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Nightmare Fuel cleanup and maintenance

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It appears that many Nightmare Fuel pages have problems, including:

1. Listing non-scary things that made the viewer feel slightly uncomfortable at worst.

2. Having spoiler tags on them (which is against the page's guidelines).

3. Listing Fridge Horror and fan theories.

And much more!

On a few occasions, people from outside the site's community have pointed out our overly lax usage of Nightmare Fuel to make fun of us, meaning that it can legitimately harm our reputation to let this go unchecked.

The TRS thread meant for redefining Nightmare Fuel started to become a place for cleaning up Nightmare Fuel pages in general, so we may as well move these discussions to Long Term Projects where they belong.

Here are the guidelines to determine whether something is Nightmare Fuel or not.

    Nightmare Fuel rules 
  • This is a page whose name is intended to be taken more literally than most. It's not enough for material to be scary; to truly qualify, it has to be frightening enough to legitimately unnerve/disturb the viewer, with actually being nightmare-inducing as the ultimate endpoint.
    • Good signs that something IS Nightmare Fuel include if:
      • It left you feeling shaken even after the credits had rolled, you turned the last page, or are otherwise done with the work.
      • You have a hard time falling asleep if you think about it at night, or have a literal nightmare about it.
      • You dread that episode, scene, level, chapter, or song during re-watches, and consider skipping it.
    • With that said, don't add something just because it happens to be your personal phobia. For example, spiders can be scary and many people have arachnophobia, but just because a spider happens to be in the work, it does not make a Nightmare Fuel entry. It needs to reasonably be scary to someone without the phobia.
    • Don't confuse tension with fear. If the hero is in trouble, but you know he'll make it out okay at the end, it's probably not Nightmare Fuel unless the threat is especially disturbing.
  • Explain WHY the entry scared you. Try to convey your sense of fear to your readers. Avoid putting up Zero-Context Examples.
    • Remember that Weblinks Are Not Examples, and neither are quotes on their own. You should explain the horror in your own words, rather than rely on others to do so.
  • Don't add things that might have scared someone. If it didn't scare you, and you don't personally know anyone else who was scared, you shouldn't be adding it to Nightmare Fuel.
  • Nightmare Fuel should stick to you even after you're done with the work.
    • If something is initially presented as scary but turns out to be harmless, it's most likely not Nightmare Fuel since The Reveal makes the scariness vanish.
    • Jump Scares are a good source of Nightmare Fuel, but not all of them automatically qualify: being startled is not the same as being scared.
  • Hypotheticals are not Nightmare Fuel:
    • Remember that Trailers Always Lie: a scene that is presented as scary in the trailer could very well turn out to be inoffensive in the finished work. Only add examples from unreleased works if they were especially terrifying in the previews.
    • Fan theories do not belong on the Nightmare Fuel page under any circumstance. No matter how much evidence they have to support them, don't add them until they've been officially confirmed. In the meanwhile, take them to Wild Mass Guessing.
    • Fridge Horror goes on the Fridge page, not Nightmare Fuel. Don't add it unless it's Ascended Fridge Horror.
  • Keep in mind the work's intended audience when considering whether or not something is Nightmare Fuel.
    • If something is normal or expected in the genre, it does not automatically qualify. Violence in a Fighting Series or gore in a horror movie must be especially disturbing or gruesome by the work's standards to be Nightmare Fuel.
    • Remember that Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films. If a work is rated PG-13 or higher but would only be scary to young children, it's not Nightmare Fuel.
    • The standards on what qualifies as Nightmare Fuel are especially stringent on works aimed at children and pre-teens: kids have hyperactive imaginations, so even something benign can give them nightmares.
  • Spoiler tags do not belong on Nightmare Fuel pages. Much of what scares us comes from inherently spoilery stuff such as death and the unknown, so finding spoilers on these pages should be expected.
  • Nightmare Fuel is an Audience Reaction, so it needs to be scary for the audience. Describing how the characters react to something scary isn't needed. Just because something scares them, that doesn't mean it scares us as well.
  • Nightmare Fuel is a No Real Life Examples, Please! page. Meta-examples involving the actors, production, or behind-the-scenes incidents are not allowed.

Guidelines when proposing cleanup of a page:

  • Some rules are pretty objective. If you see a Zero-Context Example, Fridge Horror, Real Life example, speculation, In-Universe reaction that isn't scary to the viewers, examples that explicitly describe themselves as not being very scary (including "mildly creepy", "somewhat unnerving", and other synonymous phrases), or examples that are just scene summaries without going into detail about why it's so scary, you can (and should) remove them immediately without coming here to ask.
  • You should also strip all spoiler tags from the page. Itty Bitty Wiki Tools has a tool for that, but it can cause problems, so if you use it be sure to preview the page and thoroughly look it over.
  • Once you've fixed the objective issues with the page, bring it here so we can look at the more subjective problems, such as examples that may not be scary enough to qualify. If a consensus is reached that a certain entry does not qualify, it can be removed.

Edited by Zuxtron on Aug 1st 2020 at 9:40:30 AM

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#4901: Aug 20th 2022 at 4:24:25 PM

[up](x3) The first one is a valid example imo, though the last ones look like they should be cut.

EDIT: Fixing an error.

Edited by RandomTroper123 on Aug 21st 2022 at 6:35:54 AM

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#4902: Aug 21st 2022 at 11:31:22 AM

The nightmare fuel page of Ang Probinsyano (2015) need to be check on. Because there's a new example that have a video link to the scene where an antagonist rapes a female character in front of her partner. Also is the new image and caption for this page fine or should we need an IP discussion to change/remove it?

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#4903: Aug 21st 2022 at 11:31:56 AM

You can edit the link out of the example yourself, if you think it's not needed

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#4904: Aug 21st 2022 at 11:34:02 AM

[up] I could but I mean do we allow video links that shows context of it? Also the video link contains a rape scene. So is it NSFW or not?

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#4905: Aug 21st 2022 at 11:38:45 AM

Weblinks Are Not Examples. Either the example is sufficient without needing a link or the entire example is ZCE.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#4906: Aug 21st 2022 at 12:15:08 PM

If it's allowed to be uploaded to YouTube, then it's probably not beyond TV Tropes standards.

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#4907: Aug 21st 2022 at 12:15:33 PM

Ok I'll remove it but here's the examples that that had video links that I talked about.

  • The torture of some members of Task Force Agila under the orders of Renato. Not only are the punches and hits sound much more sickening and brutal, but some of them (especially Matero) can be heard screaming at the top of their lungs during the torture.
  • As if the torture of some of the Task Force Agila members wasn't enough, Lucio then takes both Roxanne and Victor to a room and he pushes Roxanne to a makeshift mattress. There, he unbuckles her pants (and his own) and rapes her while Victor is Forced to Watch all of it.

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
EtoileLurker Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
#4908: Aug 21st 2022 at 5:17:09 PM

NightmareFuel.PAW Patrol has only one example which is also posted under YMMV.PAW Patrol.

  • The "I Do, You Do" bracelets from Season 4's "Pups Save a Wild Ride": A video game accessory that gives someone complete control over another's body! Everest finds wearing them every bit as disturbing as you'd expect. Easily the creepiest toy to make it into a cartoon since Codename: Kids Next Door's Boyfriend Helmet. Having seeing the episode in question, Fridge Horror at best. Everest is only slightly uncomfortable with the bracelets not disturbed. Even when they got (mis)used later, it made the scene tense not scary.

Cut and delete. (I'm still too new of a member to do the former myself, tho.)

Edited by EtoileLurker on Aug 21st 2022 at 8:17:40 AM

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#4909: Aug 22nd 2022 at 6:11:51 AM

Head's up: NightmareFuel.Bjork had an entire section (including image) on Björk's suicidal stalker. I made a mod call to yank the entire thing for being meta, having multiple images, and just being in bad taste. Thread here.

themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#4910: Aug 22nd 2022 at 6:14:17 AM

[up] Noting here (in case it's needed info) that Logan Greger 2002 added the image and most of the section.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#4911: Aug 22nd 2022 at 8:29:42 AM

[up][up][up] I've seen the episode too, and I agree that it's not Nightmare Fuel material at all.

[up][up] Good call on getting rid of that stuff.

Edited by Zuxtron on Aug 22nd 2022 at 11:31:20 AM

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#4912: Aug 22nd 2022 at 9:55:39 AM

[up](x4) That doesn't sound like an example imo.

maxwellsilver Since: Sep, 2011
#4913: Sep 4th 2022 at 7:52:06 AM

NightmareFuel.Fun And Fancy Free seems like it can be cut. The entries are either scene summaries, exaggerating or just over-thinking things.

And what is with the obsession with red eyes?

    Fun and Fancy Free 
  • Lumpjaw the Bear, the villain of the "Bongo" segment, has his moments of threat and terror. His massive sharp teeth and claws are shown to easily tear through trees and boulders, and the close-ups of his roaring, red-eyed face can definitely elicit a fright out of viewers. This isn't Grizzly Man. Lumpjaw is still a goofy villain. Also a "could scare someone" entry.
  • The cow, especially when she realises Donald intends to kill her. Dear God, not a cow
  • Donald Duck's hunger-induced nervous breakdown in Mickey and the Beanstalk. Surrounded by death, no possible source of food beyond bread and beans being cut into its absolute thinnest to maintain resources, and absolutely no hope for the situation to get better. He freaks out and tries to eat his plate and silverware. Mickey and Goofy almost have to strangle him to get him to stop. Then he sees the cow they own and goes Ax-Crazy on it in an attempt to kill it. The scariest things about these scenes weren't Donald suddenly going mad or his murderous impulses, but the realism of said portrayal. Donald's insanity is the result of desperate starvation due to an extreme famine, and it's a common fact that desperation due to near-death situations usually brings out the most violent, ugliest sides of human nature. Scene summary
    • It is not helped by the fact that Donald gave two memorable terrifying faces in anticipation of using the axe to kill the cow and when he was starting to kill it. In the case of the latter scenario, Donald's irises become blood red and his sclera bright yellow as he goes into a hunger induced rage. In the case of the former, Donald gains thin, but noticeable ripple rings of alternating colors and his pupils shrinking in size to fit in the rings. This look combined with a Slasher Smile helps to create an iconic Donald Duck Sanity Slippage moment that that is Played for Drama instead of the usual comedic and over the top reaction. Scene summary
    • Even more unsettling is that it's not made readily apparent that Donald is going after the cow at first. First Donald notices the axe hanging on the wall, then he glances to his side and the camera then focuses on Mickey. After Donald sneaks away, Mickey is then shown reacting to Donald, screaming "Donald! No, no!", and the camera then turns to the place where the axe was hanging, now empty. Until Donald is shown approaching the cow in the next shot, the audience is being led to believe that Donald was going to kill and eat Mickey. Scene summary
    • Also, when Mickey reveals he sold the cow for magic beans, Donald's irises turn red once more as he angrily leaps up to the ceiling and starts pulling his feathers out in frustration. Scene summary
  • The unsettling sequence of the beanstalk creeping through the farmers' house at night as they sleep, accompanied by eerie music. It feels like watching some kind of home invasion. Seems like Surprise Creepy
  • The dragonfly and the fish that eats it. ZCE
  • Willie the Giant, though largely comedic, has his moments of being a genuine threat. When this happens, he drops his humor and cheerful attitude completely and becomes legitimately terrifying:
    • The sequence of Willie kidnapping the Harp is pretty unsettling to watch for very young viewers: First the giant's shadow covers the entire land then we see from behind the Harp how a pair of giant shadow hands approach the Harp as she helplessly watches in horror, the next shot the Harp is gone and her balcony is in ruins. This seems like a valid entry, along with the page image
    • During Willie's Villain Song "Fe Fi Fo Fum", he shows off his vast magical abilities, including the ability to "disappear into atmosphere". He turns completely invisible before a pair of hyper-realistic, disembodied eyes flash onscreen with a creepily playful "Peek-a-boo!", as if Willie is Breaking the Fourth Wall. ...And?
    • When he wakes from his sleep to spot Mickey's group making off with the harp, Willie's eyes flash red before giving chase, with Luana Patten giving a startling and sudden shout of fright as this occurs.
    • During the climax, Willie reminds the audience that he's a giant, more than capable of grinding Mickey and his friends to dust... if he can catch them. Well, he doesn't.

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4914: Sep 4th 2022 at 12:10:03 PM

[up] the Donald hunger scene and his attempt at killing the cow can be rewritten and put on YMMV as I have heard people cite that scene as NF before.

Edit: The scene in question for judging. Marked for kids so unfortunately no more comments but I remember a lot of them finding the scene really messed up.

Edited by AlmightyKingPrawn on Sep 4th 2022 at 3:15:20 PM

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
ChloeJessica Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: Awaiting my mail-order bride
#4915: Sep 4th 2022 at 12:41:57 PM

ive seen the scene and i think it's fair to say it'd be scary to its target audience.

maxwellsilver Since: Sep, 2011
#4916: Sep 5th 2022 at 7:24:38 AM

So cutlist the page and reword the harp theft and starving Donald entires?

Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#4917: Sep 7th 2022 at 10:20:32 PM

Stumpled upon Bumped and read through its YMMV page out of curiosity and found these NF examples

  • The "We Live To Deliver" Scholarship. Candidates have to give birth every year from their tenth to their eighteenth birthdays. The question being, who gets those girls pregnant?
  • Building on that: most ten-year-olds don't have the physical maturity or the bone structure to conceive or bear children. So...do they give them hormones, so their bodies mature faster? And how many girls have died or been made infertile by trying to get pregnant at ten?

I admit that I haven't read the work but these sound more like Fridge Horror examples IMO, so would it be reasonable to change them into Fridge Horror on the page?

CG for short
BlackFaithStar [Hiatus til March] from 🇲🇾 (UTC plus 8) (Less Newbie) Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
[Hiatus til March]
#4918: Sep 8th 2022 at 1:09:51 AM

Having read over what exists on the relevant pages and the examples as they are, I agree that you can probably just replace the words "Nightmare Fuel" with "Fridge Horror" on that YMMV page.

When you're alone I'm reaching out to let you know that you're far from strangers, like the savior
osgwic Since: Dec, 2021
#4919: Sep 11th 2022 at 4:13:49 PM

Came across NightmareFuel.Google, which has one entry (that's identical to the only entry on the Tear Jerker page) for this Earth Day Google Doodle. Now, climate change is obviously very scary, but I'm not sure this particular Doodle is enough to qualify as Nightmare Fuel, and, again, it's the only entry. Do we need this page?

Edited by osgwic on Sep 11th 2022 at 6:14:59 AM

GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#4920: Sep 11th 2022 at 5:08:09 PM

[up]I cut both pages because both Nightmare Fuel and Tear Jerker are NRLEP.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Sep 11th 2022 at 7:08:27 AM

I got a rock for Halloween.
AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4921: Sep 12th 2022 at 11:37:19 PM

NightmareFuel.Public Service Announcement has had issues as of late with stuff that may qualify, but is written in the worst grammar possible. As an example, here is the latest one. I believe more than one user is doing this.

  • The 1996 anti-hazing commercial know as Karne Ka Lang sa Hazing The PSA starts in a dark room and someone tossed a slab of meat into the table been pounded by 2x4 paddles as it keep repeating on hitting the meat with a sound of a fratmen yelling and a victim been screaming in pain as the last hit of the paddle been whacked a slab of meat then blood splashes on the wall.

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
CyberController Blitzy.... from Pride Ring Since: Nov, 2016 Relationship Status: I don't mind being locked in this eternal maze!
Blitzy....
#4922: Sep 12th 2022 at 11:39:31 PM

....yeah, I'd delete it.

I can barely try to comprehend that.

Just made a server on discord.Come join me.
KingofNightmares Since: Aug, 2016 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#4923: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:55:15 AM

[up][up] That certainly needs a rewrite. It also is basically a summary.

So, I came across a weird page.....Black Metal. There's an entire folder of "general" examples across the genre, the page image is broken, and there appear to be a number of real life examples listed.

"It was the best of times, it was the BLURST of times?"
ChillyBeanBAM Whaam! Whacka wow! (Apprentice)
Whaam! Whacka wow!
#4924: Sep 13th 2022 at 10:36:42 AM

This is on YMMV.Blues Clues

  • Nightmare Fuel:
    • A very minor one, but the ending for every episode when the "Blue's Clues" book closes after the credits can be slightly chilling to some, especially in some episodes like "A Snowy Day" or "What Does Blue Want to Make?", when it stays onscreen for several extra seconds. It can also depend on the type of ending theme used for certain episodes. The credits for "What's That Sound?" can count as well, due to the only audio playing being wind and chimes, giving it a sort of eerie feeling. The Nick Jr. Productions logo (or Nickelodeon if you're watching on home video) on a black background it would cut to didn't help.
    • In The Wrong Shirt, the picture frame shakes, warps, and inverts colours while making horrid gurgling sounds before one character of the day skidoos out of it. This would be a bit unnerving, what seals the deal is thats its strong enough to shake the room and warp reality, like elongating Sidetable Drawer until she can reach Steve's height and turning the outside world upside down. It all can make even older viewers let alone adults uneasy.
    • There is also the rooster crow (a stock sound effect from the General Series 6000 library, released in 1992) in "Morning Music" as the camera zooms in on the door, which Joe opens soon after.

I don't think roosters crowing are scary, but what about the others?

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#4925: Sep 13th 2022 at 10:38:06 AM

I think both of those could be scary for the target audience.

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