer Escape 1]]'' is a legitimate horror game that uses a severe jump scare at one point. You play as the latest victim of a sadistic pyromaniac murderer making your way out of his building/cells using a bunch of items and machinery, but at one point you must inspect some lockers, and whilst three of them are empty, a scary mutilated/burned woman's corpse will fly out in your face before collapsing on the floor when looking in one of the four. The sudden unexpected appearance of the killer at the end when he says "What the hell?!" is also slightly alarming.
136	* ''VideoGame/{{MUGEN}}'' has a few characters that do this.
137	** [[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 Giygas]], a boss character, randomly after being either defeated or winning a round, will randomly show a video clip in which, for example, the creator of this character (The_None), appears wearing a Jeff the Killer mask, admitting that the character is not scary, before a disfigured woman pops out of a book he opens with a loud scream.
138	** [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Dark Donald]], a cheap character, is capable of doing this before a round starts, in which he randomly gets replaced with another character for a moment, before a scary picture (Usually [[Film/It1990 Pennywise]]) pops up with a loud scream, and after this, Dark Donald appears normally.
139	** [[Franchise/TouhouProject F-Sanae]], a VERY, VERY cheap character has a move in which the screen darkens and turns to static, before the static shatters, revealing the eyeless face from What's Wrong With This Picture, but red with a loud roar.
140	* ''VideoGame/TheBlackHeart'', which runs on the aforementioned ''M.U.G.E.N'' engine, has [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Noroko]], whose moveset (including, but not limited to her FinishingMove) involves the liberal use of her lunging towards the camera with ear-piercing shrieks.
141	* A fairly popular web browser game nowadays is [[VideoGame/{{Agario}} Agar.io]], and considering the tens of thousands of people that can be on a server at one time, it's pretty brilliantly cruel that someone would make a screamer based about it. If you try to type in "ag'''o'''r.io" instead of "agar.io", you'll be greeted by none other than Jeff the Killer, whose face will be flashing repeatedly between regular and negative (epilepsy warning, of course) while an ''extremely loud'' droning scream is heard in the background.
142	* ''Cooking Breakfast 2'', a GameMaker "game", claims to be an "all time family classic" which is supposed to "learn [you] in seven steps to create your very own breakfast". The true nature of the "game" is something a bit different; it shows a poorly-drawn MS Paint picture of an odd-looking face spinning, accompanied by EpilepticFlashingLights and [[SensoryAbuse a gratingly high-pitched tone.]] And it has no exit feature; you have to turn it off via the task manager. If we are to believe the reviews, [[BrownNote some people got seizures from this]], and it's suspected that this game is actually the author's revenge against people who gave his previous games bad reviews. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oufquVHOLWc Footage]] is available for the morbidly curious.
143	* The Platform/PlayStation licensed game based on ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'' has Ursula popping up on the screen with a somewhat loud, evil laugh the very moment Ariel's health reaches zero.
144	* The Japanese Namco arcade game ''Yokai Dochuki'' has the optional false goddess in Stage 4. While the game's real goddess was in Stage 2, Stage 4 has what looks like a goddess facing away from the player's character. But when approached, she will turn around and reveal her actually hideous self while this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYGe0SLXBqg ten second frightening tune]] plays.
145	* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromLavenderTown'': It seems at first to be a simple top-down [[RoomEscapeGame Town Escape Game]], until you press the ESC key.
146	* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' has an enemy that does this, but you have to deliberately find it during the train ride (after killing the boss in a timed sequence, that is) by sitting on a chair in the first passenger carriage. Miriam will start to blink and slowly nod off when the train passes by the lake before being greeted by it. Good thing is that you can kill it, but trying to fight it right away without preparation will get you cursed and killed in short order.
147	* ''VideoGame/GameBoyCamera'' had the infamous error screens which could also be triggered by clicking the "Run" button. When activated, the screen would suddenly show [[NightmareFace disturbing "vandalized" faces]] of Nintendo employees, accompanied by ominous music and the messages "Who are you running from?" or "Don't be so silly!".
148	* In ''VideoGame/{{INFRA}}'', which is not ostensibly a horror game, unlocking door B2 in the Bergmann Tunnels chapter leads to a dead end corridor and an ambush by the [[WhiteMaskOfDoom white-masked]] [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight bogeyman]] Mörkö, which fortunately is not fatal and allows you to skip a chapter.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
152	* ''VisualNovel/TheLabyrinthOfGrisaia'': On Michiru's after story, Yumiko falls pray to one such video when surfing the net.
153	* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' uses this at the end of the first act with [[spoiler:Sayori hanging herself suddenly appearing on the screen with a ScareChord.]]
154	** Another one happens near the end of the game if the game detects you're recording/streaming, with [[spoiler:Monika taking notice and greeting the viewers, before she offers to show them a trick. The camera then slowly zooms into her face, before she says she's just messing with the player. Seconds later, in the middle of talking, the camera rapidly zooms into her face, which becomes [[NightmareFace distorted]] and now sports a SlasherSmile, with a loud static noise. Monika then quickly [[LampShadeHanging lampshades]] this, asking the audience "Did I scare you?"]]
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Webcomics]]
158	* ''Webcomic/TheBongcheonDongGhost'' is a Korean webcomic which depicts a young woman's encounter with the titular entity; it's most infamous for a JumpScare wherein the page ''hijacks your scroll bar'' to create the illusion of movement in order to show you the ghost's horribly scarred face (alongside a weird clicking sound). ([[NightmareRetardant It won't work properly]] if you have [=NoScript=] active on your browser, though.)
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Western Animation]]
162	* The scene in the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Guardians of Sunshine" where Finn and Jake creep up on Sleepy Sam.
163	* The ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Recipe'' has Gumball bait [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Anton]] with one. He promptly dies from fright.
164	* The ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' episode "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City" fits this trope. He walks into an old abandoned building and starts opening doors, seeing things like King Ghidorah (from Franchise/{{Godzilla}}) and Film/{{Jaws}}. He finally opens up the third door and sees a realistic girl playing a violin from behind which Courage likes at first, but the girl turns around and scares him with a giant red CGI face and a scream. It was once the page image for [[NightmareFuel/WesternAnimation Nightmare Fuel Western Animation]].
165	* One ''WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror'' segment of the episode "Tree House of Horror II" has it where the heart warming moment contains a ScreamerPrank at the end which overlaps with a JumpScare and a SurprisinglyCreepyMoment. [[note]] And not just any ScreamerPrank, it was obviously Bart [[CatapultNightmare waking up]] [[JumpScare screaming]] [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou at the camera]] and the [[EatTheCamera zoom in]]. Well, have fun having nightmares about Bart screaming in your face after watching the episode with a ScreamerPrank in it...[[/note]]
166	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
167	** In "Summerween", Stan repeatedly tries to scare two jaded trick-or-treaters. When he asks them what ''they'' find scary, they show him a video of a cute kitten that suddenly jumps to a screaming, monstrous face.
168	** An interstitial short about Mabel watching Gravity Falls' public access channel featured a KitschyLocalCommercial for the Mystery Shack, which inexplicably ended with a sudden, brief close-up of Stan's face while he let out a maniacal laugh.
169	* In a ''WesternAnimation/RabbidsInvasion'' video called "Find The Rabbid," the viewer is asked to find the Rabbid, but there is no Rabbid... just a peaceful pond. A few seconds later, a Rabbid jumps out and screams, and then three Rabbids laugh, indicating that it was a Screamer Prank made up by the Rabbids.
170	* As if the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Pet" wasn't creepy enough, TheStinger animatic at the end of the episode shows Captain Tim sleeping near Lord Hater's bed. After more than a few seconds, Captain Tim suddenly lunges at the camera, screams, and licks it in his mouth.
171	[[/folder]]
172
173	[[folder:Real Life]]
174	* [[OlderThanTheyThink Before the rise of digital videos on the internet]], Japan already had live pranksters known as "random screamers" who would set themselves up somewhere they could find suitable random victims, such as on a street corner or by the doors of an elevator, and then '''SCREAM VERY LOUDLY''' at them at some opportune moment. Usually, this was done with a hidden camera somewhere nearby so they could send footage of the victims' flustered reactions to local TV comedy shows.
175	* This woman caught up in a publicity stunt by British lotto company [=GeoLotto=] decided to approach the two hosts in a rather unusual way [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w1rTnWUGj4 when offered a five pound note]].
176	* Many Halloween props of the kind sold by companies like Creator/SpiritHalloween work on a similar pattern to screamers, with animatronic characters that draw a viewer in closer before some part of them pops up or jumps forward with a loud noise. "Peek A Boo Penny" is a particularly infamous startle prop. It appears to be a static life-sized figure of a girl holding her hands in front of her face talking quietly, but suddenly, her skull-like head pops up from behind her hands with a loud scream. Most of the people who watched the official video of the prop commented about how it startled them.
177	* The real life game Hide and Seek can be played in which the hider jumps out and scares the seeker.
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	!!!Parodies:
181	[[folder:Parodies]]
182	* "[[http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/notscary Not Scary]]" shows a picture of a room, then it shows a picture of a face drawn on MS Paint with a guy going "Boogity boogity boogity boo". Then it switches between the room and the MS Paint face for a while until the guy's face says "Alright, I'm done. You can go away now". Then he says one last "Boogity boogity boogity!" with the face.
183	* PlayedForLaughs in WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's review of ''Nintendo Power''. We first see a long, quiet shot of the Nerd's room with a few magazines piled up on the floor before the Nerd suddenly jumps into the screen and yells "ASS!"
184	** This was revisited again in the cold open of the 2019 sister episode "Video Game Magazines" in which opens with a remade opening
185	* Episode 31 of {{LetsPlay/Chuggaaconroy}}'s LetsPlay of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF0lqllQk0Y&t=14m50s has one with a picture of a]] [[OverlyLongGag RED RUPEE]] of all things after explaining that you only get the Giant's Wallet after completing the Oceanside Spider House on the 1st day, likely to show what the player is given should you complete the dungeon on any later day.
186	-->'''Chuggaaconroy:''' Just ask some of the other [=LPers=] what they think of that! '''''[[SensoryAbuse AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!]]'''''
187	* In the Mario fangame ''VideoGame/PsychoWaluigi'', [[http://youtu.be/XAfNnvoW4q4?t=11m43s in Static Void Kingdom]], the whole level is surreal compared to the rest of the game, and there's one part of the level where the face from "What's Wrong with this Picture?" pops up for a second but with no scream.
188	* In the ''WebVideo/{{Smosh}}'' episode ''Super Powers!'' Anthony is standing far away holding several objects. He is far enough not to be able to hear him at all. That is until Ian suddenly pops up close to the camera and screams really loud.
189	-->'''Anthony:''' Hey, so, the funny thing about this is if you actually look really closely, you can see-\
190	'''Ian:''' '''''[[HellIsThatNoise AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!]]'''''
191	* Parodied several times in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
192	** "The Internet" centered on Gumball watching what is implied to be the K-Fee car commercial and his reaction becoming an InstantWebHit.
193	** Carrie the ghost makes one in-universe in an online short that was later included in the episode "The Tape": she claims the video will let you see in 3D without glasses and instructs you to get closer, then makes a creepy face while yelling and laughs afterward.
194	** Part of [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Anton's]] DeathMontage in "The Recipe" includes a HollywoodHeartAttack in reaction to something on a computer desktop that involves sudden screaming.
195	** When Anais tries to get Gumball to take her to a scary movie in "The Spoiler", he inexplicably pulls a Screamer Prank [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall on both Anais and the audience]] by making the screen cut to [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/theamazingworldofgumball/images/0/02/Spoiler45.png/revision/latest?cb=20150307030247 a piranha on a black background.]] Cut back to Anais [[ColorFailure white with shock]] and Gumball wearing a smug grin.
196	* In ''Iron Twilight'', the haunted house area includes a chest. But when you open it, it shows a little popup of you opening the chest. When it's half open, the screen turns static and you see a close up of Qem saying hello in Michael Rosen's voice. After the popup disappears, Qem appears on the overworld, talking to you. [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Turns out this was a setup before he teleports you into a small room where you fight him]] [[TennisBoss in a 1 on 1 tennis match.]] Thankfully, the fight is optional.
197	* A recurring character in [[Creator/SrPelo Sr. Pelo's]] ''Spooky Month'' animation is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmRy8nGK2oY Ooga Booga Witch]], a parody of Regan [=MacNeil=] with a troll face-shaped head whose role mostly consists of appearing suddenly and yelling "Ooga booga!" to scare other characters. In the Youtube versions of the first and second episodes her face appears in TheStinger to, again, say "Ooga booga!" and then laughing at "spooking" the viewer.
198	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Flanders' Ladder", Bart pranks Lisa by having her play a "Genius Maze" game that contains a screaming zombie face, and then [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYouTube posts her reaction online]]. [[spoiler: [[MindRape He'd soon come to regret it.]]]]
199	[[/folder]]
200	----
201	'''''AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!'''''
202	[[BringMyBrownPants Good thing you brought your brown pants, huh?]]

Context Main / ScreamerPrank