Nightmare Face: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

The human face is supremely important on a social and biological level. Most of our non-verbal communication comes from reading subtle facial movements, and its importance in our cognitive thinking is best shown in our tendency to see faces in inanimate objects (think of how many times you've looked at a rock face and thought you'd seen two eyes and a mouth). So there's something genuinely disturbing to most people about seeing a face visibly distorted, mutated, or rearranged ... so, naturally, this type of [[Body Horror]] is one of the most common [[Horror Tropes]].

 

Interesting tidbit: this is one theory as to why so many people are [[Monster Clown|afraid of clowns]]. Exaggerated mouths, bulbous noses, and pin-prick eyes are downright terrifying to young children who haven't yet figured out that the person is wearing make-up and not ''deformed.''

 

* ''[[Bakemonogatari]]'': Kanbaru makes a few during her fight with Koyomi.

* In ''[[Parasyte]]'', many of the mutants suffer from this trope. This is primarily due to the fact that the titular Parasytes are shapeshifting creatures that take over a host body by invading, absorbing, and replacing the head, then change the head into whatever form is necessary for combat and/or consuming its victims.

* ''[[D.Gray-man]]'' is very, very good at this. Half the Akuma qualify, and even they have nothing on [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/d_gray_man/c134/12.html the Millennium Earl]. As he would probably say: [[Say It with Hearts|<3]]

** Don't forget Tyki and Road. They have some pretty damn terrifying faces too.

* ''[[Hellsing]]'' has a lot of characters with these. Like Alucard himself.

* Anyone going crazy in ''[[Soul Eater]]''. It's a combination of [[Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises]], a [[Slasher Smile]], and extreme violence in large quantities.

** How about [http://www.mangareader.net/bleach/493/6 this] then.

* As mentioned above, [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|the MP-EVAs]], which are basically [[Humongous Mecha]] straight out of the [[Uncanny Valley]] and [[Slasher Smile|grinning like madmen]]. Some of Asuka and Shinji's [[Freak-Out]] faces may also count, and the (thankfully brief) shot of Asuka as a maggot-filled corpse in a particularly [[Mind Screw]]-y sequence in [[The End of Evangelion]] ''definitely'' does.

* If [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fuan_no_tane/ Fuan no Tane] is compared to a car, Nightmare Face is the High Octane [[A Worldwide Punomenon|Nightmare Fuel]] that powers it. The stories are subtley written, almost never exaggerated but includes ridiculous amounts of people/demons/poltergeists having faces that should not exist in any case. These range from three blacks holes for eyes and mouth, diluted sclera and contracted pupils at the same time, faces made of shadow, completely agape mouths with unhinged jaws, face with only skin, and faces completely distorted like that of Rorscach from [[Watchmen]]. Special mention goes to the baby who was so ugly, they put a bag on it's face, leaving a hole for it to breathe. Too bad it's [[Slasher Smile|permanent smile]] covers two-thirds of it's face while it consistently begs for someone to talk to.

* ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'': Saionji's face whenever he gets pissed. As well as the blank face or [[Scary Shiny Glasses]] that Anthy sometimes has. Also, in episode 38 when Akio tries to make Utena his princess Anthy responds with another scary blank face and her eyes roll back in her head as she disappears.

 

== Comic Books ==

* [http://imgur.com/SrNSD.jpg Two-Face], obviously. Well, half of him. Varies from artist to artist, with Tim Sale's rendering (pictured) being particularly gruesome.

* [[The Joker]], naturally. [[Frozen Face]] with a [[Slasher Smile]]? Check. Permanent [[Uncanny Valley Makeup]]? Check. Looks like a [[Monster Clown]] from your worst nightmares? [[Precision F-Strike|Fucking]] ''check''.

 

== Films -- Animated ==

* The face Fidget from ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' makes when he [http://images4.fanpop.com/image/polls/590000/590681_1291376651365_full.jpg breaks through the window].

* The face Joanna makes from ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' when she [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuRohMj2f-s sticks her head out at Cody in the hole].

** Also Jack's expressions and movements when he sings, "...and they call him Sandy Claaaawwwwwzzzzz!!!!!"

* The closeups of the goblin faces from ''[[The Hobbit (animation)|The Hobbit]]'' when we get our first look at them, especially the last one.

* Lumpjaw also does this when he first meets Bongo in ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]''.

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] during this scene by the narrator: "This is no dream, this is a nightmare!"

* ''[[The Sword in the Stone]]'': When Mad Madame Mim turns into a warthog.

* The Matchmaker's face just right after [[Mulan]] accidentally sets her dress on fire.

* The song "Pink Elephants on Parade" from ''[[Dumbo]]'' has a giant [[Combining Mecha]] of a monster that's made entirely out of pink elephant heads!

* ''[[Pinocchio]]'': That [[Slasher Smile|face]] [[Complete Monster|the Coachman]] makes at the end of the line "They never come back [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0AKCkxdO00 as...BOYS!"]

* [[Big Bad|Jafar]] briefly gains one of these at the end of ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' as he is gradually [[One-Winged Angel|turning into]] [[Scaled Up|a snake.]]

* The first appearance of [[Everything's Even Worse with Sharks|Bruce]] in ''[[Finding Nemo]]''.

* The face [[Big Bad|Maleficent]] makes during the first shot of her as [[One-Winged Angel|a]] [[Scaled Up|dragon]] at the end of ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]''.

* ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'': Whenever the Beast gets pissed.

** Also, the Stove in the climax when he scares off the villagers.

* The face [[Pete]]-as-the-Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come makes in ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' when he tells Scrooge [[McDuck]]-as-Ebenezer Scrooge, "Why yours, of course... ...the richest man in THE CEMETARY!!!"

* The [[Monster Clown]] sequence from ''[[The Brave Little Toaster]]''. "Run..."

{{quote|'''Hades:''' (to Pain) I've got ''24 hours'' to get rid of this ''bozo'', or the entire scheme that I've been setting up for ''eighteen years'' goes up in smoke, and ''you are wearing HIS MERCHANDISE?!!??!''"}}

* ''[[The Aristocats]]'': The scene where Thomas O'Malley scares the milkman so that he, Duchess, and her kittens can sneak onto his truck.

* The Queen of Hearts' face in ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Disney film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' when she says "Someone's head's going to roll for this!!!"

* Any of the cats from first 2 ''[[An American Tail]]''; some more than others.

* Shown frequently in the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from ''[[Fantasia]]''.

* A gargoyle comes to life snarling at Frollo who then falls to his death near the end of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''.

* Lucifer roars in front of Gus who's holding the corn kernels in ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]''.

 

== Films -- Live-Action ==

* ''[[The Orphanage]]'', produced by ''Pan's Labyrinth'' director Guillermo del Toro, features a seriously creepy mask and ... *shudder* ... ''car crash; '''missing jaw'''''.

* ''[[Mr. Sardonicus]]'' from the film of the [[Antagonist Title|same name]].

* ''[http://www.imagesjournal.com/2003/reviews/manwholaughs/pic1.htm The Man Who Laughs]''

** [http://anyeventuality.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/themanwholaughs.png?w=500 Even scarier in the film].

* Bilbo in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' when he sees the Ring.

** The Mouth of Sauron definitely counts.

* ''[[The Exorcist]]'' gave us two scary faces- namely, the girl herself and the subliminal white face that appears randomly in the movie and in the director's cut- also known as ''Captain Howdy'' or Pazuzu. It's also features in most (if not all) screamers.

* Reportedly, there were incidents with viewers fainting of shock at the unmasking scene in the 1925 silent film version of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'', starring Lon Chaney Sr. who did his own make-up, going as far as to use metal wires to mold his face. To this day, his portrayal of the Phantom remains by far the most faithful to the original novel - and certainly one of the most effective.

* [[Beetlejuice]] shows Adam and Barbara that he can be scary - [[The Un-Reveal|we only see him from the back]] as his face erupts into...''something''.

** Adam and Barbara have their own Nightmare Face moments as well, when demonstrating their ghostliness to their...caseworker?

* In ''[[Let the Right One In]]''. Hakan {{spoiler|pours acid over his own face as an attempt to kill himself, or avoid capture, or...something. He lives, and the effect is ''horrifying''.}}

* Nina's crazy face in ''[[Black Swan]]'' that also is in the TV ads. Sweet dreams [[media:black-swan-movie 1188.jpg|tropers]]!

* In ''[[Dagon]]'', almost everyone in Imboca has one of these.

* [[Transformers (film)|Movie]] [[Big Bad|Megatron.]]

* This is the real reason why [[Star Wars|Darth Vader]] wears a mask.

* Jason Voorhees in all the ''[[Friday the 13th]]'' films, and [[It Got Worse|it gets worse]] as the films go along. He has it in the remake as well.

 

== Literature ==

* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]''. This is the primary cause of Erik's tragedy (which makes all the slightly-marred-prettyboy adaptations that much more galling).

* "The Dream" from ''[[Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark]]''? We don't know what the mysterious dream woman in the new edition looks like yet, but let's just say the one from the infamous classic edition ''will'' make you wish you slept with a ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' weapon next to your bed.

** Also, the illustration from ''The Haunted House''. We would post a link, but we're too scared to search.

** A heroic example can be found in Bes, whose trademark attack is to scare the shit out of his opponent by distorting his face hideously and screaming "BOO!" Not that he's that handsome when he's not making that face.

** From the first book {{spoiler|(and second to an extent)}} there is a demon named Face-Of-Horror who is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]] and worse. Compared to how other demons can be called Death-to-Corks and have corkscrews or other objects (or limbs) replacing their heads, Face-Of-Horror is a legitimately terrifying demon.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

** Speaking of [[Steven Moffat|The Grand Moff]], he also gave us New Series 6 villains {{spoiler|[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110423193636/tardis/images/5/53/The_Silence.jpg The Silence]}}. Best part? {{spoiler|[[Paranoia Fuel|You forget you saw them as soon as you stop looking at them]]}}.

** In the classic series, there was the Master in ''The Deadly Assassin'' and ''The Keeper of Traken'' who, being on the very verge of death, had basically become a walking corpse with the skeletal face to match (as best makeup of the 1970s & 80s could manage, anyway).

** The [http://images.wikia.com/tardis/images/d/d7/Siren-angry.jpg Siren] from "[[Doctor Who/Recap/S32/E03 The Curse of the Black Spot|The Curse Of The Black Spot]]" when she gets angered.

** Subverted in "Midnight." When Skye turns around, there is clearly a new consciousness, but her face is unchanged.

* The creature dubbed "The Great Mutato" in ''[[The X-Files]]'', a genetically-engineered mistake whose many deformities included a grotesquely oversized double-face. As it turns out, though, he wasn't such a bad guy, and in fact his greatest desire was to see [[Cher]] in concert.

* Papa Lazarou of ''[[The League of Gentlemen]].''

* [[Monster Clown|Pennywise]] in the made for TV movie version of ''[[IT]]''.

* ''[[Fringe]]'' has one episode where a biological weapon results in people developing scar tissue at an alarming rate. Biggest problem with this is that it turns them into a blank, covering their eyes, nose, and mouth, resulting in them suffocating.

* Mild-mannered demon Clem on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Buffy]]'' is capable of showing one, while we only see the back of his head, in an obvious [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[Beetlejuice]]''.

* The lion from ''[[The Teletubbies]]'', especially when he says "Where is THE BEAR?!!!"

* ''[[Breaking Bad]]'' has a good example of this {{spoiler|in the Season 4 finale, when Gus is caught in an explosion. He calmly exits the crumbling room, adjusting his tie and looking perfectly fine, until the camera pans around to reveal half his face missing, hollowed eye socket staring blankly, teeth bared through the distinct lack of cheek. Exploded flesh adorning his shoulder. Incidentally the name of the episode is "Face Off". Heh.}}

 

== Music ==

* In the music video for Madonna's "Bedtime Story", there’s a part near the end where [http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/3516/bedtimestories.jpg Madonna's mouth has been replaced by an eye and her eyes by two mouths.] Do NOT click on that image! [[Schmuck Bait|You have been warned.]]

* In the music video for "Mama," by [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], when [[Phil Collins]] [[Evil Laugh|laughs]]. Also done in live performances of the song as well.

* Barry Godber's cover artwork from [[King Crimson]]'s ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', helpfully reproduced on the band's [[TV Tropes]] page..

 

== Mythology ==

* [[Classical Mythology|The Gorgons]], whose [[Brown Note|faces]] would [[Taken for Granite|turn you to stone]].

** They supposedly had been beautiful originally, before they became like this. And some think they might still be beautiful, [[Captain Obvious|but there is no way of finding out.]]

 

== New Media ==

** Let us not forget about any variation of the smiledog found on that site either [shudder]

* In [[Marble Hornets]], near the end of Entry #22, and in one of totheark's video responses.

* Speaking of Marble Hornets, the Operator from [[Tribe Twelve]] has a pretty nightmarish face at the end of COMECLOSER.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* Villains in the original ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' newspaper comic were notoriously Nightmare Faced. This waned at about the time Chester Gould suffered a [[Creator Breakdown]], but has returned with the new artist, Dick Locher, who absolutely ''loves'' this trope.

 

== Toys ==

** Makuta, being a [[Shape Shifter]]-race, are full of examples, and many of the fan-built [[Contest Winner Cameo]] figures have these as well.

 

** "Most of her lips burned off" is [http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/304/a/8/L4D2___The_Spitter_by_sparklehorse.png something of an understatement].

** Compared to the other Special Infected, the Hunter seems almost normal... until you get a good look at its face and see that ''[[Eye Scream|its eyes have been torn out]]''.

** Face, by the way, is ''full-screen.'' And once the scene starts, ''you cannot manually exit it.''<ref>short of hitting ALT+ F4</ref> When it does end, you wake up.

** The Kaibutsu in the Fan Sequel .Flow also count...

* ''[[Silent Hill 3]]''. [[Big No|The final boss]]. It's just so wrong on a subconscious level, because the skin has a strange netlike pattern to it. Also, it never opens its eyes.

** ''[[Silent Hill 4]]'': That one room in the hospital world...you know the one. {{spoiler|The giant Eileen head with the demented expression}}.

*** In ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'' and ''[[Silent Hill Homecoming|Homecoming]]'', they [[The Blank|hardly even have faces]].

* The enemies in ''[[Rule of Rose]]'' are this. [http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4584/onebigeyedimpkx9.jpg FUCK.]

* In ''[[Eversion]]'', the smiling block faces you see at the start of the game become less and less happy as you evert into deeper worlds. {{spoiler|In [[Wham! Episode|World X-5]], they have blank, terrified expressions with empty eye sockets. In X-6, they're disfigured, as if they're ''melting''.}}

* The Psycho Heads from (SNES) ''[[Final Fantasy V]]''. They are floating heads with the faces ripped off, with long, pink tongues sticking out. (shudders)

* The ending of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' shows the main character, Squall, with no face.

** ''NO TAKE MIRROR!''

** [[The Legend of Zelda CDI Games|"...or else you will DIE!!!"]]

*** Forget him. What about the face that appears when you put on the Deku, Goron, and Zora masks?

* The scary maze game.

** Also, screamers in general.

* In ''[[Corpse Party]]'', many of the evil spirits sport these. At times, the victims' reaction faces can veer into this, too, particularly in the manga.

* The Necromorphs from ''[[Dead Space (series)|Dead Space]]''. This is not surprising considering they are the remains of violently slaughtered corpses, reanimated and deformed by an alien virus. The [http://media.photobucket.com/image/dead%20space%202/TheUnsungHeroes/scan0001.png?o=245 concept] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamingafterfive/5376425719/in/set-72157625877813648/lightbox/ art] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/invertsfromhell/4783619909/in/photostream/lightbox/ is] [http://dailydead.com/dead-space-2-concept-art/ little] [http://envydream.blogspot.com/2010/07/dead-space-2-necromorph-analysis.html better] (perhaps even worse since every little horrible detail is layed bare for all unlucky viewers to see). Don't look at it if you don't have a strong stomach.

** ''[[Dead Space 2]]'' throws their face literally into yours, with the opening showing someone within kissing distance of Isaac turning into one of those face-exploder-type slashers, while still alive.

* During the final boss battle at the end of ''[[Super Mario World (video game)|Super Mario World]]'', after taking a certain amount of damage, [[Big Bad|Bowser]] will actually temporarily fly away in his Koopa Clown Car and towards the camera very fast, and we get to see a closeup of the Clown Car's face!

* The [[Pokémon]] games have the move Scary Face, which is pretty much what it says on the tin: a scary glare that affects the opponent's speed. You actually see a cartoon scary face on the screen when it's used.

** Mean Look, which keeps a Pokemon from fleeing, may also count.

* Phanto of ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', in contrast to its counterpart in ''[[Doki Doki Panic]]'', which just looks like an expressionless mask.

 

* ''[[Homestuck]]'' has a few. Particularly notable is Jack Noir, who... [http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Jiminiminy/127566327117.gif holy shit.]

** <small>and you...</small> '''''[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=darkcage GOT ONE]'''''

* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' has a couple of instances... Zimmy's already a scary girl, given she's got some kind of black clouds where her eyes should be and having "[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=564 many, many fine sharp fangs]". Then [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1047 this] happens in the middle of a psychic jaunt [[Astral Projection]] into an unconscious Antimony's subconscious.

 

== Web Original ==

** MOAR APPLES!

{{quote|'''The Homestar Runner''': That monster's gonna give me nightmares.}}

* A [[Running Gag]] in [[RedLetterMedia|Mr. Plinkett's reviews]] is for him to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62UzLgdb1GQ react] (or overreact...) to an inhuman looking face:

{{quote|OH MY GOD, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR ''FACE''!?}}

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' owes much of its horror to this trope.

* ''[[Family Guy]]'' parodied ''[[The Ring]]'' in one [[Manatee Gag]]; Peter watches the cursed tape despite fair warning, and the next cut we see him? Nightmare Face, just like what you might expect from a reference to ''[[The Ring]]'' ({{spoiler|[[Don't Explain the Joke|The joke is that]] the cursed video was a copy of ''[[Mannequin]]''; [[Take That]]!}}).

** The character of Death also apparently has on of these, causing Peter to scream in terror when he see it and vomit afterwards.

** '''OVERTIME?!?!'''

* ''[[Adventure Time]]'' does this entirely too much for a children's cartoon. ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgbrw8wbvWg But it's okay].''

** Ricardio's close-up. "AND MAKE OUT WITH IT!"

** [[Bring Me My Brown Pants|I soiled my tunic... completely by choice!]]

** The Harvest Moon Spirit is another example. To those who have seen it, you should know what I mean.

*** ''HOWDOYALIKEMYNEWCHAINSAWANDHOCKEYMASK?!?!''

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=25yEwVAnA9U#t=261s Invite that cat ... to TEAAAAAA]

* ''[[The Problem Solverz]]'' episode "Funny Facez" invokes this several times with "funny face artists." The characters find the faces hilarious, but they're really kind of creepy looking. At the end of the episode, Alfe makes the [http://i.imgur.com/HvZsl.jpg "funniest"] one.

* Nebby K. Nezzer during the climax of the ''[[Veggie Tales]]'' video "Rack, Shack, and Benny" when he dumps Bob the Tomato as Shadrach, Junior Asparagus as Meshach, and Larry the Cucumber as Adbenago into the furnace.

* The faces the Hitchhiking Ghosts make to scare [[Pete]] in the ''[[House of Mouse]]'' version of the song [[The Haunted Mansion|"Grim Grinning Ghosts."]]

* * ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'': In the episode "Arnold Visits Arnie" at the end of Arnold's [[Nightmare Sequence]] Arnie gives one of these after going [[Ax Crazy]].

* ''[[The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack]]'' occasionally has such faces show up once in a while.

* The skeletons in ''[[The Skeleton Dance]]'' do this occasionally.

 

* [[Food Chain of Evil]]'s page image. [[Squick]]. {{spoiler|The creature is actually less scary in [[Blade|the actual film]]}}.

* The [[media:scooby mask1.jpg|picture]] on the [[Latex Perfection]] page. [[Schmuck Bait|You don't want to look.]]

* [[Fluffy the Terrible]]'s page image-- the beast from [[Creepshow|"The Crate"]].

 

== Other ==

 

== Real Life ==

* Various cancers and skin diseases that affect the face can result in this. Such as tumors, which, if left unchecked, can grow to the point where a part of a person's face is swollen to the size of a balloon.

* Not just nightmare face but nightmare head and brain too: a mistake in the womb around day 22 of pregnancy can result in a condition called anencephaly, where the baby is born alive, but ''without a brain''. [[Schmuck Bait|Don't search for it]], the image will scar you for life.

** Related is a condition called holoprosencephaly...well basically another name for this is 'Cyclopia'. Yeah. Guess what it does. It results from the brain not splitting into two hemispheres; Cyclopia is the worst form, but the simplest of cleft palates is the least...

* Huang Chuncai, also known as "[http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/china-s-elephant-man-4210/Overview China's Elephant Man]" Think Joseph Merrick to [[Up to Eleven|10th power.]] And that includes [[The Woobie|woobie points]] [[Tear Jerker|as well.]]

* Charla Nash, the victim of a domesticated animal attack, had most of her face as well as her right hand ripped off when her friend's pet chimpanzee mauled her in 2009. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3DeJjHAz8I The result] is ''extremely'' hard to look at; hell even her operators needed counseling after seeing her damage!

* Darren Bigley [[Eye Scream|lost his eyes]] and most of his face when he was mauled by a bear in 2003. Now that he has fully (well, almost, he still lacks eyes) recovered, he looks pretty okay though. Heck, he looks like a normal, even handsome, guy when he wears his sunglasses.

** [http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1125941136 This Russian guy] ('''WARNING: graphic''') also had his face ripped off by a bear.

* Denise Wagoner, who was blinded and severely disfigured in a DUI accident. The EMT on the scene remarked that her face looked like "bloody hamburger" after the crash, and that's pretty much exactly what it was. Don't google image search this.

** In hindsight, it sounds eerily similar to the case of the "hamburger lady" described in a certain [[Throbbing Gristle]] song, which was based on a real life car crash/burn victim.

** Jacqui Saburido was also disfigured in a drunk driving accident, but is even more of a [[Woobie]] because, unlike Wagoner, the accident wasn't her fault.

* Chase No Face, a cat who looks like someone took a blowtorch to her eyes and nose. She was hit by a car and survived, but her nose, whiskers, and most of the fur on her face could not be repaired by doctors, leaving nothing but pink flesh left where her fur was.

 

{{reflist}}