Quotes / Town with a Dark Secret

"What interests us is not Kingsmouth's inclination to murder and the occult, but its failed attempts to cover them up. It suggests a town that cannot bear what it is, and is therefore destined — and desperate — to tear itself apart."

— The Dragon, in the aftermath of "Something Wicked", The Secret World

"Ah, quiet, insular communities. There's always something nasty going on behind closed doors."

— Zevran Arainai, Dragon Age: Origins

"Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed. I'm being watched. I must hide this book before He finds it. Remember — in Gravity Falls, there is no one you can trust."

— Dipper, reading the journal about the mysterious town, Gravity Falls, "Tourist Trapped"

"Avoid small New England towns in general, really."

— Horror Survival Guide

"There's a sort of evil out there. Something very, very strange in these old woods. Call it what you want. A darkness, a presence. It takes many forms, but... it's been out there for as long as anyone can remember, and we've always been here to fight it."

— Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Twin Peaks

"Something dangerous is coming. Strange things happen in our town. We all know it! Pets go missing, people go missing. There's something alien amongst us. But bury our heads in the sand and ignore it."

— Claire, Trollhunters, "The Eternal Knight, Part 1"

"Don't judge a town by its cider. Monsters love small towns."

— Root, Person of Interest

Ever lift up a half-rotten log in the forest? Underneath, you find an unholy metropolis of beetles, maggots, worms and spiders. The town and the swimming hole provide characters with a similar experience. Exposing the truth about the two exposes the truth about the townsfolk. Characters trying to find out what happened in the past are likely to follow a trail of breadcrumbs through a forest of moral decrepitude. People's hopes and dreams — no matter how desperate or twisted — are dragged out into the light.

— "The Swimming Hole", Mysterious Places

"Goin' down to Innsmouth, gonna have myself a time
Fishy faces everywhere, degenerate folk without ambitions
Goin' down to Innsmouth, gonna leave my woes behind
Eldritch gibbering day and night, people shouting "Ia Cthulhu!"
Headin' on down to Innsmouth, gonna see if I can't unwind
N'gai, n'gha'ghaa, bugg-shoggog, y'hah: Yog-Sothoth, Yog-Sothoth!
So come on down to Innsmouth and meet some friends of mine!"

— The Shadow Over Innsmouth spoof of the South Park theme song

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed. He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing, an evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry."

— Mike Hanlon, It (2017)

Cloud and Tifa's hometown seems more like the setting of a psychological horror film than a JRPG village. Niebelheim is where you'd end up if you took the wrong exit while driving to Silent Hill. It's the backdrop for Final Fantasy VII's most disturbing events and lies at the very core of Cloud's delusions.

— Pat R, "This Game Are Sick"

The sleepy colonial town of Hobb's End was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. It seemed like the perfect retirement community for Carl and Helen Pickman, who had always dreamed of running a cozy little bed and breakfast inn. But there is something about the town that doesn't seem quite right, something which is making Carl sick to his stomach... something which is changing his wife.

— Summary of "The Hobb's End Horror", In the Mouth of Madness

"Every small town has its secrets. Eli Weston is about to discover that some secrets are best left buried."

— Henry Rollins, Night Visions, "Harmony"

"You're gonna listen to that old bastard? We were good people! This town murdered my family — sacrificed them to the gods they dug up when they built this place! Oh, nobody knew what was under this house until it was too late!"

— Lassander Dagmar, We Are Still Here

Tom White: Has it occurred to you that nobody has told us what this centennial is all about? Now, this is 1965, and a hundred years ago it was 1865, right? So, what happened in 1865?
Terry Adams: It was the ending of the Civil War. The war between states!
Tom: Well, then, you tell me why a southern town would want northerners as guests of honor at the centennial. It must have something to do with what happened a hundred years ago. So, something is very wrong with this town.

— Two Thousand Maniacs!

"One thing about livin' in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires."

— Grandpa Emerson, The Lost Boys

Edgar Frog: We've been aware there's some very serious vampire activity in this town for some time.
Alan Frog: Santa Carla's become a haven for the undead.

— The Lost Boys

"Texarkana looked normal during the daylight hours. But everyone dreaded sundown..."

— Narrator, The Town That Dreaded Sundown

"From here, it's clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. I should have taken the train. I should be closer. I should see the enemy."

— Bruce Wayne, Batman: Year One

Every town has its secrets. Some are just darker than others.

—Silent Hill tagline

It's easy to misjudge that floating city
With its alluring decor and social psychology
But with all great things comes a great responsibility
That of Cloudsdale's being weather stability
How, you ask, are they up to the task?
To which the answer is in a simple facility

—WoodenToaster, Rainbow Factory

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