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Nightmare Fuel / Help! I'm a Fish

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For a film aimed at kids, it certainly has a couple of prominent moments. Notably, it was designed as a "horror movie for kids".

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

  • When Joe takes too much antidote, he ends up turning into a horrifying human/fish hybrid that resembles a cross between Ryuk, the Joker and Mr. Hyde. His death afterwards is no less horrific.
    Joe: note  OF COURSE NOT-...! (slowly realizes that he's doomed himself, and dies)
    • We get a nice multi-second shot of Joe's drowned corpse floating down the drain. Even Fly appears to be shocked by this.
    • Another creepy thing is that his death is so... quiet. There's no scream at Fly at how he tricked him, no cursing him with his last breath. There's no fanfare to it, no big to-do, nothing cinematic. He just drowns while his body lifelessly falls down the drain. The anti-climax just makes it more unsettling.
    • The process of the transformation is itself made up of several horrifying moments, as Joe's human body grows out of his fish body. It starts with human thumbs sprouting to complete his hands, then the next sip makes bones erupt from his back and arms. Several of his teeth can be seen falling out, and he even tears off a fold of his old flesh without noticing. When the transformation is completed, we can actually see Joe's lower jaw rot and fall off as a human jaw replaces it. Those clothes that Joe is suddenly wearing just before he dies? Those aren't clothes, that's what's left of his skin!
  • Fly's Disney Death near the end, especially when it looks like Aunt Anna stepped on him, complete with Sickening "Crunch!". Thankfully, it turns out to just be a stuffed fish of the same species as Fly.
  • While Played for Laughs, the Shark's constant devouring of various smaller and fully sapient creatures can be disturbing.
  • While trying to take the potion from Fly, the Crab wallops him violently. Prior to the deed, we get to see a shot of the Crab looming menacingly over Fly (who is quite visibly terrified) as the music in the background tenses up. And then, when the Crab attacks Fly, the music instantly goes silent and the next few seconds show Fly bleeding from his gills behind a red image filter as he helplessly falls in slow motion. Doesn't help the Crab has a sadistic grin on his face and utters a hideous, growling sound during the scene.
  • During the climax, the trio attempt to consume the potion as their last few seconds run out. Stella and Chuck manage to take it in time, but Fly is seen struggling and attempting to reach the potion as he gets sucked towards the drain and the last few seconds tick away ominously.
  • The scene with Anna waking up from her sleep. Early on in the movie, she falls asleep while reading a story to Stella and the little girl uses make-up to decorate her aunt's face, seemingly setting up for a funny moment later on. But that never happens. Instead, Anna suddenly springs up from her sleep in the evening shouting her son's name, and then wanders around the house looking for him, Stella, and Fly. The house is empty and quiet, and they're nowhere to be found.

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