Nightmare Fuel / Pulp Fiction

Heroin is one dangerous drug. Remember that.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

• The scene where Mia accidentally overdoses on heroin. It's not typical over-the-top "Hollywood scary", because it doesn't need to be. It's a scarily realistic depiction of what a death by drug overdose really looks like, and its scare potential is taken up to eleven if you've ever known or witnessed a death or near-death that could have been avoided with proper medical treatment.
  • The close-up of Mia's face immediately after she overdoses (shown right). Plus, Vincent's reaction when he returns — his fear is palpable.
    "Hey, listen...Mia, I've gotta go...oh Jesus fucking Christ...you fu— oh Jesus Christ...oh fuck me...FUCK ME!"
• Everything about the Gimp — in no small part due to the fact that we know nothing about him. What would he have done to Butch and Marsellus if Butch hadn't knocked him out early? How long has he been locked in Zed and Maynard's basement? What kind of person was he before they got to him? What kind of hell did they put him through to make him their human pet? Is he really a kinky masochist, or was he just one of the duo's previous victims? Face it: the Gimp is Fridge Horror incarnate.
  • The popular theory that Marsellus would have become the next Gimp if Butch hadn't rescued him just makes it exponentially worse.
  • Hell, just the notion that a simple pawn shop in the middle of downtown Los Angeles has a rape dungeon is all kinds of scary. How many other innocuous places in big cities are hiding a dark secret that could spell torture or death for whoever walks into one of them?
  • The way Marsellus calmly tells Zed that he's going to get a pair of "hard, pipe-hittin' niggas" to "go to work" on him with "a pair of pliers and a blow torch." We never see what happens to Zed. Marsellus's Tranquil Fury tells us all we need to know about the horror that awaits the rapist. Sucks to suck, Zed!
    • In case you were wondering, the pliers were to remove all his teeth, so his body can't be identified by his dental records, and the blowtorch is to destroy his fingertips, so he can't be fingerprinted. And probably some other things as well. They have room to get creative. And it's safe to say Zed will be alive and conscious so as to not miss out on any of it.
    • The other option is that they can use the pliers to start ripping off fingers and toes, while cauterizing the wounds with the blowtorch to keep him from bleeding out.
  • If you look closely, you can see Butch put down his katana and drop it. Even though Marsellus' back is turned to him and he's shown no indication of trying an attack.
• The scene where Marvin gets shot in the face. Aside from the sheer amount of blood that comes out, it's a stern reminder to handle your guns safely or else something like this will happen.
  • There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Marvin dead in the trunk when the Wolf is putting Vincent and Jules' blood-soaked clothes in there. The car post-headshot was pretty bad, but the aftermath is no better.
• When Butch encounters Marsellus, he runs him over and gets broadsided in traffic, resulting in a crash. The windows are destroyed and the front windshield gets shattered. Not only is Butch not wearing a seatbelt, he ends up getting a broken nose for it.
  • A disoriented Marsellus Wallace starts shooting wildly into the crowd around Butch's wrecked car after Butch runs him over, missing Butch but hitting an innocent bystander, who falls to the ground screaming.
  • Their brief chase scene while the pedestrian is left screaming in pain from the gun wound.
• Vincent's death is also freakishly realistic because of how quickly it's over. Butch pulling the trigger on the machine gun for a split second is all it takes, and when he goes to investigate, Vincent is crumpled up in the bathtub with a Dies Wide Open gaze on his face. We've gotten to know him so well by this point, and he's snuffed out in a flash.
• Butch's "Where's my watch?" when he finds out his most prized possession is missing. And then it all goes to hell quickly from there.
  • Easily overlooked, but notice Fabienne's reaction when Butch finds out she forgot his golden watch. From her terrified look, and from how she hides in the corner as Butch thrashes the place in anger, it's visible that she gets a lot of that happening in their life together. Later, Butch as much as raising his voice to tell her to get onto the chopper quickly is enough to make her cry.
  • And there's no telling if Butch only pummels inanimate things when he gets one of these moments of anger. It's not mentioned, but it's possible the only reason he doesn't raise his hand to her is that she's carrying his child at the time.

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