History NightmareFuel / TheLordOfTheRings

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_284049.png]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:"I should… ''very much'' like to hold it again… one last time."]]-]

* The level in the [=PS2=] and PC version of ''Fellowship of the Ring'' where Frodo must escape the Shire. The bright, colorful Shire is now [[NiceDayDeadlyNight dark and gloomy, with sinister BGM playing in the background]]. The streets of Hobbiton are being patrolled by the Black Riders. Everywhere they go, a vast darkness covers their surroundings. The slightest noise will draw them to you, and if you try putting the One Ring on for even a second, [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration they will immediately come after you at full speed]]. And if they catch you, a [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Game Over cutscene]] will trigger in which a Black Rider with [[RedEyesTakeWarning two glowing red eyes]] draws its sword, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou points it threateningly at the camera]], and growls "Surrender the Ring!" in a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep, raspy voice]], followed by a text message stating that the One Ring has been captured and Middle-earth is doomed. After that, you are sent back to the Main Menu.

* The level in the [=PS2=] and PC version of ''Fellowship of the Ring'' where Frodo must escape the Shire. The bright, colorful Shire is now [[NiceDayDeadlyNight dark and gloomy, with sinister BGM playing in the background]]. The streets of Hobbiton are being patrolled by the Black Riders. Everywhere they go, a vast darkness covers their surroundings. The slightest noise will draw them to you, and if you try putting the One Ring on for even a second, [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration they will immediately come after you at full speed]]. And if they catch you, a [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Game Over cutscene]] will trigger in which the Black Rider draws its sword, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou points it threateningly at the camera]], and growls "Surrender the Ring!" in a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep, raspy voice]] with [[RedEyesTakeWarning two glowing red eyes]], followed by a text message stating that the One Ring has been captured and Middle-earth is doomed. After that, you are sent back to the Main Menu.

* The level in the PS2 and PC version of ''Fellowship of the Ring'' where Frodo must escape the Shire. The bright, colorful Shire is now [[NiceDayDeadlyNight dark and gloomy, with sinister BGM playing in the background]]. The streets of Hobbiton are being patrolled by the Black Riders. Everywhere they go, a vast darkness covers their surroundings. The slightest noise will draw them to you, and if you try putting the One Ring on for even a second, [[GameAndStoryIntegration they will immediately come after you at full speed]]. And if they catch you, a [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Game Over cutscene]] will trigger in which the Black Rider draws its sword, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou points it threateningly at the camera]], and growls "Surrender the Ring!" in a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep, raspy voice]], followed by a text message stating that the One Ring has been captured and Middle-earth is doomed. After that, you are sent back to the Main Menu.

* The Witch-King's voice. A manic, screechy voice [[VoiceOfTheLegion underscored and echoed]] by a mechanical, grating one somewhere betwee Darth Vader and Judge Doom.

* Bilbo's picture at the beginning of the GBA version of ''FellowshipOfTheRing'' is basically the evil face he makes in the movie's freakout, AS A FREEZE FRAME. Have fun playing the game.

* The concept of The Ring itself. As the SoulJar for the one of the most utterly evil creatures to ever inhabit Middle-Earth, it's [[BeautyIsBad beautiful]], you want it even if you don't know why, it stretches out your existence but in a bad way, it whispers to you and puts ideas into your head, and if you spend too long with it, it will pervert you into a [[TheCorruption horrible shadow of your former self]], leaving you a hopelessly addicted, twisted, pitiful wretch. How long it takes to do this to you depends on your mental and moral strength, but it will break you eventually no matter how strong you are. If you're not particularly strong-willed it can claim you in mere seconds! And if it ever achieves its goal, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt then...]] Tolkein insisted that ''The Lord of the Rings'' held "applicability," not "allegory," but people have compared the Ring to everything from capitalism to communism to nuclear power.

->"You cannot hide. I see you. There is no life in the void. Only death."
-->--'''Sauron'''
----

** Along with that, the events preceding the Dawnless Day are chilling as well. It's ''very'' in the background, but several days before it happens, multiple characters have short lines describing how everything feels a bit... ''off''. Sam notices a chilling air, and that the light seems thinner and less wholesome. Multiple people note how the weather seems to be steadily worsening. In context, it just seems like some fluff about bad weather, but [[RewatchBonus on a second read]], [[FridgeHorror you realize]] that that was all {{foreshadowing}} for [[DarkestHour what happened next]].

* "[[BeneathTheEarth Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves]], the world is gnawed by [[UltimateEvil nameless]] [[EldritchAbomination things]]. [[BiggerBad Even Sauron knows them not]]. [[TimeAbyss They are older than he]]. Now I have walked there, [[TakeOurWordForIt but I will bring no report to darken the light of day]]."

** Also a bit of FridgeHorror. Sauron is a [[FallenAngel corrupted Maia]], a being that has existed ''from the beginning of time''. '''''What could POSSIBLY be older than them?!?'''''
*** Actually, it could be they were in the world first before Sauron entered it. So while that lessens the scariness factor, it's no less frightening.

[[folder:From the videogames]]

--> '''Gandalf''': The Dwarves dug too deep, and too greedily...

* The concept of The Ring itself. As the SoulJar for the most utterly evil creature to ever inhabit Middle-Earth, it's [[BeautyIsBad beautiful]], you want it even if you don't know why, it stretches out your existence but in a bad way, it whispers to you and puts ideas into your head, and if you spend too long with it, it will pervert you into a [[TheCorruption horrible shadow of your former self]], leaving you a hopelessly addicted, twisted, pitiful wretch. How long it takes to do this to you depends on your mental and moral strength, but it will break you eventually no matter how strong you are. If you're not particularly strong-willed it can claim you in mere seconds! And if it ever achieves its goal, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt then...]] Tolkein insisted that ''The Lord of the Rings'' held "applicability," not "allegory," but people have compared the Ring to everything from capitalism to communism to nuclear power.

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[-[[caption-width-right:350:"I should… ''very much'' like to hold it again… one last time."]]-]
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** One of the worst things? He is a Hobbit. So he is a picture what could have become (and nearly happened anyway) to Frodo or Bilbo. The fact that the Ring contains some form of intelligence suggests it may have even done this ''for fun.''

!!''Fellowship of the Ring''
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[[caption-width-right:350:"You know what [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame they]] awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum...shadow and flame..."]]
* Galadriel's "Darkness crept back into the forests of the world" exposition. There is something so unsettling about her narration, especially when combined with the clips of darkened forests and swamps that follow.
** Speaking of Galadriel, the genuinely unsettling [[StepfordSmiler calm,]] [[MoodDissonance pleasant,]] [[VocalDissonance soothing nature]] in which she acts, contrasting sharply with the demonic nature she possesses whenever she becomes angry or power-mad.
* The shot from the prologue of the men who will become the Nazgul, each holding a ring and standing in almost robotic uniformity, in contrast to the natural movements of the elves and the dwarves in the previous shots. And then the scene just fades as the darkness swallows them...
** The ThousandYardStare of the future Witch-King, at the very centre of the shot, is particularly unsettling.
* Sauron joining his forces in the prologue's battle. Just as victory seems imminent for the Last Alliance, Elrond and Isildur suddenly give [[OhCrap expressions of fear]] when they see him approach, and the rest of their army [[MassOhCrap quickly joins in]] as the Dark Lord looms over them. He demonstrates that those fears are well-placed, showing himself to be a OneManArmy who sends at least half a dozen soldiers flying with each swing of his mace.
* The [[BrownNote screech]] and VertigoEffect combination when someone encounters a Nazgûl for the first time.
* The attack by the Ringwraiths on the Prancing Pony. Watching them come in the front door with the night mist (and Barliman cowering in fear) is bad enough, but then we see a pan around the hobbit's room, and they're just ''there'', with swords drawn and ready, like they came in through the walls or something. It's very unnerving.
* One of The Nine's scariest moments is the attack on Weathertop. Frodo wakes up to find his friends [[TooDumbToLive foolishly]] cooking on an open fire, declaring their location to everyone. Even as he snuffs out the last cinders, the all-too familiar ''screech'' of the Nazgûl echoes out and the hobbits look down to see several of them moving absolutely silently through the fog towards them. Now terrified, they run up to the top of the ancient watchtower and go back to back. You '''expect''' the Ringwraiths to come up the same stairways the hobbits used, but instead they appear ''right out of the shadows'', in places seeming to step right out of empty air onto the watchtower's upper floor. Before, they were just black-robed riders who made a creepy sound, now they're shown to be ''utterly'' inhuman.
* Bilbo Baggins' completely ''[[NightmareFace pants-wettingly out-of-left-field freakout]]'' when he realises Frodo has the Ring. It really does come out of ''gracious nowhere''.
** Try pausing the film on that moment and moving it back and forward, frame-by-frame. It makes it inexplicably more horrifying.
*** Because, if you look closely for that fraction of a second, he [[TheCorruption becomes Gollum]].
*** A little extra scary with some supplementary information... he does this in response to Frodo refusing to surrender the ring, which he (Bilbo) was starting to show signs of obsession toward all over again. This is immediately after he willingly (even joyfully) gives Frodo a Mithril Shirt stated in the books to be worth ''more than the entire Shire''. The ring has such a strong hold on him that it's literally more tempting than all the wealth of the land he came from and then some.
* The way Boromir describes it to the Council of Elrond. Despite inspiring one of the most classic [[MemeticMutation memes]], just the way he describes Mordor with a slow and intense voice like the hellish EldritchLocation it is, as if he's describing Hell itself, while seemingly GoMadFromTheRevelation by doing so, is quite dreadful. And based on how quickly the entire council starts to fight amongst each other immediately after he's done, you could argue that the entire council went mad from the revelation.
* This [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fellowship_of_the_ring_gollum.jpg unnerving shot]] of Gollum as he spies on the fellowship in the mines of Moria.
* Gandalf reading the final diary entries of the mine's dwarves. "[[ApocalypticLog Drums...drums, in the deep...we cannot get out...]]''[[KilledMidSentence They are coming-]]''"
** This becomes even worse in hindsight after watching the ''Hobbit'' films and you realize that the skeleton Gandalf pulled the book from is most likely Ori, another member of the company (and the youngest), who accompanied Balin to Moria.
** Right then, of course, Pippin knocks a skeleton down a well, making all kinds of racket. After a tense moment of silence, Gandalf scolds him, then turns to leave. And then...
-->''boom''
-->''[[OhCrap BOOM]]''
** And then it cuts back to the room with the three passages ''as the light of flames suddenly appears in the middle one.'' Imagine what would have happened if they'd taken that path!
** The horrors began the very second they set foot in Moria. Gimli is proudly describing his kin's hospitality and how good a time they'll have after slogging through the dark and cold up to this point, then the MoodWhiplash kicks in.
---> '''Gimli:''' So, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine! A mine!
---> '''Boromir:''' ''[[OhCrap (sees the entrance hall)]]'' This is no mine! It's a tomb! ''(they see skeletons and signs of battle everywhere)''
---> '''Gimli:''' No...no! [[BigNo No!!!]]
---> '''Legolas:''' Goblins!
---> '''Boromir:''' We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here.
*** And then [[FromBadToWorse the Watcher in the Water shows up]], quite horrific all on its own, and forces them to go deeper into the very place they were just trying to leave.
* Once the Fellowship is surrounded by goblins in Moria, one orc with cat-like eyes is seen eyeing Pippin, practically licking his lips at the thought of tasting Hobbit for the first time.
** The shot of said goblin became rather iconic and is probably the image most people will see if they look up goblins from the series. Yeah, [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/lotr/images/d/d2/Goblin.png/revision/latest?cb=20101205231610 this]] is what you'll find staring back at you.
* Galadriel's temptation by the Ring, with absurd amounts of reverb on her voice as she declares herself "Beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and ''despair!''"
* When one puts on The Ring, they turn invisible. It's because you enter a shadow dimension where the only other one there is the '''DARK LORD OF ALL EVIL'''. It's AloneWithThePsycho on a cosmic scale.
** To say nothing of what [[GodOfEvil Sauron]] says to Frodo when he puts the Ring on in The Prancing Pony:
-->''"I see you... You cannot hide from me. There is no life in the Void, only death."''
** In that vein, the second time Frodo puts on the ring, he sees the faces of the Nazgûl - mummified kings with horrifying death rictuses.
** Even the name of this place is tellingly horrible. It's called the Wraith World and the reason you become invisible to most creatures is because you've just put yourself on the border between life and death. The reason the Ring Wraiths can be seen in full there is because they're stuck in a state of being dead yet still living. It's implied beings like Barrow-Wights could also spot you in this world.
* Viewers who hadn't read the books were likely leaning back in their seats when the Balrog made its appearance. Even before it does, while [[MassOhCrap all the Fellowship]] look unnerved as the Goblins scatter in terror and the sounds of the Balrog's approach grow louder, the look of terror on Gandalf and Legolas's faces is even worse. They both know full well what's coming, and that it's an enemy beyond any of them.

!!''The Two Towers''
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't Follow the Lights!"'']]
* This gem from after one of the Orcs gets killed by Ugluk:
--> "LOOKS LIKE MEAT'S BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!"
** Commence dozens of other Uruk-hai ripping the corpse apart to eat it within seconds, tossing away lengths of intenstines to the horror and disgust of the Orcs. The head also falls on Pippin and Merry.
* The entirety of Saruman's NewEraSpeech, interspersed with shots of the ashen, volcanic landscape of Mordor, scaling up the battlements of Barad-dûr to the pinnacle where the Eye of Sauron glares out, always watchful, and Isengard being given over entirely to the industry of building, training and preparing the army of Uruk-hai for war.
-->'''Saruman''': The world is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman, and the union of the two towers? [[WeCanRuleTogether Together]], my lord Sauron, we shall rule this Middle-earth! The old world will burn in the fires of industry. The forests will fall. A new order will rise. We will drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the Orc! We have only to remove those who oppose us.
* Saruman recruiting the Dunlendings, playing on their anger and resentment to convince them to join his war of destruction against Rohan. It drives home the fact that a great persuader like Saruman turned to evil is ''extremely'' dangerous, especially since these are ''Men'' he is persuading to wreak terrible havoc, not Orcs.
* The Burning of the Westfold. We get to see an attack on a village, and it's not pretty. Civilians attempting to flee in a panic as a force of Uruk-hai rushes in, chopping down anybody they can catch and setting fire to the buildings they pass.
** Those ''aren't'' Uruk-hai, they're the Dundenlings Saruman recruited above wearing the same mass-produced armor. The real unsettling part is that it's hard to tell the difference.
* Imagine being there before the battle of Helm's Deep, when 10,000 Uruk-hai are standing before you in the dark and the rain, armed to the teeth, then start smashing their spears on the ground in unison and screaming at you. The atmosphere was captured so beautifully, it's no wonder everyone looks about ready to shit themselves.
** Ties in with the earlier shot of the assembled horde at Isengard. Anyone familiar with the story knows how it's going to go, but it truly gets the point across that this isn't just another fantastic war...it's a war of extermination, and the odds aren't leaning towards the good guys.
-->'''Saruman''': A new power is rising! Its victory...is at hand! This night, the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan! March to Helm's Deep! [[KillEmAll Leave]] ''[[KillEmAll none]]'' [[KillEmAll alive]]! TO WAR! There will be no dawn for Men!
-->'''Aragorn''': It is an army bred for a single purpose...to ''destroy the world of Men''.
* Before the battle of Helm's Deep, you see children being given weapons and armor to help in the fight. Later, after the defenses have collapsed and the few soldiers that are left are barricading the door, [[FridgeHorror there are]] ''[[FridgeHorror no]]'' [[FridgeHorror children in sight.]]
* The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dead Marshes]]. The description was creepy enough in the book, but in the movie the dead look like underwater, ethereal zombies.
** Then as Frodo approaches the water and looks down at one OH DEAR GOD WHY DID ITS [[ProphetEyes EYES JUST OPEN]]?!
** They're even more haunting, in both versions, if you recall that [[RealitySubtext J.R.R. Tolkien fought in World War I and likely had very vivid memories of the flooded bomb craters filled with corpses.]]
*** Doubly so when you remember the horrific and bloody battle of Passchendaele. So many soldiers drowned in the mud that their bodies were never found, and were likely floating there for years until they finally decomposed into nothing, leaving only their weapons and kit behind.
*** Another battle, the one J.R.R. Tolkien served in: the Battle of the Somme. Among other things, this battle is known for being one of the deadliest battles in history, with over a million dead, and was one of the first battles to use tanks.
** The ''really'' horrifying part? In the book, the trio pass through the Marshes without incident, but in the movie Frodo actually falls into the muck, and all these ghostly figures surround and reach for him, pulling him down. If Gollum hadn't pulled him out, Frodo could have easily become one of the corpses.
* Also from the Dead Marshes, the peaceful discussion between Smeagol and Frodo being interrupted by [[HellIsThatNoise an all-too familiar screeching howl]] and the realisation the Ringwraiths have come back to hunt them.
-->'''Sam''': I thought they were dead!
-->'''Gollum''': Dead? No you cannot kill them, no.
* Gandalf trying to lift Saruman's power on Théoden becomes very creepy indeed, when Saruman starts speaking ''through'' Théoden.
* The terrifying moment when Sam plunges from the cliffs overlooking the Black Gate, getting himself trapped up to his waist in the scree at the base and several of the Easterling soldiers arriving at the Black Gate noticing the disturbed rocks sliding down the cliff. Frodo throws his elven cloak over them, but it's quite terrifying in those moments that the only thing keeping him and Sam from a bunch of fanatics loyal to Sauron who would probably kill them without a second thought is a thin cloak and the hope the Easterlings don't investigate too closely.
** Added to this is the [[BattleChant ominous chanting in Black Speech]] the Easterlings cry out as they approach the Black Gate (In English, it translates to ''"Hail Sauron! Lord of the Ring, Lord of the Earth!"''), with the [[BlowThatHorn ominous horn blast]] as the gate opens for them. While Tolkien in his writings noted that the Easterlings consider Sauron a god-king that they worship and fear in equal measure, it's still creepy to hear Men, not Orcs, displaying such slavish loyalty to the epitome of evil in Middle-earth.
* Emiliana Torrini's "Gollum's Song" from the ''Two Towers'' soundtrack definitely counts. It's a nice, sad, mildly creepy ballad from Gollum's perspective... until the end, when suddenly she hisses in a gravelly voice, "Kill them all!"
* When Faramir attempted to take the Ring from Frodo in Ithilien, a DeletedScene would have had Frodo have a moment where he changed into a ''horrifying'' Gollum-like appearance as kind of a WhatIf as to what the Ring could eventually do to him -- [[CallBack as Bilbo did in Rivendell]]. Although this was cut, you can still see traces of it in the moment where Frodo, face hidden from the camera, cowers against the rock, and the greatly disturbed look on Faramir's face. [[http://onedio.co/content/did-frodo-become-gollum-in-lotr-a-deleted-scene-revealed-11893 Here's]] a link to Elijah Wood's makeup tests for this scene to show what Frodo would have looked like. ''[[NightmareFace Jesus...]]''

!!''Return of The King''
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead. And the dead keep it."'']]
* When Sauron's forces deliver their first attack on Minas Tirith, they catapult [[OffWithHisHead the severed heads of Gondorian soldiers]] to scare the remaining forces.
-->'''Gothmog''': Fear. The city is rank with it. [[SarcasmMode Let us ease their pain]].
* '''[[GiantSpider SHE]][[AnimalisticAbomination LOB.]]''' Creator/PeterJackson is an arachnophobe, and he [[AuthorPhobia used this to full effect to make the scenes with Shelob as frightening as possible]]. The part that was especially creepy was where she was following Frodo ''silently from above''.
** Equally worse, earlier when he was in the cave, you ''just know'' she was watching him, waiting to pounce.
** Then there's the brief scene where her horrific mouth comes [[EatTheCamera uncomfortably close to the camera.]]
* Mordor. One actually wonders '''how it got that way''' and what Sauron's massive armies are ''[[ImAHumanitarian eating]].''
** Actually that was only part of Mordor that was shown, most of Mordor is actually quite fertile and capable of growing food (Soil around Volcanos tend to be rich) So there's parts in it where food can be grown and harvested for his armies. Still frightening though and not the place you'd want to visit.
** And, of course, there's the heavy implication that huge tracts of Middle-earth will look more like Mordor should Sauron succeed. Just imagine a place like Rivendell or the Shire being turned into some blasted, horrific wasteland should things go wrong for the Free Peoples. Now imagine what would happen to the people living there. Even those who manage to escape death or slavery by some miracle would have to deal with the places they once called home being warped and tainted by great evil. Really drives home the importance of a successful destruction of the Ring, doesn't it?
* The WarIsHell scenario that is the fall of Osgiliath. Having been fighting all night and well into the morning, Faramir and the Gondorian defenders are slowly being overwhelmed as continual waves of Orcs storm into the city; even worse, the Orcs are clearly shown to be enjoying cutting down injured and exhausted soldiers without mercy. Faramir, realising they've got no chance of holding out any longer, gives the order to retreat, and then things go FromBadToWorse as [[HellIsThatNoise a screaming cry]] that (by this stage in-universe and to the viewers) has become the stuff of nightmares is heard...
-->'''Gondorian ranger''': [[TheDreaded Nazgûl...!]]
* The sudden entrance of the oliphants and their Harad riders certainly counts as this for Théoden and his army. The Rohirrim look ''utterly'' terrified, which is perfectly understandable since the enormous elephants were (according to Sam) believed to be nothing more than legends. Between the war paint, spiked weapons, immense size, and companies of EliteMooks riding them doing a BlackSpeech BattleChant that can be heard all the way across the field, it's the stuff of nightmares for any pre-modern general and his officers.
* While the Witch-King was quite badass in both the films and books (and also the game he was in), one [[http://images.wikia.com/lotr/images/b/bb/Grnazgul_021_Nazgul.jpg cannot help but become slightly unnerved when he removes his helm.]]
* After Frodo tells Sam, "[[WhamLine The Ring is mine]]," there's [[KubrickStare something unsettling]] [[PsychoticSmirk about his smile]] before he puts the Ring on. Which makes sense, given that [[TheCorruption the Ring has just seized what could have been permanent control of Frodo.]]
** [[CallBack It's the same smirk Isildur had when he refused to destroy the Ring.]]
* In the extended edition of ROTK, we get the Mouth of Sauron. Most [[ScaryTeeth unnerving set of teeth]] ever, with a creepy voice to boot.
* The scene from ''Return of the King'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDHd6-gmHEU where we watch Sméagol slowly turning into Gollum]]. Though the FX mildly alleviates it, since it's really easy to tell it's just makeu- [[spoiler:OH GOSH HIS EYES GOT BIGGER!!!]]
** No other scene shows the evil of the Ring the way this one does. After being pulled into the water by a large fish, Deagul finds the ring underwater, and does nothing but stare at it, Sméagol laughs and comes over, but the smile drops when he sees the ring, almost immedately the two get corrupted, Smeagul wants the ring as a birthday present but Deagul refuses so he can have it to himself, leading to a fight over it, which quckly turns from horseplay to trying to murder each other, [[HeartbeatSoundtrack creepy]] music doesn't help.
** There's also the moment where, as voice-over Smeagol sings to himself in a way resembling an IronicNurseryRhyme for a horror movie, he catches and then eats a fish, raw and alive, in the cave where he'll be spending the next five hundred years.
* The slow, yet unstoppable toll that the Ring takes on Frodo eventually gets so bad that ''he sends '''[[HeterosexualLifePartners Sam]]''' away''.
** While Sam and Frodo are making their way through Mordor, the physical burden of the Ring grows with each step closer Frodo gets to Mt. Doom, to the point that the chain the Ring is attached to starts ''biting into Frodo's neck.'' By the time he and Sam get out of the Crack of Doom, you can see a very angry, very painful-looking red mark etched into the skin around Frodo's neck -- eventually you can even see ''dried BLOOD.''
* The [[MouthOfSauron Mouth of Sauron]] himself, as, contrary to the Nazgûl, he is still alive but has forgotten his actual name. The fact that his mouth is bigger than it should be goes straight for [[BodyHorror body horror]].
* Extended version of the Battle at Pelennor Fields has Eowyn briefly fight [[MookLieutenant Gothmog]] just before her duel with [[TheDragon Witch-King]]. She wounds and seemingly kills him... and then, just after she kills Witch-King and is lying on the ground with her arm broken and too exhausted to stand up, Gothmog suddenly raises his head and starts slowly crawling towards her, screaming in rage. The look on Eowyn's face as she is trying frantically to escape from him and especially at the very end of the scene as she tries to grab the sword lying on the ground [[IfICanOnlyMove just out of her reach]] makes it painfully clear that she is ''absolutely terrified''.
* When Frodo, Sam and Sméagol are passing Minas Morgul, Frodo suddenly starts walking towards the city as if he's in a trance. For once, it has Sam and Sméagol in perfect agreement that they have to stop him and drag him back, and when he comes back to himself, he says "They're calling me".

[[caption-width-right:350:A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!]]

* In the extended edition of ROTK, we get the Mouth of Sauron. Most unnerving set of teeth ever, with a creepy voice to boot.

* Sauron joining his forces in the prologue's battle. Just as victory seems imminent for the Last Alliance, Elrond and Isildur suddenly give [[OhCrap expressions of fear]] when they see him approach, and the rest of their army quickly joins in as the Dark Lord looms over them. He demonstrates that those fears are well-placed, showing himself to be a OneManArmy who sends at least half a dozen soldiers flying with each swing of his mace.

** The way Boromir describes it to the Council of Elrond. Despite inspiring one of the most classic [[MemeticMutation memes]], just the way he describes Mordor with a slow and intense voice like the hellish EldritchLocation it is, as if he's describing Hell itself, while seemingly GoMadFromTheRevelation by doing so, is quite dreadful. And based on how quickly the entire council starts to fight amongst each other immediately after he's done, you could argue that the entire council went mad from the revelation.

* Before the battle of Helm's Deep, you see children being given weapons and armor to help in the fight. Later, after the defenses have collapsed and the few soldiers that are left are barricading the door, [[FridgeHorror there are ''no'' children in sight.]]

** No other scene shows the evil of the Ring the way this one does. Smeagul and his friend were simply fishing, with no malice to each other. But when the friend is dragged down by a large fish he finds the Ring. Smeagul sees what his friend has, and in disturbingly quick speed they begin fighting over it. To the point they actually tried to murder each other, Smeagul happening to be the one successful. The [[DroneOfDread eerie]], [[HeartbeatSoundtrack creepy]] music doesn't help.

** No other scene shows the evil of the Ring the way this one does. Smeagul and his friend were simply fishing, with no malice to each other. But in a matter of seconds, the Rings turns them against each other, to the point that Smeagul goes as far as murdering him. The [[DroneOfDread eerie]], [[HeartbeatSoundtrack creepy]] music isn't helping.

** No other scene shows the evil of the Ring the way this one does. It makes two simple people, not much different from the Shire hobbits, jump at each other's throats over it. The [[DroneOfDread eerie]], [[HeartbeatSoundtrack creepy]] music isn't helping.

* The sudden entrance of the oliphants and their Harad riders certainly counts as this for Théoden and his army. The Rohirrim look ''utterly'' terrified, which is perfectly understandable since the enormous elephants were (according to Sam) believed to be nothing more than legends. Between the war paint, spiked weapons, and immense size, it's the stuff of nightmares for any pre-modern general and his officers.

** Added to this is the [[BattleChant ominous chanting in Black Speech]] the Easterlings cry out as they approach the Black Gate (In English, it translates to ''"Hail Sauron! Lord of the Ring, Lord of the Earth!"''), with the ominous horn blast as the gate opens for them. While Tolkien in his writings noted that the Easterlings consider Sauron a god-king that they worship and fear in equal measure, it's still creepy to hear Men, not Orcs, displaying such slavish loyalty to the epitome of evil in Middle-earth.