History NightmareFuel / Maleficent

** WordOfGod has confirmed that this is indeed a rape metaphor, which amps the horror UpToEleven.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_301.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Listen well, all of you! The princess will indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sunset on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel, and she will fall into a sleep-like death!"]]

Being a movie about the origins of one of the most frightening and sinister Disney villains ever,it's clear that it has a fair share of dark and terrifying moments.

[[caption-width-right:350:"Listen well, you all! The princess will indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sunset on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel, and she will fall into a sleep-like death!"]]

Being a movie about the origins of one of the most frightening and sinister Disney villains ever,it's clear that it has a fair share of dark and disturbing moments,so horror is to be expected.

** Also, what he does to [[spoiler:King Henry]] in the novelization counts. [[spoiler:After Henry laughs in Stefan's face for thinking a worthless servant like him could become king and saying he doesn't even know his name... Stefan snaps, picks up a pillow and suffocates Henry while snarling "I'm called Stefan."]]

** He's even ''worse'' in the novelization. [[spoiler: Not only does he murder the true king, but he threatens the other nobles into going along with it, flat-out daring them to deny him the crown when they all heard the king promise the throne to the man who killed Maleficent. He's not even sweet as a child: the novelization straight out says that, though Maleficent dropped the jewel he gave her back into the stream, he kept another in his pocket.]]

* So, the day comes and goes, and it actually looks like Aurora ''not'' going to fall victim to the curse, right? [[spoiler:Wrong. Maleficent's curse actively seizes control of Aurora's body and forces her to walk to the dungeon, prick her finger, and fall into her coma. The zombie-like way she moves and dead look in her eyes is scary enough, but then you notice how the curse is glowing green beneath her skin...]]
** There's also [[spoiler: a brief shot where her eyes glow green. In general, the idea that the curse is like a ''parasite'' within Aurora's body is genuinely unsettling.]]
** During that entire scene? [[spoiler:The curse is ''whispering'', over and over, Aurora's name and what is going to happen to her. Very eerie.]]
** [[spoiler: For that matter, the curse itself. After Maleficent casts it, it seems to become an entity of its own. When Maleficent ''tries to revoke it'', [[VoiceOftheLegion numerous whispering voices]] remind her how [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she herself]] specified that it would last until the end of time. And then seeing it control Aurora when the time is right, and ''rebuilding a spinning wheel'' just so she can fulfill the requirements? Having witnessed all that, one could argue that the curse (or whatever power is truly behind it) might be a very frightening EldritchAbomination.]]
* The climax, awesome as it was, is this incarnate. Look at it from Maleficent's point of view: [[spoiler:the girl you love like a daughter is being dragged away by her father's soldiers, your loyal servant/friend/[[TheDragon Dragon]] is restrained and unable to help you, and you are trapped in a circle of iron and flames as the man you used to love waves around a giant weapon, all while talking about how he's going to enjoy killing you.]]
** [[spoiler: Adding a bit of DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything, take into account how Stefan taking Maleficent's wings is a rape metaphor. Continuing on that, a good portion of the final battle involves Maleficent being assaulted by Stefan, while his knights surround her and watch it all happen; it has more than a passing resemblance to a ''gang rape''.]]

* Stefan's betrayal. He starts off by pretending to be looking out for Maleficent by warning her about the king's plans to have her killed, lulling her into a false sense of security so he can drug and kill her. Then, when she's unconscious and at his mercy, he decides to ''rip off her wings'' instead so he can present them as a trophy and still think of himself as a "nice guy." We see Maleficant wake up in pain so excruciating she can hardly articulate a scream, let alone walk.

* There's another scene where the soldiers again try to attack the Moores. Maleficent responds by using MindOverMatter to pick them up, spin them around like they were in a tornado, slam them together, and then ''send them flying off into the distance''.

* There's another scene where they again try to attack the Moores. Maleficent responds by using MindOverMatter to pick them up, spin them around like they were in a tornado, slam them together, and then ''send them flying off into the distance''.
** Right before that, Diaval (in the form of a ''giant wolf'' easily as big as they are) herds them towards her by howling ''just'' so it sounds like wolves are coming from all directions, doing a JumpScare, and then chasing them when they run with what, to them, must have seemed like an unnatural intelligence. The poor soldiers were rightly terrified.

** [[spoiler: For that matter, the curse itself. After Maleficent casts it, it seems to become an entity of its own. When Maleficent ''tries to revoke it'', numerous whispering voices remind her how [[HoistByHisOwnPetard she herself]] specified that it would last until the end of time. And then seeing it control Aurora when the time is right, and ''rebuilding a spinning wheel'' just so she can fulfill the requirements? Having witnessed all that, one could argue that the curse (or whatever power is truly behind it) might be a very frightening EldritchAbomination.]]

* Stefan's betrayal. He starts off by pretending to be looking out for Maleficent by warning her about the king's plans to have her killed, lulling her into a false sense of security so he can drug and kill her. Then, when she's unconscious and at his mercy, he decides to ''rip off her wings'' instead so he can present them as a trophy and still think of himself as a "nice guy." We see Maleficant wake up in pain so excruciating she can hardly articulate a scream, let alone walk. It's basically a date rape scene.

* King Stefan's AdaptationalVillainy. A ranting, raving psychopath who is willing to brutally murder hundreds and let the whole world burn just to find a cure for Aurora's curse. Not to mention how quickly he's willing to turn on his friends and loved ones if it means getting himself more power.

* Also from the "Dream" trailer, Lana Del Rey's haunting rendition of "Once Upon a Dream" which manages to show us a creepily awesome preview of how the film will look like.

* King Stefan's AdaptationalVillainy. A ranting, raving psychopath who is willing to brutally murder hundreds and let the whole world burn just to find a cure for Aurora's curse. [[spoiler:A cure that doesn't even exist]]. Not to mention how quickly he's willing to turn on his friends and loved ones if it means getting himself more power.

** Becomes Nightmare Retardant when the same thing happens to Philip later on. It looks like Diaval is carrying around a parade float.
* Also from the "Dream" trailer, Lana Del Rey's haunting rendition of "Once Upon a Dream" which manages to show us a creepily awesome preview of how the film will look like.

* King Stefan's AdaptationalVillainy. A ranting, raving psychopath who is willing to brutally murder hundreds and let the whole world burn just to find a cure for Aurora's curse. [[spoiler:A cure that doesn't even exist]]. Not to mention how quickly he's willing to turn on his friends and loved ones if it means getting himself more power.

* The scene where the soldiers try to burn down the thorn wall, but it fights back. ''While still on fire'', including throwing at least one soldier up in the air and to his death. They were rightfully terrified when they reported back to King Stefan.

* Maleficent's SkywardScream of rage when she discovers the motivation behind Stefans betrayal. A lance of scarily familiar, [[SicklyGreenGlow hellish green]] flame pierces the clouds.