History NightmareFuel / TheLastOfUs2023

** The horror of the scene is increased by the simple fact that you can completely understand - and even at some level ''agree'' - with what FEDRA is doing. Anyone they couldn't bring to safety and left on their own will almost certainly become either one of the infected, or a raider. How many of us, if faced openly with this situation, wouldn't ''want'' to simply have a bullet put in their head rather than become infected? Especially since there are a number of hints that underneath the fungal control, the person is ''[[AndIMustScream still awake and aware of their situation]]''.

* Before the infection truly sets in, there's a moment early on while Sarah is at the Adler house looking through the DVD selection, and all of a sudden you can see Nana begin to contort with her mouth gaping open and silently gasping before Sarah leaves and Nana appears normal again. It's even worse because it's shot with Nana ''just'' out of focus.
** Adding to it, Mercy, the Adlers' dog, is whimpering and staring at Nana as Sarah leaves. The dog could tell.

* The prologue sequence, set in a 1968 TV talk show, sees Dr. Neuman, an epidemiologist, explaining in full disturbing detail about the phantom danger of the fungus and how it can slowly take over living organisms, controlling them and feeding off from them at the same time, with the goal of spreading itself to other living beings until ''everything'' is infected. There's no treatment for it. No preventatives. No cure. Humanity can win against the occasional virus or bacteria pandemic, but if the fungus is able to evolve enough that it can take over humans? That's a game over. It's an exposition that masterfully tells us how terrifying the threat of fungus really is and gives us a sense of dread of what's to come, aided by John Hannah's chilling delivery. And what's the worst thing about all this? [[https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ It actually happened in real life]], though thankfully only to tiny insects like ants.

* From the perspective of the Fireflies and medical staff at the hospital, Joel becomes one himself. He single-handedly rampages through the entire building with ruthless, methodical proficiency, killing every single Firefly including those who surrendered; picking up their guns to continue mowing through them one by one in an attempt to save Ellie. All while knowing he is potentially dooming mankind to the cordyceps. Even the doctor operating on Ellie is gunned down while the two nurses can only stare in terror. Marlene herself tries to talk Joel down only to meet the same fate.

* Once's Joel's departed, Sarah wakes up in the middle of the night, hearing gunshots and sirens outside and seeing an EAS warning message about the chaos going on in the city, advising people to stay in their homes. A frightened teenager, home alone as the world begins to end...

* Once's Joel's departed, Sarah wakes up in the middle of the night, hearing gunshots and sirens outside and seeing a news reports about the chaos going on in the city, advising people to stay in their homes. A frightened teenager, home alone as the world begins to end...

* Joel brutally interrogates two of David's men, torturing one for information before stabbing him and beating his partner to death with a pipe. From the cannnibals' point of view, Joel really is a sadistic and crazy old man bent on killing them all.

* David's dialogue makes it clear that he's been raping girls for a long time, and he adopted his fake preacher guise in order to more easily dominate and terrorise his 'flock'. Hannah's mother is clearly a young woman who may well have been a child herself when she came under David's control. So when David lifts Hannah up and tells her she's "always had a father", the look of horror on her mother's face may be due to the fact that it could well be the literal truth.

* And with that…Joel has robbed humanity of their chance for a cure and potentially doomed it to the cordyceps.

--> '''Marlene:''' "''Please.'' Let me go!"
--> '''Joel:''' "You'd just come after her." ''(shoots her in the head)''
** What's worse, Joel wears the same stoic expression throughout the entire massacre, even when executing surrendering Fireflies, as well as the doctor and Marlene. This only serves to make his rampage more horrific to the audience, with Joel appearing more like an emotionless killing machine than a human. For a brief few minutes, we are shown the man that Joel used to be in the years following the outbreak, one who wouldn't flinch at killing other people in order to survive and feeling absolutely nothing for them when doing so.