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Sure, she's not scared now, but how is she going to react when she sees that photo?
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"Remember to believe in magic...Or I'll kill you..."

Buzzsaws for hands and the monsters of clay

Nightmare Fuel, as we mean it here, means those things that scared the pants off you as a kid, though they weren't meant to. It's something that was meant to amuse, entertain, or be only slightly scary to the audience; but in execution, they're so trauma-inducing that they may cause adults to void themselves in terror. For young children, media can be a minefield of this kind of stuff, as unexpected or over-the-top scary moments can crop up out of nowhere in everything from grade-school plays to beer ads.

Note: Things that are supposed to scare the pants off you fall under High Octane Nightmare Fuel.

The Usual Suspects of Nightmare Fuel include:

In short If a work

  • was intended for children
  • not intended to be scary to children
  • that turned out to be scary to children anyway

Then It's Nightmare Fuel.

This trope is named after the phrase "Good Old-Fashioned Nightmare Fuel", used by Mike and the 'bots at least three times in Mystery Science Theater 3000 to describe trauma-inducing sights and objects in films that appeared by design to be originally intended for children. (For the record, the films in question were the incredibly creepy Santa Claus, Roger Corman's The Undead, and a scene in the otherwise silly film The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?. And this was from the former.)

It should be noted that Nightmare Fuel doesn't always make sense. Thus, there will be no judgment taken towards any examples - just, for the love of Benji, let us know why the work of fiction in question was so scary. (Editors will cut anything that merely says "Oh, 'Show X' was horrifying!") Also, you may want to consider whether your example is truly scary, or merely too gross. Not all Nightmare Fuel will be scary to all kids; after all, everyone is different and horror is just as subjective as comedy. Indeed, to some kids, these scenes can be the coolest part of the movie! Some people have fond memories of watching the Be Prepared from the Lion King and cackling with childlike glee. Indeed, many a fan or fictional character might find they seek out what others consider Nightmare Fuel. If so, you might be a Nightmare Fetishist.

Furthermore, some kids may get Nightmare Fuel from things that aren't even on this list; and what one kid takes in stride may scare the pants off of another kid.

Complicating matters further is that gaining courage with regards to pop culture is not always an upwardly linear process; a kid may be too young to understand a subtle kind of horror the first time he watches a movie and then be terrified watching the same movie years later! This is a type of Fridge Horror.

There is an excellent discussion about this phenomenon and its possible psychological origins in this blog post at The Onion A V Club. And check out the website Kinder Trauma - if you dare. Plus, enjoy (or run away screaming from) the "Top 11 Scariest Nostalgic Moments" by the Nostalgia Critic, a complilation of scary-as-hell T.V. and movie clips. *shudder*

There is, curiously enough, often some crossover with Tearjerkers and Fetish Fuel (we'll try not to think too hard about that). Contrast with Nightmare Retardant and Narm. If the offending material can make you sick however, you've got Nausea Fuel.

Note that examples from shows that are not intended to be viewed by children cannot be examples by definition.

Well, go make sure you've got a fresh bulb in your trusty night light. It's time for the...

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