History NightmareFuel / TheBindingOfIsaac

* The designs for bosses in Wrath of the Lamb are horrifying, such as The Husk (see page image ^). The new bosses seem to be the old ones... [[BackFromTheDead after you killed them]]. Most of them look absolutely horrible, but [[UrineTrouble Peep's]] design (now known as The Bloat) looks the worst by far. He seems to have collapsed on the inside and [[EyeScream is bleeding from his eyesockets.]] [[http://i.imgur.com/JPGfDSm.jpg Here's the poster]].

** The theme for the area, entitled [[https://dbsoundworks.bandcamp.com/track/a-mourner-unto-sheol "A Mourner Unto Sheol"]]. While Rebirth's version of the song has a somewhat bombastic theme with demonic chanting that can be taken as [[NightmareRetardant "demonic beat-boxing"]], A Mourner Unto Sheol just feels... [[NothingIsScarier empty.]] Besides [[BlackSpeech demonic chanting]] and eerie wind chimes, its not so as much music as it is chilling and bleak ambiance. It's rather fitting, considering [[BleakLevel what the level is like]] and [[TheNothingAfterDeath what Sheol is supposed to represent]].

** Arguably the most terrifying part is that unlike most bosses in the game, there is ''no explanation'' for Hush, at least in-game. Most of the other final bosses are either clear demonic/satanic archetypes, like Satan, The Lamb, and Mega Satan, or variations of Isaac himself (Isaac, ???, It Lives). Hush is just...[[NothingIsScarier there]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCMQT9s2qBA The trailer for Afterbirth+.]] It shows Isaac in his decrepit room drawing a picture of Guppy. All is well... until he starts bleeding from his nose. As that happens, all hell breaks loose, quite literally: the walls crack and insects appear, dead souls come from below his bed and demons start taunting him. Desperate, [[HopeSpot he flees to his chest to hide inside...but the monsters open the chest and enter it to attack poor Isaac.]] [[NothingIsScarier All of it in first person.]]
* By defeating Hush in ''Afterbirth+'', you gain access to the final level, The Void. While initially it might be an interesting effect seeing all of the rooms keep spontaneously changing their appearances from floor to floor and occasionally even glitching to a different appearance mid-room, think about what it means from Isaac's perspective. This is his psyche breaking down into nothing as he dies. Where there was some coherence to his delusional journey before, it's all falling away, the rules of the world loosening as his sense of logic decays. It's hammered home especially hard if you happen to die anywhere in this area, as his last will reads "I was killed by this thing in some ''dying memory...''". Another part that makes this troubling is that, once the level is unlocked, you can gain access to it at total random when defeating any boss after Mom. While this can be seen as a nice (if ''[[SchmuckBait completely suicidal]]'') bonus, this gets even more horrifying connotations when you think on it. Isaac has prematurely snapped and has began his rapid downward spiral. Incidentally, said entrance can open with absolutely no warning, which can throw you straight into the jaws of this level without meaning to if you're not careful. Finally, consider what the entrance to that level is — instead of the Trapdoors, holes, or beams of light from other floors... It's a portal. [[OhCrap The same kinds of portals that have been spewing out enemies earlier in the game.]] The whole time you've been playing and coming into contact with those portals, that's been Isaac teetering on the edges of his breakdown, fighting back and destroying this encroaching force of madness... which he will eventually succumb to.

*** Though relatively short and easy compared to other boss fights, Dogma brings a whole new brand of horror just by its setup. As you wander through Home, seemingly unmolested by anything, it gives you the impression that Isaac has finally caught a break. But it's only when you decide to sleep in Mom's Bed that the calm disappears — one of the stage transitions plays, with Isaac sitting next to Mom as they watch TV. Then a scary static noise builds up as the television image, showing Isaac's face, gets more distorted, complete with the monster eyes in the background also being filled with static. And then the transition ends to reveal your character again in Mom's room, but the place has turned from day to night. The calm music is replaced with eerie ambience as you return to the living room, showing that the TV is on... and when you approach it, ''[[FetusTerrible a baby-like creature]] made of white noise jumps out'' while what sounds like a demented preacher starts raving about sin. The creature lets out a horrible static-filled cry before transitioning to its unique VersusCharacterSplash, revealing its name: '''Dogma.'''

** '''[[BeastOfTheApocalypse THE BEAST]]''', FULL STOP. It is the actual, true, genuine TrueFinalBoss of the game, and it does not disappoint. After Isaac defeats Dogma and gains angel wings from the static cross falling on him, his home falls apart to reveal a massive lava-filled cavern, implied to be Hell itself. The preacher ranting from earlier starts up again as he turns to see a massive three-eyed, horned, blood-drooling MONSTER rise from the depths. But don't go thinking you fight it immediately — no, you have to fight its heralds, the Four Horsemen first. And all of them have supersized Ultra forms with brand new strategies and attacks. And if/when you finally take them out, the Beast takes centre stage by roaring in the background, then going under and reappearing from the lava in the foreground. It starts chasing you through spike-filled passages, trying to swallow you/incinerate you, and even launching [[WaveMotionGun a truly massive Brimstone beam]] that requires you to get to the top of the screen to avoid. If Dogma was the epitome of ReligiousHorror, then the BeastOfTheApocalypse ratchets it up even further, especially if you're familiar with Literature/TheBookOfRevelation and the Beast of the Sea.

** For instance, take Jacob, the Deserter. At first, you're essentially alone, as Esau isn't there. [[HopeSpot It seems almost easier at first]], since one doesn't have to worry about having two bodies to use to dodge bullets. Then Esau's [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge vengeful ghost]] arrives, and everything goes to hell. The game goes from a roguelike to attempting to survive a [[ImplacableMan near unstoppable killer]] who can easily kill you in two hits. [[SchmuckBait You can kill it]], but not only does that reduce you to a ghost for the rest of the floor ([[OneHitPointWonder rendering you like The Lost]]), Esau's ghost [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave comes back in the next floor anyway]], ready to hunt you down once more.[[note]]Unless you kill it with the Eraser, which stops it from spawning for the rest of the run.[[/note]] By the way, come the v1.7.5 update, Dark Esau is now ''invincible to your projectiles and bombs''. And Tainted Jacob's new Birthright effect gives you '''''two Dark Esaus'''''. [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail RUN AWAY]]!

** Lazarus, the Enigma is explicitly stated to be [[CameBackWrong "between life and death"]], and it shows in his main mechanic. Instead of having to die on purpose to revive, now every room clear forces him to change from his regular living self into a bloody, white-eyed zombie-like version. Said other version has one hell of a NightmareFace, best seen in level transitions.
** Samson, the Savage, starts out with almost all his hair removed. When he enters an UnstoppableRage, he suddenly [[PowerMakesYourHairGrow gets his hair back]]... and starts ravaging any enemy in his path with a massive jawbone, while looking like a crazed maniac. A far cry from his more heroic strongman inspiration.

** Magdalene, the Dauntless, has apparently turned into a LoveFreak. Her playstyle involves rushing up to enemies to give what amounts to a KillerBearHug, and while she can gain more health, it eventually bleeds away to almost nothing, meaning she ''needs'' to keep doing this to stay healthy. Whereas normal Magdalene was a friendly healer archetype, the Dauntless [[ThenLetMeBeEvil just doesn't care anymore]] and will happily tear enemies apart in her desperate desire for love, having regressed to a {{Yangire}}.

** Keeper, the Miser, has gained a significant power boost... but [[ZombieInfectee he seems to be on his way to becoming a Greed or a Greed-related enemy]]. Whatever happened that gave him the DeadlyUpgrade, it's put him [[YourDaysAreNumbered on borrowed time]], and every run with the Miser can be interpreted as him going on a violent LastStand through the depths before he [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie fully devolves into a greed monster]] for [[WhatMeasureIsAMook Isaac to eventually find and kill]].
** The Forgotten, the Fettered, combines this trope with {{Tearjerker}} with the pair's playstyle. While the Fettered (the Soul) is able to move on his own without being chained to the Forgotten, he's still BarredFromTheAfterlife for some reason. Now he's forced to literally carry his skeleton everywhere, committing GrievousHarmWithABody as his only method of attack. Bad enough that he can't move on in the prime timeline, but in the BadFuture, he still has to lug his burden everywhere? It's terrifying AND heartbreaking.

** For instance, take Jacob, the Deserter. At first, you're essentially alone, as Esau isn't there. [[HopeSpot It seems almost easier at first]], since one doesn't have to worry about having two bodies to use to dodge bullets. Then Esau's [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge vengeful ghost]] arrives, and everything goes to hell. The game goes from a roguelike to attempting to survive a [[ImplacableMan near unstoppable killer]] who can easily kill you in two hits. [[SchmuckBait You can kill it]], but not only does that reduce you to a ghost for the rest of the floor ([[OneHitPointWonder rendering you like The Lost]]), Esau's ghost [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave comes back in the next floor anyway]], ready to hunt you down once more.[[note]]Unless you kill it with the Eraser, which stops it from spawning for the rest of the run.[[/note]]

** The theme for the area, entitled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKXD01QRvE "A Mourner Unto Sheol"]]. While Rebirth's version of the song has a somewhat bombastic theme with demonic chanting that can be taken as [[NightmareRetardant "demonic beat-boxing"]], A Mourner Unto Sheol just feels... [[NothingIsScarier empty.]] Besides [[BlackSpeech demonic chanting]] and eerie wind chimes, its not so as much music as it is chilling and bleak ambiance. It's rather fitting, considering [[BleakLevel what the level is like]] and [[TheNothingAfterDeath what Sheol is supposed to represent]].

* Not even the game's soundtrack is immune to NightmareFuel, even if it does often cross into SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic. But probably the biggest offender so far would have to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcBtmCW1_ss Apostate]]. If anything, this track just goes to show you [[NothingIsScarier how really alone you are.]] It also doesn't help that this is the theme to [[BodyHorror Mom's]] [[WombLevel womb.]]

* The new song for Sheol... is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbiblpG4lAs Duress.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPJnV_AvyZg This track for the]] Dark Room.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P95cRdAEqRU Also the nauseating]] Womb track.

** Right off the bat, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQBqzXZ1oIE the music of the area]], entitled "Nativitate", is probably one of the creepiest in the game. It sounds just so... deranged. You can hear crying and roars at one point. And it [[BackgroundMusicOverride doesn't stop when you enter the shop or item rooms]]. The death has completely penetrated the entire area.

* Remember "Spinning Intensifies" and the Corpse theme from ''Antibirth''? We now have "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LYBKvXbzXY Dread]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sfb79BjcM Carrion]]".

** Judas, the Deceiver, stands out from the rest by seemingly having the least bleak outcome in his predicament. He's become a LivingShadow and is stated to be a "shadow eater", and can only use black/soul hearts for health. His main gimmick? Dark Arts, where he performs a FlashStep to shred enemies/projectiles and gain a damage boost for every one he touches before Dark Arts ends. The Deceiver clearly could be considered a perfect mirror of [[TheWoobie Isaac]], being a being that has no issues being a CardCarryingVillain, having embraced the dark magics he toyed with in the past.
** Magdalene, the Dauntless, has apparently turned into a LoveFreak. Her playstyle involves rushing up to enemies to give what amounts to a KillerBearHug, and while she can gain more health, it eventually bleeds away to almost nothing, meaning she ''needs'' to keep doing this to stay healthy. Whereas normal Magdalene was a friendly healer archetype, the Dauntless [[ThenLetMeBeEvil just doesn't care anymore]] and will happily tear enemies apart in her desperate desire for love.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[VideoGame/EarthBound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StandardStatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** [[https://youtu.be/7fDu_pjm8ZE?t=40 Ending 2]] shows Isaac finding the Rubber Cement item, before turning to the camera, with his [[EyeScream eyes a horrifying milky white and his eyelids stretched out]], as a ScareChord plays.

** [[SwordofDamocles Damocles]] is an interesting case as it doesn't have any body horror; instead, it turns into ParanoiaFuel. All item pedestals are doubled, spawning an extra item for every item spawned. After you get hit, at any time '''without warning''', the sword may fall, instantly killing Isaac regardless of his health.

** Judas, the Deceiver, stands out from the rest by seemingly being okay with his predicament. He's become a LivingShadow and is stated to be a "shadow eater", and can only use black/soul hearts for health. His main gimmick? Dark Arts, where he performs a FlashStep to shred enemies/projectiles and gain a damage boost for every one he touches before Dark Arts ends. The Deceiver clearly has no issues being a CardCarryingVillain, having embraced the dark magics he toyed with in the past.

** Keeper, the Miser, has gained a significant power boost... but [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie he seems to be on his way to becoming a version of Greed or a Greed-related enemy]]. Whatever happened that gave him the DeadlyUpgrade, it's put him [[YourDaysAreNumbered on borrowed time]], and every run with the Miser can be interpreted as him going on a violent LastStand through the depths before he becomes a monster for Isaac to kill.

*** Every enemy encountered in the game so far had been a gross, disgusting monster or a child's interpretation of something from the Bible. Every demon or angel thus so far looked like how a child would likely see them, or just have some slightly funny quirk about them. Dogma… [[KnightOfCerebus is neither]]. Instead of being another faceless angel like Uriel and Gabriel, it resembles how something like an Ophanim would actually look in the Bible, has music that is barely even music and more insane preachers screaming of sin, and the implications of the impact it has on the story means what it represents has done more to cause the story than almost any other boss in the game.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[VideoGame/Mother2 Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StandardStatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[Franchise/Earthbound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StandardStatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]], resembling [[Videogame/Earthbound Giygas]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StandardStatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

** An honorable mention for the most nightmarish item is "2Spooky". Silly name aside, the item causes Isaac to turn blood-red, and [[https://antibirth.gamepedia.com/media/antibirth.gamepedia.com/5/55/2Spooky_App.png?version=c9efd6ad02813dbfd2b1d7fbc6e099b3 gives him a screaming face with hellish pupils]]. Hell, its effect is to [[HorrifyingTheHorror make any enemies]] in a short range gain a [[StandardStatusEffect fear effect]], making it nightmare fuel InUniverse.

[[caption-width-right:333:This is The Husk, one of the many, ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many]]''nightmares you'll see in this game. Believe it or not, he's one of the ''[[BreatherBoss less]]'' dangerous ones.]]

[[caption-width-right:333:This is The Husk, one of the many nightmares you'll see in this game. Believe it or not, he's one of the ''[[BreatherBoss less]]'' dangerous ones.]]

*** Every enemy encountered in the game so far had been a gross, disgusting monster or a child's interpretation of something from the Bible. Every demon or angel thus so far looked like how a child would likely see them, or just have some slightly funny quirk about them. Dogma is neither. Instead of being another faceless angel like Uriel and Gabriel, it resembles how something like an Ophanim would actually look in the Bible, has music that is barely even music and more insane preachers screaming of sin, and the implications of the impact it has on the story means what it represents has done more to cause the story than almost any other boss in the game.
*** Though relatively short and easy compared to other boss fights, Dogma brings a whole new brand of horror just by its setup. As you wander through Home, seemingly unmolested by anything, it gives you the impression that Isaac has finally caught a break. But it's only when you decide to sleep in Mom's Bed that the calm disappears — one of the stage transitions plays, with Isaac sitting next to Mom as they watch TV. Then a scary static noise builds up as the television image, showing Isaac's face, gets more distorted, complete with the monster eyes in the background also being filled with static. And then the transition ends to reveal your character again in Mom's room, but the place has turned from day to night. The calm music is replaced with eerie ambience as you return to the living room, showing that the TV is on... and when you approach it, ''a baby-like creature made of white noise jumps out'' while what sounds like a demented preacher starts raving about sin. The creature lets out a horrible static-filled cry before transitioning to its unique VersusCharacterSplash, revealing its name: '''Dogma.'''

** '''THE BEAST''', FULL STOP. It is the actual, truly, genuinely TrueFinalBoss of the game, and it does not disappoint. After Isaac defeats Dogma and gains angel wings from the static cross falling on him, his home falls apart to reveal a massive lava-filled cavern, implied to be Hell itself. The preacher ranting from earlier starts up again as he turns to see a massive three-eyed, horned, blood-drooling MONSTER rise from the depths. But don't go thinking you fight it immediately — no, you have to fight its heralds, the Four Horsemen first. And all of them have supersized Ultra forms with brand new strategies and attacks. And if/when you finally take them out, the Beast takes centre stage by roaring in the background, then going under and reappearing from the lava in the foreground. It starts chasing you through spike-filled passages, trying to swallow you/incinerate you, and even launching [[WaveMotionGun a truly massive Brimstone beam]] that requires you to get to the top of the screen to avoid. If Dogma was the epitome of ReligiousHorror, then the BeastOfTheApocalypse ratchets it up even further, especially if you're familiar with Literature/TheBookOfRevelation and the Beast of the Sea.

** For instance, take Jacob, the Deserter. At first, you're essentially alone, as Esau isn't there. It seems almost easier at first, since one doesn't have to worry about having two bodies to use to dodge bullets. Then Esau's ghost arrives, and everything goes to hell. The game goes from a roguelike to attempting to survive a near unstoppable killer who can easily kill you in two hits. [[SchmuckBait You can kill it]], but not only does that reduce you to a ghost for the rest of the floor ([[OneHitPointWonder rendering you like The Lost]]), Esau's ghost comes back in the next floor anyway, ready to hunt you down once more.[[note]]Unless you kill it with the Eraser, which stops it from spawning for the rest of the run.[[/note]]

** Samson, the Savage, starts out with almost all his hair removed. When he enters an UnstoppableRage, he suddenly gets his hair back... and starts ravaging any enemy in his path with a massive jawbone, while looking like a crazed maniac. A far cry from his more heroic strongman inspiration.

** Eden, the Capricious, takes a page from Delirium in that their loadout constantly changes every time they take damage. With the way their face glitches out on impact, their icon in the character select and their achievement unlock image also looking distorted, and how they don't appear during level transitions or boss screens, this indicates that somewhere along the line, the Capricious became a ParadoxPerson whose existence is now inherently unstable. The fact that a lot of their unlocks include glitch-themed items makes it clear that the Capricious' existence is an ever-changing, ever-tormented one. Imagine how it feels to constantly rearrange your body any time you get an injury, and that's the Capricious' life. Whereas Eden "just was", the Capricious just ''isn't''.

[[folder: ''Afterbirth+'']]

[[caption-width-right:333:This is The Husk, one of the many nightmares you'll see in this game. Believe it or not, he's one of the ''less'' dangerous ones.]]

*** In ''Repentance'', the Swarm item lets you gain the attributes of one.

*** In ''Repentance'', the Swarmer item lets you gain the attributes of one.

[[folder:''Afterbirth'' and ''Afterbirth+'']]

%%* In the Shop floor of Greed Mode (not to be confused with the regular shops seen throughout), some of the waves include harmless shopkeepers/secret room corpses that spawn alongside enemies. This would be par for the course of the game's creepiness, but it gets worse when one considers what it might represent: As the gameplay is all-but confirmed to be a metaphor for Isaac's imagination as he gets closer and closer to death, and the Keeper (a playable shopkeeper) is the version of a deceased Isaac we see after Greed Mode, it could represent Isaac's mind throwing more and more corpses to remind him what is going to happen since he remains suffocating in his chest. In other words, as the Shop is pretty far in to a Greed Mode run, he's getting close to death by that point -- something that the shopkeepers growing in number around him could represent.]] Then there's the more obvious ParanoiaFuel: Imagine turning around in the middle of a room swarming with enemies, finding dead bodies of ''you'' that don't move or do anything, but definitely weren't there before and are slowly growing in number.

%%** As if that wasn't bad enough, depending on how much do you believe this trailer, [[FridgeHorror the final ending adds another layer of horror to what we see]]: the monsters no doubt spawn from Isaac's insanity, but [[FridgeHorror what if he didn't actually try to commit suicide in the end? What if he was merely trying to escape his inner demons and they somehow got to him anyways]]?

%%* As of Booster Pack 5, you can hear Isaac's mother yell her son's name whenever you clear Basement 1 in under a minute. It's a sign that you've started the path to unlocking The Forgotten.

->Simply saying "ALL OF IT" will suffice.

However, a lot of the game's horror can also count as TearJerker. Isaac is abused and destitute, always unloved, always hated, in a house with an overly religious -- and also homicidally, sociopathically insane -- mother who hears voices. Oh, and the gateway to the Underworld is underneath his house filled with undead or otherwise demonic abominations of all kinds, that also adds a little bit to it.

** Also from Wrath of the Lamb -- the ones that have bombs painfully wedged into their skull and forced to charge at the player. Just imagine it for a second -- imagine you got possessed and used as a completely unwilling ActionBomb.

*** This one probably diminishes over time thanks to the description (''Yay, cancer!'') and how Isaac can simply drop it... though it's still rather chilling.

** Also? The Teratoma in Isaac is '''filled with spiders.''' Think about that.
** To make it worse, Teratoma is actually the [[BackfromtheDead posthumous version]] of Fistula. Repeat: a boss that is basically BodyHorror personified - fistulas in real life are basically when body parts, usually organs, ''connect to each other in an abnormal and permanent way'' - ends up returning as an undead monster. [[MindScrew Somehow.]] And Fistula spat out Chargers instead of spiders, too.
*** Teratoma might be horrifying, but it's not even ''close'' to being the worst bit of BodyHorror that lends its name to something in the game. If you come across an unfamiliar term related to enemies or items, [[SchmuckBait it's probably something you]] ''[[YouDoNOTWantToKnow do not]]'' [[BrainBleach want to look up]] - ''especially'' if it's an item that does something horrible to Isaac when picked up.

* The resident boss of the Dark Room and the dark counterpart to ???, [[https://youtu.be/vpT1-1yNOPM The Lamb.]]. He look likes a demonic skeletal lamb with sharp teeth. Once you deplete enough HP, ''his head detaches from his body and chases you.''

* The 8 Inch Nails item replaces Isaac's tears with nails, but Isaac now has nails in his eyes. Makes you wonder why he isn't dead AND how can he tell where he's going.

* By defeating Hush in ''Afterbirth+'', you gain access to the final level, The Void. While initially it might be an interesting effect seeing all of the rooms keep spontaneously changing their appearances from floor to floor and occasionally even glitching to a different appearance mid-room, think about what it means from Isaac's perspective. This is his psyche breaking down into nothing as he dies. Where there was some coherence to his delusional journey before, it's all falling away, the rules of the world loosening as his sense of logic decays. It's hammered home especially hard if you happen to die anywhere in this area, as his last will reads "I was killed by this thing in some ''dying memory...''". Another part that makes this troubling is that, once the level is unlocked, you can gain access to it at total random when defeating any boss after Mom. While this can be seen as a nice (if ''[[SchmuckBait completely suicidal]]'') bonus, this gets even more horrifying connotations when you think on it. Isaac has prematurely snapped and has began his rapid downward spiral. Incidentally, said entrance can open with absolutely no warning, which can throw you straight into the jaws of this level without meaning to if you're not careful. Finally, consider what the entrance to that level is -- instead of the Trapdoors, holes, or beams of light from other floors... It's a portal. [[OhCrap The same kinds of portals that have been spewing out enemies earlier in the game.]] The whole time you've been playing and coming into contact with those portals, that's been Isaac teetering on the edges of his breakdown, fighting back and destroying this encroaching force of madness... which he will eventually succumb to.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpW0eWMkdJw trailer]] for "The Forgotten" update. It shows Isaac's mother burying his skeleton after finding him dead in the chest. While this isn't too creepy on its own (it's more {{Tearjerker}} territory), the background music, "Hush (Jesus Loves Uke)", makes it at least a little creepy... And then in TheStinger, [[NotQuiteDead Isaac's/The Forgotten's skeletal hand bursts from his grave]], [[JumpScare without any warning.]]

* In the original ''Antibirth'', Knife Piece 2 is obtained by merely pressing buttons. ''Repentance'' made it far more terrifying. After breaking down a blocked door with a minecart, you enter a series of dimly lit, empty rooms, all while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyGi1qfHT3Y ominous music plays in the background]]. Eventually, you reach a room with the knife piece on an item pedestal, the room locking you in, forcing you to pick it up. The moment you do, creepy noises start to play as Mother's Shadow, a shadowy head with red eyes and sharp teeth appears and lets out a distorted version of Mom's laugh. You're then forced into a chase sequence with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB_pUfVGkuQ tense music]], running back through all the rooms that you've passed that now have various obstacles blocking your path, trying to avoid the demonic head charging at you. You lose all of your items (except Knife Piece 1) while inside this area, forcing you to do everything with base stats and little extra protection. It's slightly easier if you play as Azazel or the Lost, who always have flight, but it's still nervewracking as all get out. And while this is the only area that it happens in, it definitely gives you the feeling that this form of Mom will strike again later in the run when you least expect it.

* Remember "Spinning Intensifies" and the Corpse theme from ''Antibirth''? We have "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LYBKvXbzXY Dread]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sfb79BjcM Carrion]]"

** In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is Sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The Greek word Gehenna is used in the New Testament for '''HELL''' and is derived from the Hebrew word hinnom. Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicated that sheol/hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.

* The Witness - [[AdaptationNameChange now renamed Mother]] - has a bigger sprite than the original ''Antibirth'', and might freak you out. What's worse is that Mother is now fought in a 2x1 hallway instead of the 2x2 big room she had in ''Antibirth'', so you have less room to maneuver. And she even has new tactics to make it harder to fight her. To top it off, you still hear her voicelines of calling for Isaac, but instead of sounding angry and demented... it feels more like she's wailing in despair and anguish. All because you turned the knife on her and killed her outright in the previous chapter. It's scary AND heart breaking, even though there's no other way for the fight to go.

** [[SwordofDamocles Damocles]] is an interesting case as it doesn't have any body horror, instead it turns into ParanoiaFuel. All item pedestals are doubled, spawning an extra item for every item spawned. After you get hit, at any time '''without warning''', the sword may fall, instantly killing Isaac regardless of his health.

*** Though relatively short and easy compared to other boss fights, Dogma brings a whole new brand of horror just by its setup. As you wander through Home, seemingly unmolested by anything, it gives you the impression that Isaac has finally caught a break. But it's only when you decide to sleep in Mom's Bed that the calm disappears - one of the stage transitions plays, with Isaac sitting next to Mom as they watch TV. Then a scary static noise builds up as the television image, showing Isaac's face, gets more distorted, complete with the monster eyes in the background also being filled with static. And then the transition ends to reveal your character again in Mom's room, but the place has turned from day to night. The calm music is replaced with eerie ambience as you return to the living room, showing that the TV is on... and when you approach it, ''a baby-like creature made of white noise jumps out'' while what sounds like a demented preacher starts raving about sin. The creature lets out a horrible static-filled cry before transitioning to its unique VersusCharacterSplash, revealing its name: '''Dogma.'''
*** And here's more nightmare from Dogma. If you leave its first phase alive long enough then it will start making unholy screeches as it attacks. Almost as if it's [[AxCrazy getting more unhinged and angry that you dare stand against it.]]
** '''THE BEAST''', FULL STOP. It is the actual, truly, genuinely TrueFinalBoss of the game, and it does not disappoint. After Isaac defeats Dogma and gains angel wings from the static cross falling on him, his home falls apart to reveal a massive lava-filled cavern, implied to be Hell itself. The preacher ranting from earlier starts up again as he turns to see a massive three-eyed, horned, blood-drooling MONSTER rise from the depths. But don't go thinking you fight it immediately - no, you have to fight its heralds, the Four Horsemen first. And all of them have supersized Ultra forms with brand new strategies and attacks. And if/when you finally take them out, the Beast takes centre stage by roaring in the background, then going under and reappearing from the lava in the foreground. It starts chasing you through spike-filled passages, trying to swallow you/incinerate you, and even launching [[WaveMotionGun a truly massive Brimstone beam]] that requires you to get to the top of the screen to avoid. If Dogma was the epitome of ReligiousHorror, then the BeastOfTheApocalypse ratchets it up even further, especially if you're familiar with Literature/TheBookOfRevelation and the Beast of the Sea.

** Keeper, the Miser, has gained a significant power boost... but [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie he seems to be on his way becoming a version of Greed or a Greed-related enemy]]. Whatever happened that gave him the DeadlyUpgrade, it's put him [[YourDaysAreNumbered on borrowed time]], and every run with the Miser can be interpreted as him going on a violent LastStand through the depths before he becomes a monster for Isaac to kill.

** Eden, the Capricious, takes a page from Delirium in that their loadout constantly changes every time they take damage. With the way their face glitches out on impact, their icon in the character select and their achievement unlock image also looking distorted, and how they don't appear during level transitions or boss screens, this indicates that somewhere along the line the Capricious became a ParadoxPerson whose existence is now inherently unstable. The fact that a lot of their unlocks include glitch-themed items makes it clear that the Capricious' existence is an ever-changing, ever-tormented one. Imagine how it feels to constantly rearrange your body any time you get an injury, and that's the Capricious' life. Whereas Eden "just was", the Capricious just ''isn't''.

* After defeating The Beast, you find out that Isaac himself made the entire story up by himself. The fact that a child (And a 5 year old at that!) is able to think of all of the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that you fight in the game is more than nightmare fuel.
** [[FridgeHorror Who's to say he'll stop there?]] He also imagined creatures such as Delirium, Dogma, and Hush. He could make a full-blown eldritch pantheon ala the Franchise/CthulhuMythos as if he's a 5-year-old reincarnation of Creator/HPLovecraft (Or hell, possibly even be inspired by him)!

** Lazarus, the Enigma is explicitly stated to be [[CameBackWrong "between life and death"]], and it shows in his main mechanic. Instead of having to die on purpose to revive, now every room clear forces him to change from his regular living self into a bloody, white-eyed zombie-like version. Said other version has one hell of a NightmareFace, best scene in level transitions.

** Judas, the Deceiver, stands out from the rest by seemingly being okay with his predicament. He's become a LivingShadow and is stated to be a "shadow eater", and can only use black/soul hearts for health. His main method of attack? Dark Arts, where he performs a FlashStep to shred enemies/projectiles and gain a damage boost for every one he touches before Dark Arts ends. The Deceiver clearly has no issues being a CardCarryingVillain, having embraced the dark magics he toyed with in the past.

** Cain, the Hoarder, got hit with EyeScream at some point, with his eyepatch covering the hole. The gory wound on the side of his face is still visible, though.
** Bethany, the Zealot, apparently went past the point of no return in an effort to understand BloodMagic. Now she's only able to use soul/black hearts for health, with red hearts to charge her Lemegeton, and she's sporting some sort of purple gem in her forehead. It's implied that said gem is animating her body after it's died, making her an UndeadChild.

* The theme when you use [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C-jbkoLT5k Death Certificate]] rooms, which is Home reversed and remixed, is some very creepy DarkAmbient stuff.

* In the original ''Antibirth'', Knife Piece 2 is obtained by merely pressing buttons. ''Repentance'' made it far more terrifying. After breaking down a blocked door with a minecart, you enter a series of dimly lit, empty rooms, all while ominous music plays in the background. Eventually, you reach a room with the knife piece on an item pedestal, the room locking you in, forcing you to pick it up. The moment you do, creepy noises start to play as Mother's Shadow, a shadowy head with red eyes and sharp teeth appears and lets out a distorted version of Mom's laugh. You're then forced into a chase sequence, running back through all the rooms that you've passed that now have various obstacles blocking your path, trying to avoid the demonic head charging at you. You lose all of your items (except Knife Piece 1) while inside this area, forcing you to do everything with base stats and little extra protection. It's slightly easier if you play as Azazel or the Lost, who always have flight, but it's still nervewracking as all get out. And while this is the only area that it happens in, it definitely gives you the feeling that this form of Mom will strike again later in the run when you least expect it.

** '''THE BEAST''', FULL STOP. It is the actual, truly, genuinely TrueFinalBoss of the game, and it does not disappoint. After Isaac defeats Dogma and gains angel wings from the static cross falling on him, his home falls apart to reveal a massive lava-filled cavern, implied to be Hell itself. The preacher ranting from earlier starts up again as he turns to see a massive three-eyed, horned, blood-drooling MONSTER rise from the depths. But don't go thinking you fight it immediately - no, you have to fight its heralds, the Four Horsemen first. And all of them have supersized Ultra forms with brand new strategies and attacks. And if/when you finally take them out, the Beast takes centre stage by roaring in the background, then going under and reappearing from the lava in the foreground. It starts chasing you through spike-filled passages, trying to swallow you/incinerate you, and even launching a truly massive Brimstone beam that requires you to get to the top of the screen to avoid. If Dogma was the epitome of ReligiousHorror, then the BeastOfTheApocalypse ratchets it up even further, especially if you're familiar with Literature/TheBookOfRevelation and the Beast of the Sea.

*** Tainted Magdalene has a healthy dose of FridgeHorror too; her fighting style is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything identical to Lust's.]] The implications of this are not pleasing.