History Main / SlasherSmile

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* Budzo, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresInZambezia'' sports a pretty chilling slasher smile throughout the movie, only losing it during his DisneyVillainDeath.
* When he [[spoiler: killed Yamagata]], Tetsuo let out a rather creepy smile. ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' [[http://data.whicdn.com/images/9393521/1175838150_f_large.jpg?1304363970 has another good example of when he did this. ]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' after Killer, currently trying to do everything he can to get Carface to spare his life, tells him he has a gun they can use to try and kill Charlie (for good) with, Carface breaks into a wide satanic version. Not just figuratively, either –- his face (presumably, we're seeing him from Killer's POV) actually proceeds to transform into an actual devil's.
* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': When he goes into VillainousBreakdown mode, [[spoiler: Rourke]] has a pretty awesome and crazy slasher smile when he tries to kill Milo with a fire axe. You can clearly tell the guy has gone batshit insane, especially after his attempt to steal the artifact had been ruined by Milo.
* Gaston sports one at the start of his fight with the Beast in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. And yet another after stabbing the Beast in the side.
* The MonsterClown that appears in Toaster's dream sequence in ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' has a big one [[FrozenFace glued to its face]].
* Mrs. Tweedy is prone to those in ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'', like before measuring Babs and later in the climax, [[spoiler: when she thinks Ginger has been decapitated.]]
* [[BigBad The Other Mother]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' does this, particularly towards the end of the movie.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', [[spoiler: Hans has a villainous smile as he raises his sword to kill Elsa.]]
* Ratigan of ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'' sports a huge one after he's convinced he's [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown mauled Basil to death.]]
* Judge Claude Frollo from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' flashes such a grin twice in the story. First when he tries to burn Esmeralda at the stake. Later, when he raises his sword to kill her and Quasimodo, because he believes that he's won. It's particularly notable because, up until those two times, the worst Frollo did was a PsychoticSmirk.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The look on Syndrome's face when he abducts Jack-Jack.
* In ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', [[MonsterClown Jangles]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2017_06_10_15h27m03s137.png does this]] when he's woken up by Joy.
* Cera in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' gives a pretty big slasher smile when she decides upon seeing what is apparently Sharptooth's corpse to use it as ramming practice. However, a few rams in, she soon discovers that Sharptooth was not quite as dead as she originally thought, and just barely managed to survive to tell the tale.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'':
** Ed the hyena (and to a much lesser extent, Shenzi, Banzai, and all of the other hyenas) actually gains this type of smile when [[spoiler: the hyenas all kill [[BigBad Scar]]]] at the end.
** Scar gives one himself to Zazu when he points out how unhappy Mufasa will be that he didn't show up for Simba's birth ceremony. After he tells him this (as well as forcing Scar to let a mouse, his ''lunch'', escape), Scar sarcastically states "ooh, I quiver with FEAR!", flashing this smile when he says the last word, and then tries to eat Zazu, and he would, had Mufasa not showed up right at that moment.
** Scar gets another one before he kills Mufasa. His expression provides the image for the [[MoralEventHorizon/{{Disney}} Disney subsection]] of the MoralEventHorizon page.
* Ursula of ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'' does this a few times during the final battle. Her alter-ego Vanessa even pulls one off when she throws a pin at a mirror with enough force to knock it back while gloating about her inevitable victory.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'', at the end of the VillainSong, "How Bad Can I Be", the Once-ler has one after shouting the last lyrics, "HOW BAD CAN THIS POSSIBLY BE?!"
* Ay from ''WesternAnimation/MrPeabodyAndSherman'' sports this when he drives his dagger on Penny's hand during the Ceremony.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': Oogie Boogie and Barrell have one constantly and Jack has one as his default.
* In ''Film/OsmosisJones'', [[BigBad Thrax]] does this several times throughout the movie. [[ByTheBookCop Drix]], of all people, gives a pretty good one as well when he plays the bad cop to Osmosis's good cop when they shake down an informant.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'': The BigBad Drake constantly sports a Trollface-like smile.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': The Coachman during his "They never come back as BOYS!" line.
* In ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'', Ruber sports these at times:
** When he is invading Juliana's home and when he blackmails her into helping him by threatening to kill her daughter, Kayley.
** He has a crazy one throughout his song when he transforming his human henchmen into ironmen with his potion.
** When he is melding Excalibur onto his hand with the said potion.
** He eventually has a creepy one, when he is cornering injured Arthur without mercy.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}''
** When Colette begins her mentorship of Linguini she flashes several during her KnifeNut monologue every time she asks him a question about the status of women in a haute cuisine restaurant.
** Also, during Linguini's nightmare, there's [[CausticCritic Anton Ego]]'s bone-chilling grin as he places an order for Linguini's heart roasted on a spit.
* The sirens in ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas'' give Marina one of these.
* In the climactic battle of ''WesternAnimation/SupermanVsTheElite'', Superman himself flashes a pants-shittingly terrifying one when confronting one of the members, and it's acompannied with literally [[RedEyesTakeWarning blood-red eyes]] and a [[AxCrazy disturbing desire to kill]]. Worse is when you realize that it's '''''Creator/GeorgeNewbern''''' of all people nailing the [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness completely pants-wettingly out-of-left-field unfettered brutality]] with [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct chilling accuracy]], almost as if Superman is deliberately becoming the brutal, [[WhiteHairBlackheart white-haired, cold-blooded]] [[BigBad main villain]] of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', SelfDemonstrating/{{Sephiroth}}, who's Newbern's second most famous role next to the Man of Steel himself!
* Rothbart from ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' gains one of these near the end after he transforms into [[OneWingedAngel The Great Animal]] for the second time.
* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'': The scene where Doctor Applecheeks steals the ice cream truck. The ice cream truck music manages to makes this much, much creepier.
* Chef, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}}'' does have a lot especially it's Terrifying.
* In ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', [[spoiler:King Candy/Turbo]] sports a particularly notable one, in all of his forms.
* The Blue Meanies in ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' have this expression pretty frequently.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* Just about every villain played by Creator/WillemDafoe, [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120179/mediaviewer/rm4218362880 with]] ''Film/Speed2CruiseControl'' [[https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2016/04/20/08/willem-dafoe-spiderman.jpg?width=1200 and]] ''Film/SpiderMan1'' standing out. ''Webvideo/HonestTrailers'' even comments "Echhh. His face looks a lot better with the mask on." Webvideo/ToddInTheShadows also noted that one of the many flaws in ''Film/BodyOfEvidence'' is having Dafoe starring in an erotic thriller, when that smile is one hell of a FetishRetardant.
* Creator/JimCarrey has done this trope in ''Film/AceVentura: Pet Detective'', ''Lemony Snicket's Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', and ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'' to demonstrate how remarkable his rubber face really is when it comes to expressions. According to one account, it's basically how he got the latter role: "He took his face and he Grinched it."
* In ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'', [[TheSnarkKnight Wednesday]] smiles thrice. The first was TheUnSmile after being forced to watch a Disney flick. The second was when she caused a riot at the Thanksgiving play and burns everything to the ground. The third is the very last shot of the movie where she pranks Joel to the point where he's screaming bloody murder (oddly, she had just said that the best way for a woman to murder her [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther husband]] is to scare him to death).
* Several particularly disturbing examples abound in the movie ''Film/TheBabadook''. The protagonist, Amelia, sees charcoal-drawn images of herself in a supposed children's book...her eyes are hollow black orbs and she has a huge psychotic grin as she murders her dog, her son and [[DrivenToSuicide herself]]. Later, she promises her son that she will keep them "safe". Unfortunately at the time she is pointing a kitchen knife at him and grinning like a complete lunatic. But that's just the warm-up. Moments later, she watches the TV half-asleep and listens to a grisly news report discussing a woman murdering her young son with a knife. In the background, barely visible, a Slasher Smile wearing woman is staring from a window... and [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness it's Amelia herself]]. OhCrap.
* [[AxCrazy Mitsuko]] from ''Film/BattleRoyale'' before killing Megumi. The girl at the beginning of the film (the battle's first female winner) has a seriously creepy one too.
* Creator/NataliePortman unleashes [[http://web.archive.org/web/20130125214112im_/http://www.n-portman.org/gallery/albums/Movies/Black%20Swan/Screen%20Captures/1036.jpg a blood-curdling one]] in ''Film/BlackSwan'' while portraying her doppelganger in the bath scene.
* Alex from ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', whenever he gets deep into the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90KPJ6n4Ew&feature=related old ultraviolence. (forms at around 1:10)]]
* ''Film/DonnieDarko'', every single time he [[spoiler: sees his giant bunny-friend Frank.]] It's a little creepy, to say the least. No teeth in this one, though.
* ''Film/EventHorizon'': The ending portion of the [[ApocalypticLog Blood Orgy]] shows us the incredibly unnerving sight of captain Kilpack creepily uttering [[spoiler: ''"Libera te tutemet ex inferis..."'']] while [[BloodIsTheNewBlack completely covered from head-to-toe in blood and gore]], [[EyeScream holding his own gouged-out eyes in the bloodstained palms of his hands]] and facing at the camera with a nightmarish grin.
* ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' also makes use of this trope when [[spoiler:Sariss, disguised as Fred, arrives on the command deck to kill off the heroes]]. It's a very well-played OhCrap moment.
* In ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'', this, together with [[EvilSoundsDeep a horrifying demon voice]], lets Dr. Venkman (and us) know "There is no Dana, only Zuul."
* ''Film/{{Highlander}}'': [[BigBad The Kurgan]] sports one several times throughout the film. The most epic one being [[spoiler:in the church meeting with Connor, when he pieces together from Connor's mortified reaction that the girl he raped in 1542 after he took Ramirez's head was actually ''Connor's wife'', and takes some sick glee in the fact that she never told Connor about it[[note]]Being the sick bastard he is, he suggests it was because she [[PostRapeTaunt actually liked the violation]], but more likely is she feared her husband would go after the Kurgan and be killed if he ever found out what happened to her, or just she was too traumatized to ever speak about it.[[/note]].]]
* ''Film/It2017'' Pennywise sports a wicked, evil grin that flashes some sharp front teeth most of the time and gets taken to horrific proportions when [[spoiler:all the teeth come out.]]
* All of the various live-action incarnations of ComicBook/TheJoker, naturally. Special mention to Creator/JackNicholson's version from ''[[Film/Batman1989 Batman]]'', who has his face permanently distorted into one, and Creator/HeathLedger's take from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', who sports a large GlasgowGrin.
** Interestingly subverted with Creator/JoaquinPhoenix's version from ''[[Film/Joker2019 Joker]]''. When he's shown smiling/laughing, it's either very subdued, or as a result of the medical condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably; when he does kill someone, he's actually completely serious. It's not until the end that he actually starts to adopt one.
* The ''Indoraptor'' from ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom''. Technically for a dinosaur, it has the mind of a serial killer, during the scene where one of the antagonists Weatley tranquilizes it to collect one of its teeth. the ''Indoraptor'' wakes up (it's not tranq'ed) and smiles before biting off Weatley's arm and killing him.
* [[spoiler:Rhonda]] flashes one to the camera as she holds up the giant safety pin at the end of ''Film/KillerWorkout''.
* The film version of ''Literature/TheManWhoLaughs'' has Creator/ConradVeidt with one of these permanently etched into his face. Considering his best-known role up to that point was [[Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari a sleepwalking serial killer]], the character in this film turned out to be [[PlayingAgainstType a good deal more sympathetic]] than one would expect. [[spoiler:His smile was the result of a surgical disfiguration. He was actually a pretty nice guy.]]
* ''Film/MrSardonicus'' took liberal inspiration from the aforementioned ''The Man Who Laughs'' with the [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2364/2186924247_5cb2d6583f.jpg?v=0 carved smile]], but the character was much less of a sweet guy than Gwynplaine. It was up to the audience to decide whether he was a villain or an AntiVillain -- this being a Creator/WilliamCastle film, they were polled, and a different ending would be screened based on whether they thought he should be treated mercifully. They killed him every time, and the mercy ending is probably lost for eternity, assuming it ever existed at all.
* ''Film/NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation'' has Clark Griswald become somewhat unhinged come the end of the movie as his idea of a "perfect Christmas" gradually disappears; his smile, however, stays.
* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''
** Barbossa frequently has one, adequate for [[LargeHam how much overacting is involved]].
** Pintel employs it while discovering the hidden Elizabeth. 'Hello, poppet.'
** Tia Dalma [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pirates/images/f/fb/AWETialookingatJackintheLocker.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20120705025957 has]] [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pirates/images/1/18/DMCTiaDalmaSmile.gif/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/320?cb=20140519045813 some]] [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pirates/images/f/f7/Calypso_Giant.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/622?cb=20100828015307 cases]], including [[https://i.redd.it/owfuif740hk11.jpg one promotional picture]] for ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd''.
%%** Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, Gibbs, Pintel and Ragetti. Will and Elizabeth too during the big actions scenes
* In ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', Norman Bates gets off an epic one at the end while he's in a holding cell.
* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'': Dr. Frank N Furter has one of these right before he [[spoiler:kills Eddie with a pick axe]].
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf45HijUTYs "Here's Johnny!"]] scene from ''Film/TheShining''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FL7dpnG4h1I05Cc88XnWGEsg&v=33KjGSbSpMY&feature=player_detailpage#t=35s (Alternate Version.)]]
* The short horror film ''Smile'' revolves around body-snatching beings with hideous grinning faces. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT1Erm2C4iQ It's well worth a watch.]]
* [[spoiler:[[HijackedByGanon Ernst]] [[BigBad Stavro Blofeld]]]] briefly gives a creepy grin as he subjects James Bond to ColdBloodedTorture in ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', and later on, [[spoiler:when he takes BondGirl Madeleine Swann hostage and threatens to have her killed by blowing up the old [=MI6=] building in an effort to humiliate Bond.]]
* In Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/{{Sweeney Todd|TheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet}}'' just after the Pirelli sequence, Sweeney directs one at the Beadle. Scary doesn't even cut it. It's enough to make Jack the Ripper wet his pants. Although, like Donnie above he doesn't bare his teeth, so may overlap with PsychoticSmirk.
* In the Tony Jaa movie ''Film/TomYumGoong'', or ''The Protector'', one of the many opponents that Tony faces is a Capoeira fighter, who has just attacked a Buddhist temple full of innocent people, set the place ablaze, and then attacks Tony as soon as he arrives to help. What qualifies "Mr. Fake Eddie Gordo" for this trope is the fact that while he fights Tony, he laughs, taunts Tony, and openly toys with him using feints and false moves.
* At the end of the third segment of the 1975 made-for-TV movie ''Film/TrilogyOfTerror'' the eponymous "Amelia" crouches down low in an animalistic manner, hiding in the corner with a carving knife. She stabs at the floor with the weapon, grinning ferally and revealing the horrific teeth of the [[CreepyDoll Zuni doll]].
* The ever lovable late comedian Creator/JohnCandy had this expression on his face in ''Film/UncleBuck'' during the scene where he comes to the bedroom of Tia's "boyfriend" Bug to rescue Tia by drilling a hole through the doorknob, he's also holding a drill and smoking a cigar. Although generally throughout the movie Buck comes out as kind of kooky such as when he asks Tia "How would you like to spend the next several nights wondering if your crazy out of work bum uncle will shave your head while you sleep?" and where he's talking to Tia's boyfriend about burying the hatchet.
-->'''Bug:''' Ever hear of a tuneup? Ah-hee-hee-hee-hee!\\
'''Buck:''' Ah-hee-hee-hee-hee! Ever hear of a ritual killing? Ah-hee-hee-hee-hee!\\
'''Bug:''' ...I don't get it...\\
'''Buck:''' You gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one. Ah-hee-hee-hee-hee!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Light Novels]]
* Being possibly the [[AxeCrazy craziest]] [[PsychoForHire bastard]] in the series, ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'s'' Claire Stanfield has a [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/Dragynstorm/Baccano15/Baccano15_129.jpg warehouse]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/Dragynstorm/Baccano15/Baccano15_122.jpg full]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano9/Baccano_16.jpg of]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano9/Baccano_37.jpg psychotic]], [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano9/Baccano_28.jpg blood-soaked]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano_54-1.jpg grins]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano12/Baccano_50.jpg and]] [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/Dragynstorm/Baccano16/Baccano16_88.jpg smirks]] to put to use. Not to say that [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano_39.jpg Ladd]], [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano10/Baccano_4.jpg Czeslaw]], and [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano14_26.jpg Graham]] don't get their fair share.
* [[TheBerserker Shizuo]] [[HairTriggerTemper Heiwajima]] of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' is fond of sporting these right before he's about to hurt someone.
* Gauron from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' usually cracks one of these whenever he's not wearing his PsychoticSmirk. [[MemeticMolester HE WANTS TO RAPE YOU!!!]]
* Manhwa/JackFrost is the embodiment of this trope. The wider his smile, the bloodier things get. [[BloodKnight And things get pretty damn bloody.]]
* Xellos from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has this in spades. It's less common to see him not smiling than to see him with a smile (or a convenient PsychoticSmirk) on his lips, but if he's smiling ''and'' his eyes are open, you're in serious trouble. Especially exemplified as he's sadistically torturing Valgaav in TRY and a highly amused smile never leaves Xellos' face, backed up by a truly psychotic giggle.
* As a NeatFreak, Ryuuji from ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' gets one whenever he ''cleans''. As in, dirt and dust and mold. Combined with his permanent death glare, he looks like he's rejoicing in the thought of committing genocide on entire societies of dust mites and mold colonies. There's a brief shot of one right in the opening theme.
[[/folder]]

Some characters with a Slasher Smile [[PerpetualSmiler wear the grin all the time]] -- [[FrozenFace in fact, it's physically impossible for them to move their face out of it.]] For many, this has the added worry of making it harder to tell what they're thinking or feeling, because their face betrays no expression beyond the smile. This can be especially tricky for a character with a FaceOfAThug -- even if the smile has no genuine malice behind it, others will ''assume'' there is.

Some characters with a Slasher Smile [[PerpetualSmiler wear the grin all the time]] -- [[FrozenFace in fact, it's physically impossible for them to move their face out of it.]] For many, this has the added worry of making it harder to tell what they're thinking or feeling, because their face betrays no expression beyond the smile.

* In ''Webcomic/{{TREVOR}}'', [[spoiler: Enid]] has one when [[spoiler: she]] explains to Purdy what they were really doing [[spoiler: to Trevor.]]

* ''Film/EventHorizon'': The ending portion of the [[ApocalypticLog Blood Orgy]] shows us the incredibly unnerving sight of captain Kilpack uttering [[spoiler: ''"Libera te tutemet ex inferis...'']] while [[BloodIsTheNewBlack completely covered from head-to-toe in blood and gore]], [[EyeScream holding his own gouged-out eyes in the bloodstained palms of his hands]] and facing at the camera with a nightmarish grin.

* ''Film/It2017'' Pennywise sports a wicked, evil grin that flashes some sharp front teeth most of the time and gets taken UpToEleven when [[spoiler:all the teeth come out.]]

* Just about every villain played by Creator/WillemDafoe, [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120179/mediaviewer/rm4218362880 with]] ''Film/Speed2CruiseControl'' [[https://i1.wp.com/www.geekphilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Spider-man-norman-osborn-willem-dafoe-goblin-smile.png and]] ''Film/SpiderMan1'' standing out. ''Webvideo/HonestTrailers'' even comments "Echhh. His face looks a lot better with the mask on." Webvideo/ToddInTheShadows also noted that one of the many flaws in ''Film/BodyOfEvidence'' is having Dafoe starring in an erotic thriller, when that smile is one hell of a FetishRetardant.

** Vriska Serket wears the biggest shit-eating smile possible as she [[spoiler: waves Tavros's severed legs in front of him, just before impaling him on a lance and throwing him off a cliff.]]
** Vriska is at least a semi-comedic example, since both Vriska's expression and gesture are [[CrossesTheLineTwice just too ludicrously twisted]] to be taken seriously... but if you're interested in an example played ''bone-chillingly'' straight, why not say hello to [[spoiler: [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005342 Gamzee]]]]?

*** Right before she [[spoiler: [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?p=005197&s=6 timestops Bec Noir]]]].

** [[NightmareFetishist Maddie]] has several moments where she sports an unsettling ear-to-ear grin which could haunt your nightmares, although she's actually a really chill person. One of the most notable instances is the grin she gives [[spoiler:Barry]] while cackles, which is ''not'' a case of her looking more creepy that she means to be, in "[[Recap/AmphibiaS3E20SashasAngels Sasha's Angels]]".

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Mapleshade. She can make Ivypool feel like [[TastesLikeDiabetes Daisy]] is with her, right before trying to drown her.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The look on Syndrome's face when he [[AdultFear abducts Jack-Jack.]]

* ''WebAnimation/BabushkaTheMovie'' has Creator/{{Sykkuno}} doing one of these just after killing [=BrookeAB=] as [[VideoGame/AmongUs an impostor]]. The bloody knife, [[BlackEyesOfEvil black eyes]] and [[BloodIsTheNewBlack blood all over his face]] only [[https://i.imgur.com/KOzPYAa.png adds onto the effect]].

** [[Recap/DoctorWho2019NYSResolution "Resolution"]]: Lin gives a few of these while controlled by [[spoiler:the Dalek recon scout]].

* [[BadPowersGoodPeople Raven]] from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' dons one of these in "Nevermore", when her emotions and power go out of control.

** [[BigBad The Ice Dancers]] both give one in [[spoiler: the last episode.]]

* PlayedForLaughs on ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' when Green Beetle allows Megan to read his mind and puts on an ''epically'' intimidating grin while explaining it's important they all trust each other. He's new to human customs and thought all smiles were friendly.
--> '''Green Beetle:''' ({{Beat}}) Does my smile displease? Is this ''not'' how humans convey friendship and put each other at ease?

** From the Season 8 finale after her true nature is revealed, [[spoiler:[[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Cozy Glow]]]] does these ''a lot'', especially when she is imprisoned in [[DraggedOffToHell Tartarus]]. The last of these mentioned even provides the image for the episode's recap page.

* WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants wins a prize. He waits for it at the mailbox for an impossibly long time. He finally gets it, and it turns out to be a toy. Patrick, his idiot starfish friend, "breaks" it. Spongebob just has a frozen smile on his face as he looks down at it. The smile stays on the entire following conversation:

'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' YOU! YOU RUINED MY FREE TOY!!!

* Judge Claude Frollo from ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' flashes such a grin twice in the story. First when he tries to burn Esmeralda at the stake. Later, when he raises his sword to kill her and Quasimodo, because he believes that he's won. It's particularly notable because, up until those two times, the worst Frollo did was a PsychoticSmirk.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1295821616031762800
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:338:[[Series/{{Jekyll}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slashersmile_5.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:338:With a face like this, it's very easy to tell [[JekyllAndHyde which side]] is [[SplitPersonalityTakeover in control]].]]-]

In the animal kingdom, baring your teeth is a sign of aggression. In the case of humans — well, there's something very disconcerting about a smile that doesn't have an ounce of happiness in it. It's downright frightening when the smile is in anticipation of pain or death — yours, probably. Needless to say, the Slasher Smile does not inspire warmth in anyone who sees it.

While the CheshireCatGrin is a staple of TheTrickster, generally one of the good guys, the Slasher Smile is the staple of the AxCrazy, unless said hero is a particularly dark or vicious AntiHero. Only expect to see a "nice" hero with a Slasher Smile if they've been possessed or suffered a major FreakOut or if they have been taken over by their SuperPoweredEvilSide. Also, a devious [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] or MagnificentBastard is unlikely to look like this — it's too ObviouslyEvil, and they prefer the subtler PsychoticSmirk.

Some characters with a Slasher Smile [[PerpetualSmiler wear the grin all the time]] — [[FrozenFace in fact, it's physically impossible for them to move their face out of it.]] For many, this has the added worry of making it harder to tell what they're thinking or feeling, because their face betrays no expression beyond the smile.

* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'': When Starbicks Coffee seizes Pig and Rat's house to set up a new coffee shop, one of the Starbicks guys gives an evil grin to Rat before kicking him and Pig out.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' after Killer, currently trying to do everything he can to get Carface to spare his life, tells him he has a gun they can use to try and kill Charlie (for good) with, Carface breaks into a wide satanic version. Not just figuratively, either – his face (presumably, we're seeing him from Killer's POV) actually proceeds to transform into an actual devil's.

* The Indoraptor from ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom''. Technically for a Dinosaur, it has the mind of a serial killer, during the scene where one of the antagonists Weatley tranquilizes it to collect one of its teeth. the Indoraptor wakes up (it's not tranq'ed) and smiles before biting off Weatley's arm and killing him.

* ''Film/MrSardonicus'' took liberal inspiration from the aforementioned ''The Man Who Laughs'' with the [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2364/2186924247_5cb2d6583f.jpg?v=0 carved smile]], but the character was much less of a sweet guy than Gwynplaine. It was up to the audience to decide whether he was a villain or an AntiVillain - this being a Creator/WilliamCastle film, they were polled, and a different ending would be screened based on whether they thought he should be treated mercifully. They killed him every time, and the mercy ending is probably lost for eternity, assuming it ever existed at all.

* ''Literature/TheArchonate'': In ''The Spiral Labyrinth'', which is set in homage to the ''Literature/DyingEarth'' setting, one of the significant villains is a wizard by the name of Smiling Bol. He always maintains a cheerful expression - sometimes less menacing, sometimes more so.

** In some of the ''Literature/XWingSeries'' and any [[Literature/NewJediOrder other]] appearances written by Creator/AaronAllston, Wedge Antilles has often been known to smile like this - actually, while it can be assumed that he's got normal smiles, almost any time the narration ''says'' he's smiling it's this trope. Humorless, feral. He gives it to politicians when he sees through what they say to what they mean and most often to enemies he's about to shoot down.

** ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'' has Wedge shocked and taken aback by being discharged - Wedge, who was sixty and had been in service since the age of twenty - then realizing that people are going to try to kill him. The thought is so familiar that it steadies and reassures him, and he's able to flash someone a smile "suggesting that he was a rancor and they were made of meat".
* In Neil Gaiman's ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'', Lamia displays one of these during her search for the fallen star. Fortunately, we only have the Narrator's [[TakeOurWordForIt word on it.]]
-->Her red, red lips curved upward in a smile of such joy, such pure and perfect happiness, that it would have frozen your blood in your veins to have seen it.
* Rictus in Creator/CliveBarker's ''The Thief of Always'' at first seems to be a harmless goofball who's always got a big, cheesy grin on his face - until the dark side of the Holiday House (his employer) makes itself known, and his smile becomes terrifying ([[GeniusBonus if Harvey Swick had read his dictionary]], he'd know that a "rictus" is the grin of a skull).

** The Fourth Doctor generally sticks to the CheshireCatGrin, but he does this, usually when he's pretending to be evil or bluffing about how dangerous he is — like his IAmHeAsYouAreHe gambit in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E2Meglos "Meglos"]]. Or occasionally when he actually is being violent, like when he snaps a man's neck in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E6TheSeedsOfDoom The Seeds of Doom]]". (To be fair, he only bent it a bit and the sound effect is just extra snappy — the man gets up soon after.)

** Music/AphexTwin fits this trope to a T. He really loves to paste his creepy grin on everything from album covers to music videos. One of the most notable appearances of his face is [[http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/6540/aphexly2.png spectrograph at the end of "Equation"]] - an EasterEgg which is cool and disturbing at the same time.

* So far in NXT, a slasher smile seems to be Asuka's trademark. During her NXT contract signing, she was interrupted and teased by Emma and Dana Brooke, and just before she walked backstage she turned around and smiled so creepily it scared them both into silence. She followed up by getting a bit of an ass kicking from Billie Kay in her debut match - then after Billie mocked her, she smiled and proceeded to ''hurt'' her.

* [[spoiler: Kotonoha]], in the one of the bad endings of ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays''. [[spoiler: The one where she kills Sekai, more specifically]]
** [[spoiler: Sekai]] also gets one in another of the bad endings when [[spoiler: she kills Kotonoha.]]

* ''VisualNovel/CorpseParty'' has several. [[spoiler:There's possessed Ayumi, Kizami, Sachiko, and the shadowy creature at the end of Chapter One (if it catches you)... who turns out to be Sachiko's mother.]]
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': ''Everyone'' has them by the dozens. [[spoiler:The ''real'' culprit, though, has a perpetually blank appearance, which is even creepier in contrast. [[https://i.imgur.com/miR3kvs.jpg Until she wins, that is]].]]

* Quite a few characters from ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'' are prone of pull these kinds of smiles. [[BloodKnight Wilhelm]], [[TortureTechnician Rusalka]] and [[AxCrazy Schreiber]] are among those that pull these the most.
* One of Seiji's common [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/death-mark/images/e/ed/Amanome_bust.png/revision/latest?cb=20190108222922 expressions]] in ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG''. His normally soft eyes sharpen into pinpricks as he takes on a wicked smile, [[BitchInSheepsClothing revealing his true personality]].

** The Jägermonsters (clawed, fanged, monstrous {{super soldier}}s) have been known to do this - and most of them are on the ''good guys''' side. Some have better smiles than others, with Goomblast triumphing over most due to having more teeth than a Great White Shark. [[spoiler:And it's even part of a reveal: Higgs' brief flash of his true colors to Tarvek is accompanied by the first and only smile he's had to offer, and it's ''exactly'' as big, toothy and sharp as any Jäger]].

** [[spoiler:Caliborn]] arguably tops them all. During his [[TheReveal Reveal]], his psychotic grin is utterly terrifying - and he pulls it right before he ''chews his own leg off''.

* The Sarnothi in ''Webcomic/{{Selkie}}'' can easily pull this off - especially with their being apex predators with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily.

* Trollface, of course.
* Tez On Toast from ''WebVideo/KateModern'', for whom this expression may as well be a smile of recognition. Truly chilling.
* The Tails Doll Short, which can be found [[http://comickpro.deviantart.com/art/Tails-Doll-79228090?offset=50#comments here]]. You will never, EVER look at [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Tails]] the same way again.
* Red, the fox from Roleplay/RubyQuest, has a slasher smile which is of [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Origin]].

* Played with in the ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' with Kaiba's normal-looking, yet still-disturbing smile. "Every time Kaiba smiles, a puppy dies."
** He does it [[spoiler:twice]] in the newly released Episode 42.
---> ''[[spoiler: [As Odion summons Mega-Ultra Chicken]]]''\\
'''Kaiba[Grinning]:''' Oh god yes! ''["+ 100 Dead Puppies" is written on the bottom]''
* Flippy from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' whenever he goes into AxCrazy mode.
* Kirby has a biiiiig one in ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl''.
* [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dr-nagyfi-rich%C3%A1rd Dr. Nagyfi Richárd]] often sports a version of this.
* Creator/StuartAshen sports one at the beginning of his "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX9veeOMxeQ Video Remix Competition]]" video, just before his FourthWallGreeting.

* Simon in ''WebVideo/TheCartoonMan'', particularly when he blows Roy up with dynamite.
* [[WalkingSpoiler A character]] has this in the ''WebVideo/BlackBoxTV'' episode [[http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj6IyOrMWnQ The Babysitter.]][[http://blackboxtv.tumblr.com/post/55154471828/j0eygraceffa-the-babysitter-new-blackboxtv Here's a picture.]] Link contains spoilers.
* [[Creator/{{Laina}} The Overly Attached Girlfriend]].
* [[WebVideo/MatthewSantoro Matt Santoro]] does this in his more horror-related videos, reasonably.
* The necromancer Sawyer is never seen without one of these on his face in ''Literature/VoidDomain''.
* WebVideo/FilthyFrank can pull off a hell of a creepy smile when he wants to, best demonstrated with [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/600x315/56/72/1e/56721e57139a1ff0fbe00230d57793d7.jpg Pink Guy.]]

* [[WebVideo/TheMusicVideoShow The Music Video Show]] has this in the middle of [[https://youtu.be/6Lq8ZPAURw0 episode 92]], which comes [[Main/SurpriseCreepy out of nowhere.]] "Hello." indeed.
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Thanks to his ScaryTeeth giving off this expression, [[KnightOfCerebus Killer Monster]] qualifies.
* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': [[TheDreaded Alastor]] has one of these all the time because he sees smiling as a show of power and dominance, meaning anyone who frowns in his field of vision he will consider weak regardless of their objective strength. His NightmareFace makes it even more hellaciously creepy than it usually is.
* ''WebAnimation/DrCrafty'': Doctor Mindstein makes these quite frequently, made even creepier by her [[FauxAffablyEvil cheery demeanor]]. Even her EstablishingCharacterMoment had her pulling of [[https://twitter.com/Doctor_Crafty/status/1033117668239450114 a truly nightmarish grin]].
* The infamous [[VideoGame/AmongUs "When the impostor is sus!"]] meme features WebVideo/Jerma985's face disturbingly edited into one of these. [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/956/027/fee.jpg See for yourself!]]
* The smilers from WebOriginal/TheBackrooms are [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] who reside in the darkness. Their grins are particularly horrifying, and they will certainly haunt your nightmares!

** Her father, Firelord Ozai, also sports one in the finale when he's attempting to burn down the entire Earth Kingdom.

* [[EvilCounterpart Kevin 11]] did this ''very'' often in the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}''. He stopped doing this after [[HeelFaceTurn reforming]] in ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce Alien Force]]''... [[spoiler:Then starts doing it again in season 1 of ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien Ultimate Alien]]'' after being turned insane again.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' villain [[FutureMeScaresMe Dark Danny]] does this quite frequently - it's part of his charm. [[ArchEnemy Vlad Plasmius]] also gives us one from time to time when he's feeling especially deranged, but he mostly sticks to his PsychoticSmirk.

** In the season 2 finale Megabyte gives one to Bob before [[spoiler: launching him into a web portal.]]

* Fred in the ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' episode "Freaky Fred".

* The smilers from WebOriginal/TheBackrooms are EldritchAbominations who reside in the darkness. Their grins are particularly horrifying, and they will certainly haunt your nightmares!

[[caption-width-right:338:With a face like this, it's very easy to tell [[JekyllAndHyde which side]] is [[SplitPersonalityTakeover in control]].]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': Besides Ghidorah's heads being known for pulling this expression every once in a while, a couple other characters also pull off this expression. After his SanitySlippage, Alan Jonah at one point gives [[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]] a "rictus grimace of a smile". As for the two-headed Monster X, [[MultipleHeadCase Vivienne's head]] gives [[spoiler:[=MaNi=]/Elder Brother]] a dangerous Slasher Smile during her HeroicResolve.
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': The homophobe gave Italy a ''really'' scary one. The Bad Touch Trio gave some as well [[ThePeepingTom to showcase their pervertedness]].
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Doctor Strange pull one in the sequel when bearing down on [[ItsPersonal his personal]] [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], Sinister, who he's dedicated a very long time to tracking down and making suffer, combined with a LoomingSilhouetteOfRage and a purred peach of a PreAsskickingOneLiner.
--> Hello, Nathaniel. ''Long time no see.''
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' fic ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', Jade gives one to her {{Jerkass}} former classmate Drew.
* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7609018/1/Lets_Do_The_CaramellDansen Let's Do The Caramelldansen]] plays it for laughs (presumably):
-->"So Vexen smiled, and it was... a purely evil smile. A MANIACLY evil smile. Take every synonym for 'evil', put them before the word 'smile', and you may even get Vexen's smile. It's hard to comprehend how truly terrifying the smile was. But if Hitler and Big Brother had a child, and that child had a child with Satan, and that child had a child with the child of Voldemort and Darth Vader, and that child was to smile, it would probably the closest you could get to how awfully evil Vexen looked at that moment. (Sorry for that image, people) It could make a serial killer cry."
* When the killer [[spoiler: Drew]] is revealed in the ''Series/HannahMontana'' story ''I Didn't Sign Up For This'', the first thing she does is [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness shoot her]] [[TheDragon accomplice]] with what is described as "a creepy smile" on her face.
* In ''Fanfic/FrozenHearts'', Prince Harken gets one as he's considering [[ATasteOfTheLash whipping]] [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 his younger brother Hans]].
* The vocaloid fanfic ''Fanfic/RottingCamellias'' often has Meiko flashing one of these.
* In ''Fanfic/TheScalyRaptor'', [[Film/JurassicWorld Claire]] manages to give "shark smiles" even before she becomes a T-rex, usually when she's about to make someone's life hell.
* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'':
** Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine have these on Little Garden when they meet Cross alone.
** Used frequently enough with Kureha that Cross compares her to the Grim Reaper no fewer than three times.
** At the end of Chapter 19, Cross has this reaction after they leave Luffy behind to fight Crocodile...and the rest of the crew agrees to let him give out some spoilers about the upcoming battles.
** Smoker, of all people, gives one in Chapter 23, after Hina [[spoiler:becomes convinced that he, Tashigi, and Cross are right about the corruption in the people they follow and asks what he has in mind to fix it.]]
** Sengoku gets a gold-plated, [[VillainousBreakdown crazy-ass]] grin when, amidst all the chaos on Enies Lobby, Spandam idiotically reveals his plan to get control of Pluton and possibly overthrow the Five Elder Stars. The Fleet Admiral takes great pleasure in telling him to report to Marineford to receive "everything he has coming to him".
* The SerialKiller Pinkamina from the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' blog ''Blog/AskPinkaminaDianePie'' is well-known amongst the fandom for her smile. One Ask even involved specifically asking her to smile.
* ''Fanfic/{{Outcry}}'': When [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsII Nadalia]] smiles while attempting to harm someone she does so in a way that is described as grotesque, ugly, or wrong.
-->'''[[Literature/{{Worm}} Miss Militia]]''': The [[HumanoidAbomination thing]] wearing [[spoiler:Annette Hebert's]] face smiled at her.
-->The smile was… wrong. She'd seen many smiles in her life and could remember each with perfect clarity. She'd seen everything, from the genuine to the false, to the insane.
-->This one was… wrong… off. It was as if the thing behind it was merely mimicking what it had seen as if it had forgotten how to even begin to make the expression and was unable to emulate what it had seen enough to overcome what it was trying to hide.
* Samus' default smile in ''Fanfic/RiseFromDarkness'' seems to be this. Later, after brutally killing an entire family, she breaks into a grin and starts laughing maniacally.
[[/folder]]