History Main / MindScrew

* ''TabletopGame/Normality''. ''The Entire Thing''.

* TabletopGame/Normality. ''The Entire Thing''.

TabletopGame/Normality. ''The Entire Thing''.

* A few random scenes (such as vignettes or non-sequiturs) are added in, breaking up the narrative.

* Things happen without a cause, even in context. Especially in context.

While some fans can make arguments over what the symbolism means, and what everything represents, many mind screws will pad themselves with [[TheWalrusWasPaul meaningless sequences]] to make the audience work even harder. Arguments over which sequences are significant are common. [[TrollingCreator Don't expect the writer to be very helpful.]] And if the show has [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], don't expect them to be much help either. (If, by some miracle, they ''are'' helpful, you've got yourself a MindScrewdriver.) The more decipherable symbolism tends to focus on the perceptions people have of one another and [[ComingOfAge puberty]] and [[FreudWasRight sex]]. Japanese and South Korean often produce this sort of thing and particularly in the horror and psychological drama genres because Asian audiences thrive on this type of oblique, enigmatic ambiguity. Creator/DavidLynch [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is hugely popular in Japan for this reason]].

!!Examples are sorted in the following subpages:

* MindScrew/{{Film}}

* MindScrew/{{Pinball}}

* MindScrew/{{Webcomics}}

Not to be confused with MindRape, no matter how the audience feels, nor with the MindGameShip, nor MentalAffair, which is a ''literal'' mind screw.

Examples

[[folder:Muppet Shows]]
* ''Series/ThirtyOneMinutos'' episode "Japones" is about the news channel getting buyed by a new japanese owner, the culture shock leaves Tulio's brain pretty much fried. **
[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZiY6Q4Lgus&]]"This is crap in any language" - Tulio
[[/folder]]

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZiY6Q4Lgus&"This is crap in any language" - Tulio

* TheReveal is left out.

* TheReveal is left out.

* TheReveal is vague, or contradicts the rest of the story.
* [[JigsawPuzzlePlot There are several surprises, and the story only makes sense when you have them all.]]

Compare with PutneySwopePanic, TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, DerangedAnimation and WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs.

-->-- '''Music/WeirdAlYankovic'''

While some fans can make arguments over what the symbolism means, and what everything represents, many mind screws will pad themselves with [[TheWalrusWasPaul meaningless sequences]] to make the audience work even harder. Arguments over which sequences are significant are common. [[TrollingCreator Don't expect the writer to be very helpful.]] And if the show has [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], don't expect them to be much help either. (If, by some miracle, they ''are'' helpful, you've got yourself a MindScrewdriver.) The more decipherable symbolism tends to focus on the perceptions people have of one another and [[ComingOfAge puberty]] and [[FreudWasRight sex]]. Japanese and South Korean often produce this sort of thing and particularly in the horror and psychological drama genres because Asian audiences thrive on this type of oblique, enigmatic ambiguity. DavidLynch [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is hugely popular in Japan for this reason]].

[[quoteright:221:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Time_transfixed.jpg]]

Compare with PutneySwopePanic, TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs.

While some fans can make arguments over what the symbolism means, and what everything represents, many mind screws will pad themselves with [[TheWalrusWasPaul meaningless sequences]] to make the audience work even harder. Arguments over which sequences are significant are common. [[TrollingCreator Don't expect the writer to be very helpful.]] And if the show has [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], don't expect them to be much help either. (If, by some miracle, they ''are'' helpful, you've got yourself a Mind Screwdriver.) The more decipherable symbolism tends to focus on the perceptions people have of one another and [[ComingOfAge puberty]] and [[FreudWasRight sex]]. Japanese and South Korean often produce this sort of thing and particularly in the horror and psychological drama genres because Asian audiences thrive on this type of oblique, enigmatic ambiguity. DavidLynch [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is hugely popular in Japan for this reason]].

Contrast with Mind Screwdriver, where the Mind Screw elements get rationalized/explained.

* The work looks weird due to symbolism or just general surrealism.

* The work is non-chronological.

The Mind Screw is basically something that relies so heavily on [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolism]] or [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs surrealism/absurdism]], or maybe just failed so extremely in an attempt at regular old coherency, that the immediate response afterwards is "What the heck was ''that''?!?!"

These works practically ''beg'' for fans to [[WildMassGuessing invent their own improbable theories]] about EpilepticTrees and such.

While some fans can make arguments over what the symbolism means, and what everything represents, many mind screws will pad themselves with [[TheWalrusWasPaul meaningless sequences]] to make the audience work even harder. Arguments over which sequences are significant are common. [[TrollingCreator Don't expect the writer to be very helpful.]] And if the show has [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], don't expect them to be much help either. (If, by some miracle, they ''are'' helpful, you've got yourself a Mind Screwdriver.) The more decipherable symbolism tends to focus on the perceptions people have of one another. And [[ComingOfAge puberty.]] And [[FreudWasRight sex]]. Japanese and South Korean creators live, eat, and breathe this trope, particularly in the horror and psychological drama genres; and Asian audiences seem to thrive on this type of oblique, enigmatic ambiguity. DavidLynch [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is hugely popular in Japan for this reason]].

The MindScrew is basically something that relies so heavily on [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolism]] or [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs surrealism/absurdism]], or maybe just failed so extremely in an attempt at regular old coherency, that the immediate response afterwards is "What the heck was ''that''?!?!"

There are several criteria for a MindScrew, and a MindScrew will usually fit a few of them:

While some fans can make arguments over what the symbolism means, and what everything represents, many mind screws will pad themselves with [[TheWalrusWasPaul meaningless sequences]] to make the audience work even harder. Arguments over which sequences are significant are common. [[TrollingCreator Don't expect the writer to be very helpful.]] And if the show has [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], don't expect them to be much help either. (If, by some miracle, they ''are'' helpful, you've got yourself a MindScrewdriver.) The more decipherable symbolism tends to focus on the perceptions people have of one another. And [[ComingOfAge puberty.]] And [[FreudWasRight sex]]. Japanese and South Korean creators live, eat, and breathe this trope, particularly in the horror and psychological drama genres; and Asian audiences seem to thrive on this type of oblique, enigmatic ambiguity. DavidLynch [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is hugely popular in Japan for this reason]].

Examples listed are works that are either intended to provoke this reaction or have provoked this reaction in a large spectrum of the audience, but one troper's MindScrew is another troper's FridgeBrilliance.

Contrast with MindScrewdriver, where the MindScrew elements get rationalized/explained.

Compare with TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs.