History NightmareFuel / Other

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* {{NightmareFuel/Other}}
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[[redirect:NightmareFuel/OtherMedia

[[redirect:NightmareFuel/OtherMedia]]

For all the works that scare people that won't fit anywhere else.

'''[[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease This is not a real life section.]]''' Degree of fear varies greatly from person to person. Tropers are especially reminded to remember the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment here and keep all examples family-friendly and as neutral as possible. We really don't want to traumatize people or start any Administrivia/{{Edit War}}s, so use some common sense. [[noreallife]]
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!!Asian Animation
[[index]]
* NightmareFuel/BoBoiBoy
* NightmareFuel/EjenAli
[[/index]]

!! Sub-pages:
[[index]]
* NightmareFuel/{{Bionicle}}
* NightmareFuel/{{Cleverbot}}
* NightmareFuel/CreationWiki
* NightmareFuel/{{Crestfallen}}
* NightmareFuel/{{Disney}}
* NightmareFuel/{{Gallifrey}}
* NightmareFuel/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy
* NightmareFuel/JeffDunham
* NightmareFuel/TheOnion
* NightmareFuel/SpiritHalloween
* NightmareFuel/{{Toonami}}
[[/index]]
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Computers]]
* One weather program clicks like a cricket, scaring any user in a classroom who is wanting to work in peace and quiet.
* The famous Blue Screen of Death. Particularly the unfortunate experience of seeing a [=BSOD=] that simply read, "Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer. System halted." No "Press any key to terminate the program, press CTRL+ ALT+ DEL to restart" stuff, just two lines telling you that your system has come to a complete stop.
** The version of the [=BSOD=] used in versions of Windows based on Windows NT (this includes 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and all server versions prior to Windows Server 2012) is worse for two reasons: the fact that those versions' improved stability means it appears far less often than in Windows 9x/Me (whose [=BSOD=] could possibly just be merely annoying to people who have used those versions enough to see it often[[note]]for the records, you can BSOD a Windows 95 machine by just trying to access the floppy drive without a disk in it![[/note]]), generally only appearing during more severe errors, and the fact that it includes far more text, with said text containing information related to memory dumps and error messages that is bound to look bizarre to someone who doesn't know what to do with it.
** The BSOD is quite scary, but Windows 98 and early beta version of Vista featured a ''[[https://mytechblog.com/wp-content/uploads/rsod_windowsvista.png?e297bd Red]]'' [[https://mytechblog.com/wp-content/uploads/rsod_windowsvista.png?e297bd Screen of Death]]!
** Its early [[UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh Macintosh's]] equivalent, the Sad Mac. If your system disk was corrupted, or if you hit the interrupt switch, instead of a smiling Macintosh icon on a warm gray background, you'd get one that looked as if it was dead from a stroke on a stark black background and a set of hex codes under the icon, followed by an eerie arpeggio chime nicknamed as "Chimes of Death". The LC variants used a softer and lower pitched version of the arpeggio, followed by [[LastNoteNightmare three or four notes]]. The Power Macintosh and Performa 6200 and 6300 series, along with the Power Macintosh upgrade card, used a [[http://youtu.be/yBZWKjj2vWY?t=3s dramatic three-note brass fanfare]] in place of the arpeggio chime.
** The system crash screen on the early Macs, in which the screen froze up and an error message window appeared with a large CartoonBomb, caused more than a few skipped heartbeats in its day.
** The [=NuBus=]-based Power Macintosh models (as well as earlier G3 Power Macintoshes) replaced the arpeggio chime with a car crash sound effect. It is also kind of loud. Anyone who would find it funny would stop laughing the moment they realized that $3,000 of hardware had a critical failure. Even more unnerving is if you somehow missed the screeching noise and only heard the crash part- which sounds like something in the machine exploded...
** Kernel panics (like [=BSODs=] in Linux/BSD and other {{UsefulNotes/UNIX}} and UNIX-like systems) can be scary enough. Just imagine all your system going down with lots of cryptic error messages.
** Fortunately averted in Windows Server 2012 and onwards. This version of the [=BSoD=] uses a less-harsh cerulean background, the error name has been removed in favor of "Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're just collecting some error info, and then we'll restart for you" message, and has a sad emoticon placed on top.[[note]] Though it sometimes makes a loud droning noise when this if the user has audio playing while their PC crashes. If you have headphones/earbuds on, it can make for a mini JumpScare.[[/note]]
** Regardless of how scary or not the BSOD (or other relevant error screen, depending on your OS) is, getting them frequently can become disconcerting, as it can be a sign that something is ''seriously'' wrong with your PC, such that it may be on its last legs and in need of replacing.
* Turning on your PC, and then finding a blank screen while the PC Speaker is beeping out what sounds like morse code. Some manufacturers have taken things up to the next level by replacing the beeps with the loud shrill noise of an ''air raid siren'' (notably, many high-end [=ASRock=] motherboards do this -- impressive how they achieved doing this on the punitive PC beeper), a creepy voice speaking out the error in a creepy monotone (premium Asus motherboards are known to do this), or even play unnerving music (DFI actually had a range of boards that played [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Ludwig Van Beethoven's]] ''Für Elise'' if something on it failed, [[https://youtu.be/0LQhf17i33g as demonstrated here]]). NothingIsScarier, indeed.
* Avast Antivirus usually detects viruses on sight, however whenever that happens, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycs92N_rph8 a dialogue window pops up]] with a pulsing atomic symbol, a siren sound, and a male voice saying "Caution: A virus has been detected". Averted from 2010 onwards, which uses a less creepy version of all of those (with no atomic symbol).
* [=AVG=] used to show a picture of what appeared to be a man with his face warped to make him look like a troll ([[http://didierstevens.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/avg-eicar.PNG here is a link to a picture of an old alert if you want to see it for yourself]]) as part of its Virus Detected alert. The newer versions of AVG use far more subdued icons, thankfully.
* There was a time when Kaspersky Antivirus would play [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhVRbtXT_zA the (loud) squeal of a pig]] whenever it found a virus, scaring the crap out of users every single time. You couldn't even turn that sound off, as the settings were locked with an undisclosed password. Some rogue antiviruses (such as Windows Police Pro) use this sound as well. Averted starting in 2010, as it switched to a more normal noise.
** A similar, far louder sound, is heard by default in some mobile Kaspersky products, thankfully, it can be disabled this time in the Options menu, but it can still jumpscare unaware people.
* [[https://youtu.be/kvK69RUveNU Avira]] plays a ''very'' loud and rapid noise when it discovers a virus, scaring many.
* Norton Antivirus 95 used to have a particularly horrifying failure mode if it detected a virus in memory. Your Windows shell would quit with no warning, you'd get a page or so of DOS and then the screen would go black and display [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nlogow.png a giant mechanical spider]] in the middle. After a few moments of staring at that nightmare, the screen would change over to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nlogos.png the same spider in a cage]], with the legend "Norton Antivirus has detected a virus and has shut your computer down to prevent further damage." or words to that effect. To make things worse, the screen going red during boot up with the same message in yellow followed immediately by the system freezing up. It effectively conveys the message that you have somehow screwed up big time by introducing a DOS virus to the hard disk and removing the virus is easier said than done.
* DOS viruses are particularly terrifying. Not because of what they do to your computer (the vast majority are harmless), but because of the screens they bring up. Just look up "DOS virus" on Website/YouTube, and prepared to be scared out of your mind. And imagine being an unsuspecting DOS user who opened it, not knowing what it was. However, catching one of the bad DOS ones -- like Michelangelo or Jerusalem/Friday the 13th -- is high octane nightmare fuel. Some of the viruses which are harmless to floppies can and have ended up destroying entire hard drives because they were too shoddily-programmed and expect every storage media to be the same as a floppy.
* Mac laptops have a light that, when closed, blinks slowly in the same rhythm as a person breathes as they sleep makes them [[UncannyValley just a little too human.]]
** Many desktop Macs nowadays do that as well, as does the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS Nintendo 3DS]] when it's closed and still switched on.
** Some laptops (observed from a Dell laptop) will even make a soft whining sound that sounds like breathing as the light is pulsating.
* Some Dell CRT monitors make a near-silent beeping sound that repeats about every three seconds when they are powered off. Imagine buying one of these monitors with a new PC in 2004 and shutting off your electronics and getting ready for bed, but suddenly you hear 'BEEP'... 'BEEP' and cannot find where the sound is coming from.
* Apple iMacs are prone to scaring the life out of their users when it comes to unexplained crashes or hardlocks! Take for instance the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbmx_555fcE 'three beeps']], which blare from the speakers at full, unchangeable volume after a RAM fault. Not to mention [[HellIsThatNoise intensely loud crashes]] that just [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB0k4hmSeL8 happen]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLX2teQiaw8 spontaneously]]...
* [=NightMare=] was one of the first "scareware" programs created. Made for Amiga computers, it would lay dormant for about five minutes when launched, [[ScreamerPrank then replace the screen for a split-second with a bloody skull while playing a loud scream]] [[note]]This can be NightmareRetardant to some, though[[/note]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubFGj4lQSyM Witness the terror for yourself.]] There are tonnes of these for Windows as well. This is why you should log out of your computer at the computer lab even if all you want to do is go get a drink in the hallway.
* A lot of hardware in computers produce sounds when things aren't quite working as one expects. While some are as tame as the "click of death" on hard drives (Which turns into Nightmare Fuel anyway, because tech-savvy people [[FinalDeath know what that means]].), some things like computer fans will produce awful screeching sounds when they're about to go or power supplies will squeal when you start working them (Called coil whine... which is perfectly normal.). On the topic of power supplies, if you have bought a cheapo one in the past and it has died on you, you'd probably be seeing a therapist right now. Some cheapo power supplies actually die with a bang, some even catch fire after going out with a bang. [[ParanoiaFuel And sometimes, this happens to the more expensive ones as well]].
* Rogue antivirus programs can be frightening, especially if you don't know they're malware.
** One of the most infamous of these programs is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFixer WinFixer]]. Imagine, if you will, innocently browsing the internet when you get a dialogue box telling you that your computer is full of system errors that can have any number of adverse effects, offering to download and install a program to diagnose and fix these problems. Regardless of whether you accept or deny the offer (all the buttons on the dialogue box do the exact same thing, even the close button in the corner), a pop-up window will appear, [=WinFixer=] being downloaded onto your computer. It will then run and show that you have myriad viruses and registry errors playing havoc on your computer (most of which are false), but it can't actually remove them until you purchase the full version of the software. If you pay for it, it will do jack diddly, because [=WinFixer=], itself, is the virus and has just stolen your credit card information. Removing it can be a hassle as it will undo every attempt to delete it short of formatting your computer.
** Another that is making the rounds is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NavaShield NavaShield]]. Unlike [=WinFixer=], [=NavaShield=] doesn't force its way onto your computer: you need to go to their legitimate-looking website and download it, yourself. Once installed, it will give you an option to either purchase a software key, or take a seven-day trial, during which it will tell you your computer is protected. After seven days, it will begin to try to pester you into buying a software key with loud and annoying pop-up. After more time ([[ParanoiaFuel which can be anywhere from a few days to a few years]]), this virus will start to deliver its payload by playing a looping laughing noise that cannot be silenced, and opening pop-ups to pornographic websites. It will even start to taunt you and cuss you out using your computer's text-to-speech voice synthesizer. This makes it appear as if your computer is infected with viruses that necessitate buying [=NavaShield=] (and Task Manager is also disabled, so you can't shut it down). Finally, it will simulate your hard drive being forcibly formatted on a window that is always on top and continuously expanding. Much like [=WinFixer=], getting this crap off your PC is a major hassle.
* A family of viruses called ''ransomware''. For example, one that has made its rounds in recent years is the "[[https://pctuneup.org/department-of-justice-virus-removal/ DOJ Virus]]". The virus locks up your computer, replacing the screen with one telling you that the Department of Justice (or another important agency, depending on the country) has blocked access to your computer on the grounds of having found child pornography or other such illegal material on it, and that the only way to unlock your computer and avoid prosecution is to pay a fine using a pre-paid card purchased from Walmart within a few days.
** The DOJ is just one of them, there are ransomwares claiming to be from the police, Interpol, FBI or CIA with the same claim (and the virus is actually programmed to find out which state you are in and steal the appropriate logo). Alternatively, they would be purportedly from the RIAA or MPAA and claim to have found pirated movies or music on your hard drive.
** Another type of ransomware which is fearful even to the computer-savvy (if it gets in) will actually ''encrypt'' whatever files it can, rendering them unusable. Then it provides an address to visit so you can pay money to decrypt the files if you pay them in time (don't do this; they're not likely to bother fixing it for one thing). Malware of this nature underscores why it is important to back-up valued files.
** One ransomware virus that emerged in April 2017 is known as "[[https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/rensenware-will-only-decrypt-files-if-victim-scores-2-billion-in-th12-game/ Rensenware]]". Rather than demanding money, it instead offers to decrypt your files under one condition: play ''VideoGame/TouhouSeirensenUndefinedFantasticObject'' and get a score of "0.2 billion" points on "[[HarderThanHard Lunatic]]" difficulty. Trying to cheat or terminate the virus's process will result in the decryption key never being made, and your encrypted data will be lost. The worst part of this is that the virus was created as a joke and was never planned to actually be used, but somehow was still disseminated across the internet. The original creator made a program designed to cheat the virus and decrypt your data, since, despite the virus's warning, it can't detect if you're cheating; and even apologized. Nonetheless, he warns that [[ParanoiaFuel there may be variants of the original Ransomware floating around the net that cannot be cheated]].
** One ransomware that has set itself apart from the rest is "[[http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-wannacrypt-attacks/ WannaCrypt]]", which became notorious for its rapid propagation, spreading far and wide across the internet and even impacting hospitals and jeopardizing lives. It is so bad that Microsoft saw fit to release an emergency patch for Windows XP, an operating system that they stopped supporting in 2014, three years before [=WannaCrypt=] reared its ugly head!
** Some ransomware viruses take it up a notch. You remember how, when webcams first became a thing, people used to laugh at those who covered their webcams thinking people could spy on them through the cameras? Well, certain ransomware viruses are perfectly capable of hijacking your webcam and snapping a picture of you going about your business, to plaster onto the FBI or whatever warning to make it seem more legitimate. [[ParanoiaFuel Suddenly, covering one laptop's webcam with a bandage doesn't seem so crazy.]]
** Another extremely horrifying type of ransomware involves ''overwriting the master boot record, '''which blocks the system from booting and trapping it on a BIOS screen!'''''. One notable example is a Russian-language equivalent of the above-mentioned FBI Ransomware, in that it claims to have found child pornography on your computer, but made creepier by the fact that if one isn't fluent in Russian and doesn't know what it is saying. Joel of WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}} and rogueamp both demonstrated it in the form of a fake porn video named "[[SchmuckBait videoxxx.avi.]]'''[[SchmuckBait exe]]'''", the former having used it in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-vB8qdNSYc Windows 8 Destruction video]], but [[ParanoiaFuel that's not even the only place you can get it from]], as it was also once [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iejq1QwmC0 masquerading as a Microsoft PowerPoint file]].
** Perhaps the most extreme of MBR-overwriting ransomware is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petya_(malware) Petya]], which attacked many computers in Ukraine in 2017. What's worse about Petya is that running it immediately crashes to a Blue Screen of Death, which, as mentioned above, is already nightmarish on its own, but there is [[NothingIsScarier disturbingly little text on it]], instead saying "the remote system is down", which is already a bad sign. When the system reboots, a fake Chkdsk screen is displayed, followed by an ASCII art of a skull and crossbones over a red screen telling you your files have been encrypted. To make things worse, some variants of Petya actually ''are not actually ransomware'' at all and just '''permanently''' encrypt your computer, [[ForTheEvulz seemingly without any intention of monetary gain]].
* Heartbleed bug. While the bug itself is pretty creepy as it makes user account vulnerable to hackers, what's even more horrifying is that the NSA confessed that they [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/nsa-heartbleed_n_5134813.html exploited it for years!]] As if the NSA weren't [[ParanoiaFuel creepy]] enough already. [[note]]They've [[http://time.com/60082/nsa-heartbleed-bug-denial/ denied it]], but whether or not they're honest is debatable.[[/note]]
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjRkSdVQu8 "erng"]] sound in Windows 95 or 98 if a program crashes with an "illegal operation" dialog box.
** Debatably worse is the memorable [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lhhrUuw2N8 Critical Stop sound]] in Windows XP, being the only one that takes a darker tone than the other OS before and after it.
* In DOS-based version of Windows, the PC doesn't power off once Windows shuts down; the user has to manually hit the power button. Until then, [[https://i.imgur.com/4uJeI.jpg a message in orange text on a lonely black background]] reading ''"It's now safe to turn off your computer."'' will stay on the screen. Someone forgetting to shut off their PC at night after shutting down will then be treated to [[NothingIsScarier an eerie orange glow coming from these lone words on their screen]].
* If UsefulNotes/MozillaFirefox detects a reported attack site or phishing site, then it displays an extremely unnerving error screen with it being a blood red box over a dark gray background, with white text inside. Extremely jarring in contrast to its regular normal error screens, which is entirely white with black text. [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZaGO7GjCqAI/Rmhht14praI/AAAAAAAACwI/dbPPwzO4IUM/s640/firefox-anti-malware.png Example]].
* Like Mozilla Firefox, if Google Chrome detects the same site as above, it will display [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Qq0ss2SaDs/VaGFLwDwc8I/AAAAAAAACJ8/HQqtvlc3WF4/s1600/chrome-red-screen-security-warning.jpg a bright red error screen]] which can be pretty startling.
* Mobile apps that translate words in real-time through the phone's video camera. Not so bad if a bubble pops up with the translated text, but some creepily try to go the extra mile by trying to replace the actual words being captured, attempting to mimic the font, size, angle, and color scheme of the original. [[UncannyValley It always fails.]] The idea is so misguided, that if it were used in a movie to clue in the protagonist that they're in a simulator, it could make for some good horror.
* Trojans are already scary enough, thanks to the fact that [[ParanoiaFuel they are concealed within legitimate-looking programs]], but one that's particularly nasty is known as "[[https://malware.fandom.com/wiki/MEMZ MEMz]]". Once it activates, it warns you that your computer has been infected and will rendered unusable if you shut it down or try to terminate its process. Over time, it delivers its payload, starting with popups before hijacking your cursor, flooding your speakers with error sounds, and finally creating a black hole-esque loop of screenshots of your desktop layered one on top of another. Worst of all, it makes good on its threat: once activated, it overwrites your computer's boot sector, so if your computer is rebooted, all you'll ever get is a looping image of Nyan Cat. And if you terminate its process, it floods the screen with taunting messages before blue-screening your computer. The one saving grace of [=MEMz=] is the fact that [[CardCarryingVillain it is blatant about being malware]], having been made specifically to be shown off on [=YouTube=], and gives users a warning to not run it on a physical machine unless you want to render it useless.
* The graphical disk utility in Ubuntu Linux gives off a [[https://i.stack.imgur.com/62PeR.png very unnerving warning]] if the SMART test indicates that your hard drive is about to die soon. Worse yet, there's often nothing you can do save for backing up all your data and buying a new one. A similar warning can be gleaned from programs that can run SMART tests on Windows computers. If you get a warning that reads "Threshold Exceeded Condition", that means your drive is going to die very soon. Just as with the above example, there's no recourse other than to back up your data and get a new drive.
* Do you enjoy Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog fan games? You may want to skip ''[[https://malwiki.org/index.php?title=Sonic_Gather_Battle Sonic Gather Battle]]'', which contains malicious coding. Suspiciously enough, the game must be run as an administrator, requires an internet connection, creates strange files, and edits your computer's registry, all of which were {{handwave}}d by the creator. Once "infected" by this game, trying to search for the game's title followed by "Cheats" or "Hacks" or trying to edit the game's files will cause the game to turn into something right out of a {{Creepypasta}}, with graphics becoming [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red]], creepy eyes flashing on the screen, and invincible ghosts appearing to attack you. And your status as "[[NoFairCheating hacker]]" is recorded on a database outside of your computer, so uninstalling and reinstalling the game doesn't fix these issues. While wanting to protect one's game from hackers is understandable, turning your game into malware to do so is less so.
* Typing in unusual text in Google Translate sometimes yields hilariously nonsensical results. Other times, it brings up some rather disturbing messages involving [[ReligiousHorror Biblical scriptures and the apocalypse]] such as the now-patched result of typing in "dog" in Maori or Hawaiian 19 times being "Doomsday Clock is three minutes at twelve We are experiencing characters and a dramatic developments in the world, which indicate that we are increasingly approaching the end times and Jesus' return". Some more examples of this phenomenon can be found [[https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/j5npeg/why-is-google-translate-spitting-out-sinister-religious-prophecies here]].
* [[http://malware.fandom.com/wiki/ILoveYou ILoveYou]], despite its sweet-sounding name, [[NonindicativeName is anything but.]] Released in May 2000, the virus attacked millions of Windows computers. This malware caused widespread e-mail outages and [[UpToEleven more than 45 million computers]] have been infected by this worm - including stock brokerages, food companies, media, auto and technology giants. The virus is delivered through an email pretending to be a love letter to the user, attached with a file called LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs. [[note]]The .vbs part is not visible to the user - hence making them fall for it easier.[[/note]] Once downloaded and executed by the user, the virus delivers its payoff - amongst many other things, it sets the Internet Explorer page to one of four randomly chosen web pages so that it downloads the file WIN-BUGSFIX.EXE, a trojan. It proceeds to add a registry key for it so that it will run even at startup and before the user even logs in, meaning that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption you're shit out of luck if you think resetting your computer will get rid of the virus.]] The virus eventually searches for files to modify by [[KillAndReplace replacing those files with a copy of itself.]] Finally, it scans for the files mirc32.exe, mlink32.exe, mirc.ini, script.ini and mirc.hlp and if it finds one of more of these files, it generates a new script.ini and places it in the directory where the other files are found. This script contains instructions to send the virus to other email users. Remember this virus as a warning that [[ParanoiaFuel not every nice thing sent to you on the internet is not as it seems...]]
* Imagine, if you will, wishing to look something up on Google, but misspelling the site's name in the URL as "Goggle". A very simple and common mistake that, if you had the misfortune of making between 2004 and 2008, [[https://malware.wikia.org/wiki/Goggle would cause several viruses (including one of the aforementioned rogue anti-virus trojans) to be shoved onto your computer]]! There's no telling what's more unnerving: the potential damage making this simple mistake could make, or the fact that a domain-squatter would be so malicious. Thankfully, the danger this particular typo poses has long passed.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_support_scam Tech support scams]] are among the shadiest and most vile grifts pulled in the Information Age. The scam typically starts with a pop-up informing you, for example, that you may have a virus on your computer, along with a phone number for tech support. Tech-savvy internet uses will see this as suspicious and ignore it, maybe even running an antivirus scan for good measure. Those less knowledgeable, particularly the elderly and[=/=]or disabled, can be taken in and tricked into calling the scammers (almost always from India, and with OperatorFromIndia being TruthInTelevision, this makes the scam all the more convincing to the intended victims). From there, the scammers will trick their victims into permitting them remote access to their computer, all in the service of swindling their victims out of money. And God help you if you waste their time (unwittingly or deliberately) or subvert their efforts: their PaperThinDisguise as a tech support agent will quickly give way to [[EvilIsPetty foul-mouthed and vicious little bastards who will try to render your computer unusable]].
* A certain error on Android causes the phone to freeze, then display the unsettling message "Your device is corrupted and can't be trusted" before shutting down. It can be pretty startling.
* The "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_web Dark Web]]" is a real-life Alternet, a series of networks and websites that require special peer-to-peer accessing software to access. What exactly goes on in the Dark Web? Among other things, there's the selling of drugs, terrorist websites, various scams, and a veritable sea of illegal content. Venture into the Dark Web at your own risk.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Documentaries]]
* Not a documentary per se, but [[http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/11/08/fairy-wrens-teach-secret-passwords-to-their-unborn-chicks-to-tell-them-apart-from-cuckoo-impostors/ this zoology article]] about fairy wrens and cuckoos makes the latter bird horrifying:
-->"In Australia, a pair of superb fairy-wrens return to their nest with food for their newborn chick. As they arrive, the chick makes its begging call. It’s hard to see in the darkness of the domed nest, but the parents know that something isn’t right. Whatever’s in their nest, [[AdultFear it’s not their chick]]."
* The Creator/DiscoveryChannel mini-series ''Miracle Planet'' features a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PENT_hnyO-o detailed CGI "simulation"]] of a massive 300 mile wide asteroid impacting the present-day Earth, which directly results in '''the entire planet's surface''' being covered in "Rock Vapor" (which, in layman's terms, is essentially '''a literal cloud of magma''') as hot as the sun itself! Which, in turn, causes the total evaporation of all water on the planet's surface, the death of all plant and animal life-forms, every man-made monument ever built being burned to ashes, and the planet's surface being reduced to a lifeless wasteland, the only possible survivors being some strains of bacteria (emphasis on '''possible'''). It is actually believed that such an event occurred at least ''six'' times during the early Precambrian era, which would ultimately have a major impact on the planet's internal composition.
* Nazi propaganda films. One notorious propaganda movie, ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eternal_Jew_%281940_film%29 The Eternal Jew]]'', contained a really dehumanizing scene comparing Jews to rats. Apparently audiences found the scene so horrifying that they ran out of cinemas and the movie had to be withdrawn.
%%* The animated documentary ''Tales Of The Ratfink''.
%%* Newsreel footage of the concentration camps.
* The videos of the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger. One minute it's all happy and they're going into space, and the next...
* The UsefulNotes/ZapruderFilm, one of the films captured by an amateur cameraman the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It had quite an effect on Abraham Zapruder himself. He suffered nightmares about what he witnessed - he also became quite upset when asked about it by Jay Watson of WFAA Dallas:
--> '''Zapruder:''' I heard a shot, and he slumped to the side, like this. Then I heard another shot or two, I couldn't say it was one or two, and I saw his head [[{{Squick}} practically open up]] ''[places fingers of right hand to right side of head in a narrow cone, over his right ear]'', all blood and everything, and I kept on shooting [the scene]. That's about all, I'm just sick, I can't...
* A documentary depicting tar literally dripping out of a lung.
* The "Alien Abduction" scene in ''Cosmos''. Also the Nuclear Winter parts, but that was sort of the point.
* An episode of ''Series/UnsolvedMysteries'' where an unidentified man was featured. He had been trying to get a ride on a plane at a small airport, but no one would take him. So he ''grabbed on to the wing of a plane and held on as it was taking off.'' Of course, he fell off when the plane was far in the air. The story in question can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2weGceRXt_E here.]]
** Though [[NightmareRetardant some might see that]] as a TooDumbToLive moment.
** Although that man was eventually identified as Brian Stanley Duecker, a 28-year-old marathon runner from Cincinnati, Ohio who suffered from schizophrenia (likely the reason he jumped onto the plane), his family still has to live with a lot of unanswered questions about what was going through his mind when he did what he did--a true nightmare scenario indeed.
** Unsolved Mysteries is a terrific show, but it contains massive amounts of Nightmare Fuel, since many of the cases remain unsolved.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFuGfwIhv14 iconic opening theme]] is one of the scariest ever put on public television.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlGeZiUqcDg The closing theme]] is scary, too, but with the added elements of poignancy (many stories featured on the show are beyond tragic) and resigned sadness (many unsolved mysteries will be forever unsolved). All that can be heard in this short piece of music.
* The E! Channel's special ''Doomed To Die: 13 Most Shocking Hollywood Curses'' mentioned some particularly disturbing "curses" related to Hollywood. One worth mentioning is the curse of the ''Atuk'' script. Atuk is the story of a fat Eskimo trying to make it in the big city. The first victim of this cursed script was Creator/JohnBelushi who the creator had in mind to play the title role; he was preparing for the part when he died of a drug-overdose at the age of 33. The second victim was Sam Kinison- who nearly got around to making it but then freaked out and pulled out of doing it, he later died in a fiery car crash. Third victim was Creator/JohnCandy, who was in the process of reading the script when he died of a heart attack, and the last victim was Creator/ChrisFarley who died of a drug overdose at the age of 33 much like his hero John Belushi- he wanted Creator/PhilHartman to be his co-star, Phil Hartman later got shot by ''his own wife''.
** Two other "cursed" Hollywood projects had almost the ''exact'' same events happen-a film adaptation of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'' and a biopic of silent film comedian [[Creator/FattyArbuckle Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle]]. Both projects had John Belushi, John Candy, and Chris Farley all chosen to star as the lead until AuthorExistenceFailure ensued in all three cases. It doesn't help in ''A Confederacy of Dunces''[='=]s case, the novel it was based on was published years after its author committed suicide... or that when a Will Ferrell-helmed adaptation seemed to be getting off the ground, the film's setting --New Orleans-- was trashed by Hurricane Katrina...
** And one of the items on the list was the curse of musicians dying at the age of 27. (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) The segment ends with one of the interviewees mentioning how Amy Winehouse is only a couple of years away from turning 27, and how she should turn her behavior around to avoid the curse. Two years after the special aired, Amy Winehouse did indeed fall victim to the curse, dying at the age of 27.
* ''Film/TheManWhoSawTomorrow'' - a documentary-style movie about Nostradamus' predictions, narrated by Creator/OrsonWelles is terrifying, especially when it comes to the infamous "King of Terror" prophecy and was ''huge'' NightmareFuel for 1980s viewers. However, it falls into NightmareRetardant when its predictions for the 1990s were very quickly disproven, resulting in Welles distancing himself from the documentary.
* Creator/TheHistoryChannel documentary "Last Days on Earth", detailing the eight most likely ways for civilization as we know it to be completely destroyed, ''in increasing order of likeliness.''
* Ric Burns' 1992 documentary on The Donner Party, the group of American pioneers who had to resort to cannibalism to survive, as seen on PBS' ''The American Experience.''
* The documentary ''A State Of Mind'', following the lives of two North Korean barely-teenaged gymnasts, is definitely in some parts a TearJerker, and rather horrifying. The actual politics of North Korea aside, the choreographed gymnastics performances that are so stunning at the beginning of the film become [[FridgeHorror screamingly awful]] once you realize the sheer scale of the Mass Games. The total hive-mind mindset that kind of training gives you... and that the big-ass pictures that are constantly changing, that in other productions would be video projections or digital transitions like at the Olympics, are made up of extremely well choreographed humans moving in unison. YMMV, of course, but seeing that many people move as one body, totally surrendered to the group will, is hardcore creepy.
* Related to the above, National Geographic's ''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20110216233442/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxLBywKrTf4 Inside North Korea]].'' Everything from the poor living conditions to the sheer magnitude of brainwashing and fear (the patients had no choice but to thank ''Kim Jong-Il, NOT the doctors,'' for the operation) will make your blood curdle.
* The History Channel documentary ''[[AfterTheEnd After Apocalypse]]'' is pretty much packed of this. It realistically shows how Earth and life itself would look like after they had suffered from some apocalyptic event like a worldlike virus epidemic, like the Black Death in the Middle Ages, or the one in ''Film/IAmLegend'' but without the zombies. The documentary is told from the eyes of an American middle-class family who lived a normal life before a deadly virus from China kills of most of the world's population who is trying to survive the new harsh world that comes after the epidemic. Meanwhile, environmental, sociological, psychological and medical experts are given short interviews from time to time during the documentary telling about the situations the family and the rest of the world goes through.
* ''WesternAnimation/MarchOfTheDinosaurs'' made feathered tyrannosaurs horrifying. There is one scene where the Edmontosaurus are ambushed by the tyrannosaurs where one literally leaps (like a raptor) out of nowhere to tackle one of the poor plant-eaters. Imagine three tons of teeth and death leaping at you.
* [[http://www.chooseveg.com/meet-your-meat.asp This vegan documentary about meat production.]] It even starts the video off by saying "What you're about to see is beyond your worst nightmares".
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9_amL2bLEo Violence: An American Tradition]]'', a documentary that is about, as the title says, violence in USA and its history, its culture, its relationship with media and pop culture, its effects on daily life, the politics and motives behind it, the people involved with it, etc. Anyone who believes that HumansAreGood will definitely have their beliefs destroyed by this one hour long documentary, specially the part that [[TearJerker deals with child abuse]].
* [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-yes-men/why-the-yes-men-said-no_b_224409.html This article]] is mostly harmless. But Andy says, with good reason, that searching for "Congo" and "massacre" will keep you up at night. The article was posted on 02 July 2009 CE. As of 23 November 2012 CE, the massacre is still going. The article actually has a link to a Google search of "congo" and "massacre", so you don't have to Google it yourself. Don't click on that link.
* The [[https://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/ the CNN Freedom Project]], also overlapping with TearJerker since it's about [[MadeASlave modern-day slavery]]. Especially nasty are the articles on the [[ColdBloodedTorture Sinai traffickers]].
* The National Geographic show ''Series/AirCrashInvestigation'' (aka ''Mayday'' or ''Air Emergency'') can be either completely fascinating (on a scientific/engineering level), or horrifying if you're afraid of flying. One episode is particularly creepy, possibly even if you're in the former camp: A plane ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522 Helios Flight 522]]) takes off normally and starts climbing to cruising altitude. As the captain talks to air traffic control, he starts talking more and more incoherently. The passengers all start feeling dizzy as well, and as the plane continues to climb, almost every one of them passes out. Including the pilots. The plane is still flying, albeit not on the course it's supposed to, and ATC radios military aircraft to find out what's going on. The military radios to ATC that the plane is filled with people who are completely non-responsive--except for one person, in the cockpit, who eventually acknowledges the military planes with a feeble wave. Then, a few minutes later, the plane loses altitude and crashes into the ground. Turns out that a switch had not been pressed which pressurises the cabin, resulting in everyone succumbing to hypoxia after they passed 18,000 feet. The one person who was in the cockpit? A flight attendant who had stayed alive by using the oxygen masks in the cabin, then three tanks of emergency oxygen. He had been calling for help on the transmitter but nobody could hear him. The plane eventually ran out of fuel and crashed, and investigators later found out that ''everyone had actually still been alive (albeit in a coma) when it did.''
* Covered in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJv1RoAAfAU/ this documentary]], there is the disaster of the ''MV Doña Paz'', the [[UpToEleven worst peacetime maritime disaster ever.]] An oil tanker operating [[WhatAnIdiot without a license, lookout, or shipmaster, and found to be unseaworthy,]] collided with the ''Doña Paz'', which was badly overcrowded by as much as twice what was written on the ship manifest. The collision set the surrounding waters on fire, which some escaping passengers '''jumped overboard into.''' Most people were burned alive, or literally ''cooked'' by boiling water mixed with fuel. Worse, the collision happened at night, and knocked out power to the ship, plunging the crowd into total panicked darkness, and the water were infested with sharks. The collision was so sudden that crews had no time to prepare life jackets or lifeboats for passengers. Estimated vary on the number of casualties, but it was definitely over 3500. And to top it all off, this happened five days before Christmas- [[TearJerker most passengers were returning to families for the holidays, who would never make it to their homes.]]
* Almost every article about the [[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/school-shock Judge Rotenberg Education Center]] and similar behavior modification facilities. They "educate" by use of ''electric shocks''.
* The BBC docu-drama ''Film/EndDay'', which depicts five different possible scenarios, in order of the amount of damage they would do to human civilization and the planet in general: A mega-tsunami, a killer asteroid, a global pandemic, the eruption of a super-volcano, and the Large Hadron Collider failing, which eventually results in the entire planet being consumed by "strange matter".
* This ADHD educational series of videos -https://www.youtube.com/user/drcandelwood/about
* The Science Channel has a few shows that, albeit very interesting, contain plenty of horrifying stories. Their newest one ''The Unexplained Files'' is just one of them. Featuring such stories as a supposed curse of a frozen corpse of an ancient human, who for everyone who came across it, recording or otherwise, later seemed to die prematurely from unrelated causes...
* [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027f9q0 This]] [[{{Squick}} squicktastic]] footage of a 70cm long worm ''being devoured by a giant red leech'', filmed for the BBC's ''Wonders of the Monsoon''.
* Ever wondered what the inside of a penguin's mouth looks like? [[http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/adelie-penguin-antarctica/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20150409photo-pod&utm_campaign=Content&sf8477225=1 Here you go]], courtesy of National Geographic. Not so sweet now, eh?
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oumnaW0jmU0 Incendio]]'', a short documentary by the National Fire Prevention Agency about the 1974 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joelma_Building Joelma Building]] fire in São Paulo, Brazil, one of the inspirations for ''Film/TheToweringInferno''. Between the subject matter, scenes of panicked tenants jumping to their deaths, the narrator's CreepyMonotone voiceover, and the spooky synth music reminiscent of Music/BoardsOfCanada, it's pretty chilling.
* Before ''Mayday'', there was ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wSTn9oHR9A Air Disasters]]'', an hour-long documentary that exposes some uncomfortable truths behind the world of flight and how the industry is run by utilizing footage of actual accidents, some of it quite disturbing. Particular attention is given to the vastly differing safety standards in various parts of the world and the industry's practice of [[ParanoiaFuel selling aging airliners to the less safety-conscious regions and then wet-leasing them back to the countries that originally sold them]]. That in itself is a terrifying prospect.
* Trevor [=McDonald=]’s duology of ITV documentaries titled ''Inside Death Row'' which see him interview prisoners with death sentences in Indiana State Penitentiary expectedly document his encounters with many disturbing and vile characters. The second documentary sees [=McDonald=] come face to face with William Clyde Gibson, an utterly remorseless serial killer who candidly recounts his various killings to a barely straight-faced Trevor, and bluntly dismisses the possibility of having any degree of humanity, giggling like a jolly hick all the while.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* [[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/lists/dollar-store-toy-wand-has-hidden-picture-of-demonic-child-cutting-herself-with-a-kitchen-knife-9850505.html This horrifying object]] called an "Evil Wand" with a copyright-infringing image of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' on its packaging was found on sale at a dollar store in Ohio. It looks like any other plastic children's wand, but emits an evil, cackling laugh and contains a hidden image of a "[[NightmareFace demonic child]]" with [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing eyes]] and a [[SlasherSmile wide psychotic smile]], covered in blood and slashing her own wrists with a [[KnifeNut butcher's knife]]. A mother bought it for her ''two-year-old'' daughter, but discovered what was hidden under the foil on the wand and was rightfully outraged. What makes it worse is that it was being sold amongst ''children's toys'', and no one seems to know who made it, nor why. [[ParanoiaFuel Also, the toy is still being carried in the store.]] The relative apathy of the owner of the store that carried the toy, though he is right that it is the parents' responsibility to inspect the toy given its name, he thinks that children are desensitized to such things "because they see it on TV every day". ''And that somehow makes it OK to keep selling it?''
* The [[http://www.amazon.com/Face-Bank-Coin-Eating-Savings/dp/B007C3NM9E Face Bank]] is a toy of sorts that is supposed to encourage your children to save money by feeding it. The face in question is ''haunting'', to the point where adult reviewers mention being frightened by it. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlVznB3_gRI Here's a video]] of it in action, if you dare.
* Furbies. The idea of a small, robotic creature capable of learning English and speaking at any time already places it square in the UncannyValley, but many have reported hearing them talking from the depths of their closet after years of disuse. There have been [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/pgg0s/reddit_i_want_to_hear_your_horrifying_furby/ entire Reddit threads]] dedicated to Furby horror stories.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unsorted]]
%%* King Inna North wrote [[http://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1v0pyq/my_coffee_table_speaks_to_me/ "My coffee table speaks to me".]]
%%* One word: Ratfink. The deformed extremely twisted work of Ed Roth deserves a very honorable mention.
* The social networking smartphone application Snapchat has fun filters you can use to alter your face or the environment around you. But, more often than not, the face filters are quite creepy and can fall into the UncannyValley, like [[http://www.runningwithspoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Creepy-Spider-Eyes.jpg this]] and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0775.PNG this]], for example.
* Old Time Radio Horror shows like Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Quiet Please, and so on. A mixed bag as often the narrative tropes of the genre, such as the reliance on "Description Through Narration" and their general melodramatic styles can sometimes lead to them being narmy to the point of Nightmare Retardant, but when they are out their best and if you can get yourself in the right mood they build tension like nothing else.
%%* Urban legends in general. Wiki/TheOtherWiki even has a category presenting them. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Urban_legends Have fun reading through each and every one]].
* Wiki/TVTropes in of itself can be nightmare fuel in some ways.
** Clicking through the Nightmare Fuel pages can actually be quite terrifying at times, as many of the NF pages feature an especially scary image on them that appear right at the top of the page. This means that when you open up a certain NF page, said scary image will suddenly be displayed on your screen, hitting you straight in the face, and there is absolutely no way to be prepared to what you'll see if you've never been to the page before. In a way, they're basically like [[JumpScare silent jump scares]].
** And it's not just the NF pages. Even the regular Wiki/TVTropes pages can open up with a rather unpleasant image. And there's still no warning for which one it'll be.
** If you put a page that you are editing into preview mode, the page image is shown in the preview, which can result in some self-induced nightmare fuel on pages with scary images, especially if you're a serial tweaker.
* Audiobooks can sometimes invoke this -- passages that are already intense or disturbing can be made even more so when narrated aloud rather than simply read on a page. Moreso with a really good narrator, a cast performance rather than a single narrator, and/or ambient background music.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHnHMp7KNl0 The Golding Institute: ''Final Relaxation'']] is quite possibly the most terrifying "comedy" album ever released. It's essentially a parody of new age guided meditation albums, but it's billed as "your ticket to death through hypnotic suggestion." That's right, the intended result of the exercise is for you to die. At first, this is played for [[BlackComedy extremely dark humor]], as cliche after cliche of the genre is inverted; for example, instead of a calming voice instructing you to relax your body parts one at a time over soothing music, there's a creaky-voiced old man telling you in excruciating detail how much pain each individual body part is in, accompanied by a low-pitched electronic hum. As the album goes on, however, the imagery and instructions get a lot more unnerving, that queasy electronic hum keeps growing louder and louder, the already creepy narrator gets even more sociopathic, and there's increasingly less there to remind you it's all a joke. To top it off, the inside of the booklet is a last will and testament, with blanks for the listener to fill in.
* Conspiracy theories. Even if you don't believe them, just the ideas like the New World Order and the Illuminati can be terrifying. The "clues" that back them don't help either. The Other Wiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories a list]] of them. Sleep well.
* The story of [[http://www.strangemag.com/firstperson.html "The Giant Shrimp in the Laundry Room"]], an allegedly true story told by a woman who lived in an apartment complex which had a huge basement/laundry room that, for some reason, had tons of holes in the walls--she was told that the basement was connected to the water. As she was hanging up her clothes, she had this unsettling feeling of being watched. When she turned around, there was a five-foot-tall shrimp-like creature crawling out of one of the massive holes and ''headed straight towards her''. Needless to say, she opted to move out of the apartment as soon os possible.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj-FWpeOUSs This song]] from the educational website Starfall. Where to begin: The creepy, one-legged, weird-looking zigzag people? The unnatural-looking environment around them, with its giant sun that looks like the planet this is taking on is getting too close, the twisted architecture, lavender sky, and weird cactus-like plants? The humanoid-faced cat? The music, which sounds sad, angry, and insanely happy all at once? The fact that this is the final video in their alphabet series doesn't help; They don't end with a fanfare, but with an acid trip-sequel nightmare. And this was meant for kids.
* Nearly everyone who can remember the PuppetShow ''Series/RiminiRiddle'' agrees that it was absolutely terrifying.
* In the same vein as the Old-Time Radio Horror Shows example above, we have Halloween and horror sound-effects records, tapes and [=CDs=]. Most of them, of course, are rather tame and wouldn't frighten even the jumpiest of listeners, let alone the kids they were meant to terrify. But many adults fondly remember being scared out of their wits by classics such as Peter Pan Records' ''[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4hA5Jhlx8tA Ghostly Sounds]]'', and Walt Disney's screamer ''Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House'', both the [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DMy0ugqXpjA 1964]] and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8bbrhkTVDhE 1979]] versions. For most, what froze their spines then still has the power to do so today, and very few might be brave enough to listen after dark...
* Ever been to the American Museum of Natural History before and been to the Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life or the Hall of Biodiversity? Then chances are that you've seen the two rather terrifying models of the infamous Giant Squid before. The one in the Hall of Ocean Life has a Giant Squid fighting against a Sperm whale, clinging to its face. Do you have a fear of the dark? Well, ''this one is in almost complete darkness''. And just to make matters worse, '''the glass between the viewer and the exhibit is missing''', meaning you can reach out and put your hand close to them if you feel like being brave enough. Thankfully, it's hidden behind a staircase, so if you know where it is, you can avoid it. The one in the Hall of Biodiversity is arguably even ''worse'', since you can't avoid it. Do you want to avoid it completely? ''Too bad''; this one hangs from the ceiling and you are '''required to go underneath it'''. Fun fact; this actually scared Creator/ArthurCClarke as a child. Yes, ''[[NightmareFuel/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey that]]'' Arthur C. Clarke. It really drives the point home that both of these models are terrifying. For the curious and/or brave, you can see both [[https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean-life/sperm-whale-and-giant-squid here]] and [[https://twitter.com/FieldMuseum/status/1144336112137187330/photo/1 here]].
* Kawaii Killer is a mobile game that makes Happy Tree Friends look tame in comparison. You play as a hunter and you have to kill cute cartoon animals in a cute cartoon forest. The deaths of the animals are pretty brutal, from smashing foxes and wolves with hammers to tearing frogs apart. But out of all the deaths, the skunk's death is argubaly the most brutal. You must hang it in order to kill it, and '''[[EyeScream IT'S EYES BURST INTO A BLOODY MUSH AS IT CHOKES TO DEATH.]]'''
* A Youtuber named Joey Perleoni made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j5cdcbSLtM a slew of fake anti-piracy error screens]] for ''VideoGame/MarioParty DS'', all of which are unsettling in their own ways. Each one ends with a warning that piracy is a serious crime while, on the bottom screen, Mario and the gang are locked behind bars as the words "'''POWER OFF NOW'''" flash.
** Perleoni managed to get it even creepier with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsj9QrGedds this specific anti-piracy screen]]. Imagine, after seeing that creepy anti-piracy screen, you left your DS on, and your DS turns on an "anti-piracy self reporter" that connects you to law enforcement, while your DS tells you to turn yourself in.
[[/folder]]
----

** One ransomware virus that emerged in April 2017 is known as "[[https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/rensenware-will-only-decrypt-files-if-victim-scores-2-billion-in-th12-game/ Rensenware]]". Rather than demanding money, it instead offers to decrypt your files under one condition: play ''[[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} Unidentified Fantastic Object]]'' and get a score of "0.2 billion" points on "[[HarderThanHard Lunatic]]" difficulty. Trying to cheat or terminate the virus's process will result in the decryption key never being made, and your encrypted data will be lost. The worst part of this is that the virus was created as a joke and was never planned to actually be used, but somehow was still disseminated across the internet. The original creator made a program designed to cheat the virus and decrypt your data, since, despite the virus's warning, it can't detect if you're cheating; and even apologized. Nonetheless, he warns that [[ParanoiaFuel there may be variants of the original Ransomware floating around the net that cannot be cheated]].

* Kawaii Killer is a mobile game that makes Happy Tree Friends look tame in comparison. You play as a hunter and you have to kill cute cartoon animals in a cute cartoon forest. The deaths of the animals are pretty brutal, from smashing foxes and wolves with hammers to tearing frogs apart. But out of all the deaths, the skunk's death is argubaly the most brutal. You must hang it in order to kill it, and '''IT'S EYES BURST INTO A BLOODY MUSH AS IT CHOKES TO DEATH.'''

!! Sub-pages:

* Ever been to the American Museum of Natural History before and been to the Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life or the Hall of Biodiversity? Then chances are that you've seen the two rather terrifying models of the infamous Giant Squid before. The one in the Hall of Ocean Life has a Giant Squid fighting against a Sperm whale, clinging to its face. Do you have a fear of the dark? Well, ''this one is in almost complete darkness''. And just to make matters worse, '''the glass between the viewer and the exhibit is missing''', meaning you can reach out and put your hand close to them if you feel like being brave enough. Thankfully, it's hidden behind a staircase, so if you know where it is, you can avoid it. The one in the Hall of Biodiversity is arguably even ''worse'', since you can't avoid it. Do you want to avoid it completely? ''Too bad''; this one hangs from the ceiling and you are '''required to hang underneath it'''. Fun fact; this actually scared Creator/ArthurCClarke as a child. Yes, ''[[NightmareFuel/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey that]]'' Arthur C. Clarke. It really drives the point home that both of these models are terrifying.

* The BBC docu-drama ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_Day End Day]]'', which depicts five different possible scenarios, in order of the amount of damage they would do to human civilization and the planet in general: A mega-tsunami, a killer asteroid, a global pandemic, the eruption of a super-volcano, and the Large Hadron Collider failing, which eventually results in the entire planet being consumed by "strange matter".

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjRkSdVQu8 "erng"]] sound in Windows 95 or 98 if a program crashes with an "illegal operation" dialog box. Debatably worse is the memorable [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lhhrUuw2N8 error sound]] in Windows XP, being the only one that takes a darker tone than other OS before and after it.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjRkSdVQu8 "erng"]] sound in Windows 95 or 98 if a program crashes with an "illegal operation" dialog box.

* Consoles tend to bring up something terrifying whenever they run into a problem.
** One of the most notorious examples is when the PlayStation 1 models (including the slim ones) would let out a terrifying DeathCryEcho [[https://youtu.be/v09ZCiZCcUA?t=11 on their boot screen]] if it failed to boot properly (usually, this is caused by a corrupted BIOS) - this sound can only be described as an [[HellIsThatNoise outright blood-curdling screech]] followed by creepy sounding chimes (actually a really glitched version of the regular boot sound, but still, it sounds ''terrifying''). [[FromBadToWorse Even worse is]] when you realise [[FinalDeath what that sound means...]] If an unmodded PlayStation attempts to run an unauthorised disc and it suddenly fails a check during runtime, there is a chance of the game abruptly cutting to a pitch black screen with a bright red "No" symbol and a very blunt message:
-->'''SOFTWARE TERMINATED. CONSOLE MAY HAVE BEEN MODIFIED.'''
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTQan-O3lNM Fearful Harmony.]] Fearful Harmony is caused by putting a non PlayStation disc on a modded/chipped system. What makes it creepy it’s the creepy and unsettling chimes that suddenly play irregularly.
** The PlayStation 2's infamous [[https://youtu.be/1uHLQHjtPLE?t=10 "red screen of death"]] which would often show up whenever it was unable to read a disc.
** If you attempt to turn on an UsefulNotes/Atari2600 without a game cartridge, you'll get [[https://youtu.be/JatD5yceLj4?t=4 this.]] (If you're lucky, the screen will stay blank.)
** The original UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} Dashboard, with its already slightly unsettling ambience, combined with the EasterEgg of a distorted MachineMonotone voice that's far too easy to interpret as [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou wanting to kill you.]]
-->'''Xbox Voice:''' [[{{Mondegreen}} Die-ie. Talking to you. Repeat module. Die humans.]]
*** An alternate {{Mondegreen}} is that the voice is saying "Work until you die, human."
** Have you ever been curious enough as to put a [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Sega CD]] disc [[https://youtu.be/pgZ7lnNpLCo into a CD player?]] If so, you'll probably remember the experience of hearing a female voice telling you to press pause and to eject the disc, as it contains CD-ROM data which can damage the speaker system. All of this sounds creepy enough already, but to make matters worse, SEGA decided it would be an even better idea to have an extremely loud, distorted guitar riff '''that sounds like it's playing from the utter depths of hell'''.
** The voice returns for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast discs,]] this time swapping out the demonic guitar screams for an even more unsettling CreepyMonotone and a questionable British accent. Some games would have specially recorded versions by a prominent character, which could range from NightmareRetardant to TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.

* Soviet Latvian
[[https://youtu.be/5D6jv0XQZPg cartoon]] ''Animation/FairyTaleSitsOnTheDoorstep''. It starts off beautifully as a 1980s version of ''WesternAnimation/Frozen'', then descends into utter madness with many a EldritchAbomination, before returning back to normalcy.

* Soviet [[UsefulNotes.Latvia Latvian]]
[[https://youtu.be/5D6jv0XQZPg cartoon]] ''Animation/FairyTaleSitsOnTheDoorstep''. It starts off beautifully as a 1980s version of ''Disney/Frozen'', then descends into utter madness with many a EldrtichAbomination, before returning back to normalcy.

* Do you enjoy Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog fan games? You may want to skip ''[[https://malware.wikia.org/wiki/Sonic_Gather_Battle Sonic Gather Battle]]'', which contains malicious coding. Suspiciously enough, the game must be run as an administrator, requires an internet connection, creates strange files, and edits your computer's registry, all of which were {{handwave}}d by the creator. Once "infected" by this game, trying to search for the game's title followed by "Cheats" or "Hacks" or trying to edit the game's files will cause the game to turn into something right out of a {{Creepypasta}}, with graphics becoming [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red]], creepy eyes flashing on the screen, and invincible ghosts appearing to attack you. And your status as "[[NoFairCheating hacker]]" is recorded on a database outside of your computer, so uninstalling and reinstalling the game doesn't fix these issues. While wanting to protect one's game from hackers is understandable, turning your game into malware to do so is less so.

* The animated documentary ''Tales Of The Ratfink''.

** One of the most notorious examples is when the PlayStation 1 models (including the slim ones) would let out a terrifying DeathCryEcho [[https://youtu.be/v09ZCiZCcUA?t=11 on their boot screen (sweet dreams)]] if they failed to boot properly (usually, this is caused by a corrupted BIOS) - this sound can only be described as an [[HellIsThatNoise outright blood-curdling screech]] followed by creepy sounding chimes (it's actually a really glitched version of the regular boot sound, but still, it sounds ''terrifying''). [[FromBadToWorse Even worse is]] when you realise [[FinalDeath what that sound means...]] If an unmodded PlayStation attempts to run an unauthorised disc and it suddenly fails a check during runtime, there's a chance of the game abruptly cutting to a pitch black screen with a bright red No symbol and a very blunt message: ''"SOFTWARE TERMINATED. CONSOLE MAY HAVE BEEN MODIFIED."''

** Have you ever been curious enough as to put a [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Sega CD]] disc [[https://youtu.be/pgZ7lnNpLCo into a CD player?]] If so, you'll probably remember the experience of having a woman with a [[CreepyMonotone rather unsettling voice]] telling you to press pause and to eject the disc, as it contains CD-ROM data which can damage the speaker system. All of this sounds creepy enough already, but to make matters worse the [[SarcasmMode kind folks]] at SEGA decided it would be an even better idea to have a guitar riff '''that sounds like it's playing from the utter depths of hell'''.
** The voice returns for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast discs,]] this time swapping out the demonic guitar screams for an even more unsettling CreepyMonotone and a questionable British accent. Some games would have specially recorded versions by a prominent character, which could range from funny to TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.

* Newsreel footage of the concentration camps.

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9_amL2bLEo Violence: An American Tradition]]'', a documentary that is about, as the title says, violence in USA and its history, its culture, its relationship with media and pop culture, its effects on daily life, the politics and motives behind it, the people involved with it, etc. Anyone who believes that HumansAreGood will definitely have their beliefs crushed by this one hour long documentary, specially the part that [[TearJerker deals with child abuse]].

* Pretty much everything on [[http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/ the CNN Freedom Project]], also overlapping with TearJerker since it's about [[MadeASlave modern-day slavery]]. Especially nasty are the articles on the [[ColdBloodedTorture Sinai traffickers]].

* [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027f9q0 This]] [[{{Squick}} squicktastic]] footage of a 70cm long worm ''being devoured by a giant red leech'', filmed for the BBC's ''Wonders of the Monsoon''.

* The story of [[http://www.strangemag.com/firstperson.html "The Giant Shrimp in the Laundry Room"]], an allegedly true story told by a woman who lived in an apartment complex which had a huge basement/laundry room that, for some reason, had tons of holes in the walls--she was told that the basement was connected to the water. As she was hanging up her clothes, she had this unsettling feeling of being watched. When she turned around, there was a five-foot-tall shrimp-like creature crawling out of one of the massive holes and ''headed straight towards her''. Needless to say, she opted to move out of the apartment ASAP.

* Furbies. The idea of a small, robotic creature capable of learning English and speaking at any time already places it square in the [[UncannyValley]], but many have reported hearing them talking from the depths of their closet after years of disuse. There have been [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/pgg0s/reddit_i_want_to_hear_your_horrifying_furby/ entire Reddit threads]] dedicated to Furby horror stories.

* Furbies. The idea of a small, robotic creature capable of learning English and speaking at any time already places it square in the [[Uncanny Valley]], but many have reported hearing them talking from the depths of their closet after years of disuse. There have been [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/pgg0s/reddit_i_want_to_hear_your_horrifying_furby/ entire Reddit threads]] dedicated to Furby horror stories.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_support_scam Tech support scams]] are among the shadiest and most vile grifts pulled in the Information Age. The scam typically starts with a pop-up informing you, for example, that you may have a virus on your computer, along with a phone number for tech support. Tech-savvy internet uses will see this as suspicious and ignore it, maybe even running an antivirus scan for good measure. Those less knowledgeable, particularly the elderly and[=/=]or disabled, can be taken in and tricked into calling the scammers (almost always from India, and with OperatorFromIndia being TruthInTelevision, this makes the scam all the more convincing to the intended victims). From there, the scammers will trick their victims into permitting them remote access to their computer, all in the service of swindling their victims out of money. And God help you if you waste their time (unwittingly or deliberately) or subvert their efforts: their PaperThinDisguise as a tech support agent will quickly give way to [[EvilIsPetty foul-mouthed and viscous little bastards who will try to render your computer unusable]].

** One of the most notorious examples is when the PlayStation 1 models (including the slim ones) would let out a terrifying DeathCryEcho [[https://youtu.be/v09ZCiZCcUA?t=11 on their boot screen (sweet dreams)]] if they failed to boot properly (usually, this is caused by a corrupted BIOS) - this sound can only be described as an [[HellIsThatNoise outright blood-curdling screech]] followed by creepy sounding chimes (it's actually a really glitched version of the regular boot sound, but still, it sounds ''terrifying''). [[FromBadToWorse Even worse is]] [[FridgeHorror when you realise]] [[FinalDeath what that sound means...]]
*** If an unmodded PlayStation attempts to run an unauthorised disc and it suddenly fails a check during runtime, there's a chance of the game abruptly cutting to a pitch black screen with a bright red No symbol and a very blunt message: ''"SOFTWARE TERMINATED. CONSOLE MAY HAVE BEEN MODIFIED."''
** Don’t forget the unspeakable horror known as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTQan-O3lNM Fearful Harmony.]] Fearful Harmony is caused by putting a non PlayStation disc on a modded/chipped system. What makes it creepy it’s the creepy and unsettling chimes that suddenly play irregularly.