History Main / DemonicHeadShake

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: The Master uses the Immortality Gate to unleash a WorldWreckingWave that [[CloneByConversion transforms every human being into a copy of him]], which causes their heads to shake at blurring speed while they're being converted.

** Even scarier on the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation version as the head is shaking too fast for the framerate that the red glow emitted from the central eye can't even follow properly.

The Demonic Head Shake is a staple of horror movies of recent history, made famous by the 1990 movie ''Film/JacobsLadder''. The effect is achieved by filming somebody (or something) waving their head at [[{{Undercrank}} a very low frame rate]] and later play the footage back at normal speed which creates an unsettling motion blur effect. Characteristically, the shoulders and the rest of their body remain completely still while the head goes all jittery.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' cutscenes, Sigma suffers from this trope as his personality fractures due to a close encounter with a black hole. It never comes up in-game due to his mastery of his new [[GravityMaster gravity powers]], but he hasn't managed to elimate the twitching entirely.

* The TropeMaker is most likely ''Film/JacobsLadder'', which has TheVietnamVet Jacob encounter several of those "twitcher" characters, signifying his mind slipping into madness. The most famous scene is of a hooded, legless man [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGc6rW5_fj8 doing the head shake]]. They filmed the actor waving his head around at 4fps, resulting in an incredibly fast and deeply disturbing motion when played back at the normal frame-rate of 24fps. The imagery was inspired by Witkin's 1976 photograph "[[https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3050/2320147773_e6307451c9.jpg Man With No Legs]]".

* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', Doctor Strange is doing this as he's having spams from seeing millions of possible futures through the Eye of Agamotto.

* In ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'', Nick does this in his bed as part of his transformation into a vampire.

* ''Film/AHauntingAtSilverFalls'': After leading Jordan down to a convenience store with a TV, Holly begins to shriek, point, and move her head around rapidly. Jordan then discovers that the TV is talking about Wyatt Dahl, who is being put to death that night for murdering the twins.

* The ''Franchise/SilentHill'' franchise, heavily influenced by ''Jacob's Ladder'', is the TropeCodifier, providing examples of head twitching as well as MarionetteMotion all throughout the game series in random scenes and encounters:
** In ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'', there's the Glutton "[[PuzzleBoss boss]]" in the Hilltop Center Otherworld, Valtiel and the Carousel horses. The head movements also occur during the fight against Memory of Alessa.
** The ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' has the victim ghosts do this.
* A non-demonic example is seen ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. [[spoiler: Gray Fox]]'s exoskeleton and medicine, while enhancing his potential, leads him to have very painful spasms, complete with violently uncontrollable headshakes.
** Even scarier on the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation version as the head is shaking too fast for the framerate that the red glow emitted from the central eye can't even follow properly.

* ''VideoGame/UltimateCustomNight'': Withered Chica's JumpScare animation has her shaking her head and flapping her arms violently.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' cutscenes, Sigma suffers from this trope as his personality fractures due to a close encounter with a black hole. It never comes up in-game due to his mastery of his new [[GravityMaster gravity powers]], but he hasn't managed to elimate the twitching entirely.

* In the anime adaptation of ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', the BigBad Araya Souren does this while regenerating from a wound on his neck where he was stabbed by Shiki earlier. Enjo Tomoe is freaked out by the sight to such an extent that he runs away shrieking.

* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper gives off a motion-blurred head-shake at one point, and that's one of the least horrific things about him.