History NightmareFuel / BuffyTheVampireSlayer

** A completely emotionless Willow nonchalantly knifing a baby deer to get an ingredient for the resurrection spell.

* The episode "Ted". Buffy's [[ParentWithNewParamour initial distrust of her mother's new boyfriend comes across as simple dislike at first]], until it turns out that he's not the nice guy he presents himself as. Unfortunately, [[CassandraTruth nobody believes Buffy]], dismissing her claims. Later, when Ted is presumably (and accidentally) killed, Buffy faces criminal charges and she is guilt-ridden at having killed a human being... and then Ted returns, apparently alive and well. Not to mention intent on killing Joyce and Buffy. Oh, and he turns out to be a homicidal robot created by a real human called Ted, an inventor who became distraught when his wife left him - driving him to build the robot Ted. [[ItGotWorse Things went horribly wrong]] when robot Ted kidnapped and murdered the real Ted's wife, and then went on to murder all of his following wives when they didn't live up to his idea of "the perfect family". Argh.
** Not to mention the sight of his face after Buffy beats him up so badly that [[FacialHorror his synthetic skin is torn from one side of his face, exposing his teeth and jaws]]. Also, he dies/shuts down with his eyes wide open. Sweet dreams!

* Angelus is frequently compared to the [[{{Batman}} Joker]], and it's appropriate. Both because Angelus is capable of being darkly hilarious when he wants to be, but also because he is capable of being absolutely horrifying, and is constantly and unrelentingly shown to be a CompleteMonster.

* Angelus is frequently compared to the [[{{Batman}} Joker]], and it's not inappropriate. Both because Angelus is capable of being darkly hilarious when he wants to be, but also because he is capable of being absolutely horrifying, and is constantly and unrelentingly shown to be a CompleteMonster.

* Two words: "Bored now." The reason they're so horrifying is because of when they're used. The first is for the reveal that Willow had become a vampire. The second is before she tortures Angel and shows that her SuperpoweredEvilSide is just as much of a CompleteMonster as Angelus.

* Xander getting his eye caved in by Caleb... the way the blood runs down his cheek... that is horror.

* The Gentlemen. Tall, suited demons resembling humans except for the their large, lidless eyes and never-ceasing smiles. They float about a foot across the ground, never breaking stride only smiling an image that will burn into your brain. They attack in the middle of the night, knocking on your door politely, then cutting out your heart while you are still alive. Oh, and did I mention [[AndIMustScream you are unable to scream]], completely helpless?[[hottip:*:According to The Other Wiki, Joss Whedon intended them to be monsters that children would remember being scared of later in their lives.]]

* An in universe example in "Pangs", where Buffy realizes the way she's acting (she's described elsewhere on the site as being the same as arch nemesis Faith) has nothing to do with Spike, or what was done to her, this is her true self. She's so scared and distraught by this that when she opens up to Tara she begs not to be forgiven.

* The fate of Amy's mother, [[AndIMustScream trapped in a trophy forever]]. [[YourMileageMayVary One might argue]] that [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she had it coming.]]

** [[YourMileageMayVary Possibly their most spectacularly scary entrance]] was their silent appearance slightly in the distance behind Tara, at first blurred, but you recognize their signature movements a second before they come into focus. Brrrrr. A nice suit, floating so they appear a little taller, extremely pale face? [[SlenderManMythos This remind you of anybody?]]

*** [[spoiler: on that note, since Willow accidentally set up the whole "she and the Scoobies can't see each other" just by convincing herself that she couldn't face them after what she did, did she accidentally create the whole Gnarl situation by convincing herself that she deserved to be punished for flaying Warren?]]

* "Listening to Fear". Easily one of the most unsettling episodes of the series.
** The Queller. Oh, dear God, the frigging Queller.

** Willow's skin bubbling in the resurrection ritual *shivers*
** Or the scene where Buffy is walking through Sunnydale and sees the Buffybot being torn apart and set on fire?? It's no wonder her first words to the Scoobies are, "Is this hell?"

* After Life. Anya, cutting at her face with a large grin and manic laughter. Terrifying.

* Surprising one: vision!Xander going after vision!Anya with a frying pan in a fake vision in Hell's Bells. Far scarier than all the monsters.
* An in universe example in ''Pangs'', where Buffy realizes the way she's acting (she's described elsewhere on the site as being the same as arch nemesis Faith) has nothing to do with Spike, or what was done to her, this is her true self. She's so scared and distraught by this that when she opens up to Tara she begs not to be forgiven.
* The last scene of "Normal Again" is truly psychologically frighting, in fact the entire premise of the episode is just disturbing.
** In fact, Buffy going berserk in "Normal Again".

* "Same Time, Same Place". Willow is trapped in a cave with a Gnarl - a demon that paralyzes its victims, then removes their skin to eat, one strip at a time. Oh, and it's also immune to magic, so Willow, who recently went evil and nearly destroyed the world, is completely helpless against him. Its taunting bumps up the octane rating another notch. Just before Buffy shows up to save the day, we see Willow, [[AndIMustScream paralyzed, helpless,]] and about to undergo an excruciating death. Her expression is one of absolute terror.
** Let's not forget that she can't see Buffy at all, even when she does show up to save the day.

* The season 7 episode "Conversations with Dead People" features Dawn trapped in her house with the spirit of her dead mother, who, struggling to manifest herself, ends up being about as terrifying as any monster the show features. Could double as breaking the cutie.

*** FridgeBrilliance: It was The First, so of course it would try to scare and kill her.
** The "Mother's Milk" thing got me too, but the episode was littered with HONF. Like when Dawn was sitting by the couch, which was unoccupied. The camera panned down, then back up to reveal Joyce's dead body lying on the couch. When Dawn turned around, it was gone. And then there was when Cassie grinned and turned inside-out before disappearing...

** Caleb's whole persona. Particularly since NathanFillion, the actor, played [[{{Firefly}} Malcolm Reynolds]]. The dissonance is disturbing.

* Spike's painful laughter as he [[spoiler: bursts into flames and crumbles to dust.]] TearJerker, sure, but also so, so disturbing.

[[folder:''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'']]
* The last scene of "Normal Again" is truly psychologically frighting, in fact the entire premise of the episode is just disturbing.
* Two words: The Gentlemen. Tall, suited demons resembling humans except for the their large, lidless eyes and never-ceasing smiles. They float about a foot across the ground, never breaking stride only smiling an image that will burn into your brain. They attack in the middle of the night, knocking on your door politely, then cutting out your heart while you are still alive. Oh, and did I mention you are unable to scream, completely helpless? Didn't sleep for two nights after watching that.
** According to TheOtherWiki, JossWhedon ''intended'' them to be monsters children would remember being scared of later in their lives.
** I have been mere inches away from Doug Jones - who played the main Gentleman - doing those eyes, teeth and hand movements without any prosthetics ''and still managing to be fucking terrifying''.
* "The Wish" - an alternate version of Sunnydale where Buffy never showed up to stop the Harvest. Vampires - including Willow and Xander - own the night, and the Master rules from the Bronze. If I lived there, I'd probably either leave town, or suicide bomb the Bronze.
** What got me is that as you never see outside Sunnydale, it's entirely possible that the Master now rules ''the entire world.'' Remember, here Buffy wouldn't have stopped him opening the Hellmouth.
*** Actually, it's not possible that he controls the entire world. In "The Wish", a grittier verison of Buffy eventually arrives in Sunnydale, summoned there by Giles message. Neither her or the Council did even know that there was trouble going on in Sunnydale at the moment.
**** This does imply however that the vampire activity all over the world is strong enough that the horror that is Sunnydale goes unnoticed.
* And the Kinderstod from "Killed By Death" - incredibly creepy, and only able to seen by sick people, and when you're ''very sick and weak and unable to fight back, it sucks your soul out by [[spoiler:growing sucking tentacles out of its eyes]]''. Brrrr.
* The season six premiere, "Bargaining", had Buffy brought back to life ''inside her own coffin'', forcing her to ''dig herself out of her own grave''. Watching it is bad enough. For Sarah Michelle Gellar, who has a morbid fear of being buried alive, filming those scenes must have been terrifying.
** Not to mention Willow's ''skin bubbling'' in the resurrection ritual * shivers*
** Or the scene where Buffy is walking through Sunnydale and sees the Buffybot being torn apart and set on fire?? It's no wonder her first words to the Scoobies are, "Is this hell?"
* ''After Life''. Anya, cutting at her face with a large grin and manic laughter. '''Terrifying.'''
* In the Season Seven episode, "Same Time, Same Place", Willow is trapped in a cave with a Knarl - a demon that paralyzes its victims, then removes their skin to eat, one strip at a time. Oh, and it's also immune to magic, so Willow, who recently went evil and nearly destroyed the world, is completely helpless against him. Its taunting bumps up the octane rating another notch. Just before Buffy shows up to save the day, we see Willow, paralyzed, helpless, and about to undergo an excruciating death. Her expression is one of absolute terror.
** Let's not forget that she can't see Buffy at all, even when she ''does'' show up to save the day.
** The smile on Gnarl's face when he slowly [[spoiler:scratches off a thin strip of skin and eats it, while Willow is watching]] made me nauseous. And I watched Event Horizon willingly, alone, at night, in a dark room, and the only reason I didn't watch it again was because I was tired.
* The season 7 episode "Conversations with Dead People" features Dawn trapped in her house with the spirit of her dead mother, who, struggling to manifest herself, ends up being about as terrifying as any monster the show features. Could double as breaking the cutie.
** "Mother's Milk Is Red Today."
** Fridge Brilliance: It was The First, so of course it would try to scare and kill her.
* "The Puppet Show" prominently features a living dummy. 'Nuff said.
* Although not strictly from "Buffy" (they do share a universe), Jasmine from season 4 of Angel should be noted as highly effective fuel for nightmares.
** Especially the part where cuts keep appearing and dissapearing in her skin while she ''laughs''!
* Xander [[spoiler:getting his eye caved in by Caleb]] in Season 7. The way the blood runs down his cheek... That is horror.
* Surprising one: vision!Xander going after vision!Anya with a frying pan in a fake vision in ''Hell's Bells''. Far scarier than all the monsters.
* Dawn tries to resurrect [[spoiler: Joyce]]. When she's half way through the spell, a silhouette of [[spoiler: Dawn's mother]] is seen slowly walking (you might say "walking like a zombie") through the curtains. As Dawn finishes her ritual, she looks around to see some sign that it has worked, and that's when someone ''knocks at the door''. The whole episode was centered about people explaining to Dawn how bringing back people from the dead is wrong, and furthermore how they sometimes come back ''wrong''... but no one ever fully explains what that means. It doesn't help.
* At the end of season 4, we have the Scoobies celebrating in Buffy's living room, and then they fall asleep. Just as "Nightmares" (read above), this whole episode is also a deconstruction of dreams (supposedly, without the ''nightmareish'' part, this time around). Well, the appearance of so many weird (but somehow familiar) dream scenarios is, on its own, quite disturbing. But then there's that fleeting, barely discernable, frantical, dark figure lurking in everonye's dreams... and the absolute certainty that it wants to ''kill you''. Also, the "cheese guy" doesn't help.
* Two words: ''[[NightmareFuelStationAttendant "Bored now."]]'' Full stop.
* The Season 5 episode "Listening to Fear". Easily one of the most unsettling episodes of the series.
** The Queller. Oh, dear God, the frigging Queller.
* "Helpless", anyone? Being [[SlippingAMickey drugged]] by someone you love and trust, especially [[AbusiveParents a father]] [[ParentalSubstitute figure]]... the MonsterOfTheWeek was nightmare inducing, too.
** Let's elaborate: Everything that Zachary Kralik (said monster) did in that episode was HONF. This includes ''taking medicine''. He turns a person into a vampire, makes him feed on his assistant (which they then mutilate), kidnaps Buffy's mother and takes pictures of her. ''[[RoomFullOfCrazy Enough to fill a whole room with]]''. Thank '''god''' he only appeared in this episode.
*** Except when he is reincarnated as magic deal Rack that is!
* The very end of "I Was Made to Love You". Far scarier than any of the monsters featured on that show is the very real notion that you could come home one day and find your mother or father dead. The idea that everything is normal and happy one moment, only for tragedy to suddenly strike when you least expect it can be one of the most terrifying concepts in the world.
* The First Evil. He can appear anywhere. He can be anyone. And he is very, very good at getting you to do what he wants. At any time, he could show up and brainwash someone into doing something horrible. And once you outlive that frail usefulness or interfere in the plans too much? An Implacable Evil Priest is coming after you. If you are female, this is doubly bad, since said priest has some messed up habits involving women.
[[/folder]]

* Though a moment of FridgeHorror instead of [[HighOctaneNighmtareFuel HONF]] - how many times did Kathy cut her toenails?
* Naturally, the Halloween episode "Fear Itself". The haunted house was pretty terrifying with all the things coming to life. Bonus points for the kid with a broken neck staring at Buffy and talking to her.
** Not to mention the dummy head with one of its eyeballs dangling out of its socket transforming into an ''actual'' decapitated head. [[LosingYourHead Which also happens to be undead and starts talking to Xander]]. Arrrgghhh.
* Two words: The Gentlemen. Tall, suited demons resembling humans except for the their large, lidless eyes and never-ceasing smiles. They float about a foot across the ground, never breaking stride only smiling an image that will burn into your brain. They attack in the middle of the night, knocking on your door politely, then cutting out your heart while you are still alive. Oh, and did I mention [[AndIMustScream you are unable to scream]], completely helpless? Didn't sleep for two nights after watching that.
** According to The Other Wiki, Joss Whedon intended them to be monsters that children would remember being scared of later in their lives.
*** He managed it. I saw that episode when I was tiny, and was absolutely terrified of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the next few years. The Gentlemen are still some serious nightmare fuel for me.

*** One of the scariest parts is when the Gentlemen presented the hearts that they had collected and then gave themselves a round of applause.
*** To be fair, the impact of this scene is offset a good bit by the tallest Gentleman's remarkably flamboyant gesture after the applause.
*** The Gentlemen's weird "Footmen" that went around on their hands and feet, in freaking straitjackets - just the sight of them along side the floating gentleman are scary as hell.
*** [[YourMileageMayVary Possibly their most spectacularly scary entrance]] was their silent appearance slightly in the distance behind Tara, at first blurred, but you recognize their signature movements a second before they come into focus. Brrrrr.
*** Also: A nice suit, floating so they appear a little taller, extremely pale face? [[SlenderManMythos This remind you of anybody?]]
** What gets me is the little IronicNurseryRhyme the girl in Buffy's dream does at the beginning of the episode:

* "The Wish" - an alternate version of Sunnydale where Buffy never showed up to stop the Harvest. Vampires - including Willow and Xander - own the night, and the Master rules from the Bronze.
** What's [[FridgeHorror freaky]] is that as you never see outside Sunnydale, it's entirely possible that the Master now rules the entire world. Remember, here Buffy wouldn't have stopped him opening the Hellmouth.
** Actually, it's not possible that he controls the entire world. In "The Wish", a grittier verison of Buffy eventually arrives in Sunnydale, summoned there by Giles message. Neither she or the Council did even know that there was trouble going on in Sunnydale at the moment.
** This does imply however that the vampire activity all over the world is strong enough that the horror that is Sunnydale goes unnoticed.
*** I just rewatched this episode last night and what struck me as really horrifying this time around were the early scenes right after Cordelia's wish where she reunites with Harmony and her friends and discovers that, thanks to Buffy not having come to Sunnydale, she's still as popular as she ever was. On first viewing, those scenes just seem like they're establishing that without Buffy, Cordy would still be an AlphaBitch, but once you know what a horrible, Vampire-occupied wasteland Wishverse Sunnydale is, the scenes of ordinary high school life (the few surviving students cramming into an algebra class, random guys asking Cordelia to a dance) take on a horrible tone of the few remaining survivors trying desperately to live normal lives despite impending violent death.
*** Some of the really horrifying things are in just how ''subtle'' the changes are, such as class being cancelled for the "monthly memorial", Harmony commenting on Cordy's bright colors making her a target for vamps, and a guy asking her to the "Winter Brunch." First time I heard all of that, I got shivers because I realized that something was ''very wrong''.
* Two words: "Bored now." Full stop. The reason they're so horrifying is because of when they're used. The first is for the reveal that Willow had become a vampire. The second is before she tortures Angel and shows that her SuperpoweredEvilSide is just as much of a CompleteMonster as Angelus.
* "Gingerbread". The idea of manipulating parents into committing acts of mass murder for the sake of their children sends chills up my spine. You can imagine the potential aftermath had Buffy failed, parents waking up to find they had murdered their own children.
** The reason I found it so terrifying was because of how strong the subtext was. Up until they introduced the MonsterOfTheWeek, it just seemed like a plausible tale of normal people allowing their hysteria to get the better of them. The book burning, the locker raids - it could all happen in real life with the right circumstances.
* "Helpless", anyone? Being drugged by someone you love and trust, especially a father figure... the Monster Of The Week was nightmare inducing, too.
** Let's elaborate: Everything that Zachary Kralik (said monster) did in that episode was HONF. This includes taking medicine. He turns a person into a vampire, makes him feed on his assistant (which they then mutilate), kidnaps Buffy's mother and takes pictures of her. Enough to fill a whole room with. Thank god he only appeared in this episode.

** I watched that episode when I was, say, eight/nine? For days I was terrified I would go out of my room at night to use the bathroom, and see that face smiling at me. I refused to watch the episode for another 2 or 3 years. I recently watched it again at 14. Kindestod is as much Nightmare Fuel as it was to me 5 years ago.

* Angelus. There has never been a villain in my personal experience who has been so terrifying, but it doesn't stop there. Every single thing he does, to Buffy and others, is a mixture of HighOctaneNightmareFuel and TearJerker... never before has a single being been so evil and cruel that I have simultaneously burst into tears and shook with fear at his actions.
** Angelus is frequently compared to the [[{{Batman}} Joker]], and it's not inappropriate. Both because Angelus is capable of being darkly hilarious when he wants to be, but also because he is capable of being absolutely horrifying, and is constantly and unrelentingly shown to be a CompleteMonster.

** I, interestingly, ''did'' find the cheese guy creepy in the first two dreams (Willow and Xander's), but actually found him to be NightmareFuelRetardant in Giles and Buffy's dreams due to being more silly than in the first two.

* The very end of "I Was Made to Love You". Far scarier than any of the monsters featured on that show is the very real notion that I could come home one day and find my mother or father dead. The idea that everything is normal and happy one moment, only for tragedy to suddenly strike when you least expect it is the most terrifying concept in the world to an anxious, paranoid person such as myself. That got me.

** I wasn't frightened until Buffy's resurrection planted the idea in my head that Joyce might have been fine in the end, as Buffy also acted pretty weird after coming back from the dead. Dawn may have killed her own mother at that point.
*** While that is indeed a frightening thought, I am somewhat comforted by the fact that the idea that Joyce was fine when Dawn resurrected her is very unlikely, as her resurrection and Buffy's resurrection are both very different. Joyce's death was not supernatural, and it's explicitly stated that resurrecting anyone who dies "normally" is very dangerous in regards to whether or not they come back right or [[CameBackWrong not]].

** Not to mention Willow's skin bubbling in the resurrection ritual *shivers*

*** You mean the monkey/louse hybrid with a full set of lamprey teeth? Brrr.
*** Worse, I saw it while trying to take a break from the ''X-Files''.

** Buffy is afraid being buried alive[[hottip:*:Also, note that Joss was being especially evil that episode. Sarah Michelle Gellar's worst fear is being buried alive]]. Not only does Buffy get buried alive in her nightmare, she comes back [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie as a vampire.]] She gets a look of pure horror when she realizes it.

* Der Kindestod from "Killed By Death" - incredibly creepy, and only able to seen by sick people, and when you're very sick and weak and unable to fight back, it sucks your soul out by growing sucking tentacles out of its eyes.
* "Ted".
** Buffy's [[ParentWithNewParamour initial distrust of her mother's new boyfriend comes across as simple dislike at first]], until it turns out that he's not the nice guy he presents himself as. Unfortunately, [[CassandraTruth nobody believes Buffy]], dismissing her claims. Later, when Ted is presumably (and accidentally) killed, Buffy faces criminal charges and she is guilt-ridden at having killed a human being... and then Ted returns, apparently alive and well.
** He had the intent of killing Joyce and Buffy. Oh, and he turns out to be a homicidal robot created by a real human called Ted, an inventor who became distraught when his wife left him - driving him to build the robot Ted. [[ItGotWorse Things went horribly wrong]] when robot Ted kidnapped and murdered the real Ted's wife, and then went on to murder all of his following wives when they didn't live up to his idea of "the perfect family".
** The sight of his face after Buffy beats him up so badly that [[FacialHorror his synthetic skin is torn from one side of his face, exposing his teeth and jaws]]. Also, he dies/shuts down with his eyes wide open.

* Angelus. He is the most terrifying villian ever. Every single thing he does, to Buffy and others, is just pure cruel. He is frequently compared to the [[{{Batman}} Joker]], and it's not inappropriate. Both because Angelus is capable of being darkly hilarious when he wants to be, but also because he is capable of being absolutely horrifying, and is constantly and unrelentingly shown to be a CompleteMonster.

* "The Wish"
** Features an alternate version of Sunnydale where Buffy never showed up to stop the Harvest. Vampires - including Willow and Xander - own the night, and the Master rules from the Bronze.
** The early scenes right after Cordelia's wish becomes HarherInHindsight. She reunites with Harmony and her friends and discovers that, thanks to Buffy not having come to Sunnydale, she's still as popular as she ever was. On first viewing, those scenes just seem like they're establishing that without Buffy, Cordy would still be an AlphaBitch, but once you know what a horrible, Vampire-occupied wasteland Wishverse Sunnydale is, the scenes of ordinary high school life (the few surviving students cramming into an algebra class, random guys asking Cordelia to a dance) take on a horrible tone of the few remaining survivors trying desperately to live normal lives despite impending violent death.
** Some of the really horrifying things are in just how ''subtle'' the changes are, such as class being cancelled for the "monthly memorial", Harmony commenting on Cordy's bright colors making her a target for vamps, and a guy asking her to the "Winter Brunch."
* Two words: "Bored now." The reason they're so horrifying is because of when they're used. The first is for the reveal that Willow had become a vampire. The second is before she tortures Angel and shows that her SuperpoweredEvilSide is just as much of a CompleteMonster as Angelus.
* "Gingerbread". The idea of manipulating parents into committing acts of mass murder for the sake of their children sends chills up your spine. You can imagine the potential aftermath had Buffy failed, parents waking up to find they had murdered their own children. The terrifying part was how strong the subtext was. Up until they introduced the MonsterOfTheWeek, it just seemed like a plausible tale of normal people allowing their hysteria to get the better of them. The book burning, the locker raids - it could all happen in real life with the right circumstances.
* "Helpless". Everything that Zachary Kralik (said monster) did in that episode was Nightmare Fuel. This includes taking medicine. He turns a person into a vampire, makes him feed on his assistant (which they then mutilate), kidnaps Buffy's mother and takes pictures of her. Enough to fill a whole room with. Luckily, he only appeared in this episode.

* Though a moment of FridgeHorror instead of Nightmare Fuel - how many times did Kathy cut her toenails?
* "[[HalloweenEpisode Fear Itself]]"
** The haunted house was pretty terrifying with all the things coming to life. Bonus points for the kid with a broken neck staring at Buffy and talking to her.
** The dummy head with one of its eyeballs dangling out of its socket transforming into an ''actual'' decapitated head. [[LosingYourHead Which also happens to be undead and starts talking to Xander]].
* The Gentlemen. Tall, suited demons resembling humans except for the their large, lidless eyes and never-ceasing smiles. They float about a foot across the ground, never breaking stride only smiling an image that will burn into your brain. They attack in the middle of the night, knocking on your door politely, then cutting out your heart while you are still alive. Oh, and did I mention [[AndIMustScream you are unable to scream]], completely helpless?

** Those two words will to this day send chills up my spine, but more terrifying is the things Willow does when she's evil. Case in point, flaying Warren alive. Vamp Willow has her moments too, mainly from managing to to take Willow's personality, body, and sweet, pleasant voice, and give it all a twist of crazy that would make Drusilla proud (and leads me to theories about her sire).
*** Okay, that is a femslash fic just ''waiting to happen''!
*** Waiting? You haven't looked very hard.

** I wasn't frightened until Buffy's resurrection planted the idea in my head that Joyce might have been fine in the end, as Buffy also acted pretty weird after coming back from the dead. Dawn may have killed her own mother at that point.

** Those two words will to this day send chills up my spine, but more terrifying is the things Willow ''does'' when she's evil. Case in point, [[spoiler: flaying Warren ''alive.'']] Vamp Willow has her moments too, mainly from managing to to take Willow's personality, body, and sweet, pleasant voice, and give it all a twist of crazy that would make Drusilla proud (and leads me to theories about her sire).

* The very end of "I Was Made to Love You". Far scarier than any of the monsters featured on that show is the very real notion that I could come home one day and find my mother or father dead. The idea that everything is normal and happy one moment, only for tragedy to suddenly strike when you least expect it is the most terrifying concept in the world to an anxious, paranoid person such as myself. That got me.

** Buffy is afraid being buried alive [[hottip:*:Also, note that Joss was being especially evil that episode. Sarah Michelle Gellar's worst fear is being buried alive]]. Not only does Buffy get buried alive in her nightmare, she comes back [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie as a vampire.]] She gets a look of pure horror when she realizes it.

* "Gingerbread". The idea of manipulating parents into committing acts of mass murder for the sake of their children sends chills up my spine. You can imagine the potential aftermath had Buffy failed, parents waking up to find they had murdered their own children.
** The reason I found it so terrifying was because of how strong the subtext was. Up until they introduced the MonsterOfTheWeek, it just seemed like a plausible tale of normal people allowing their hysteria to get the better of them. The book burning, the locker raids - it could all happen in real life with the right circumstances.
* "Helpless", anyone? Being drugged by someone you love and trust, especially a father figure... the Monster Of The Week was nightmare inducing, too.
** Let's elaborate: Everything that Zachary Kralik (said monster) did in that episode was HONF. This includes taking medicine. He turns a person into a vampire, makes him feed on his assistant (which they then mutilate), kidnaps Buffy's mother and takes pictures of her. Enough to fill a whole room with. Thank god he only appeared in this episode.

* Though a moment of FridgeHorror instead of [[HighOctaneNighmtareFuel HONF]] - how many times did Kathy cut her toenails?
* Naturally, the Halloween episode "Fear Itself". The haunted house was pretty terrifying with all the things coming to life. Bonus points for the kid with a broken neck staring at Buffy and talking to her.
** Not to mention the dummy head with one of its eyeballs dangling out of its socket transforming into an ''actual'' decapitated head. [[LosingYourHead Which also happens to be undead and starts talking to Xander]]. Arrrgghhh.
* Two words: The Gentlemen. Tall, suited demons resembling humans except for the their large, lidless eyes and never-ceasing smiles. They float about a foot across the ground, never breaking stride only smiling an image that will burn into your brain. They attack in the middle of the night, knocking on your door politely, then cutting out your heart while you are still alive. Oh, and did I mention [[AndIMustScream you are unable to scream]], completely helpless? Didn't sleep for two nights after watching that.

* Der Kindestod from "Killed By Death" - incredibly creepy, and only able to seen by sick people, and when you're very sick and weak and unable to fight back, it sucks your soul out by growing sucking tentacles out of its eyes. Brrrr.
** I watched that episode when I was, say, eight/nine? For days I was terrified I would go out of my room at night to use the bathroom, and see that face smiling at me. I refused to watch the episode for another 2 or 3 years. I recently watched it again at 14. Kindestod is as much Nightmare Fuel as it was to me 5 years ago.
* The episode "Ted". Buffy's [[ParentWithNewParamour initial distrust of her mother's new boyfriend comes across as simple dislike at first]], until it turns out that he's not the nice guy he presents himself as. Unfortunately, [[CassandraTruth nobody believes Buffy]], dismissing her claims. Later, when Ted is presumably (and accidentally) killed, Buffy faces criminal charges and she is guilt-ridden at having killed a human being... and then Ted returns, apparently alive and well. Not to mention intent on killing Joyce and Buffy. Oh, and he turns out to be a homicidal robot created by a real human called Ted, an inventor who became distraught when his wife left him - driving him to build the robot Ted. [[ItGotWorse Things went horribly wrong]] when robot Ted kidnapped and murdered the real Ted's wife, and then went on to murder all of his following wives when they didn't live up to his idea of "the perfect family". Argh.
** Not to mention the sight of his face after Buffy beats him up so badly that [[FacialHorror his synthetic skin is torn from one side of his face, exposing his teeth and jaws]]. Also, he dies/shuts down with his eyes wide open. Sweet dreams!

* Angelus. There has never been a villain in my personal experience who has been so terrifying, but it doesn't stop there. Every single thing he does, to Buffy and others, is a mixture of HighOctaneNightmareFuel and TearJerker... never before has a single being been so evil and cruel that I have simultaneously burst into tears and shook with fear at his actions.
** Angelus is frequently compared to the [[{{Batman}} Joker]], and it's not inappropriate. Both because Angelus is capable of being darkly hilarious when he wants to be, but also because he is capable of being absolutely horrifying, and is constantly and unrelentingly shown to be a CompleteMonster.

* "The Wish" - an alternate version of Sunnydale where Buffy never showed up to stop the Harvest. Vampires - including Willow and Xander - own the night, and the Master rules from the Bronze.
** What's [[FridgeHorror freaky]] is that as you never see outside Sunnydale, it's entirely possible that the Master now rules the entire world. Remember, here Buffy wouldn't have stopped him opening the Hellmouth.
** Actually, it's not possible that he controls the entire world. In "The Wish", a grittier verison of Buffy eventually arrives in Sunnydale, summoned there by Giles message. Neither she or the Council did even know that there was trouble going on in Sunnydale at the moment.
** This does imply however that the vampire activity all over the world is strong enough that the horror that is Sunnydale goes unnoticed.
*** I just rewatched this episode last night and what struck me as really horrifying this time around were the early scenes right after Cordelia's wish where she reunites with Harmony and her friends and discovers that, thanks to Buffy not having come to Sunnydale, she's still as popular as she ever was. On first viewing, those scenes just seem like they're establishing that without Buffy, Cordy would still be an AlphaBitch, but once you know what a horrible, Vampire-occupied wasteland Wishverse Sunnydale is, the scenes of ordinary high school life (the few surviving students cramming into an algebra class, random guys asking Cordelia to a dance) take on a horrible tone of the few remaining survivors trying desperately to live normal lives despite impending violent death.
*** Some of the really horrifying things are in just how ''subtle'' the changes are, such as class being cancelled for the "monthly memorial", Harmony commenting on Cordy's bright colors making her a target for vamps, and a guy asking her to the "Winter Brunch." First time I heard all of that, I got shivers because I realized that something was ''very wrong''.
* Two words: "Bored now." Full stop. The reason they're so horrifying is because of when they're used. The first is for the reveal that Willow had become a vampire. The second is before she tortures Angel and shows that her SuperpoweredEvilSide is just as much of a CompleteMonster as Angelus.

* A Fridge Horror for the whole of the Buffyverse. You can understand there being a lot of terrors around Sunnydale as there is a Hellmouth there. The spin off Angel though shows how many of these "terrors" happen in nice, normal places. Those just occur in L.A. So how many "terrors" take place worldwide do you think with no one stopping them and everyone trying to get on as normal with no understanding of what is going on or anyone to protect them...

* Special mention must go to "Nightmares", obviously. Everyone's nightmares come to life, covering fears ranging from stage fright (Willow) to clowns (Xander) to being buried alive (Buffy). If one of the aforementioned nightmares doesn't scare you, then the prospect of nightmares becoming reality will.
** Also, note that Joss was being especially evil that episode. Sarah Michelle Gellar's worst fear is being buried alive.
** The Ugly Man himself is also terrifying. It's even worse when you find out what he is based on - the small boy Billy's fear of his abusive Kiddie League baseball coach.
** Not only does Buffy get buried alive in her nightmare, she comes back [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie as a vampire.]] She gets a look of pure horror when she realizes it.
** Then there's the fact that in season six, [[spoiler: she is essentially buried a live, reliving her worst fear.]]

** Xander's other mentioned fear is Nazis, so of course the school walls are covered in swastikas.

* The Pack. Those kids eating Principal Flutie... it only gets worse at the end when we find out that they didn't lose their memories. Nightmares wasn't any picnic either.
** Let's all [[FridgeHorror take a moment]] to think about just how those kids are going to turn out.
** Well, [[AllThereInTheManual according to some of Supplementary Material, and referenced on the 'Buffyverse Wiki']], one of the girls in that group became a vegan, so she might've been stable at least. However, nothing is mentioned about the others, and the incident would still be psychologically scarring...
*** [[spoiler: Xander turned out okay. Mostly.]]
* The fate of Amy's mother, [[AndIMustScream trapped in a trophy forever]].
** [[YourMileageMayVary Although one might argue]] that [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she had it coming.]]
*** This one gets even more nasty in the comics. A group of Initiative Soldiers go down into the recently collapsed Sunnydale, and one of them swears that a statue is looking right at him. Far from escaping the events of Season 3 or Season 7, she survived and ''is still alive and trapped there.''

* Special mention must go to the season 1 episode, "Nightmares", obviously. Everyone's nightmares come to life, covering fears ranging from stage fright (Willow) to clowns (Xander) to being buried alive (Buffy). If one of the aforementioned nightmares doesn't scare you, then the prospect of nightmares becoming reality will.
** Hey, I just noticed the FridgeBrilliance in Buffy's buried alive fear. How much you want to bet that getting dragged out of Heaven (off handedly mentioned as actually being called Paradise in Series/{{Angel}}) wasn't the only reason she was traumatized at the start of S6? She just went through her worst fear, after all.
*** Buffy's fear wasn't being buried alive (though I'm sure she finds that prospect scary as well), it was being turned into a vampire.

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* Although not strictly from "Buffy" (they do share a universe), Jasmine from season 4 of Angel should be noted as highly effective fuel for nightmares.
** Especially the part where cuts keep appearing and disappearing in her skin while she laughs!
*** While it also has some [[CrowningMomentOfFunny crowning moments of funny]], the ''Angel'' episode ''Smile Time'' has some of this trope as well. I never fail to be creeped out by the line at the begining where one of the puppets talking to the kid as he watches the show says "you know smile time isn't free"!