History NightmareFuel / ThiefTheDarkProject

** Seeing Garrett absolutely *terrified* counts, reduced to whimpering until he passes out.

** Hell.

* Just, the ''[[HellIsThatNoise noises]]'' you'll here echoing throughout the corridors and inside the walls of the third floor of Constantine's mansion. Are they behind you? Who's watching? What's following me? [[NothingIsScarier Nothing at all]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYOeHevFUKI ''Viktoria, are you prepared to give Mr. Garret his... compensation?'']]. EyeScream, you scream, we all scream for {{Squick}}. (shudder)

* "Down in the Bonehoard" can be pretty harrowing unless you don't mind being constantly chased by 6 or 7 zombies all the time, but the one positively terrifying thing was the flaming spectre that appears only in a puzzle room exclusive to [[ExpansionPack Thief Gold.]] He's ostensibly there to provide extra fire arrows and not allow the player to become permanently stuck, but he is also '''completely batshit terrifying.''' After being doused with water arrows, he'll drop some fire crystals, go ''apeshit,'' speed up drastically, and start sprinting around the room in the most [[UncannyValley unnatural]] way possible, bouncing off the walls like a '''nightmare pinball''' before finding the door and disappearing into the bowels of the level. The worst part? He's not dead, can't die, and will come back to get you later, somewhere else, ANYWHERE else, now that you've shooed him out of his little hidey-hole. And since the Bonehorde is a long, long, looooong level, especially if you've selected the difficulty setting that requires you to meet him in the first place, he'll have ''plenty of time to do it.'' Brrrrr.

For what is ostensibly not a horror game or survival horror game, the first insallment of ''Thief'' offered some of the scariest atmosphere and scariest levels in any late 1990s first person perspective game.

* Just, the ''noises'' you'll here echoing throughout the corridors and inside the walls of the third floor of Constantine's mansion. Are they behind you? Who's watching? What's following me? [[NothingIsScarier Nothing at all]].

* In the later levels of the first game, the player will often come in contact with the various demons summoned by [[spoiler:the Trickster]]. The Apebeasts are only marginally scary, but the mantis-like Bugbeasts are incredible nightmare fuel. They move about in a hideous, jerky parody of a human walking, and make cooing noises that sound disturbingly like a human baby or a soft feminine voice. Plus, they spit out clouds of flies into your face, which does really awful things to your health bar.

* During the tutorial level and first proper mission, there are no indications that supernatural stuff actually exists in the gameworld. Therefore, most players probably laughed at the superstitious people who, according to Garrett in the briefing to the second mission, believe the lower mine shafts of Cragscleft are haunted... Only for the players to then stumble across their first zombie.

* Traveling through haunted tunnels, groping around pitch darkness, trying to find the elevator...the zombies who can't be killed except with the all-too-rare holy water, shambling about somewhere nearby, groaning...you never know quite where they are until they're RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. At which point you realize that no matter how many times you frantically flail at them with your sword, they'll ''just keep getting up''. If you make the mistake of going down to the bottom level of the mine, you'll be assualted by giant spiders that may make you realize you suffer arachnophobia.

** All the cellar doors in the mansion are also completely locked. And considering the man who owns said house... What's down there...?

* Just, the ''noises'' you'll here echoing throughout the corridors and inside the walls of the third floor of Constantine's mansion. Are they behind you? Who's watching? Who's following me? [[NothingIsScarier Nothing at all]].

** All the cellar doors in the mansion are also completely locked. And considering the man who owns said house... What's down there...

** Combined with the {{Bizzarchitecture}}, this level is generally unnerving.

* Just for shits and giggles, take a look at the [[DerangedAnimation ominous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySn6_aclAM intro]] of the first game... [[MindScrew If you dare]]...

* In the later levels of the first game, the player will often come in contact with the various demons summoned by Constantine...the rat/monkey ones were only marginally scary, but the praying mantis-like creatures were incredible nightmare fuel. They moved about in a hideous, jerky parody of a human walking, and made cooing noises that sounded disturbingly like a human baby. Plus, they'll spit clouds of flies into your face, which does really awful things to your health bar.

* Haunts. The fact that the corporeal Hammer Haunts are, from the rear, entirely indistinguishable from normal Hammerites - in some cases right up until you attempt to blackjack them - makes it infinitely worse.

* Return to the Haunted Cathedral. Hot damn. That game is 10 years old, the graphics are very old and that level is still such a mindscrew...

* Many players found the [[spoiler:whispering Haunts]] from the first game extraordinarily creepy.
* In the first game, "Return to the Cathedral", and the cutscene after that. Most effective at night and despite the fact that the [[spoiler: Hammer Haunts]] ''can'' be harmed.
* And just for shits and giggles, take a look at the [[DerangedAnimation ominous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySn6_aclAM intro]] of the first game... [[MindScrew If you dare]]...

** In the first game, "Return to the Cathedral", and the cutscene after that. Most effective at night and despite the fact that the [[spoiler: Hammer Haunts]] ''can'' be harmed.
* And just for shits and giggles, take a look at the [[DerangedAnimation ominous]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uR8pcqV_HY intro]] of the first game... [[MindScrew If you dare]]...
* For the intro and first level, there have been no indications that supernatural stuff actually exists in the gameworld and therefore most players probably laughed at the superstitious people who, according to Garrett in the intro to the second mission, believe the lower mine shafts of Cragscleft to be haunted... Only to then stumble across their first zombie. This troper literally screamed when he was suddenly standing behind me...