"Who knows you're here? WHO KNOOOWS?!"
"Gentlemen, time to spread the word. And the word is... panic."
— Ra's al Ghul
Batman Begins meant the start of a new continuity in film. However, it also meant a Darker and Edgier start.
- Crane exposing Falcone to the fear toxin.Crane: Would you like to see my mask?
I use it in my experiments. Now probably not frightening to a guy like you, but these crazies, they can't stand it.
Falcone: So when did the nut take over the nuthouse?
(Crane sprays fear gas into Falcone's face; Falcone begins to scream in terror as the gas takes effect: Crane's voice is altered, and the mask appears to move like a real face)
Crane: (in a demonic voice) They scream and they cry, much as you're doing now. - Batman's whole shtick is to be Nightmare Fuel to his enemies.
- The best example is Batman's first night out. Falcone and his men are calmly going about their business, when all of a sudden, one of his men is violently yanked into the dark container with barely a sound. From there, Batman cranks up the mind games, as these men barely have enough time to register what they're up against. One by one, Batman dispatches the armed thugs, and Falcone's driver, like a silent predator stalking his victims, before he proceeds to reveal himself in a crowd of thugs. All we see is a shadow moving at blinding speeds, as he counters every hit and tanks the few that land in a brutal display of hand to hand combat. It's easy to believe that the display that we the audience have seen wasn't the doing of a man, but something beyond that...
- The end sequence where the Narrows are just teeming with Fear Toxin, and all the escaped convicts see Batman flying above. Their collective hallucination paints Batman as a huge black shadow with GLOWING RED EYES! It then distorts his voice to an even more horrible growl... Though it is quite the subversion in that it's the HERO that's terrifying.
- Crane's vision of Batman while on the toxin. It'd be more apt to call the hallucination a Bat-Demon, complete with black ooze frothing out of the mouth while he speaks. And he himself is more unhinged than ever before.
- When Batman gets sprayed by the fear toxin by Scarecrow, he sees bats flying out of Scarecrows eyes and mouth.
- A bit after the aforementioned fear toxin spray to the face and surviving a nasty fall along with nearly being burned alive. Batman suffers from an equivalent to a panic attack as Alfred drives to his aid. Bruce doesn't come to from the poison until two days later. On his own birthday none the less.
- BUF Special Effects (the team who created the Scarecrow effects for the film) released an FX reel after the film came out that highlighted several sequences from the film. One of them is a deleted shot featuring Rachel's perspective of Crane when the elevator doors open in Arkham. In the theatrical cut, Crane immediately grabs her when the doors open. In the FX reel, Crane stands there staring straight into the screen with a passive look while maggots fall off of his face.
- When Scarecrow sets Batman on fire. The song that plays as he leaps from the balcony while ablaze sums it all up.Scarecrow: Do you want my opinion? You need to lighten up.
- Ra's Al Ghul walks right into Bruce's home and pulls Batman's own famous Stealth Hi/Bye on him with the Jump Scare becoming a dirty surprise once the realization of who that is, starts to sink in.
- Crane, now calling himself "Scarecrow", chasing Rachel and the boy from earlier through the streets of Gotham riding a horse that, because of the fear toxin in the air, seems to be a Hellish Horse with glowing red eyes and breathing fire. This while Crane calls to them in a booming, distorted, demonic voice.
- "There's nothing to fear, but fear itself!" Coupled with Crane's schtick being inspiring terror in others, his phrasing makes this into a great Badass Boast, almost like Crane is calling himself the "fear" to be afraid of.
- The Narrows and almost everyone in it, is driven insane by Scarecrow's toxin thanks to the monorail, once built to help Gotham, being used to destroy the city from the inside. This leads to some violent riots, with whole crowds attacking Batman and amid all the chaos Zsasz walking towards Rachel Dawes with a knife.
- Those intoxicated by Fear Toxin seem to be totally beside themselves. We can see a group of intoxicated inmates who are totally disoriented.
- The Joker card. At the time the film released, the reveal of the card was considered a moment of awesome, as it was teasing a more realistic version of Batman's arch-enemy showing up in a sequel, something everybody wanted to see. Then The Dark Knight was released, and this more realistic version of the Joker was portrayed as an insane, murdering terrorist who ultimately brings Gotham to heel and all but defeats the Batman. After seeing all that, coming back to this film and watching the card's reveal can only instill a sense of severe dread in those who know just what is coming for the Batman, Gordon and the entire city of Gotham.
