"It's not real!"
As the first one taught us, Panem is a scary place, and you better believe that it hasn't lost a bit of Nightmare Fuel.
- Thread. At first he doesn't seem that scary, but then he shows what a bastard he is when he kicks over an old woman and is about to hit her with his truncheon before Gale pulls a Big Damn Heroes, After Gale's public whipping, hitting then almost shooting Katniss on site, and Haymitch barely managing to get Thread to walk away, Thread yells to the district witnesses that if anybody in Twelve is out after dark, they will be shot on sight. Just seeing the damage he does to Gale's back... His voice is pretty intimidating, too; his actor Patrick St. Esprit is often typecast as antagonistic authoritarian figures.Cray (Head Peacekeeper of 12): Welcome to District 12, Commander Thread—
[Cray has a black hood shoved over his head and is forced down on his knees (and presumably executed) while Thread stalks off, his facial expression ice cold.] - President Snow's visit to Katniss is full of quiet menace; he only raises his voice once to warn Katniss not to lie, but that only goes to show that this is a man who doesn't need to be loud in order to intimidate or control people. When Katniss snarks that the political system of Panem must be fragile "if it can be brought down by just a few berries," Snow calmly reduces her to terrified compliance by going into detail about how he could destroy District 12 and its entire population by bombing it to oblivion, rhetorically asking her if she'd like to be in a real war — then immediately follows it up by brightly asking if her mother made the cookie he's about to eat, and then lowkey threatening her loved ones if she doesn't put on a good enough show of loving Peeta, revealing via a video of Gale kissing her that she's always under surveillance.
- The theme for the 75th Hunger Games and 3rd Quarter Quell. Tributes are to be chosen from the pool of previous Hunger Games victors, no matter one's age, health or current condition status. So whoever has to go back into the arena has to relive the traumas from their respective games and probably any games they had to mentor for.
- The film shows the reactions to the announcement for Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch. Katniss being the only female District 12 victor realizes she's by default going back in and stumbles out of the house in shock with a look of absolute terror on her face to go cry in the woods while Prim can only manage a stunned "Katniss?" and Katniss's mother completely loses any composure she may have tried to maintain. Peeta is utterly devastated as the implications sink in, and Haymitch screams and throws a bottle at the television.
- For other living Victors, they're basically being told after winning The Games and as a result winning security of never being reaped again, a lifetime supply of food, a luxurious house and comfortable living conditions, and high social status/fame (should they deem that a positive), "Nope we lied! You actually aren't exempt from competing in the Hunger Games again". And unlike for Katniss and Peeta who only won and dealt with the victor post-Game life for less than a year prior, it's been years or even decades since the other Victors had their games. Years and decades of not needing to fight for survival or kill anybody as well as years and decades of post-Game traumas and sending their own district's children to either death or same lifestyle, and now they're expected this time to go back and kill people they know and may even have become friends with over the shared experience of the arena.
- While the film doesn't show other district victors' reactions to the Quell's announcement, we do see some of the reactions of those after being chosen Tributes again. Haymitch notes that all the victors are angry and will say anything to try and stop The Games during The Games' interview segment. The District 1 male tribute Gloss, despite District 1 being a Career district that views going to the Games as an honor and produces many winners, is tensely angry during his knife throwing training; his sister Cashmere whom he is close with is also the female tributenote meaning they could end up having to kill each other had Katniss's group not killed them first. Annie Cresta, the initial reaped District 4 female tribute, starts to break down until the elderly Mags volunteers to takes her place; it's also later revealed that Annie was District 4 male tribute Finnick Odair's love who he was speaking to in his interview segment with Caesar Flickerman.Johanna Mason: Yes I'm angry, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I win the Hunger Games I get to live the rest of my life in peace. But now, you want to kill me again. Well you know what, *bleep* that! And *bleep* everyone who had anything to do with that!
- The games themselves. Somehow they manage to be more lethal and dangerous than the one from the previous film. Like lab mice the contestants are absolutely closed in with (almost) no way out except in a body bag. All are completely at the mercy of the operators and a cruel and petty tyrant who can easily destroy them with a single push of the button if he doesn't like them enough to continue living.
- In fact it's strongly hinted at that the 75th Games were made even more lethal and dangerous by President Snow, who's made his growing disdain for the Victors and especially Katniss pretty clear. If not for Plutarch's involvement, Katniss and Peeta would have been killed off right off the bat.
- Enobaria, one of the victors from District 2, is a cold-blooded killer who has her teeth filed down to sharp points, and won her games by using her teeth to rip other tributes' throats out.
- The poisonous fog, whose effects are seriously painful just to look at. And while soaking the boils in water draws out the poison and neutralizes it, it still hurts like hell.
- The screaming jabberjays, who parrot cries for help from the tributes' loved ones. Finnick brings up how jabberjays would have had to copy their screams from somewhere. Hearing Katniss screaming in the midst of all is truly terrifying. It's only once the jabberjays hour section is over that Johanna notes the unlikelihood the screams were organic because allowing Katniss's sister Primrose who's beloved by the Capitol residents to have been tortured to record the screams would have made the Capitol riot against President Snow.
- The Wham Line after Katniss is rescued from the arena.Katniss: We're not going back to Twelve?
Gale: There is no District 12. - "Your love has inspired us, and I know it will go on inspiring us for as long as you may live." Jesus, Donald.
- One of the baboons shoves Katniss under the water. It's jaws are right there. For like five minutes. They're there. Right in her face. Giant jaws.
- One of the hours is jabberjays mimicking someone you love dying. Trapped for an hour surrounded by the screams of someone you love.
