History NightmareFuel / BlackSabbath

!! Band:

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!! Film:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_sabbath_nightmare_fuel.jpg]]
''Black Sabbath'': The 1963 Italian horror film (yes, the one [[Music/BlackSabbath a certain band]] was named after) has three segments than can and will haunt one's dreams.

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* Much of the final short, "The Drop of Water", but the ghoulish UncannyValley [[NightmareFace face]] of the dead medium stands out.
* The clearly dead child calling from outside the house its mother, using her pain to make her open the door. "Mama, I'm cold. Mama, let me in. I'm cold."

** When it first came out, this song was ''so scary'' that the first time they played it, most of the audience ran out of the venue screaming. (The ones that stayed yelled for it to be played again.)
** Another common interpretation of the song is that it's about a dabbler in the black arts who inadvertently summons {{Satan}} himself. The unlucky summoner is then dragged kicking and screaming down to {{Hell}} by the Prince of Darkness.

* The album [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81oqQj3cD1L._SL1425_.jpg artwork]] for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, depicting a man on his deathbed, grotesquely surreal demons mocking and tormenting him, a snake wrapped around his throat crushing it, and at the top of the bed, a skull with demonic claws, and 666, the number of the beast. Guarantee you this freaked out a lot of people in the ‘70s.

* "War Pigs", also from ''Music/Paranoid''. The first and third part of the apocalyptic anti-war lyrics are accompanied with eerie silence save for the regular guitar hits and licks. Then there’s the melodic, climactic instrumental “Luke’s Wall”, when listening feels like falling through a labyrinth of flames.

* "Electric Funeral", again from t''Paranoid'', is pretty damn scary for a song about nuclear war, with its nightmarish description of the radioactive fallout and the chugging pace of the riff, which feels like some sort of lumbering monster or something.

* Most if not all of ''Dehumanizer''. The majority of the Ronnie James Dio albums favors epicness over nightmares, but this album, from its cover art to its doomier sound makes this easily the scariest of the Dio Sabbath albums.

** Another common interpretation of the song is that it's about a dabbler in the black arts who inadvertently summons Satan himself. The unlucky summoner is then dragged kicking and screaming down to Hell by the Prince of Darkness.

* "Paranoid” in general is a trippy, disturbing listen. Themes of war, death, mental illness, drug abuse, nuclear fallout, a homicidal cyborg destined to eradicate mankind, amongst the intense, fast, doomy riffs, established heavy metal as an unholy force to be reckoned with.
* "War Pigs", also from ''Music/{{Paranoid}}''. The first and third part of the apocalyptic anti-war lyrics are accompanied with eerie silence save for the regular guitar hits and licks. Then there’s the melodic, climactic instrumental “Luke’s Wall”, when listening feels like falling through a labyrinth of flames.

* "Electric Funeral", again from the above mentioned album, is pretty damn scary for a song about nuclear war, with its nightmarish description of the radioactive fallout and the chugging pace of the riff, which feels like some sort of lumbering monster or something.

* Hand of Doom and its creeping lyrics about the sheer horror of heroin addiction. The harsh, stuttering guitar riffs in the later part of the song can be interpreted as heart palpitations during an overdose.
* The cover of ''Black Sabbath''. A figure in black standing in front of a dilapidated house in a wooded area. For decades, information about the figure was unknown.[[note]]The figure was eventually revealed to be model and later electronic musician Louisa Livingstone.[[/note]]
* The haunting whispering and distorted guitar at the end of "Children of the Grave"

* Born Again's album cover is particularly loathsome, depicting a newborn infant doctored to look like a demon child. ''brrr...''

* "Mama, I'm cold. Mama, let me in. I'm cold."

** It's not just nightmare fuel, it's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic AWESOME FUEL!!!!!]]

* The cover of ''Black Sabbath'', pictured above. A figure in black standing in front of a dilapidated house in a wooded area. For decades, information about the figure was unknown.[[note]]The figure was eventually revealed to be model and later electronic musician Louisa Livingstone.[[/note]]

* Most if not all of ''Dehumanizer'', actually. The majority of the Ronnie James Dio albums favors epicness over nightmares, but this album, from its cover art to its doomier sound makes this easily the scariest of the Dio Sabbath albums.

%% Please see thread to discuss a new image.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_sabbath_black_sabbath.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: What is this that stands before me?]]

* The cover of ''Black Sabbath'', pictured above. A figure in black standing in front of a dilapidated house in a wooded area. Information about the figure is unknown.[[note]]The figure is actually model Louisa Livingstone.[[/note]]

* The cover of ''Black Sabbath'', pictured above. A figure in black standing in front of a dilapidated house in a wooded area. Information about the figure is unknown.

* “Solitude” may qualify as this for some, what with its hauntingly quiet atmosphere throughout (including complete lack of drums the whole time), eerie bassline, dissonant guitar and Ozzy’s strangely soothing voice which fits the depressing lyrics about the world being lonely and hopeless due to the loss of someone. Whether a breakup or the death of someone is up to interpretation, but the lyrics make either one possible, and the song closes with a reversed piano and every instrument slowly fading to the creepy sound of wind chimes off in the distance... Oddly one of the most beautiful Black Sabbath songs ever written at the same time.

* “The album artwork https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81oqQj3cD1L._SL1425_.jpg” for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, depicting a man on his deathbed, grotesquely surreal demons mocking and tormenting him, a snake wrapped around his throat crushing it, and at the top of the bed, a skull with demonic claws, and 666, the number of the beast. Guarantee you this freaked out a lot of people in the ‘70s.
** Oddly enough, the “inner sleeve art https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56608ba6e4b0527b5cbad513/1547145833686-LUT4C7I2T7ID46D6R7XE/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kExqyq-ktohgdY3SMq6alM97gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTm1v6GcKqh6mrhfxzW2tqo78HsAG6HQdhi3EGHhzRojR1QnteX6XBZ-_DZZRpaNAxJ/black.jpeg?format=750w” is [[MoodWhiplash much more serene]] and peaceful in appearance, depicting the same man dying a peaceful death.

** "Eternal Idol" from ''The Eternal Idol'' gives off a similar vibe.

* The album artwork “https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81oqQj3cD1L._SL1425_.jpg” for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, depicting a man on his deathbed, grotesquely surreal demons mocking and tormenting him, a snake wrapped around his throat crushing it, and at the top of the bed, a skull with demonic claws, and 666, the number of the beast. Guarantee you this freaked out a lot of people in the ‘70s.
** Oddly enough, the inner sleeve art “ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56608ba6e4b0527b5cbad513/1547145833686-LUT4C7I2T7ID46D6R7XE/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kExqyq-ktohgdY3SMq6alM97gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTm1v6GcKqh6mrhfxzW2tqo78HsAG6HQdhi3EGHhzRojR1QnteX6XBZ-_DZZRpaNAxJ/black.jpeg?format=750w” is [[MoodWhiplash much more serene]] and peaceful in appearance, depicting the same man dying a peaceful death.

** Listen to the demo version of this song, Ozzy sounds more like a victim of the demonic summoning (even though he was the one caused it, well, technically Geezer... But still) and the extra verse can frighten people.
* "Hand of Doom" from ''Music/{{Paranoid}}'' has frighteningly explicit lyrics about drug addiction, especially in the last part of the song, coupled with occasional, brief bursts of guitar feedback that sounds like a drill entering your skull.
* "War Pigs", also from ''Music/{{Paranoid}}''. The first and third part of the apocalyptic anti-war lyrics are accompanied with eerie silence save for the regular guitar hits and licks.

* The cover of ''Black Sabbath'', pictured above. A figure in black standing in front of a dilapidated house in a wooded area, an image that hits on the same scary imagery ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' covered thirty years later. And who ''is'' that? Is it Death? Satan? A witch? Or just a creepy hermit? And what is it staring at?

* "Headless Cross", from the eponymous album, is based on an actual event that happened in a small village in England during the time of pestilence. A group of people went up to a headless cross on a hill to pray to get better, and predictably nobody survives. Martin's vocal delivery and the depressing timbre of the song certainly creates a tragic atmosphere, and the first 60 seconds are quite chilling, sounding like the kind of ambiance that might play in a long elevator ride down to Hell.
** From the same album, "The Gates of Hell" ''really'' earns its title.
** "When Death Calls", from its soft, eerie build-up and haunting themes about fearing death and going to Hell afterwords, up to its louder parts about warning not to stare in "those sunken eyes" and Satan stealing your soul forever. It's goose bump-inducing stuff.

* "Headless Cross", from the eponymous album, is based on an actual event that happened in a small village in England during the time of pestilence. A group of people went up to a headless cross on a hill to pray to get better, and predictably nobody survives. Martin's vocal delivery and the depressing timbre of the song certainly creates a tragic atmosphere, and the first 60 seconds are quite chilling, sounding like the kind of ambiance that might play in a long elevator ride to Hell.

* "Headless Cross", from the eponymous album, is based on an actual event that happened in a small village in England during the time of pestilence. A group of people went up to a headless cross on a hill to pray to get better, and predictably nobody survives. Martin's vocal delivery and the depressing timbre of the song certainly creates a tragic atmosphere, and the first 60 seconds are quite chilling, sounding like the kind of soundtrack that might play in Hell's elevators.

* "Headless Cross", from the eponymous album, is based on an actual event that happened in a small village in England during the time of pestilence. A group of people went up to a headless cross on a hill to pray to get better, and predictably nobody survives. Martin's vocal delivery and the depressing timbre of the song certainly creates a tragic atmosphere.

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* Much of the final short, "The Drop of Water", but the ghoulish UncannyValley face of the dead medium stands out.

* Much of Dehumanizer, actually. The majority of the Ronnie James Dio albums favors epicness over nightmares, but this album, from its cover art to its doomier sound makes this easily the scariest of the Dio Sabbath albums.

[[AC: Band]]

[[AC: Film]]