History NightmareFuel / NineteenEightyFour

* The mere idea that there is no escape from this hellish dystopia. We see Oceania in all its hellishly oppressive detail, but living in Eurasia or Eastasia is pretty much exactly the same. The only place left is the Equatorial Front, which is arguably even ''worse'' since the land is nothing more than a giant fighting arena where you'll either be gunned down by supersoldiers or taken as a slave to work for the war machine of whatever nation grabbed you. And if you subscribe to Juvia's theory that Oceania is a OneWorldOrder, then there's ''nowhere to run.''
* Something as simple as talking in your sleep can earn you a visit from the ThoughtPolice.

* A West End/Broadway adaption ended on a terrifying theory about the appendix: [[spoiler:How do we know for sure the Party fell? They could've restructured things to make people ''think'' they no longer exist.]]
** This troper possibly saw the same adaptation at the Sydney Theatre Company. Highlights include:
*** The second scene in the antique shop. The kindly old man invites Winston to look at the spare room. Winston opens the door, and some clothes and a broom tumble out while [[HellIsThatNoise a horrid buzzing noise starts playing.]] The old man then screams [[ItMakesSenseInContext ORANGES AND LEMONS]], then the entire theatre [[JumpScare explodes with noise and flashing light.]]
*** The scene [[spoiler: where the Thought Police capture Winston and Julia. It starts with them in their room (as shown on the projector) saying the [[ArcWords Arc Words]] "we are the dead". [[OhCrap Cue a robotic voice confirming "you are the dead".]] Then, the entire set begins to [[BreakingTheFourthWall begins to change and shift to the Ministry of Love set]], all set to the lovely blaring white noise accompanying scenes of importance.]]
*** [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect]] those who watch this drama. The [[SensoryAbuse audio and visuals]] are quite jarring and almost painful at times.

*** The scene [[spoiler: the Thought Police capture Winston and Julia. It starts with them in their room (as shown on the projector) saying the [[ArcWords Arc Words]] "we are the dead". [[OhCrap Cue a robotic voice confirming "you are the dead".]] Then, the entire set begins to [[BreakingTheFourthWall begins to change and shift to the Ministry of Love set]], all set to the lovely blaring white noise accompanying scenes of importance.]]

** Maybe the most horrifying part of ''1984'' isn't the literal fictional ideology of Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia so much as the current and recently historical (in 1949) ideas that they embodied. In the early to mid 20th century, there was a very real concept that modernity ''required'' totalitarianism. While not as prominent as it once was, it's very difficult to say that this idea is gone. Oceania may only be a major global conflict or an extraordinary economic crisis away from reality, even now.

* Just [[MoralEventHorizon how detached from conventional morality and thought]] is [[AlwaysChaoticEvil the average Oceanian]]? They're shown newsreel footage of refugees, including women and children, being massacred under a hail of machine gun fire. With the exception of [[AudienceSurrogate a single Prole woman]] (who is swiftly dragged away by police), everyone ''laughs''.

* The most scary thing about the setting of this book? Not only does it remain one of the most nightmarish dystopias ever devised, but [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters there is no supernatural element at all]] and it is all ''[[AdultFear entirely plausible]]''. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Want proof?]] No wonder the "''1984'' is not an instruction manual" {{meme|ticMutation}} exists!

When you're reading a book about a society whose highest goal is to be "a boot stamping on a human face — forever," it's hard ''not'' to find something that unsettles you to its very core.

--> "Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, [[{{Dystopia}} what kind of world we are creating?]] It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but ''more'' merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy — everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — for ever."

* Just how detached from conventional morality and thought is the average Oceanian? They're shown newsreel footage of refugees, including women and children, being massacred under a hail of machine gun fire. With the exception of [[AudienceSurrogate a single Prole woman]] (who is swiftly dragged away by police), everyone ''laughs''.

--> "Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but ''more'' merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy — everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — for ever."

** The entire speech leading to the "boot stamping on a human face forever" line is quite possibly the most horrific part of it all.
-->[[spoiler:'''O'Brien''']]''':''' Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but ''more'' merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy — everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — for ever.

** When Winston sees himself in the mirror and realises how much damage has been done to him, and then later in the more comfortable cell when he tries to regain some of his strength, realising just how weak he has become. It really hits home how powerless he is to stop this or escape.
* The ending. [[spoiler:Both Winston and Julia are left as soulless, brainless shells with no free will after the Party's re-education. All of their humanity has been snuffed from them]]. Of course, Julia has an extremely tiny shred left. Winston? [[spoiler: He loves Big Brother. He worships the Party. All of his old personality is now gone, replaced by a souless robot filled with propaganda and gin. And he is very shortly going to be shot.]]

** We don't even know how ''long'' he was in there. Weeks? Months? YEARS? It's amazing how Oceanians can withstand so much pain, even without O'Brien's moments of kindness.

* The ending. [[spoiler:Both Winston and Julia are left as soulless, brainless shells with no free will after the Party's re-education. All of their humanity has been snuffed from them]].

* The most scary thing about the setting of this book? Not only does it remain one of the most nightmarish dystopias ever devised, but [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters there is no supernatural element at all]] and it is all ''[[AdultFear entirely plausible]]''. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Want proof?]]

* The whole third act is quite possibly one of the most horrific mundane MindRape[=s=] ever put to paper. However, the torture that finally breaks Winston is [[spoiler:the threat to release a starved rat to devour his face while he is still alive]].

* The most scary thing about the setting of this book? Not only does it remain one of the most nightmarish dystopias ever devised, but [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters there is no supernatural element at all]] and it is all ''[[AdultFear entirely plausible]]''. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Want proof]]?

* The whole third act is quite possibly one of the most horrific mundane {{Mind Rape}}s ever put to paper. However, the torture that finally breaks Winston is [[spoiler:the threat to release a starved rat to devour his face while he is still alive]].
* The ending. [[spoiler:Both Winston and Julia are left as soulless, brainless shells with no free will after the Party's re-education. All of their humanity has been snuffed from them.]]

* The most scary thing about the setting of this book? Not only does it remain one of the most nightmarish dystopias ever devised, but [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters there is no supernatural element at all]] and it is all ''[[AdultFear entirely plausible]]''. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Want proof]]?

-> If you want a picture of the future, imagine reading the NightmareFuel pages -- [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife forever]].
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* The most scary thing about the setting of this book? Not only does it remain one of the most nightmarish dystopias ever devised, but [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters there is no supernatural element at all]] and it is all ''entirely plausible''. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Want proof]]?