Now with a sandbox!
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.
- Good signs that something IS Nightmare Fuel include if:
- 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
WarJay77
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
from The Void
(Troper Knight)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
#2252: Feb 10th 2020 at 1:45:49 AM
Looking back I'd apparently considered it a valid example, or at least salvageable, without knowing much about the game itself; I wouldn't mind re-adding it, though re-reading the example it comes off as a bit too exaggerated and I personally don't know how accurate it is- so the example may need a rewrite.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
lalalei2001
Since: Oct, 2009
#2253: Feb 10th 2020 at 1:47:00 AM
Here's the minigame.
Piterpicher
Veteran Editor IV
from Poland, for real
(Series 2)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Veteran Editor IV
#2254: Feb 10th 2020 at 1:48:40 AM
And here is the guy's reaction and thoughts, for those interested (two minutes or so).
Should be re-added (maybe with a rewrite)?
Edited by Piterpicher on Feb 10th 2020 at 10:56:22 AM
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
ImperialMajestyXO
Since: Nov, 2015
#2255: Feb 10th 2020 at 8:04:45 AM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I'd say so.
AlleyOop
Since: Oct, 2010
#2256: Feb 12th 2020 at 2:45:51 AM
Went through Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XV:
FFXII
- The Espers here look either uncanny or more grotesque than previous' games summons. To note:
- The woman attached to Zalera was a shamaness that the esper fused to himself, and now literally manipulates—that scream during Condemnation isn't just for spooks. Keep.
- The animation for Zalera's super move, Prime Lv. Deathnote , replicates Zodiark's Darkja with the woman's skull coming at you. Keep.
- Cúchulainn already looks creepy, with his jiggling fat and reptilian grin, but his Blight move has him burst out a scorpion tail to strike the ground and poison the environment. The Bestiary says he looks so monstrous because he swallowed the world's corruption. Keep.
- Mateus bound an ice goddess to his torso to try and overthrow the Occuria, and he never let go. It's And I Must Scream which is genuinely awful, but Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Zodiark is a small, immature snakelike being so powerful, the Occuria intentionally halted his growth to prevent him from destroying everything. And in his Limit Break, Final Eclipse, he grows anyway. Fridge Horror. Also his Limit Break is more Visual Effects Of Awesome than Nightmare Fuel. Delete.
- Since the world is now free from the Occuria, Zodiark now sports a pair of huge angel wings like he did when he used Final Eclipse. That's right, folks, the all-powerful infant is growing into an Up To Eleven Eldritch Abomination. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The woman attached to Zalera was a shamaness that the esper fused to himself, and now literally manipulates—that scream during Condemnation isn't just for spooks. Keep.
- The Great Crystal (especially its upper levels) and the Pharos Subterra are basically Nightmare Fuel: The Dungeon. To elaborate:
- The Great Crystal is easily the game's most confusing dungeon. Your minimap is gone, your dungeon map just displays your character planchette over a drawing of the crystal's exterior, and the individual areas are disturbingly similar. All you can do to find your way around is memorize your tracks, make a map yourself, or translate the strange area names (which are actually in Sanskrit). If you get lost, you'll have to find a Save Crystal or just shut off the game, and running around for hours on end through shimmering clouds of Mist just trying to find a way out of this place can make any player feel claustrophobic...\\ More of a case for That One Level. Delete.
- Both dungeons will randomly Jump Scare you with undead enemy spawns right in front of you. Sometimes, they're rare game that are even tougher to kill, and in the Great Crystal, you'll get Evil Spirits that can summon even more undead. In the Subterra, this isn't as bad... unless you're in the center ring, where the enemies will never stop chasing you. The Mistmares will teleport after you, but the sloshing sounds of Abaddons chasing you is far more unnerving. Certainly unpleasant, but not Nightmare Fuel. Delete.
- Looking at the backstory makes many of the random monsters unsettling. Reading the bestiary is an exercise in stealth nightmare fuel — nearly every monster, summon, or bit of random Vendor Trash has some horrifying story attached to it. The specific ones mentioned are just some of the most gruesome. For example, all dark humanoid monsters like ghosts, skeletons, or headless were once men who, after dying, are put in some sort of half-living state where they are to suffer for nigh all eternity, with the slaughter of others being their only reprieve. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Behold the Necrophobe◊, an evil spirit so afraid of dying it murders the living by instinct: Text horror, and the design isn't particularly scary. Delete.
"Being a particularly accursed variety of ghost, that fearing death so greatly, wanders in denial of his own demise. So irrational is his fear, he is certain that all who cross his path mean him mortal harm, and so strikes first. It is recorded in the annals that once, when a score of these cruelly afflicted beings appeared in a village, they were halted by magickal panels facing each of the cardinal directions, this device barring all misfortune from entering the homes of the people who lived there. Safe though they were, the villagers were nonetheless besieged. Fearing starvation as much as the violence of their enemy, many contemplated suicide, but as the sun set on the third day, they peered through their windows to find that the ghosts had vanished, never to be seen again."
- Malboro Kings were once humans. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Nabudis, or what's left of it anyway. There is a reason why it's called The "Necrohol", and it's hard to imagine that anybody once lived there. The creepy music, along with the swirling mist and the fact that monsters can jump at you at any moment, really drives the point home. Not that scary, but it is a Bleak Level. Keep.
- For that matter, we get to see what exactly Nabudis experienced with the scenes of the destruction of the Archadian Eighth Fleet by way of a released Dawn Shard. Except for the main party, nobody who is aboard the fleet at the moment of destruction survive. Nay, there is no shipwreck either; the nethicite's power releases a flare that obliterates everything within its surroundings down to the molecular level. As Ondore puts it, the fleet is simply "lost". The scenes are awesome as well as nightmare personified. Nightmare Porn. Delete.
- The creepy, spidery way Fran's sister Mjrn limps and runs when possessed is certainly this. That was in no way normal. Mild Uncanny Valley. Delete.
- Vayne Novus. He falls RIGHT into Nightmare Face with his distorted features. Keep.
- Barheim Passage at first seems like just another crawl through tunnels, but then, spider-like monsters known as Battery Mimics begin consuming the electricity in the tunnels. If they manage to devour all the electricity, the lights are killed, and sensing the darkness, the undead emerge from dormancy to prey upon the party. More annoying than scary. Delete.
- If that wasn't enough, there are Mimics that disguise themselves as treasure, and players who blindly open treasure chests will find themselves ambushed by a creature whose first action is to suck the blood of its victim. Mild Jump Scare. Delete.
- Guess what happens when you run out of time to defeat both Demon Walls? They run you straight into the wall, complete with them giving you a sinister and scary look before doing so. Keep.
- You'd think the weaker (read: mandatory) wall would be less creepy than its optional counterpart. NOPE. It's harder to get a "crushed to death" game over on it because the battleground is longer and you can stop it temporarily (or speed it up if you're not good at picking out the braziers along the floor), but at least the stronger wall doesn't end its instant game over cutscene by focusing on the wall's face (complete with eyes flaring!) before abruptly cutting to black to give you the game over screen. GAH. The optional demon wall's scene ends with the player actually seeing it smash into the wall, not just end on an evil face shot. Keep.
- Fran going berserk while aboard the Shiva is both awesome and scary, particularly with how her fingers straighten to resemble claws and her showing a face of pure rage. Only scary in the HSQ sense, not the Nightmare Fuel sense. Delete.
- Whatever happened to Bergan after the manufacted nethicite contracted in his body almost makes Balthier vomit. Going by the latter's reaction, Bergan seemed to have been Stripped to the Bone. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Before Venat is introduced (and even after that for some), the scenes where Dr. Cid goes on full Mad Scientist mode by talking to himself and/or with thin air spooks even the likes of Gabranth.In-Universe horror. Delete.
- The Crystal Core of the Great Crystal, which you can see in plain view in the zone before you take the waystone to Shemhazai's palace. It's simply a huge crystal-clear ball that continuously emits passive Mist, illuminating the Great Crystal and possibly serving as its power source. The nightmare fuel comes not because of its appearance (which is harmless), but its potential as a truly massive Weapon of Mass Destruction; the party speculates that it's a deifacted nethicite, in the same vein as the Sun-Cryst. Now, we see throughout the game that just from small pieces of Sun-Cryst, a person can destroy a city (Midlight Shard) and an airship fleet (Dawn Shard). The Sun-Cryst itself is later shown to be able to cause an explosion so great that it can be heard from hundreds of miles away after Reddas destroys it. However, the Midlight and Dawn Shards are only the size of a palm, while the Sun-Cryst is slightly shorter than an adult human. The Crystal Core, meanwhile, is the size of an iceberg. Fran says some wise words in response to Ashe being a little too enticed on the prospect of using it:
Fran:: You could destroy all of Ivalice, if you wished it. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Since the Crystal Core is probably the only nethicite still in the domain of the Occuria, there's some implication that just as the Midlight, Dusk, and Dawn Shards are pieces carved from the Sun-Cryst, the Sun-Cryst is a piece carved from the Crystal Core. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Worst of all, rejecting the Occuria and freeing humanity didn't work out so well; by Final Fantasy Tactics, most races outside Humes are all but extinct, most airships and technology are rusted and outdated, and the Espers have gone rogue. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- or alternately the events that lead to Final Fantasy Tactics were caused by the Occuria trying to west back control. WMG. Delete.
FFXIII
- The entire nature of Cocoon is pretty nightmarish upon closer inspection. On the surface it appears as a continent-sized floating paradise where millions of humans live in leisure, heavy work and natural resources are handled by ancient mystical beings - known as the Fal'Cie - that built the place keep it running, and has a benevolent wise leader and a powerful military to ward off monsters. In truth, it's a sacrificial vessel maintained by the fal'Cie to use as their means of summoning their Maker back to the world by killing every human on it. The fal'Cie provided the humans a "paradise" with the intent to summon the mythical beast Ragnarok to destroy the fal'Cie that powers Cocoon, after which Cocoon's operational systems would fail and the floating continent would fall from the sky and crash into the land below. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Worse is no human, not one of the inhabitants of Cocoon or people from the land below, know this, and are brainwashed into ignorantly following the wishes of the Fal'Cie. As a precaution, the Fal'Cie also keep the humans under tight control to suppress any possibility of the people warring among each other to maintain their sacrifices and exaggerate the threat of the lower world of Pulse as a deterrent for anyone wishing to leave. The citizens are also clearly under totalitarian theocratic rule as they cannot elect their own government, the Fal'Cie fill Cocoon with frivolous pastimes for the humans to engage in, diverting their attentions from seeking the undercurrent truth behind Cocoon's existence. This fear of the lower world the Fal'Cie induced was too effective, which causes mass hysteria and violence whenever an intruder from Pulse reaches Cocoon, causing the Fal'Cie to allow a genocide of millions of citizens deemed a threat masqueraded as an exile, which the witless Cocoon residents simply allow out of fear. Those deemed a threat or affiliated with Pulse are even forced to wear "Purge clothing" (traceable restraint garments fitted with a metal device that binds their hands, controlled by a remote held by a nearby armed soldier), and are loaded onto "Purge trains," while those who try to resist or run were fired upon. A Nazi by Any Other Name anyone? Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Plus on the off chance someone does escape Cocoon and gets to Pulse, it's not nearly as pleasant there either. It's an untamed land filthy with giant predatory beasts ruled by the brutal struggle for survival of animals and monsters that eat whatever they can kill, and the uncaring whim of the fal'Cie that live there. As Vanille put it, in Pulse there is no such thing as mercy; only a never-ending string of trials that weed out the weak, and leave only the strong. Let's just say when the people of Cocoon were made to believe Gran Pulse is a living hell for humans, they weren't exactly wrong. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Jihl Nabaat. She apparently trapped Sazh's 6-year-old son in a crystal. AS A TEST. Also, the Fridge Horror that comes from the fact that she is wielding a riding crop while interrogating the heroes. She's basically Cocoon's resident Josef Mengele with a Sadist streak. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The conditions of being a l'Cie are terrifying as well. Essentially a fal'Cie brands you with a spiffy tattoo, makes you superhuman, and grants you magical powers? Great. On the condition that you fulfill a task called a Focus that they do not tell you about within a time frame dictated by the tattoo sporting an open eye and if you don't finish the task on time you get turned into a horrible Cie'th. Not so great. Worse is even if by some miracle you finish your Focus you get turned into a crystal statue and stay that way until the fal'Cie find another unknown Focus for you to finish or else it's Cie'th time. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Furthermore that spiffy tattoo is also linked closely to the individual's mental state, with severe psychological trauma sometimes spurring rapid advancement. In the most extreme cases, severe fear and shock at being made a l'Cie has turned newly made l'Cie to Cie'th at the instant of their branding. Basically once you go L'Cie you're on borrowed time and the end can come any you get too upset. Either that or one of your mystical monsters that you can summon comes and tries to kill you to either get you out of your funk or give you a mercy killing because that's still viewed as merciful compared to being a Cie'th. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Cie'th:
- More specifically, the first time you see them. A gang of twenty or so blind, twitching, gorilla-armed things that look like they got imported from a Silent Hill game are surrounding the most defenseless and innocent characters in the game. Their shrieks sound like a chainsaw on a baby animal. What's more, the Cie'th walking around on the maps seem to be attempting to strangle themselves. Keep.
- There's a type of Cie'th that is just an arm and part of a shoulder. It drags itself around the battlefield, making a horrifying noise. And it uses surprisingly powerful magic attacks... Keep.
- What happens when a fal'Cie creates a l'Cie, but doesn't give them a focus? They instantly turn to Cie'th. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- It took until Final Fantasy XIII-2 for us to get it confirmed, but now we finally have a description of what the existence of a Cie'th is like. As quoted from the fal'Cie who turned the poor girl into a monster: "You shall lose your five senses, be plunged into black flames, and wander the eternal darkness. Your words shall be a song of agony; your screams a curse of death. And thus shall you remain, until a merciful one destroys your soul and frees you from your torment." Yup, you read that right: The only way to fully free oneself of Cie'th-ification is to be made Deader than Dead, and that is considered merciful compared to staying a Cie'th. Now imagine having been turned into a Cie'th stone, which no one would probably ever even think of destroying due to it presenting no threat. Meta, Nightmare Porn, and Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Orphan, a living breathing malevolent example of Powered by a Forsaken Child that keeps Cocoon running and essentially wants to kill off mankind? Either to have its God come back to it or just to die. The fact that its "mother" slowly strokes its head as you fight it is creepy enough. After you defeat its first form, it apparently turns the entire party except Fang and Vanille into Cie'th and tortures Fang by painfully killing and then reviving her over and over again while a horrified Vanille is forced to watch. First part is Fridge Horror but latter half is a weak keep.'''
- Barthandelus in general. He is a technorganic...thing, and consists of a giant face flanked by four upside down smaller faces, with their mouths constantly working. And the way he moves is just not right. Keep.
- Not to mention he's the undisputed Fal'Cie master of Cocoon that's a nasty combination of Villain with Good Publicity and cult leader, who's brainwashed nearly all of Cocoon into committing genocide out of fear and literally keeps coming back to fight until Orphan can be born. He can also shapeshift to appear as your loved ones just to taunt you. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The scene where Barthandelus poses as Serah and runs over to Snow and hugs him feels incredibly creepy and uneasy. ZCE. Delete.
- The entire scene where Barthandelus melts into the pool and reemerges as Orphan. He's happy and laughing. Borderline, but too ZEC to keep.
- The introduction to chapter 11, where a chocobo is torn apart by coeurls. Seeing something that, for the better part of well over thirteen games, has always been more or less inviolate getting brutally murdered... It leaves an impression. I don't think it's that bad, but keep.
- Ragnarok. Despite saving the day in the end, it's still a horrifying and powerful Eldritch Abomination to look at and was specifically crafted by the Fal'Cie to destroy Cocoon and everyone on it and worse some of the main protagonists were fated to turn into it to do the job. The ones in question were Fang and Vanille, and Fang once turned into an incomplete Ragnarok form that was strong enough to leave a huge scar on Cocoon's shell before crystallizing, explaining why Cocoon looks like a cracked open egg shell (Keep in mind, Word of God is that Cocoon is about the size of the real world North America, so imagine how big a scar like that has to be!) First part seems keepworthy but lacking in context, and the seonc half is Fridge Horror. Comment out unless more detail is added.
FFXV
- The Magitek troops from Duscae. There's something unsettling about their red eyes and perpetually smiling faces. And then there's the mechanical scream they emit when they perform their Suicide Attack... Keep.
- From the "Dawn" trailer and its sequel, "Dawn 2.0": Luna as a child being chased through a dark house during a storm and attacked by a soldier. Keep.
- Even worse when you realise that this soldier is Caligo and all the plot about it has been deleted because it was judged too creepy by the development team. Playing episode Ignis after knowing that is sure unsettling. Fridge Horror. Delete/meld with above.
- Imagine wandering off a sunlit path and into a bog. About halfway through, you spot what appears to be a strange plant in the water and decide to take a closer look — while your friends suddenly start shouting for you to get away from it. Except it's already too late. A Malboro breaks the surface and proceeds to kill all of you in horrific fashion. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Malboros aren't daemons. That means that those things evolved naturally on Eos, are a normal part of its ecology, and will still be around after the cleansing of the Starscourge. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- This video involving a tiny Malboro. Ties in with Kingsglaive. That's not scary, that's cute/entertaining. Delete.
- The incident that rendered Noctis unconscious in the Platinum Demo. Going by Regis's horrified scream, it could not have been anything good... Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV gives the answer: Noct was attacked by a Marilith. When Regis arrived on the scene, Noct was lying in a pool of blood underneath a bodyguard. The attack nearly killed Noct, according to Ignis. Weak. Delete.
- This line from Carbuncle during the battle with the Iron Giant: Fridge Horror. Delete.
"Someone doesn't want you to wake up..." - The In Medias Res opening of Final Fantasy XV shows an older-looking, weary, and exhausted Noctis who almost seems like he's dazed and weathered by everything he's been through, not helped by the fact that shortly thereafter he gets hit head-on with a large burst of flame. Considering the rest of the party looks like their normal selves, it's implied that the rapid aging that had happened to his father due to being a Barrier Maiden is going to happen to Noctis, too — and the gameplay trailers imply we'll get to see this ourselves over the course of the game. Fridge Horror and WMG. Delete.
- The blow is lessened somewhat knowing that this scene takes place ten years into the future, with everyone more or less changed slightly, but the point about Noct could still hold weight. See above. Delete.
- The "Death" Spell is revamped from a random dice roll spell, to a gradually draining attack that slowly emaciates your target until they die. Their limbs gradually shrink into that of stick people until they simply cease to exist. It's a disturbing, if also kind of funny sight to see something like an Iron Giant or a Bandersnatch be drained of life force and just go poof. Admits it's more funny than scary. Delete.
- Then there is the Alterna spell, which create a giant crystal that sucks the enemies like a black hole before exploding, leaving nothing behind Like the death spell the surroundings are getting darker while the spell is used. Again, pretty mild. Delete.
- The Naga. If its design wasn't horrifying enough, you encounter it while exploring a dark cave, where it drops down from above, without any warning whatsoever. It then asks you in a pants-wettingly scary voice if you know where its children are. If you say no, it then screams out that it's going to make you its children; if you say yes, it accuses you of abducting its children. Keep.
- The Omen trailer. Remember how one of the original selling points of the game was a prospective conflict between Noctis and his Love Interest, and how some fans complained when that element seemed lost in the XV rebranding? Square finally brought it back, and it's so much worse. Luna desperately trying to get through to a crazed Noctis as he overpowers her defenses is unsettling enough; watching her back away in terror before he impales her with her own trident is horrifying. The voiceover from their younger selves as this happens doesn't help. Not actually that scary IMO. Delete.
Noctis: "I won't let you down!"Luna: "I know you won't."
- It gets worse. It's heavily implied that Regis is in contact with a malevolent entity that wants someone (seemingly Luna) dead, and it'll take over Noctis to do the deed if it has to. And even worse if you see the entire trailer as a prophetic dream of Regis', seeing the downfall of Noctis, Luna and the world. Fridge Horror and WMG. Delete.
- The trailer scenes depicting Noctis' gradual degradation of strength. What seems like peaceful, thoughtful cruising at first turns into a car wreck before he follows a mysterious dog, and then he's fighting swarms of Imperial Soldiers (and even a Behemoth, complete with splattering its blood onto a wall). All the while, his True Companions are nowhere to be seen, and eventually his magic even fades away entirely, forcing him to fight a small army with his bare hands and firearms. By the end, something possesses Noctis to murder Luna as mentioned above, and he's surrounded by a hellish landscape and beasts frothing fire at the mouth that watches him do the deed. To say the anguish in his cry hurts is an understatement. I didn't f find it that scary, but the intent was to be disturbing. Keep.
- The ambiance in most of the dungeons is much creepier, with daemons jumping on you frequently. Chapter 13 takes it up to eleven and shifts suddenly into horror, having you explore a daemon-filled fortress, alone and unarmed for the most part, and throwing jumpscares at you at a sustained pace. Keep.
- Almost everything surrounding Ardyn.
- Him telling Noctis the most horrifying, murderous, and monstrous things with a smile and a very friendly and casual tone. Creepy, not scary. Delete.
- The way he keeps screwing with Noctis' mind, making him attack his friends, and just appear out of nowhere in general. Fridge Horror and see above. Delete.
- His backstory as a healer who got corrupted due to taking in the essence of the Starscourge, to give you an idea of just how he became so sick, twisted and corrupted.
- Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto tearing into him and seemingly killing him... only for him to stand up, smile, salute the three, and walk off like nothing happened. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Him smiling as he stabs Luna to death. Too mild. Delete.
- The anime prologue to Episode Ardyn makes this moment worse because he's doing the same thing to Noct (killing Noct's beloved while he watches helplessly) that his own brother did to him two millenia ago. And in the prologue, the trauma of Aera dying in Ardyn's arms is what makes him give in to the Starscourge in the end. Ardyn hates Noct so much that he's perfectly happy to inflict the same pain that was dealt to him. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- While Bahamut tells his backstory, Ardyn◊ turns around and you can see his face turned into something pale and inhuman with unnatural eyes. Keep.
- The decorations he's set up in the throne room to taunt Noctis when finally arrives, namely, the illusory corpses of Regis, Luna, Nyx, and Aldercapt hung from the ceiling by chains in degrading ways. To make matters worse, Regis and Aldercapt both have black daemon blood trailing down their faces from their eyes. Keep.
- The fact that he can make himself and other people change appearances, as he used it to trick Noctis into attacking Prompto and Ravus into thinking he's giving Regis's sword to Noctis before killing him.
- Poor, poor Ravus. He gets killed and brought back as an abomination begging to be killed by the party.
- The abomination in question isn't just a particularly ugly daemon. It looks like it belongs in a survival horror game — its eyes and mouth are filled with black daemon blood that leaks down its face, the left side of its body is covered in skinless daemon flesh, and a visible heartbeat pulsates through its chest and a few exposed veins. Keep and combine with the above.
- Noctis putting on the Ring of the Lucii. The entire thing is akin to him cutting out his liver, from his uncontrollable trembling whenever he attempts to put it on to his scream of agony when he finally goes through with it. Using the Alterna spell shows part of his arm is being consumed by magic. Fridge Horror and unpleasant but not scary. Delete.
- A variety of events in the final portions of the game.
- As the story progresses after Luna's murder by Ardyn, it's revealed that daylight is beginning to disappear. By the time the party gets to Glacea, the whole sky is in a dusky hue, foreshadowing what's to come. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- It gets worse from there: After a Time Skip, the ten years of perpetual darkness have not been kind to Eos: most of the world and its settlements are lost to daemons, with only Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto, Cindy, Talcott, Iris, and presumably Aranea and Cor to lead the Hunters in humanity's survival from the service station-turned-outpost, Hammerhead, and the lone surviving city, Lestallum, which is only safe because of its power plant. If said power ever goes out, humanity is completely screwed. Needless to say, the final portion of the game is easily one of the more disquieting scenes from the series. Noctis is even more helpless here then when Ardyn stripped him off his gears until Talcott picks him up due to the sheer number of monsters swarming the world. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The reveal that daemons are created by already existing daemons turning some of their victims into daemons themselves. We see this happen with a few characters, such as Ravus and the Emperor, and none of it is pleasant to behold. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- It's creepy enough wandering around the abandoned laboratory of Niflheim and seeing all the discarded clothes of the people who worked there that were turned into daemons, but it gets much worse come Chapter 14. You see the same effect in Galdin Quay, with all the clothes of countless innocent people lying around the once peaceful resort that is now overrun with daemons. And the most heartbreaking/shocking thing about this? You can find Dino and Coctura's clothes lying in their familiar spots. The two of them were rather sweet NPCs who wanted to help Noctis as well as everyone in need. Coctura can create a dish that Noctis and Ignis have pursued for a long time for Noctis and Luna's wedding. Dino was trying to start a business that would protect people from daemons. And then you discover that they've been unceremoniously turned into daemons. You might even have killed them yourself. Definitely unsettling and dark, but Fridge Horror, and see below. Delete.
- Lessened drastically once you play Comrades and find out Dino and Coctura are alive and well and helping out the hunters.
- It's creepy enough wandering around the abandoned laboratory of Niflheim and seeing all the discarded clothes of the people who worked there that were turned into daemons, but it gets much worse come Chapter 14. You see the same effect in Galdin Quay, with all the clothes of countless innocent people lying around the once peaceful resort that is now overrun with daemons. And the most heartbreaking/shocking thing about this? You can find Dino and Coctura's clothes lying in their familiar spots. The two of them were rather sweet NPCs who wanted to help Noctis as well as everyone in need. Coctura can create a dish that Noctis and Ignis have pursued for a long time for Noctis and Luna's wedding. Dino was trying to start a business that would protect people from daemons. And then you discover that they've been unceremoniously turned into daemons. You might even have killed them yourself. Definitely unsettling and dark, but Fridge Horror, and see below. Delete.
- Daemons in general are this, incarnate. Unlike wild animals, who are either usually just hanging around minding their own business, or you can usually get some warning before they spring an attack, these creatures literally just appear out of nowhere. Perhaps more terrifying is the fact that, unlike other enemies, there is no limit to how many may appear, or a range for "aggro". Every second you are outside at night, a daemon can appear and attack, and they will spontaneously spawn even while you're already fighting daemons. It is possible to be caught in an extended battle that can involve half a dozen reapers and four iron giants spawning within a five minute time-frame. And then a red giant can spawn within two minutes of having defeated the last one. There's a reason why NO ONE goes out at night, in-universe. Gameplay mechanics and Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Not to mention, it's dark in some places. But not the 'blue filter but you can still see everything' sort of dark. 'Dark' as in, if you're not near light, you can see maybe 10 feet in front of you with your flashlight and that's it. And a Daemon can easily materialize offscreen behind you, and all you might hear at first is the telltale sound. Not much better when it happens right in your path - bluish goop and then MASSIVE IRON GIANT RIGHT IN YOUR FACE. And, yes, Imperial MTs can still drop on top of you mid-battle depending on where you are, and those guys are unsettling at best during the daytime. Gameplay mechanics. Delete.
- The Pitioss Dungeon that you can unlock after beating the game, is pretty guaranteed to creep the ever-loving hell out of you. Why? Because the absolute lack of any sort of life in the labyrinth. There aren't even any Daemons, which're supposed to thrive in the darkness. Instead, it's a bloody marathon of puzzles involving perilous pathways of thin balancing struts, constantly moving architecture, and eternally red-hot spike panels galore, with random demonic-looking statues to scare the hell out of you once you shine your flashlight on them. Not that scary IMO, but keep.
- The Dungeon also shows that the devs made the Demon Wall's return come twofold. Along with the actual enemy you can encounter on a hunt or more likely the darkness-ridden world in the ending, the Pitioss pits you against one as an actual environmental hazard. Specifically, a gigantic freaking wall of rotating red-hot spikes, with a massive skull in the center, closing in and out on you. The worst part? This is only the midway point... Keep.
- When you rescue Prompto in chapter 13, he's covered in bruises and has a scar on his temple. It can only make you wonder what he's been going through during his captivity. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- Chapter 13 Verse 2 shows the full context of Ravus' death. Just as he encounters Noctis after asserting his turning against Niflheim and is presenting Regis' sword, "Noctis" kills Ravus on the spot. He then speaks in an all too familiar tone as "Noct" reveals himself to be Ardyn. Props especially go to the English version with Ray Chase able to perfectly capture Darin De Paul's accent for the scene, creating a chilling dissonance as you hear the tone of one character in the voice of another. Creepy, not scary. Delete.
- Episode Prompto has finally shown what happened to Prompto after being thrown off the train. None of the following aside from the Verstael entries is scary. Delete.
- The opening scene where Prompto, all alone and likely freezing to death, tries to walk through a blizzard before collapsing.
- The scene where Prompto gets attacked by Noctis was finally shown in his perspective, then switching to first person view as he falls off the train.
- Ardyn appearing behind Prompto with no warning. Prompto tries to summon his gun with no avail, then having to back away in fear as Ardyn walks closer to him.
- The Prompto clones.
- Verstael becoming a daemon and grabbing onto Prompto as he slowly mutates, forcing him to shoot him in retaliation.
- You get a very scary zoom on Vestael face followed by a game over if you don't shoot him.
- Prompto's nightmare of Noctis attacking him - with Prompto himself as an MT, what he fears is all he actually is - followed by having to flee from him and having no way of attacking back.
- With the Beta release of the FFXV: Comrades multiplayer expansion, a quick look at the various details is enough to tell you that it takes place during the beginning of the 10-year disappearance of Noctis, as the sun's light is steadily fading away. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The secret final boss fight in Episode Ignis. Ignis finds the Crystal and looks upon it with awe. Cue this suddenly playing as the camera pans around to reveal none other than Ardyn, conveniently tipping his fedora towards it. Then he lifts it up, and you get an up-close-and-personal look at his true daemonic form as he gives Ignis, and the player by extension, a Slasher Smile for the ages. His face then proceeds to eerily fade back into its more human form, further emphasizing that his appearance is nothing more than an illusion. Keep.
- The fight itself becomes more terrifying once Ignis puts on the Ring of the Lucii, which only allows the use of its power for a limited time before requiring you to either sacrifice your life or surrender. And should you fail to defeat Ardyn within that time limit, you die. Game Over. In the meantime, you get to look forward to Ignis being burned alive from the inside out, all with guttural screams and clear degradation of his skin and muscles. Certainly not pleasant, but not scary aside from Fridge Horror. Delete.
- The bad ending, should you choose to give up. As Ignis lays dying, Ardyn taunts him about how he is ultimately powerless to avert Noctis's destiny and that he will savor every moment of seeing events pan out as they do in the main game, except now Noctis gets to be dealt the trauma of losing one of his best friends. Ardyn is overjoyed while describing the scenario, and he leaves Ignis to die while laughing to himself. Depressing, not scary. Delete.
- According to the Ultimania, this is totally intentional too. Ardyn planned to torture Ignis to death one way or another because he felt Noctis wasn't stepping up fast enough. See above. Delete.
- The ending of Episode Ardyn. After being told by Bahamut that his fate is to be killed by Noctis for the Starscourge to truly end, Ardyn decides (or is forced to, depending on player choice) to go along with what fate has decreed for him...only for him to give this chilling speech: Depressing, not scary. Delete.
Ardyn: Nothing matters- none of it. Not the blessed gods above or the accursed kings below...to hell with them all! All that matters is I have my revenge. I will spread this scourge across the earth, lure out this "King of Light", and kill him. Then, the entire world of Eos will be drenched in the darkness of despair for time eternal.
- And while he's giving this speech in voice-over, Ardyn is slowly advancing towards apparitions of Aera and Somnus. And when he reaches them, he gives a horrifying Slasher Smile and stabs them to death, before covering the world in darkness while letting out the mother of all Evil Laughs. Nightmare Porn, but debatable keep.
- Lets not overlook the fact that the entire episode is basically focused around genocide, revenge and destruction - and you're playing the root cause of it. Human deaths in this game are fairly tame, off-screen or filtered in some way, and this even carries over to how the Insomnia forces normally just get knocked to a knee and disappear. But Ardyn can outright daemonify people, causing them to scream in agony, gurgle in their demise, writhe on the ground, and even start snarling like monsters. You're not some edgy guy killing bad people or anything, either - you're the Big Bad mass murdering innocent guards that are the heroes in every other part of the story, and the game doesn't even attempt to shy away from this. Fridge Horror. Delete.
- And the worst part (from the POV of your victims)? You are completely unstoppable. You cut through the guards like a hot blade through butter while Ifrit (serving as your corrupted summon) burns innocent civilians to death, you destroy the magical reinforcements of the barrier in no time (giving the Niflheim forces the chance to invade Insomnia), Regis cannot stand against you and not even Somnus can put a stop to your rampant destruction. If Bahamut had not directly intervened at the last second, Ardyn would have skewered Regis on the spot and won.Fridge Horror. Delete.
- What happens if Ardyn's HP gets to zero. Instead of staying dead, Ardyn rises and his body jerks violently as the Starscourge takes over. In this state, his movement speed is reduced but he makes up for it by dealing out lethal amounts of damage. And instead of taunting his enemies as he lands hits, Ardyn alternates between snarling ferociously, screaming threats and laughing in a deranged manner. Not that scary, plus Nightmare Porn. Delete.
- Of course, Bahamut telling Ardyn his fate is a whole different kind of Nightmare Fuel. From the Prologue we know that Ardyn really was the kind and benevolent healer he claimed to be, and that his brother really did betray him, with Somnus murdering Aera as tipping point in Ardyn's transformation into the Starscourge's embodiment. The ending of this DLC has Bahamut telling Ardyn that unlike what he (and the player) believed, he wasn't usurped and pushed from his throne, he was always supposed to become the Immortal Accursed, while it has always been Noctis fate to sacrifice himself two thousand years late in order to finally destroy the Starscourge. He then presents Ardyn with the choice to submit or defy that fate, but as it turns out, there is nothing you can do about it. Ardyn can either (reluctantly) accept his fate, as it means the end of the line of Lucis, only to then break entirely as he screams into the void surrounding him whether Aera or Somnus were aware of this; or snarl at Bahamut that as he is no longer mortal, he isn't bound to Bahamut's proclamations of fate, only to be effortlessly restrained by dozens of swords, and then be repeatedly stabbed by what is implied to be an illusion of Aera, who delivers him a chilling dressing down. We then cut to the above mentioned scene, where Ardyn swears he will defy his fate either way, kill Noctis and destroy the world, all to spite the Gods, but whether he submits or defies his fate, this either means he is now completely, irrevocably broken; or that even if he refuses to do so, he still ends up doing exactly as he was told, remaining a tool of the gods until the bitter end. Fridge Horror. Delete.
Somewhat conflicted with a lot of the XV entries. Personally I find a lot of them to be on the Nightmare Porn side, but I'm not that easily shaken by such things, and the entries are otherwise well-written and seem to justify themselves for what they are if the authors were indeed scared by them. It probably helps that many of these entries were likely added after NF was revamped.
Edited by AlleyOop on Feb 20th 2020 at 2:30:03 PM
lalalei2001
Since: Oct, 2009
#2257: Feb 13th 2020 at 1:19:37 AM
NightmareFuel.Sonic The Hedgehog IDW could use a once-over since a lot of it is issue-by-issue and scene-by-scene.
If nothing else "* In Issue 25, Starline attempts to keep the Zeti in control with the Conch...only for Zavok to snatch it out of his hands. Starline is immediately confused, why didn't it work?! Eggman explains that the Conch only works if he has the lung capacity." can go.
Edited by lalalei2001 on Feb 13th 2020 at 1:20:23 AM
The Protomen enhanced my life.
ravioliluigi
Since: Jul, 2018
#2258: Feb 15th 2020 at 3:34:01 PM
I disagree with Wiggler, but let's get a few votes in then whether in favor or not of adding before we decide yeah?
Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel
#2259: Feb 15th 2020 at 3:55:34 PM
Nightmare Fuel is subjective, and a very strong case has been made in favor of it being a valid example, as multiple people have mentioned finding it legitimately terrifying.
Edited by Zuxtron on Feb 15th 2020 at 6:58:06 AM
ravioliluigi
Since: Jul, 2018
#2260: Feb 15th 2020 at 4:32:12 PM
Fair enough, I'll hold my tongue and anyone can add the example any way they feel then ![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
Hi
#2261: Feb 16th 2020 at 10:08:54 AM
So the image of Wiggler that used to be on that page can be restored?
WarJay77
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
from The Void
(Troper Knight)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
#2262: Feb 16th 2020 at 2:45:38 PM
Technically, but a lot of people on the IP thread don't find it scary enough of an image.
ravioliluigi
Since: Jul, 2018
#2263: Feb 16th 2020 at 2:49:37 PM
I'll remain neutral and let yall decide on that one
lalalei2001
Since: Oct, 2009
#2264: Feb 20th 2020 at 10:08:16 AM
I think the current NF Mario Party image is good and the Wiggler minigame should be put back.
The Protomen enhanced my life.
Brainulator9
Short-Term Projects herald
from US
Since: Aug, 2018
Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#2265: Feb 20th 2020 at 10:26:16 AM
NightmareFuel.The Adventures Of Kid Danger is a single example with possibly insufficient context.
Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
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
#2266: Feb 20th 2020 at 10:27:26 AM
cut
#2267: Feb 20th 2020 at 5:29:06 PM
On NightmareFuel.Destiny 2, ~Cor Leonis added the following:
- After reset on February 18, players were treated to another out-of-the-blue cutscene, featuring Osiris and Rasputin. Osiris has his rifle drawn and calls the Warmind out on something he saw in the Infinite Forest, something Rasputin knows Osiris has seen. He ends with an ultimatum, and the door closes behind him as Rasputin begins to speak...
I immediately deleted the entry on grounds of scene summary. One day later, CorLeonis re-added the entry as the following:
- Osiris has spent subjective decades inside the Infinite Forest, exploring uncountable timelines, witnessing more Bad Futures than any sane man could handle...and now he's found something that not only made him leave the Forest, but walk right up to Rasputin, rifle in hand, and ask the last Warmind what side he's on. What the hell did Osiris see?
Question: does this qualify as Nightmare Fuel, or it's simply O.O.C. Is Serious Business coupled with With Us or Against Us? The cutscene is simply Osiris angrily storming into Rasputin's bunker, claiming the A.I. knows about what Osiris has seen in the simulations on Mercury. Osiris then asks whose side Rasputin is on, before the doors close.
"They played us like a DAMN FIDDLE!" — Kazuhira Miller, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
WarJay77
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
from The Void
(Troper Knight)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
#2268: Feb 20th 2020 at 6:08:42 PM
The way you describe it makes it sound like Fridge, but not knowing the work...
ravioliluigi
Since: Jul, 2018
#2269: Feb 20th 2020 at 11:03:51 PM
We're gonna need someone familiar with it then
And I vote no on Wiggler. ![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]"){kind=small}
But anyone else is free to vote yay on it.
AlleyOop
Since: Oct, 2010
#2270: Feb 20th 2020 at 11:14:26 PM
For the Wiggler, no to the picture, yes to the entry even if I think it's pretty weak as people admitted to being scared by it.
By the way does anyone have thoughts on my previous entry?
WarJay77
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
from The Void
(Troper Knight)
Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
#2271: Feb 20th 2020 at 11:16:23 PM
I unfortunately can't comment because I don't know anything about Final Fantasy.
#2272: Feb 21st 2020 at 8:07:09 PM
The cutscene in question is here:
Like I said, the reworded entry still doesn't look like Nightmare Fuel to me because it only hinges on what Osiris has apparently witnessed in the simulations and prompted him to angrily storm Rasputin's bunker to question the latter's allegiance.
I was planning on slowly cleaning up the page, but this entry spurs me into accelerating things.
"They played us like a DAMN FIDDLE!" — Kazuhira Miller, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
fragglelover
Since: Jun, 2012
#2273: Feb 23rd 2020 at 11:03:56 AM
These are on the The Chipmunk Adventure :
- The Chipettes returning the baby penguin to his parents. In belly dancer outfits. In real life they would have frozen to death.
- Ms. Miller. While Alvin tried to trick her into letting the boys go to Europe with Dave, Theodore accidentally messes up the recording. She lets the boys go anyway, but Dave later calls Ms. Miller and asks if the boys are behaving. Clearly, Ms. Miller has gone senile, since she let the boys leave but still thinks they are at home. Dave is understandably confused and Ms. Miller thinks Dave is “losing his marbles”. Adult Fear sets in when you realize that the person responsible for your children has no clue where they are. We know she means well, but what if the boys had been killed?
- In real life, the kids, Klaus, and Claudia would likely be severely injured in the luggage vent. Sometimes it’s best NOT to listen to Alvin.
These really seem more like Fridge Horror at best...
supernintendo128
Weeaboo extraordinare
from My desk
Since: Feb, 2013
Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
Weeaboo extraordinare
#2274: Feb 23rd 2020 at 2:14:57 PM
The examples are just attempting to apply real world logic to a cartoon. Cut.
Brainulator9
Short-Term Projects herald
from US
Since: Aug, 2018
Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#2275: Feb 23rd 2020 at 2:18:46 PM
The page as a whole doesn't look very good.
Total posts: 5,760
Wiggler was there last time I checked, and the proposal to remove it was about 6 months ago. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15046601260A53602600&page=58#comment-1449
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/article_history.php?article=NightmareFuel.MarioParty#edit25173435
On viewing the minigame I knew it was coming and I was still scared when it woke.
The Protomen enhanced my life.