Nightmare Face / Western Animation

Truly, a face made for radio...

• Centaurworld: In "Holes, Part 2", when Comfortable Doug suddenly shouts "tell it to the judge!", his goofy-looking rounded teeth suddenly become fangs, he loses his accent, and his voice gains a distorted, echoing effect.
• The Ren & Stimpy Show owes much of its horror to this trope.
  • A particularly extreme one◊ happens in "Ren Seeks Help", where Ren's eyes become huge and bloodshot, and his lips flap back and away from his mouth to reveal gums studded with small, misaligned pointy teeth. Ren makes another terrifying face later in the episode, after he beats Mr. Horse.
  • The face Ren makes in "Stimpy's Pregnant", when he finds out Stimpy's "pregnant" and attempts to abort the "baby", is also pretty frightening.
  • One in the original Ren and Stimpy happens when Ren shouts, "AT LAST I HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR TV SET!", before immediately switching to a face that is much more pleasant to look at. His already protruding eyes are bulging so much that one would expect them to jump out any moment and his mouth is nothing less than utterly disgusting with a few misshapen teeth visible from his also exposed gums.
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: In the episode Ties That Bind, Catra pulls this terrifying feral-like facial expression◊ after pinning Bow to the ground.
• The Simpsons:
  • In "There's No Disgrace Like Home", Homer, disgusted by his family, imagines them as horrible demons.
  • In "Brother from the Same Planet", Bart is so mad at Homer for being late to pick him up that he has a brief Imagine Spot of Homer's face burning and melting, with his face looking like a skeleton covered with blood and rotting skin, and his eyes devoid of pupils, while moaning "NOW HOW 'BOUT A HUG?".
  • "Treehouse of Horror V": In "The Shinning", while being manipulated by the ghostly Moe, Homer makes several terrifying faces; at one point, he mocks Marge for being afraid of them, he makes one and looks at his reflection in the mirror, and scares himself.
• Family Guy:
  • One Cutaway Gag parodied The Ring; Peter watches the cursed tape, despite fair warning, and in the next cut we see him with a Nightmare Face, just like what you might expect from a reference to The Ring (The joke is that the cursed video was a copy of Mannequin; Take That!).
  • The character of Death also apparently has one of these, causing Peter to scream in terror when he see it and vomit afterwards.
• SpongeBob SquarePants has used this on occasion.
  • Probably the most well-known example is Moar Krabs◊, from the "more" montage from the episode "Jellyfish Hunter."
  • Part of the reason SpongeBob and Patrick mistake Sandy's pet caterpillar-now-turned-butterfly Wormy for a monster in one episode is because the Butterfly is supremely hideous to the point it probably gave more than a few kids actual nightmares, since we actually get to see its face up close multiple times throughout the episode. Despite the mainstream view of butterflies as beautiful, this is Truth in Television like with how all real insects are perceived by the human eye to be when you scale them up to a point where a human can make out every detail.
    • Just to note, that is "not" what an actual butterfly looks like. What was used, though, doesn't lessen the horror element to the situation... they used closeups of an actual horsefly.
  • "Skodwarde", from the episode "Just One Bite". "Does this look unsure to you?"
  • "Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?" has one as a Gross-Up Close-Up. "Is there something wrong with me?"
  • "Face Freeze!" is all about SpongeBob and Patrick making these faces. This is Played for Laughs at first, but later for horror when the two cannot undo their faces.
  • "Good Neighbors" has this when Squidward reaches his Rage Breaking Point. It amplfies the effect of Squidward's tirade at SpongeBob and Patrick's games in-universe.
  • This happens in "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve", when SpongeBob reaches his own Rage Breaking Point and shouts, "Overtime!?"
  • Two of them done by Patrick in "Valentine's Day" during his rampage. One when he yells "Heart on stick must die!", and another more threatening one when he closes in on SpongeBob, who braces for the inevitable just before Sandy arrives with the chocolate balloon.
• Adventure Time does this entirely too much for a children's cartoon. But it's okay.
  • Vampiress Marceline cranks the Nightmare Face up to eleven when she gets angry or feeds on anything red.
  • The shot of Lemongrab in "Too Young" with his eyes rolled back into his head, with only the whites exposed, could count as this. That just came out of nowhere... *shudders*
  • There was a deleted scene from that same episode, where Lemongrab sends a tiny candy kid to the dungeon. When the kid meekly tries to protest, LG makes an exceedingly creepy, deranged face, and the kid leaves the room in tears.
  • The Lich's face, all the time.
  • Ricardio's close-up in "Ricardio the Heart Guy", when he says he's going to rip out Princess Bubblegum's heart "AND MAKE OUT WITH IT!"
  • We don't see the face Marceline's dad makes at the Ice King in "It Came From the Nightosphere", but judging by the Ice King's reaction it was pretty terrifying.
    Ice King: I've soiled my tunic... completely by choice!
  • Even Finn gets in on the action: during...expressive moments, his face resembles a cross between this trope and the Trollface meme.
• Courage the Cowardly Dog:
  • The episode "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City" contains a freaky one with the Violin Girl; this is made even worse by a loud, demonic scream.
  • The Harvest Moon Spirit is another example and one that more than makes up for the fact that it is nothing more than a disembodied head.
  • Courage himself can occasionally make these, typically when scared or hurt.
    • For example, after some of Kitty's attacks in The Mask
  • King Ramses from "The Curse of King Ramses". Like the Harvest Moon Spirit and the Violin Girl, this example is extra horrifying because its animated in a different style than the rest of the show. (King Ramses is CGI, the Spirit is live-action and the Violin Girl is claymation)
• Rugrats:
  • "In the Dreamtime" has the infamous scene where Tommy turns around in Chuckie's nightmare to reveal an unsettling cartoonish face. "I'M NOT TOMMY!" The same thing happens to Stu in a dream Chuckie's dad has at the end of the episode: "I'M NOT STU!"◊
  • Charlotte in the spin-off series, All Grown Up! looks a bit unnerving thanks to what was clearly too much cosmetic surgery. She made Didi scream in terror at least once.
• These◊ three◊ images◊ of Ezekiel from Total Drama World Tour as he descends into complete madness from an obsession with winning the season.
• Some of the faces the Grinch makes from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! could qualify, like the one he makes when he first gets his "wonderfully awful idea" to steal Christmas◊ or the one he makes when sneaking through the bedroom of some sleeping Who kids◊.
• G.I. Joe: Renegades:
  • Snake Eyes is implied to have this by the unnerved reaction of several bikers who saw him unmasked. Scrap-Iron's scarring after taking a missile to the face definitely qualifies.
  • In the Marvel comics, Cobra Commander wore the mask just to stay anonymous, but in the Sunbow cartoon, the mask was to hide his face. Destro, himself masked but a normal guy underneath, is repulsed in one episode when walking in unexpectedly on Cobra Commander dining.
• The Problem Solverz episode "Funny Facez" invokes this several times with "funny face artists." The characters find the faces hilarious, but they're really kind of creepy looking. At the end of the episode, Alfe makes the "funniest"◊ one.
• Transformers: Animated: Blackarachnia without her helmet.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
  • In the episode "Lesson Zero", Twilight gets a Slasher Smile (here◊), grinding teeth◊, and a horrible mane when she falls off the deep end.
  • "Too Many Pinkie Pies" parodies this trope by having one of Pinkie Pie's clones turn her face into... G3 Pinkie's.
  Pinkie Pie: Betcha can't make a face crazier than... THIS!
  • At the end of "A Canterlot Wedding, Part 1", Chrysalis!Cadence makes one whilst Twilight is basically being Dragged Off to Hell.
  • Rarity under the spell's influence in Inspiration Manifestation.
  • Discord literally vomiting up his magic.◊
• Nebby K. Nezzer during the climax of the VeggieTales video "Rack, Shack, and Benny" when he dumps Bob the Tomato as Shadrach, Junior Asparagus as Meshach, and Larry the Cucumber as Abednago into the furnace.
• The faces the Hitchhiking Ghosts make to scare Pete in the House of Mouse version of the song "Grim Grinning Ghosts."
• In an episode of Tom and Jerry Tales, a shape-shifting alien takes the form of Jerry, and pulls off a terrifying◊ Slasher Smile.
• The Danny Phantom episode "The Ultimate Enemy" has the creation of Dark Danny. It's not the scene that's freaky (though it has its Squick moments), but the part when Dark Danny before he kills his human half gives off a face past the disturbance scale. Oh, if looks could kill...
• Hey Arnold!: In the episode "Arnold Visits Arnie" at the end of Arnold's Nightmare Sequence Arnie gives one of these after going Ax-Crazy.
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack pretty much runs on this trope, usually accompanied by the shows signature "Horrified Scream" sound effect.
  • Especially a certain cat
  • Comically averted with a creepy character called Teehee Hummy tums, who wears a burlap sack with a weird face drawn on it over his head (as does his family). When he takes it off at the end of the episode, it turns out that he's so stunningly beautiful that his face projects a halo of light (the viewers dont get to see it, but the other characters are all mesmerized and throw money at him as thanks for gracing them with his presence).
• On one episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Gumball's dad goes off the deep end trying to prank him and makes some hideous faces in the process.
  • Anais has one at the very end of "The Remote". And they zoom so close onto it!
• Phineas and Ferb:
  • "...Everything okay◊, Candace?
  • The face Lawrence makes when he becomes evil in "Bullseye!" counts as well.
• The skeletons in The Skeleton Dance do this occasionally.
• In the Teen Titans (2003) episode "Crash", Raven scares Gizmo into helping to cure Cyborg by lowering her hood. We only see her shadow on the floor next to gizmo, but there are implied to be tentacles coming out of there.
  • Interestingly, prior to it Robin indicates that he wants her to do this. Which could mean he knows about it...
  • Teen Titans Go!!! has Robin with his mask off◊. Unlike the reactions by viewers, the Titans thought his face looked beautiful.
• Batman: The Animated Series loves playing this trope:
  • The very first episode, "On Leather Wings", has a transformation sequence that's guaranteed to frighten anyone who sees it (as well as providing an unforgettable scary sounds).
  Kirk Langstrom: "IT'S IN ME, BATMAN! Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hoah-hoah-hoahhh-HWAH-HWAH-HWAH-HWAH-HWAAHHHH...HREEEEEE! SKREEEE!"
  • The Scarecrow, having fear as his shtick, is often shown inducing hallucinations of this in others. Here's an example.
  • Here's the title card◊ of the episode "The Last Laugh"...
  • Calendar Girl in "Mean Seasons" hides her face behind a White Mask of Doom — her appearance is perfectly normal, even beautiful, but being cast aside by the modeling industry as "too old" warped her perception so that she sees only the minor flaws and thinks of herself as hideous.
• Rankin-Bass' ''The Stingiest Man in Town." has their version of the Marley-knocker. Enjoy◊!
  • Fellow Rankin/Bass special The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold, at one point, has the protagonist Dinty Doyle being duped by the Big Bad into giving the eponymous treasure trove to her, while she is disguised as a beautiful woman. When Dinty asks her in concern why she's suddenly Laughing Mad after being given the gold, she flashes THIS◊ face (her real face) at him. Tends to be one of the things that those who saw the special remember the most.
• In a Porky Pig cartoon called "Porky in Egypt", a harem girl removes her veil to reveal her ugly and unattractive face.
• Despite being full of Gorn, Metalocalypse usually averts this. Except the end of Dethkids and Murderface after plastic surgery (his face got infected).
• This happens on occasion on Codename: Kids Next Door:
  • When Numbuh 3 gets quite upset, her head will, in any way, shape or form, becomes demonic. Case in point: when she finds out her stuffed toys have been destroyed by monster lice and breaks down crying:
    Numbuh 1: It's okay, Numbuh 3, we'll get you some new toys.
    Numbuh 3: New toys? I don't want new toys. I WANT REVENGE!!!
  • And then there's the episode "Operation: P.I.N.K.-E.Y.E.", which shows Numbuh 86's reaction to Numbuh 2 calling her "toots".
  • Father's angry face in the season 1 finale, where it suddenly turns demonic and shows a mouth full of sharp teeth. This is the only time we see his mouth when he's wearing his shadow suit.
• The Pluto the Pup cartoon "Pluto's Judgement Day" in which Pluto dreams he winds up in trial in Dog Hell, the cat prosecutor makes a rather terrifying face when he says "Justice!".
• Young Justice (2010) has a moment when Klarion the Witch Boy's face...shifts into something pointed and ratlike as his eyes go demonic. Many fans have cited it as one of the scariest parts in the whole series.
• Several of the faces the devil or B.L. Zeebub as he calls himself makes in "The Devil and Daniel Mouse".
• Avatar: The Last Airbender has a scene where Katara gave Aang, and by proxy; the viewer(s), a crazed, bloodshot-eyed expression when screaming that she is "Completely calm".
• The Legend of Korra; Eska's face◊ when she goes full Yandere after Bolin leaves her at the altar.
• Breadwinners has a particularly unsettling Gross-Up Close-Up of Buhdeuce's face in "Stank Breath". It's... really not worth looking up if you have a weak stomach.
• The High Priestess of Aku in the fifth season of Samurai Jack has the High Priestess deliver one while ordering Ashi to kill Jack. We even see the face in an actual nightmare that Ashi was having.
  • Mad Jack made several as well. One notable one in the first season, but several in the fith.
• In an episode of The Fairly OddParents! Timmy wishes that everyone in Dimsdale didn't have to sleep. Without getting his "beauty rest" Cosmo becomes more haggard and hideous in appearance with each passing day, until eventually his face all out becomes this. Timmy winds up the same way at the end of the episode.
  • Another episode has Timmy wish for 24 hours of pitch darkness so he can get some sleep. Unfortunately, if Fairies spend too much time in darkness, they turn into horrible monsters called Scary Fairies, which we get to see glimpses of throughout the episode.
• In Ben 10: Omniverse, Toepick, is a being with a metal grate over his face. Whenever he lifts the grate (his face is never shown to the viewer), everybody (according to Word of God, even a Celestialsapien) is terrified beyond belief. Only beings who are blind or emotionless are immune. Apparently, even Toepick himself is not immune if he were to see his own reflection. Ma Vreedle is also immune. She's seen worse. Whether this is true for actual members of his species or just for Toepick (a.k.a. Ben) is unknown.
• Big City Greens:
  • "Reckoning Ball" closes on one, courtesy of Chip Whistler.
  • In "Impopstar", Amaryllis has one as she pursues Cricket (thinking he's Zillon Brax) to stay with him.
  • In "Flimflammed", Gloria has one as she comes after Cricket after he scams her out of her rent money.
  • In "Chipocalypse Now", Chip gets one, complete with crazy eyes, as he attempts to kill Cricket and his family with his chopper just before he gets slung out of town. This one is not quite as threatening as the "Reckoning Ball" one, however.
  • Cricket has one briefly in "Shark Objects" as he plans his shark prank. Bill even lampshades it:
  Bill: Boy, what are you doin'? You've got that devious look in your eyes.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy:
  • In the episode "Spider's Little Daddy" at the beginning when Jeff the spider greets Billy whom he thinks is his dad, we then see from Billy's point of view, it shows a closeup of his face which is very exaggerated making him look hideously deformed and having huge dripping fangs.
  • And in "Wishbones" when Pud'n finds the wishing skull he wishes for a cute little bunny to love, when he gets the bunny he picks it up and hugs it, it then headbutts him and roars at him making a hideous face in the process, for that moment the bunny has fangs, tusks, a forked tongue, and horns.
• Smoke in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, whose face occasionally morphs into a skull while talking to Michael.
• Mighty Man And Yukk practically breathes this trope. When Yukk lifts the doghouse mask off his face, watch out.
• Steven Universe: In "Message Received", Yellow Diamond◊ gives Peridot one (that doubles as hilarious) when the latter calls the former a CLOD.
• Wander over Yonder: Lord Dominater, during her Villain Song, momentarily gives a dark one to Lord Hater before causing her helmet's face-plate to cover it. Even more unsettling is the cold giggle she gives just before she does it. You can see it on the show's Nightmare Fuel page.
• Grojband: Scare-master Blade Stabbington has one of these in "Creep Away Camp"; once Grojband helps him get his scare back, that is.
• The Strange Chores: Cute Ghost Girl Que often pulls these to terrify others, being among her main arsenal of ghostly powers. A Season 2 episode, "Haunt the House", sees her become a viral sensation when she's caught on phone pulling an especially nightmarish one on some teenagers trying to spot her.
• The face Dale makes from the King of the Hill episode "To Kill A Ladybird" when he hisses at Nancy and John Redcorn when he breaks into the house to bring back food for himself after he has decided to live in the woods after he thought he contracted rabies from a raccoon bite.
• In the Animaniacs Goodfeathers cartoons, the usually placid Godpigeon can turn his face into a terrifying monster face◊ at will. He does it in two cartoons: to cure Squit's hiccups in "Hiccup," and in "Pigeon on the Roof" as Restrained Revenge on Pesto after the latter confesses to fantasizing about murdering him and taking over the flock. He also has has the same face in zombie form in Pesto's actual nightmare from the same cartoon (a parody of "Tevye's Dream" from Fiddler on the Roof with the Godpigeon in the Fruma Sarah role).
• Arcane: Jinx hallucinates Caitlyn sporting rather horrifying facial expressions whenever she's with Vi, and it's part of what makes Jinx hate her so much, despite Caitlyn being rather innocent in the matter.
• The Cuphead Show!: Baroness Bon Bob makes a terrifying maniacal fanged face from the episode "Sweet Tempation", after she turns Cuphead and Mugman into candy.
• Hazbin Hotel: Alastor has an especially terrifying one with black sclera, glowing red irises, pupils like radio dials, and a fanged Slasher Smile while static and demonic sigils pop up around him. The Freeze-Frame Bonus glitch when he pulls this face shows an even more frightening one where his pupils disappear, his irises turn to glowing pinpoints and blood is oozing from his mouth. Charlie also pulls one during her musical number, with a fanged Slasher Smile, red eyes, and large devil horns bursting out of her head.

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