Line #23 NightmareFuel/BatmanReturns


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fredatkinshand.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[DeadGuyPuppet "Hiya Max, remember me?!]] '''[[FingerInTheMail I'm Fred's hand!]]''' [[DeadGuyPuppet You want to greet any other body parts?!"]]'']]
3
4	-->''"Welcome to the Oswald Cobblepot School of Driving. Gentlemen, START YOUR SCREAMING!"''
5
6	Like its [[Film/Batman1989 predecessor]], this film was directed by Creator/TimBurton. So it should come as no surprise that it has its fair share of unsettling, nightmarish imagery beyond what the source material already had.
7	----
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9	* The VillainOpeningScene, from the young Penguin's treatment at the hands of his AbusiveParents no matter how repulsive he is (opening with the sounds of a baby crying in a way that's not quite human and Lord Cobblepot's OhCrap reaction at seeing exactly what his newborn son looks like....) to the fact that you never actually see his appearance ([[NothingIsScarier leaving you to wonder just what it is about him that warrants such horror and disgust]]) because his "crib" is a ''black cube with a caged slot as its single window'', and the cat-killing and the attempted drowning are just the icing on the cake. [[SarcasmMode Merry Christmas!]]
10	** Cat lovers will also be disturbed by the Penguin's murder of the family cat. He just yanks the poor kitty inside his cage, and we don't see what he does to it.
11	** Followed by an utterly chilling credits sequence of the baby's carriage traveling through the sewers accompanied by thoroughly eerie music.
12	* An ad with horrid face of The Penguin staring back at you. He's supposed to look like UnclePennybags without the mustache! [[Series/{{Taxi}} Danny DeVito]] in a tux should look like a plump, cuddly penguin, not that monstrosity! [[note]]Not that [[Film/TheBatman2022 Colin Farrell's Penguin]] is any prettier.[[/note]]
13	** The Penguin is so unhealthy that bile constantly drips from his mouth, revealing [[ScaryTeeth a set of sharp, disgusting, stained teeth]] that were no doubt the result of tooth decay and eating only raw fish and garbage. No wonder Catwoman didn’t want to have anything to do with him beyond their mutual goals.
14	* The [[NauseaFuel surprisingly gross]], animalistic behavior The Penguin displays throughout the movie, from eating raw fish to viciously biting a man's nose. His slovenly, [[TheGrotesque grotesque appearance]] (obese body, stained clothing, deformed hands, beak-like nose, stringy hair, [[LooksLikeCesare chalk-white skin and black-ringed eyes]]) certainly doesn't help matters.
15	** The scene where The Penguin gorily bites the nose of Josh -- an image consultant who insults his looks -- is horrific, even in a movie known for being full of disturbing images. How that whole sequence made it into a PG-13 film, even in the early 1990's, is anyone's guess.
16	--->'''Josh''': Not a lot of reflective surfaces down in the sewer, huh?
17	--->(''Penguin begins to [[DissonantLaughter laugh loudly]]. Nearby staff members join in'')
18	--->'''Penguin''': Still! (''glances around'') Could be worse! My nose could be ''gushing blood''!
19	--->'''Josh''': (''[[ExplainExplainOhCrap stops laughing]]'') Your nose could be... w-what do you mean by-
20	--->'''Penguin''': (''[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=wNWy3YmM3Kw&t=114s chomps down on the man's nose]], causing blood to spray'')
21	* Whereas Alicia's leap to death in the previous movie takes place off-screen, the Ice Princess's Penguin-engineered plunge from a rooftop happens right before our eyes. And it's not enough for her to fall out of camera range. Noooo, we go with her as she screams all the way down ''and'' as she lands. And this is a PG-13 film. There are '''R-rated''' movies [[Film/DieHard that don't]] [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} go that far]]!
22	** And when she hits the ground she sets off the Christmas tree lights, which flushes out a swarm of bats accompanied by some morbid music. The imagery is almost supernatural.
23	* Selina's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A08XpT2q4Xc mental breakdown]] when she returns home after getting shoved out the window of a high-rise building by Max Shreck for [[HeKnowsTooMuch finding out about his scam with the proposed energy plant]]. Her sanity hanging by a thread, she staggers home and starts going through the motions. She has a ritual of calling out, "Honey, I'm home! Oh, wait. I'm not married"... which she now recites in a CreepyMonotone. She has a vacant, zombie-ish look... until a Shreck advert plays on her answering machine -- and specifically mentions a "candlelight staff meeting for two" with her boss, who had just tried to ''murder her'' -- and [[RageBreakingPoint she just]] ''[[RageBreakingPoint snaps]]'' [[RageBreakingPoint completely]]; wildly flipping between [[BerserkerTears sobbing]], [[TheScream screaming]] and even [[LaughingMad laughing]] as she [[AngerMontage violently trashes her overly-cutesy apartment]]. It's the sheer emotion of the scene that gets you both terrified and emotional; not helped at all by the [[PsychoStrings psycho string]]-backed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzByIAs0BE soundtrack]] that effectively shows just how ''far'' [[SanitySlippage off the deep end Selina has gone]].
24	** Her [[https://youtu.be/UqStvc107-M death scene]] is nothing to sneeze at, either. As with the Ice Princess's death, we end up following her all the way down, her body smashing through several awnings before she slams into the alleyway.
25	*** The build-up to her death is disturbing -- not just Shreck threatening Selina, but the casual, almost ''conversational'' tone with which he does it. [[HopeSpot He fakes her out initially by pretending he was joking]], allowing Selina to calm down and [[ActuallyPrettyFunny laugh with him at the conversation]]. Shreck then turns and begins to walk away with a smile... right before he suddenly [[DestinationDefenestration shoves her backwards through the window]]. It doesn't help that Shreck is played by Creator/ChristopherWalken, NightmareFuelStationAttendant extraordinaire.
26	---->'''Shreck''': What did curiosity ''do'' to the cat?
27	** Selina's apartment is pretty creepy in itself. [[WomanChild The whole thing is painted pastel pink and filled with toys and decorations that an adult woman should have outgrown]]. But when you get a closer look, you can see that there's a big metal I-beam hanging overhead painted in the same garish pink. The details make you realise that despite working for a conglomerate, Selina's living in a slum whose upkeep isn't being properly maintained.
28	** The decor also hints that Selina was always a bit mentally unstable, even before her near-murder.
29	* Those who have ailurophobia, or a fear of cats, were caught off-guard the many times Catwoman and her cats in general hunt down Batman.
30	** The resurrection scene will give you the shivers, even if you ''don't'' have a fear of cats. A hoard of stray cats appear from every direction and surround Selina's lifeless body, licking at her wounds and crawling all over her. Several of them appear to breathe into her mouth, while one of them gnaws on her fingers hard enough to ''draw blood''. Then Selena's eyes roll back in her head and flutter open, and [[ThousandYardStare she stares with a dead-eyed, lifeless gaze]]. At that point, you know there's something ''seriously'' wrong with her.
31	* The mugger who corners the woman in the alley way and attempts to rape her...... Fortunately for the audience it’s also the same scene in which Catwoman makes her debut and easily hands the mugger [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown his ass]] but for anybody who’s been a victim of rape or who was a near-rape victim? Its very unsettling to watch.
32	** Though it's safe to say we won't miss the mugger, how Catwoman deals with him is rather disturbing, too; taking her time in dragging her claws -- made from razor-sharp sewing implements -- across his face, then apparently [[EyeScream stabbing him in both eyes]].
33	-->'''Catwoman''': (''slashes once'') Tic... (''twice'') Tac... (''violently stabs his eyes'') TOE.
34	* You thought ComicBook/TheJoker was the only Batman villain who employed [[MonsterClown evil clowns]]? The Penguin has an entire [[https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Triangle_Circus_Gang gang]] made up of [[CircusOfFear demented ex-circus performers]], including [[TheFreakShow several side show freaks]]. It's hinted that their circus was shut down due to accusations of [[WouldHurtAChild child abduction]].
35	** A [[FreezeFrameBonus careful look]] at the newspaper clippings reveals that their circus sideshow included an "Aquatic Bird Boy". Penguin's been at the child abduction game for a ''very'' long time.
36	** During their attack on the Gotham Plaza, a few unlucky Gothamites are seen [[ManOnFire burning alive]].
37	* [[spoiler: Max Shreck's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath]]: Catwoman shoves her stun gun into his mouth and [[KissOfDeath kisses him]], frying him alive. The sight of his [[http://imgur.com/mzG7PmD charred remains]] is also pretty horrifying and most certainly WILL catch viewers off guard.
38	** Also the way that Catwoman taunts Max despite being shot numerous times and the way she sings [[CreepyMonotone “All good girls go to heaven”]] is VERY creepy and it shows that her thirst for revenge has completely drove her insane.
39	** An interesting mention goes to a CallBack to the first [[Film/Batman1989 Batman]] film with Joker's Joy Buzzer scene. Anyone remembering that will get a real [[SarcasmMode pleasant]] memory of that scene when watching Max Shreck's demise.
40	* The Penguin's [[RasputinianDeath death scene]] is also unpleasant. During his fight with Batman, he falls through a window and lands in a deep pool poisoned with industrial chemicals: he emerges from the water several minutes later. Burned, bleeding, with carcinogens pouring from his nose and mouth in a [[BlackBlood black sludge]] and [[HellIsThatNoise making horrible gurgling sounds similar to a death rattle]] as he breathes, slowly and unflinchingly walking toward his umbrella stand with [[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises enormous, expressionless eyes.]] When he fails to kill Batman by mistakenly picking up one of his non-armed umbrellas, Penguin finally succumbs to his injuries and dies.
41	-->'''Penguin''': Oh, shit! I picked the ''cute'' one! This heat's getting to me... I'll murder you momentarily. But first... I need a ''cool'' drink. Of iced... water. (''rattles as he collapses on the spot'')

Context NightmareFuel / BatmanReturns