History NightmareFuel / KingKong2005

** It has a special ability to frighten New Zealand viewers, knowing that some of the insects are actually GIANT [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C4%93t%C4%81 WETAS]], bloody ugly insects native to their fair land (and the reason Creator/PeterJackson named his company Creator/{{WETA}}). And while they normally live in forests, they can turn up anywhere, and they're big enough as it is, so the concept of wetas the size of a dog would freak any [=NZer=] out...

** It has a special ability to frighten New Zealand viewers, knowing that some of the insects are actually GIANT WETAS, bloody ugly insects native to their fair land. And while they normally live in forests, they can turn up anywhere, and they're big enough as it is, so the concept of wetas the size of a dog would freak any [=NZer=] out...

* The entire insect pit sequence really, especially if one suffers from entomophobia.

** Kong himself frequently reminds the audience that, regardless of his bond with Anne, still remains a [[LightningBruiser 30ft tall silverback]] with arms strong enough to crack open the skulls of fully grown V-Rexes and squish people like flies. A noteworthy example of how much he can give KillerGorilla vibes is the very beginning of the tree scene. At one point, we're offered Hayes's point of view with Kong roaring while charging Carl's crew (and, by extension, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the viewers]]) .

** Kong himself frequently reminds the audience that, regardless of his bond with Anne, is a [[LightningBruiser 30ft tall silverback]] with enough force to crack open the skulls of fully grown V-Rexes and squish people like flies. A noteworthy example of how much he can give KillerGorilla vibes is the very beginning of the tree scene. At one point, we're offered the Hayes's point of view with Kong roaring while charging towards Carl's crew (and, by extension, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the viewers]]) .

** Kong himself frequently reminds viewers that, regardless of his bond with Anne, he still is a 30ft tall gorilla with enough force to crack open the skulls of fully grown V-Rexes. A noteworthy example is the very beginning of the tree scene. At one point, we're offered the Hayes's point of view with Kong roaring while charging towards the humans (and, by extension, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the viewers]].

** The entire attack scene is terrifying, especially from the use of slow mo. So after Carl tries to feed a child Native some chocolate and it bites him he gets mad chases it, only to find a bunch of them glaring at him. Carl tries to calm things down and believes them as harmless, but is proven wrong when suddenly one of Carl's members gets a spear thrown into him ''(not even sure how that happened)'', Ann screams in horror which alerts Kong, so the Native ringleader wants Ann to be sacrificed and they attack the others to get to her, and they manage to kill someone by forcing him on a rock and executing him with a sharp stick, in which seems to be some ritual. They are about to kill Carl in the same fashion when Captain Englehorn suddenly arrives and shoots the one with the weapon and the others flee in terror.
** The moment preceding this scene definitely deserves mention; when the crew discovers the lone native child, it just stares at them blankly without uttering a sound, then slowly raises it's arm and makes a very slight motion with it's hand, which somehow creates an unsettling rattling sound, made even more unsettling by the fact that we never learn what the sound is and what caused it exactly. The child remains in the same position with it's arm raised, and doesn't change it's expression until Carl tries to put a chocolate bar in it's hand, after which it goes from a blank expression to snarling with rage.

* The sacrifice scene is terrifying. In the 1933 film, the interrupted version amongst the natives has its own sad dignity. Here, we get nightmarish wailing, gibbering and ululations, all interspersed with one hideous old crone gleefully chanting "Kong!" in Ann's face as the rest of the natives twitch, shudder and jerk like they are dying.

** What's worse, when Ann initially runs into the log, one of the ''Foetodon'' is about to get her when [[AlwaysABiggerFish something grabs it and pulls it back out of the log, dragging it up into the air and killing it in view of the camera while the bigger animal is still hidden]], and the other ''Foetodon'' flees in terror. Ann stays put even as the giant centipede shows up until another one crawls onto her shoulder and she runs back out of the log...[[FromBadToWorse and comes face to face with the biggest predator on Skull Island]], ''[[TyrannosaurusRex Vastatosaurus rex]]''.

!! The Movie:

!! The Video Game:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_kong_video_game_nightmare_fuel.jpg]]
* From the licensed game, we have some wonderful moments where the player (through the first-person perspective of Jack Driscoll) [[HopelessBossFight must prevent]] [[AdvancingBossOfDoom a pursuing]] ''V. Rex'' from devouring your comrades. You can do this by shooting a ''Terapusmordax'' overhead, buying them ''a few'' precious extra seconds while it grabs the convenient appetizer before resuming its pursuit. But the more effective way is to throw a spear or empty a Thompson drum mag into its hide. The ''Rex'' will pause and turn to look ''straight at you''. Then [[InterfaceScrew the color drains from the screen leaving it black & white, the controls freeze (in fear), the camera focuses on the beast while the periphery blurs, and the whole image shakes]] when it '''''ROARS''''' at you. It ''was'' a hungry apex predator who saw you as easy prey, but fifty rounds of man-stopping .45 ACP from one of the most devastating submachine guns ever made...[[NoSell just pissed it off]]. Run. Like. Hell.
** Their younger counterparts, while killable when playing as Jack, are awfully strong and can still destroy the stone structures on which you can hide, leaving you and your team completely at their mercy.
* The [[CreepyCentipedes giant centipedes and milipedes]] were only in the movie to creep Ann (and the viewers) out. Here, they're now [[AdaptationalBadass bigger]] [[AdaptationalVillainy and dangerous]], being able to launch themselves at you, constrict their prey much like a boa or a python and can even hide in holes from which they can jump to give you a nasty JumpScare. While they don't have lots of health, their ferociousness and the fact they usually attack in large groups has made them the terror of many players.
* Some levels include pretty narrow corners and caverns with [[DarknessEqualsDeath poor illumination]], which may be very uncomfortable for those who suffer claustrophobia. Not helped by the fact that giant centipedes usually love to hide there.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lumpy_death.jpg Don't be fooled: despite appearances and, you know, the ''dying man'', this is ''NOT'' the worst thing on the island. Just the most disgusting... Trust us on that!]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lumpy_death.jpg Despite appearances and the dying man, this is ''NOT'' the worst thing on the island. Just the most disgusting...]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lumpy_death.jpg]]

* The way the crew members die... many of them EatenAlive. Special mention goes to the CruelAndUnusualDeath of [[spoiler: the cook, devoured one limb at a time by the ''Carnictis'']].
** That's currently pictured on this page, by the way. Poor Lumpy...his ''screams''...

* The deleted swamp scene (featuring the ''Piranhadon'') wasn't much better. [[spoiler:Two of the crew are ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice on its teeth, but one is swallowed whole, as he futilely reaches from between the teeth. In a freakin' ''Orbital Shot'', so we can see he's doomed from all sides, no less. It very nearly does the same to Jack Driscoll.]]
** [[spoiler:It gets worse--if you listen closely, you can hear the poor sucker's muffled screams as the monster descends back into the swamp]].
** [[spoiler:And then at the end of the sequence, one last man gets out of the water, [[HopeSpot to safety]]. Then the ''Piranhadon'' bursts out of the water, grabs him, and pulls him under. Safety was snatched from this poor man's grasp literally seconds before he reached it.]]

** What's worse, when she ran into the log, the ''Foetodon'' is about to get her when [[AlwaysABiggerFish something grabs it and pulls it back out of the log, dragging it up into the air and killing it in view of the camera while the bigger animal is still hidden]], and another of its kind flees in terror. Ann stays put even as the giant centipede shows up until another one crawls onto her shoulder and she runs back out of the log...[[FromBadToWorse and comes face to face with the biggest predator on Skull Island]], ''[[TyrannosaurusRex Vastatosaurus rex]]''.

** The entire attack scene is terrifying, especially from the use of slow mo. So after Carl tries to feed a child Native some chocolate and it bites him he gets mad chases it, only to find a bunch of them glaring at him. Carl tries to calm things down and believes them as harmless, but is proven wrong when suddenly one of Carl's members gets a spear thrown into him ''(not even sure how that happened)'', Ann screams in horror which alerts Kong, so the Native ringleader wants Ann to be sacrificed and they attack the others to get to her, and they manage to kill someone by forcing him on a rock and executing him with a sharp stick, in which seems to be some ritual. They are about to kill Carl in the same fashion when Captain Englehorn suddenly arrives and shoots the one with the weapon and the others flee from terror.

** The entire attack scene is terrifying to me, espically from the use of slow mo. So after Carl tries to feed a child Native some chocolate and it bites him he gets mad chases it, only to find a bunch of them glaring at him. Carl tries to calm things down and believes them as harmless, but is proven wrong when suddenly one of Carl's members gers a spear thrown into him ''(not even sure how that happened)'', Ann screams in horror which alerts Kong, so the Native ringleader wants Ann to be sacrified and they attack the others to get to her, and they manage to kill someone by forcing him on a rock and executing him with a sharp stick, in which seems to be some ritural. They are about to kill Carl in the same fashion when Captain Englehorn suddenly arrives and shoots the one with the weapon and the others flee from terror.

** The coffee-table book, ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'' has some '''even creepier''' examples. Yes, even creepier than the giant worms.

Kong is the ''least'' scary thing living on Skull Island. Here's why.

** The attack scene after Ann's scream awakens Kong, the use of slow mo always terrified me. And even before than, the fact one the men suddenly has a spear in him, we don't even know how that happened.
* Everything about Kong's situation the moment Denham captures him, being drugged, kidnapped and put on stage in chains against his will... It's a great overlap of this and TearJerker.

** The attack scene after Ann's scream awakens Kong, the use of slow mo always terrified me. And even before than, the fact one the men suddenly has a spear in him, we don't even know how that happened,

* The way the crew members die... many of them EatenAlive. Special mention goes to the CruelAndUnusualDeath of [[spoiler: the cook, devoured one limb at a time by the mutated bloodworms]].

*** Their NAME (Wetapunga) means 'God of Ugly Things' in Maori. Worse, the leech-like things are real, too... they're bloodworms, a carnivorous worm with protruding... er... lips.
* The huge, batlike rodents that replace the ''Pteranodon'' as the giant flying monsters in this version of the film. It's the "BatOutOfHell", "KidnappingBirdOfPrey" and "SwarmOfRats" tropes all wrapped up into one horrifying nightmare.
* The deleted swamp scene (featuring the Piranhadon) wasn't much better. [[spoiler:Two of the crew are ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice on its teeth, but one is swallowed whole, as he futilely reaches from between the teeth. In a freakin' ''Orbital Shot'', so we can see he's doomed from all sides, no less. It very nearly does the same to Jack Driscoll.]]

* Everything about Kong's situation- drugged, kidnapped, put on stage in chains... It's a great overlap of this and TearJerker.

* Skull Island as a whole is pretty terrifying. A mysterious island absent from any maps, perpetually surrounded by fog, covered in the eerie ruins of an unknown civilization and inhabited by countless monstrosities and feral natives.

* From the licensed game, we have some wonderful moments where the player (through the first-person perspective of Jack Driscoll) [[HopelessBossFight must prevent]] [[AdvancingBossOfDoom a pursuing]] ''V. Rex'' from devouring your comrades. You can do this by shooting a ''Pterapusmordax'' overhead, buying them ''a few'' precious extra seconds while it grabs the convenient appetizer before resuming its pursuit. But the more effective way is to throw a spear or empty a Thompson drum mag into its hide. The ''Rex'' will pause and turn to look ''straight at you''. Then [[InterfaceScrew the color drains from the screen leaving it black & white, the controls freeze (in fear), the camera focuses on the beast while the periphery blurs, and the whole image shakes]] when it '''''ROARS''''' at you. It ''was'' a hungry apex predator who saw you as easy prey, but fifty rounds of man-stopping .45 ACP from one of the most devastating submachine guns ever made...[[NoSell just pissed it off]]. Run. Like. Hell.