Line #16 NightmareFuel/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie


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7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spongebobnf.png]]
8	''[[caption-width-right:350:"Would you care for some ice cream?"]]''
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11	You thought that a movie starring the most absorbent, yellow, and porous sponge would be a laugh all the way? HaHaHaNo. Well, despite its comedic moments, this movie [[DarkerAndEdgier is a lot darker than the series, with a lot of horror elements to boot]]!
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14	* The activation of the bucket helmets. [[CerebusSyndrome It's the point where the movie takes on a much darker turn]].
15	** If you listen closely to the score, you can hear the fluttering woodwinds making a [[MickeyMousing creepy-crawly sound]] to accompany all the helmets turning on. It's a very ominous tune.
16	** [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Plankton]] going NotSoHarmlessVillain (to the point of [[KickTheDog pretty much crossing]] the MoralEventHorizon) is terrifying [[BewareTheSillyOnes as well]], [[VillainousBreakdown considering]] how [[HarmlessVillain he usually is]].
17	*** While this point might be seen as mundane, it does become FridgeHorror when you think about it. If [=SpongeBob=]'s Employee of the Month awards began in 1997 (the year the first episode was produced), then the movie takes place in 2028. How many failures did Plankton have to suffer to finally snap and go off the deep end? What would be that final push from "stealing the Krabby Patty formula" to "Take over the world and enslave"?
18	** Even at the beginning when we first see Plankton fuming over Krabs being interviewed by Perch Perkins, just watching him barely contain his rage is legitimately disturbing.
19	** Creator/MrLawrence’s [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct performance]] as Plankton during this scene also deserves a mention; throughout the beginning of the film, he’s prone to yelling more than he ever did in the show, with more frustration in his tone. When he has Squidward captured, he screams "Who can stop me now?! WHO?!" with full-blown malice and [[LaughingMad mad laughter]], a direct contrast to his [[EvilLaugh usual "hehehehehehe" laugh]]. It's very unnerving, to say the least, to see what could happen if Plankton [[MoralEventHorizon completely abandoned his morals]] and went through with his TakeOverTheWorld plot.
20	** The way the sequence switches from colour to a long-shadowed sepia tone a la ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill''. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Let that sink in for a second]].
21	** Then he does it to ''[[HijackingCthulhu King Neptune]]'' in the film's climax.
22	** Really, the scariest part of the bucket helmets is probably that constant droning of "[[CreepyMonotone ALL HAIL PLANKTON!]] [[MadnessMantra ALL HAIL PLANKTON!]] [[AndIMustScream ALL HAIL PLANKTON!]]"
23	** The first fish whose helmet is destroyed happily declares "I'm free!" which implies that [[AndIMustScream the bucket helmets keep the victim aware to some extent]]. [[FridgeHorror To think of the implications, especially with King Neptune, are not well advised]].
24	** We can see ''babies'' wearing the helmets. [[WouldHurtAChild Think about that]].
25	* The climax in general is extremely terrifying if for no other reason than how utterly alone our heroes are. Everyone in Bikini Bottom, including the king of the sea himself, has been brainwashed by Plankton and Mr. Krabs is frozen, leaving [=SpongeBob=], Patrick and Mindy alone and defenseless against the oncoming horde. If [=SpongeBob=] hadn't had his heroic epiphany, they'd have been doomed.
26	* The old lady at the ice cream stand, who turns out to be some kind of giant monstrous frogfish. Not to mention the abundant piles of skulls and bones near her. Serves as an ominous foreshadowing of her true nature.
27	** Also worth mentioning is the background. There are skeletons everywhere, and the sky is a sick green. It is not an inviting atmosphere and might bring parallels to negative environmental phenomena in the real world, like coral bleaching, mass-die-offs, oil spill impacts, etc.
28	** Not to mention her, uh, “pet,” Mr. Whiskers.
29	* While the [[MemeticMutation memetic]] faces [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick make are classic comedy for veteran [=SpongeBob=] fans, the original context of this meme is pretty unnerving. After barely surviving an encounter with a frogfish and bailing out of the Patty Wagon to save their skins, [[AlwaysABiggerFish a]] '''''[[AlwaysABiggerFish GIGANTIC]]''''' [[AlwaysABiggerFish deep-sea eel swallows the frogfish and the Patty Wagon whole]]. It's so monstrous and quite spooky-looking, and the way it's animated to move so slowly really sells its intimidating mass. Those [[MemeticMutation surprised faces]] [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick make are ''completely'' justified.
30	* [[HumanPopsicle Frozen Mr. Krabs]]. The worst part is that he is ''[[AndIMustScream still completely conscious]]''. The whole reason why he is frozen in the first place is for committing a crime he didn't even do and has only six days before he's put to [[KillItWithFire death by fire.]]
31	** His face is frozen in a permanent scream, too.
32	** Not to mention he's left alone in the Krusty Krab, with no one, not even Squidward, making sure he's okay. Hell, the only two people Mr Krabs would trust his life[[note]], Patrick and ''especially'' [=SpongeBob=],[[/note]] to guard the restaurant have already left on their RoadTripPlot to go save the crown with not even a week to do it and with the odds heavily against them. No one even bothered to lock the damn door when they left! Plankton can just walk right in, steal the secret formula, and walk out. He even could have ''shattered'' Mr Krabs if he had felt like it!
33	*** If that were to be considered, then Plankton shattering Krabs could be a MercyKill. [[FridgeHorror Plankton wants to see Krabs suffer]] [[CruelMercy by making no efforts of easy shattering or thawing]].
34	* [[ProfessionalKiller Den]][[PsychoForHire nis.]] Enough said. He's a pretty terrifying villain for a kids movie. The quote below represents his character best, and this is before the first shot of him!
35	-->'''Plankton:''' ''HE'S A VICIOUS, COLD-BLOODED PREDATOR!''
36	** One of his creepier moments is when he casually [[DisproportionateRetribution rips the lips off of the hillbilly brothers]] after they laughed at him over a [[MoodWhiplash stupid joke they made up on the spot]], and later on punching a thug to his [[UncertainDoom presumed death]]. These scenes really [[EstablishingCharacterMoment establish]] how Dennis is [[NoNonsenseVillain not one to take nonsense of any kind]], [[KnightOfCerebus unlike the rest of the funny characters.]]
37	** He gets even scarier in his last moment when he is having his VillainousBreakdown and yelling at [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick about how he is "through messing around" with them. It doesn't help that his eyes are all [[RedEyesTakeWarning red]], [[EyeScream swelled and watering from irritation]] as he glares down at them. [[BigDamnHeroes Thank god for that boat]].
38	*** When he returns on the "bigger boot", while the way he appears squashed may remind some of Plankton, how he reforms is quite disturbing. And when he manages to get back in shape, he has a NightmareFace and SlasherSmile combo that could haunt your dreams. His shattered shades, bloodshot eyes, and sharp teeth and the scary music don't help.
39	--->'''Dennis:''' ([[TranquilFury eerily calm]]) Did you ''miss'' me?
40	** Creator/AlecBaldwin's performance is too to be applauded for conveying pure malice in his voice. His very voice can send a chill down anyone's spine.
41	* The ''Thug Tug'' BadGuyBar, not to mention the psychopath running the place.
42	** The main thug trying to weed out the "Bubble-blowin' baby." It starts off rather silly, but as Patrick and [=SpongeBob=] actively try not to sing along to the "Goofy Goober" song, they start to melt, foam at the mouth and to top it off, [[NightmareFace they have pain-contorted faces]]. It is animated fluently, but it's [[NightmareFace too fluid to be goofy]].
43	*** Hell, the main thug, Victor the bartender ''himself''. He's arguably a little too aggressive for a [=SpongeBob=] movie. The way Creator/ThomasFWilson just has this guy REVEL in basically torturing [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick can be sickening. You probably won't feel too sorry for him when he runs into the even more aggressive Dennis and gets his clock cleaned ([[FridgeHorror Although considering what happens to the Thug Tug when Victor crashes into it, no one could survive THAT]]. [[KilledOffForReal We might have seen a murder in a [=SpongeBob=] production]]).
44	* Shell City, once you see it from [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's perspective. Imagine being trapped inside a room with no way out with hundreds of dead people surrounding you.
45	** Not just dead people, [[WaxMuseumMorgue dead people dressed up to be sold like gifts]].
46	** Were those fish unconscious or [[AndIMustScream not]]? Considering that the movie wasn't explicit about it, [[FridgeHorror best not to think about it too hard]].
47	* King Neptune may be a short-tempered, tyrannical, and punishment-obsessed king who tends to lose his temper over the [[DisproportionateRetribution slightest wrongdoings]], but his expressions can be freaky whenever he's angry (despite [[Creator/JeffreyTambor Jeffery Tambor's]] hilarious delivery from time to time).
48	** How hell-bent he is on killing Mr. Krabs under the assumption he stole his crown can be pretty disturbing. It’s not given any focus, but on the day he intended to kill Mr. Krabs, Neptune drove straight through the enslaved Bikini Bottom without any form of acknowledgement as to how utterly different it looks from the last time he was there, just that dedicated to execute someone, who he froze to the spot for nearly a week no less, over a stolen item.
49	** Even worse than his constant freakouts is seeing Neptune enslaved by Plankton. After [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick save the day and Neptune is happily reunited with his crown, Plankton puts a bucket helmet on ''him''. He even tries to get it off ([[FridgeHorror whether he wants to take such a contraption off or if he knew about what they can do is unknown]]), but Plankton turns the helmet on and he starts droning, [[AndIMustScream "All hail Plankton."]] Following that, an [[BrainwashedAndCrazy emotionless and brainwashed]] Neptune points his fiery trident at [=SpongeBob=] and co. (even his ''[[OffingTheOffspring own daughter]]'') who are closed in by the other brainwashed Bikini Bottomites, ready to burn our heroes to death for being the only ones to thwart his plan. Or how about the fact that Plankton almost made Neptune ''kill his own daughter''? And as a previous point suggests, [[FridgeHorror Neptune may have been aware of it, powerless to stop himself]].
50	* The close-up on Plankton's [[NightmareFace face]] as he gives his third and final '''"[[BigYes YES!!!]]"''' when Neptune is about to immolate Krabs. His eye is crazed and widened, and he's got a vast SlasherSmile on his face (that can be eerily reminiscent of [[TheCaligula Luca Blight]] from ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''), complete with ''fangs''. Seeing that picture of Plankton, and hearing Mr. Lawrence's aggressive (yet well-acted) delivery, is enough to drive the point home of how much he wants to see Krabs gone, and how far past the MoralEventHorizon he has become.
51	* '''[[KnightOfCerebus The Cyclops]]'''. Mindy specifically warns the heroes about a giant cyclops guarding Shell City, and that if he catches them, they will never be seen again. Then they finally encounter the dreaded Cyclops, which turns out to be a [[UncannyValley realistic deep sea diver]] [[SicklyGreenGlow with a glowing green viewpoint]]. From [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's perspective, the Cyclops looks [[HumansAreCthulhu downright unnatural]] compared to what they have seen so far, and it is ''[[EvilIsBigger utterly massive]]'', accidentally crushing the nightmarish hitman Dennis with his boot. As the Cyclops quickly captures [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick, he brings them up close to his glowing, expressionless "eye," silently watching them scream in terror, before taking them away to Shell City. Unlike most monsters in the sea, the Cyclops seems to enjoy watching sea creatures get scared, cackling maniacally before [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slowly killing them and turning them into gifts]]. And then he leaves [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick to dry up under a hot lamp...
52	** The fact that Mindy knows about [[HumansAreCthulhu the Cyclops]] guarding Shell City is probably the reason why no one has returned, it makes King Neptune's utter despair that the crown is stuck in Shell City seem much worse; it's possible that King Neptune is afraid of the Cyclops, or at least unwilling to challenge him, even to get back his crown.
53	** What makes him really disturbing is that whenever actual humans are used as villains in FunnyAnimal cartoons, they're usually ObliviouslyEvil, or at most, an EgomaniacHunter. It's heavily implied that the Cyclops, whoever he really is, is perfectly aware that the sea creatures he's been tormenting and selling are sentient, and that he enjoys their pain and fear. He's easily a hundred times the size of the fish and marine life he tortures and there's nothing they can do to stop him. He even wears his diving suit inside his shop, even though there's no reason to other than enforcing his dominance over his victims. Even the most callous normal human being would be disgusted at his pointless cruelty. It's pretty cathartic, therefore, that when the sea creatures all get restored once the sprinkler system is activated, they see that the tables have turned and attack the Cyclops themselves.

Context NightmareFuel / TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie