History NightmareFuel / AceAttorney

* Shamspeare's method of trying to move into his cell mate's apartment: by creating a gas leak that kills the other tenant. Soseki Natsume describes waking up to the sensation of being suffocated for multiple nights in a row, with no explanation as to why it keeps happening.

* After Enoch Drebber has been captured and his time bomb set to destory his workshop was disarmed, he cackles at this, with an ominous zoom onto Gina holding said bomb, at first implying that Sholmes actually failed to disarm it and everyone here will die, only then stating that the heroes only managed to disarm ''"that"'' one. It's then revealed that Harebrayne's machine has one as well, which blows up with at least two police officers nearby.

** The case itself becomes increasingly unsettling as it plays out. Whereas "Farewell, My Turnabout" has you uncovering Matt Engarde's true nature halfway through the case, you never find out whether Magnus McGilded was guilty or innocent until Case 5. Nonetheless, it's clear that ''something'' is very wrong, to the point that there's no usual sense of triumph when the judge declares McGilded "Not Guilty." And then Case 5 reveals that he ''did'' do it.

* The FinalBoss is without a doubt the most frightening Ace Attorney villain yet. This is a woman who, out of petty jealousy, framed her sister's husband for murder, used her own niece as a blackmailing tool to keep her sister and nephew in line so she could legally kill them later, and left an infant to die in a fire without batting an eye. This is a woman who is responsible for Khura'in's downright toxic and putrid legal system which has killed many lawyers and innocent people alike and makes it impossible for those accused of a crime to have a shot in court, almost leading to 9-year-old Ahlbi's death as well as being the reason why Beh'leeb and Ta'hrust have to resort to framing Maya for Ze'loht's accidental death. This is a woman who is not afraid of rewriting the laws in court to suit her needs, including making ''standing up to her'' punishable by death. This is Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in, a ruthless and sadistic dictator who comes dangerously close to getting away with all of her crimes if not for Apollo's quick thinking.
** The moment she reveals what she's ''[[TheCaligula really]]'' like. Forget the fact that she looks like some kind of EvilSorceress straight out of DarkFantasy. It's also at that point that she decides to reveal she's ''[[AxCrazy completely fucking insane]]'', changing the laws of Khura'in on a whim not only out of the desire to win the case to ''legally kill her own nephew'' but also out of raw sadism and mentally torturing her own family out of nothing but spite for her sister. Even the tone of her theme changes from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIVXfEHvI2s intimidating but regal]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXD2t8WLMWw discordant and shrill]]. as if the music itself were slowly losing its mind.

* Case 2 brings us Roger Retinz, a.k.a The Great Mr. Reus, a former magician with a grudge against Troupe Gramarye. The sheer amount of ''loathing'' that man has running through his veins, and the sheer cackling insanity he shows when taunting Magnifi Gramarye from beyond the grave can be downright chilling-especially given his "taunting Magnifi" pose, where he looks like ''the freaking Devil'' admiring his own {{Hellfire}} while laughing at the soul caught therein. The VillainousBreakdown is quite creepy: He puts on one final "show" for the court, making creepy masks of each member of the troupe appear in his cloak, them making them vanish in flames while proclaiming how he'll see them all burn. Then he gets to Trucy, except when he opens his cloak, it's ''his'' mask inside. He freaks out for a bit, then tries the trick again, only to have his face show up a second time, this time bloody and laughing. He then starts panicking, yelling that he's not to blame (in a manner that echoes [[VillainSong "Hellfire"]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''), as multiple spotlights shine in his face as the camera slowly zooms in. It's implied that a large amount of this might just be happening in his head, showing just how deluded and insane he's become.

*** It's even scarier if you're still playing the game on a [=3DS=]. It's bad enough if you press the "Present" button, but it's even worse because, if you're brave enough to shout '''"Take that!"''' on a working microphone, you press the "Microphone" (Y) button and all the sound becomes muted. Normally when you press the Y button in all other ''Ace Attorney'' DS/[=3DS=] games, you can shout '''"Hold it!"''', '''"Objection!"''', '''"Take that!"''', '''"Gotcha!"''' (games that involve Apollo Justice) '''"Eureka!"''' (''Ace Attorney Investigations'') or even '''"[='=]Scuse me!"''' (''The Great Ace Attorney'', [=3DS=]-only) without fear. But here, the moment you turn on the microphone button before the AwfulTruth, the silence becomes deafening with a sense of unease, [[NothingIsScarier making you afraid]] that you don't want to shout the two very words that come out of your mouth, but you ''know'' you reluctantly have to in order to progress further with the right evidence... and pray that the nightmare may pass without incident.

* Tahrust Inmee's Divination Seance. Just imagine seeing a cloaked figure wearing a creepy mask suddenly hovering towards you in the darkness and ended up killing you at the end. Not helping that it is one of the most challenging seances to crack down, so you get the privilege of seeing the scene over and over again.]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jv1ticnf0 The low, droning music track]] that plays when you have to present TheReveal that Dhurke was DeadAllAlong. It sounds more like something out of a SurvivalHorror game, and perfectly captures the moment: both Apollo and the player know ''exactly'' what the solution to this contradiction is, but ''desperately'' don't want to believe it. And instead of a '''Take That''' when you present it, you get a ScareChord.

* ''[[NightmareFuel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy]]''

** Before that, he pulls out a revolver after Sholmes' Logic and Reasoning Spectacular and points it at Ryunosuke as Graydon makes a threat to hand the music box disk to him at once, saying that he would hate to have to see Ryunosuke "return to [his] native land in a box" (i.e., coffin). No matter which option Runo chooses, Pop Windibank interjects with a "'''''Hold it!'''''" and threatens to shoot himself, making a bad situation worse. Leave it to [[BigDamnHeroes Inspector Gregson]] to save the day.

** Before that, he pulls out a revolver and points it at Ryunosuke as he makes a threat to hand the music box disk to him at once, saying that he would hate to have to see Ryunosuke "return to [his] native land in a box" (i.e., coffin). No matter which option Runo chooses, Pop Windibank interjects with a "'''''Hold it!'''''" and threatens to shoot himself, making a bad situation worse. Leave it to [[BigDamnHeroes Inspector Gregson]] to save the day.

* The horrifying tales of the prosecutor Barok van Zieks more than qualify. With every single case he prosecuted before the events of Case 3, each defendant, guilty or not, ended up dying, either by natural means (according to Herlock Sholmes) or by machinations set up by the BigBad. It's no wonder that he got the nickname "Death God of the Old Bailey" and practically every defense attorney in the UK was frightened by him.

* The final villain's breakdown has them try to break their cane on the witness stand and ''strangling Inspector Gregson with it while on the stand''.

* The entire premise of the game's backstory. Someone relatively high-up in the British judicial system caught a SerialKiller in the act and blackmailed him into becoming his personal hitman, using him to [[KlingonPromotion kill his way to the top]]. Then, he coerces several key figures in both Britain and Japan into a massive conspiracy cleaning up every loose end. Part of this involved setting up Van Zieks' "Death God" reputation by killing everyone he prosecuted, another part involved taking advantage of international extradition treaties to assassinate key targets without fear of retribution. At least part of ''both countries' governments'' were in on this. ParanoiaFuel sets in when you find out ''the Japanese judge'', someone you probably never suspected for a moment, is a killer working for the BigBad. Imagine being caught in the middle of all this.

* The real murder method of the first case: a rare poison that is absorbed through the bloodstream. It works by causing total body paralysis, including breathing, resulting in death by suffocation as the victim [[AndIMustScream is helpless to do anything, unable to call out or get any help as they slowly die]]. This poison is totally unknown in the game's version of Japan, making the cause of death completely untraceable there, were it not for a SpannerInTheWorks. Made even worse by the fact that the first case's victim is John Watson himself. And even worse? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curare This poison is REAL, and its effects in the game are no exaggeration.]]

* The Masked Man's true {{Leitmotif}} is a downright disturbing DarkReprise of Asougi Kazuma's theme. Listen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqvbDq8PHIU here]]. (Beware of major spoilers)

* Genshin Asougi's death, at first glance. Imagine being sentenced to death by hanging, said execution getting botched, having a metal mask placed over your head, being placed in a sealed coffin, and after how many hours pass by, when you come to and try to come out of your coffin, you get shot out of nowhere. As it turns out, the seemingly-botched execution was planned, but it's still a terrifying thought.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadow_kristoph.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Cross this man at your own peril...]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/megundal_death.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:... Why couldn't this happen to Engarde in the bad ending...]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/evilreddwhite.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:How do they make a goofy villain like White ''this'' frightening!?]]

* In the [[Anime/AceAttorney anime adaptation,]] we get to see animated interpretations of the crimes as they happened. This also applies to the false testimonies of what say, the real suspect, claims to have seen. For example, the First Turnabout shows Frank Sahwit actively seeing Larry exit Cindy's room after the murder and deciding to call the police, when we already know that's not how it happened. That's all fine and dandy, but then we get to the cases where one of the heroes is the defendant; in other words, we get to see the [[SarcasmMode lovely image]] of Maya, and later Phoenix himself, murdering Mia.

'''Spoilers below, and [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff turned off by policy]]:'''

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** His two {{Villainous Breakdown}}s when exposed: The first one has him angrily slamming his fist on the defendant/witness stand. But the second one, which is spectacular by ''Ace Attorney'' standards, happens after he learns that Phoenix Wright was responsible for creating the Jurist System - Kristoph is so angry that the very courtroom begins to shake, and he [[SkywardScream screams Phoenix's name]] as his hair blows upward. The next scene has him hunched over, his meticulously groomed hair an outright mess, with a snarling mouth and a seriously twitchy and unhinged DeathGlare as the courts and his own brother gives him his verdict.
** And finally, when Vera is found innocent by the jury, Kristoph breaks down into an extremely creepy [[LaughingMad psychotic laugh]].
*** Apollo's words on the situation really serve to drive home how creepy Kristoph's laugh truly is.
-->'''Apollo:''' The record will show... that when the verdict was announced, special witness Kristoph Gavin... laughed. A laugh louder than any ever heard before... or since. A laugh that echoed in the halls of justice, lingering for what seemed like hours.

--> Forum 90, a Japanese anti-death penalty group, conducted a survey of 900 ex-judges. Over 80 percent believed, that under the current system, miscarriages of justice were inevitable. Take the case of Toshikazu Sugaya. He matched the profile and blood type of a child murderer, but the police lacked any evidence. "They barged in and told me to sit down," recalls Sugaya. "Then they kept saying, 'You killed that kid, didn't you?' I said 'No, no,' but they didn't believe me." After a 13 hour interrogation without food, water, or a lawyer, [[TwoPlusTortureMakesFive Sugaya confessed]].

** Related, Madame Rozaik, the wax sculptor's testimony in Case 3's trial, which involves her describing how hard it is to make a mold out of a dead body's face before Rigor Mortis sets in, in vivid detail. And she talks about it in a way that implies "The Professor" ''isn't the first dead body she's done this to.'' Not helped by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJQ1ye6xlyA her theme]] playing through this sequence.

* In the second case, after you reveal that William Petenshy is an escaped convict desperately trying to get into a death-row inmate's old apartment to find a treasure he was promised, the normally comical character ''[[https://youtu.be/mX3sRpbynrk?t=39m37s suddenly becomes a deranged lunatic]]'' (spoilers in the link, obviously). Made worse by his being in some of his normal poses, but now sporting a ''really'' disturbing [[TheUnSmile Un-Smile]] and accompanied by slightly off-key sound effects. The unsettling music doesn't help either. Even the jurors are horrified in-universe!

--> '''Crogley:''' YOOOOOOOOU TRAITOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!

* The horrifying tales of the prosecutor Barok van Zeiks more than qualify. With every single case he prosecuted before the events of Case 3, each defendant, guilty or not, ended up dying, either by natural means (according to Herlock Sholmes) or by machinations set up by the BigBad. It's no wonder that he got the nickname "Death God of the Old Bailey" and practically every defense attorney in the UK was frightened by him.

* Blaise Debeste is practically NightmareFuel personified. The very idea of a ''68-year-old'' PsychopathicManchild is incredibly disturbing in itself, and almost from his first appearance he's horribly verbally abusing his own son. And it only gets worse as you learn more of what he did... holding a foreign president for ransom and ''having him assassinated anyway'', auctioning off ''evidence from past cases'', brutally murdering another person who found out, forging evidence in the past and using that fact to blackmail the coroner who helped him, and her family, later on, kidnapping the judge's son to manipulate his own trial... and then you remember that this guy was Chief Prosecutor for who knows how long, [[FridgeHorror and is implied to have killed more people in the past, including his wife.]] And to make matters worse, ''he has a voiced Objection'', and it somehow manages to be worse than von Karma's and Alba's ''[[UpToEleven combined]]''. If von Karma was a demon, Blaise is ''the Devil himself''. He also gave von Karma the only penalty during his entire career which set the DL-6 incident in motion, making him the GreaterScopeVillain in the ''entire'' series.

** And, unlike every other villain, he actually accomplished everything he intended to do. He took down all his enemies. He will be able to plea justified self-defense and beat his murder charge, as the body double was trying to kill him in earnest with a gun, and he had no way to flee, as he would have been shot out of the sky if he tried. And while he will do some time, he'll be with his assassin friend, and likely be an amazing assassin himself when he gets out of prison, and no one will be able to do a thing to him. If you anger him, he will destroy you, either by getting someone else to murder you, or get you to willingly murder someone else. And yet he's sympathetic...

* Neither of them are nice people but [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aceattorney/images/5/51/Pal_vs_Alita.png/revision/latest?cb=20180314030820 the image]] of Pal Meraktis trying to strangle Alita Tiala with a lamp cord is pretty cold since it looks chillingly like domestic abuse.