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]].

 

== Anime & Manga ==

* 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.

** Here's one that is [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/higurashi_no_naku_koro_ni_minagoroshi/c016/32.html a bit more obvious.]

*** It was rather easy to find that Auntie Eva was scary, with her cynical softness....but then she did this [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/umineko_no_naku_koro_ni_episode_1_legend_of_the_golden_witch/v01/c003/40.html this]. ''Sweet dreams, everyone''.

*** Also, [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/umineko_no_naku_koro_ni_episode_1_legend_of_the_golden_witch/v01/c004/54.html Maria,] of all people.And [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/umineko_no_naku_koro_ni_episode_1_legend_of_the_golden_witch/v02/c009/32.html again.]And [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/umineko_no_naku_koro_ni_episode_1_legend_of_the_golden_witch/v02/c009/33.html again, in the following page].Just to emphasize her [[Creepy Child]] status.

*** And then there's Rosa, who, although is the central character in Episode 2, makes [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/umineko_no_naku_koro_ni_episode_2_turn_of_the_golden_witch/c022/9.html this face]at a point. What hits the most is not the expression of it, but the ''situation''. It came after a rather moving [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]], and it hits you like a punch. Rosa, by this moment, really is losing her mind, anyone can tell.

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

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' also likes this. Besides a certain [[Came Back Wrong|failed attempt]] [[media:Fullmetal_Alchemist_-_02_-_Large_21.jpg|at human transmutation]], {{spoiler|Envy's [[One-Winged Angel]] form}} is ''covered'' in screaming, melting faces begging for release from their torture. Oh, and there's the {{spoiler|Cyclops army}}, whose [[Sarcasm Mode|stunning good looks]] have led the fandom to conclude that they're the illicit love children of [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Mass-Production EVAs]] and zombies.

* ''[[Barefoot Gen]]'' has *lots* of this, what with people's eyes melting out of their sockets, faces burned off, etc.

* Shows up a few times in ''[[Wolf Guy Wolfen Crest]]''. Haguro and Ryuuko in particular are very good at making these kinds of faces.

* ''[[Perfect Blue]]'': Mima sports one of these {{spoiler|as she kills a guy while disguised as a pizza delivery guy}}, Rumi's eyes are too widely spaced, which gives her an eerie look, but it's towards the end of the movie where she really gets into this trope. And [[Gonk|Me-Mania]] pretty much has this as his default facial expression.

* The villain Birds in ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]].''

* ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'': The girl from episode 1 and 2, the one that's supposedly hit by a train. One word: {{spoiler|HOLES}}. And {{spoiler|Evil Lain's}} grin.

* Normally, [[Weasel Mascot|Kyubey]] of ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' freaks viewers out with his [[Frozen Face|Frozen]] [[Cat Smile]]. Not so in the [http://i55.tinypic.com/106kap5.jpg manga].

* ''[[Mitsudomoe]]'': Hitoha's face when she's mad, or whenever she feels like doing it.

* [[Prism Ark]] is normally a happy-go-lucky [[Harem Genre]], but then there's FBC manga adaption, where this it turns [[Hot Teacher|Karin Mibu]] into a [[Alternative Character Interpretation|sadistic]] [[Training From Hell|teacher]], who's ready to give a [[Nightmare Face]] ''anytime'' she's fighting or getting upset. {{spoiler|And then there's a devil Hyaweh, who's much worse than Karin.}}

* [[New Getter Robo]], [[Fan Nickname|Batshit Ryouma]] is already insane with his [[Slasher Smile]]. The final episode has him {{spoiler|absorbed a large amount of Getter Ray}} turning parts of his face and his eyes ''green.'' and then he starts his hot blooded and insane yelling. Scary...

* [[Magic Knight Rayearth]]: Vigor's face looks especially creepy when he first starts turning back into his monster form (he's a monster Ascot sent out to trick the Magic Knights, since Vigor can take on a cuter form that endeared itself to Hikaru), with the way his head is tilting slowly, his eyes are huge and glowing red, and his fur looks very wild too.

* [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hideout/v01/c001/4.html This...] from the recent manga addition "Hideout".

* [[Toriko]] villains love this trope, and the worse their nature is, the more [[Up to Eleven|over-the-top disgusting]] their facial expressions during emotionally charged moments are.

* Drosselmeyer from ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' has a permanent manic grin and unblinking owl-like red eyes etched to his face.

* 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.

 

== 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].

* The face Jack Skellington makes from ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' when he [http://necaonline.com/nbctcg/cardlist/characters/jack2.jpg threatens Lock, Shock, and Barrel].

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

* One of the Velociraptors from ''[[Dinosaur]]'' does this when said Velociraptors attack Aladar and the lemurs prior to the Herd's arrival.

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

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

* The otherwise ridiculous movie ''[[Care Bears]] In Wonderland'' features a scene during the Evil Wizard's song when he very briefly produces an uncannily terrifying face.

* ''[[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!"]

* [[The Lion King|"Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared!"]]

* [[Toy Story|"...so PLAY NICE!!!"]]

* The snarling, vicious look on Tod's face during the fight with Copper in [[The Fox and The Hound]].

** 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..."

** Also when Hades discovers that his henchmen had bought Hercules-themed merchandise, Pain wearing a pair of Hercules-themed sandals and Panic drinking from a Hercules-themed thermos.

{{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?!!??!''"}}

* [[Shrek|"Da-da!!!"]]

* [[Ice Age|"Where's the baby? THERE HE IS!!!]]

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

 

 

== 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'''''.

* ''[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].

** It should be noted that the title character was [[Batman|Bob Kane's]] inspiration when he designed the Joker.

* The victims' faces in [[The Ring]] are prime examples.

** The Mouth of Sauron definitely counts.

* Probably the most memorable scene of [[Inland Empire]].2 for the price of one, in fact.

** David Lynch has a fondness for this trope; see the ending to [[Twin Peaks|Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me]] for [http://images2.fanpop.com/images/quiz/302000/302806_1255630035657_500_281.jpg proof].

* 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.

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

* Thai thriller ''Dorm'' includes some boarding school students sharing ghost stories. The face that accompanies the first story about the pregnant daughter... blech.

* [[Gary Oldman|Gary Oldman's]] character in ''[[Hannibal]]''. [http://www.killerfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/gary-oldman-hannibal-300x199.jpg Here.]

* 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''.}}

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

* The movie [[Ink]] has these in the form of [http://www.itchywatermelon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ink1.jpg Incubi], pictures not enough? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ziK3mVnK-s&feature=related Here is a lovely video]. Oh no, please, don't thank me. ''Really''.

{{quote| video may contain some spoilers.}}

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

* The titular creatures from the [[Predator]] series have a face terrifying enough to warrant the phrase [[Phrase Catcher|"You're one ugly motherfucker!"]]

* 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.

 

 

* "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 40000]]'' weapon next to your bed.

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

* Menshikov from ''[[The Kane Chronicles]]'', whose face was burned when he tried and failed to awaken Ra.

** 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.

 

 

== Live-Action TV ==

** Moffat's new villains, the Weeping Angels, are already beyond frightening. The nightmarish implications, the living inanimate objects, people ceasing to exist, all of these already put the Angels at the top, but when they're in mid-pounce form... [http://images.wikia.com/tardis/images/b/be/Series5weepingangels.jpg JAEEEEZZUSS!!]

** 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]]}}.

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

** The [http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a293/toolbox1234/DoctorWhoS5E2Smiler.png "Angry Face"] of the mechanical Smiler androids from ''The Beast Below'', it should be noted that the Smilers' heads rotated 90 degrees to display one of two [[Frozen Face|Frozen Faces]] (pleased and disapointed), making the sudden appearence of the angry face (also revealed by rotating the head 90 degrees) a total suprise.

* Though ''obviously'' a mask, who ''doesn't'' wish they could forget the chilling grimace of Mr. Noseybonk from the old British TV series, [[Jigsaw]]? And if that wasn't bad enough, [[Stuart Ashen]] had to go and use his powers of necromancy to ''revive'' the horror!

* 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.

* 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.}}

* The last scene in [[Lady Gaga]]'s video "Alejandro" in which the film burns up from the eyes and mouth out.

* 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 Air Tonight" does this as well. When the drum solo kicks in, Collins' black-and-white visage suddenly transforms into a blazing, brightly-colored, and VERY angry thermographic image.

* Soundgarden's video for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg&ob=av2e Black Hole Sun]. It has this suburban neighborhood of [[Stepford Smiler|creepy smiling people]] whose faces very suddenly become [[Uncanny Valley|horrifyingly distorted]].

 

== Videogames ==

* [[Left 4 Dead|The Boomer, the Smoker, the Tank, the Spitter, the Jockey, and the Charger.]] Boomer's face is coated in bile-filled pustles. Smoker's face is laden with tumors and, in the sequel, ''extra tongues''. The Tank is ''missing his lower jaw''. The Spitter has her neck elongated, and most of her lips burned off. Jockey's face is twisted into that of a constant manic glee, with his lips torn off. And the Charger's face looks like someone took a hammer to it multiple times.

** "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]]''.

* ''[[Yume Nikki]]'' gave us Uboa and Face, among many other things that could also easily fit this trope.

** 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...

* In ''[[Fatal Frame]] 4: Mask of Lunar Eclipse'', the final stage of the Getsuyuu Syndrome is [http://www.cameraslens.com/fatalframewiki/index.php5?title=Blooming Blooming], which doesn't directly affect the victim's face itself but somehow makes it appear horrifically blurred and distorted. Oh, and the people who die of this syndrome become ghosts, and anyone who just ''looks'' at the face will suffer the same fate.

* ''[[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.

** Also, the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfWBZ0M0qT4 Silent Hill nurses]. [[Butter Face|Great bodies, horrifying faces]].

*** 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''.}}

* One of the bosses in ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: [[Twilight Princess]]'', ({{spoiler|Blizzeta}}), has her face flip around backwards to show a [[Nightmare Face]].

** ''NO TAKE MIRROR!''

** The [[Majoras Mask|Happy Mask Salesman's]] face becomes this when he gets angry. The [http://www.zeldawiki.org/images/a/a4/Mask_Salesman_MM_rage.jpg frightening expressions] on some of the masks he carries don't help much either.

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

* In [[Touhou Project|Labyrinth of Touhou]], Alice's boss sprite is apparently a reference to a very obscure game. For the rest of us who don't know about that (and is challenging her for the first time), her face can be quite startling to look at.

* 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.

* Lady Tsepish from ''[[King's Quest VII the Princeless Bride|King's Quest 7]]'', whose face is apparently so horrifying that it'll instantly kill Valanice/Rosella if they look upon her.

* 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.

* Venom Myotismon suffers from this on [[Digimon World|Digimon: Digital Card Battle]] after being possessed by A. Most notably, an [[Eye Scream|eye]] pops out of its [[Domino Mask]]. Funny thing is, his mask conceals his eyes behind a yellow film, so the eye popped out through the film. Lest the kids sleep tonight.

 

 

== Webcomics ==

* Some people in [[Goblins]] are very good at this. [http://www.goblinscomic.com/05272009/ Very] good.

* In ''[[Stardroids]]'' [http://stardroids.net/wordpress/?p=152&cpage=1#comment-1124 here]. Hope you weren't planning on sleeping tonight...

* ''[[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.

** MOAR Krabs is absolutely nothing compared to THAT face in "Who Bob What Pants." The face I speak of is scarier than any of the pictures on the Image Links page.

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

** [[Cute Monster Girl|Vampiress Marceline]] cranks the [[Nightmare Face]] up to eleven when she gets angry or [[Our Vampires Are Different|feeds on anything red.]]

** The shot of Lemongrab with his eyes rolled back into his head, with only the whites exposed, could count as this. That just came out of nowhere... *shudders*

* "[[Rugrats|I'M NOT TOMMY!]]" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91TKa2133vQ&feature=related Here you go]

* [[media:CreepyEzekiel_7614.png|These]] [[media:EvilEzekiel_6557.png|three]] [[media:NightmareZeke_6999.png|images]] of Ezekiel from [[Total Drama World Tour]] as he descends into complete madness from an obsession with winning the season.

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

** No mention of Cobra Commander? In the Marvel comics, he wore the mask just to stay anonymous, but in the Sunbow cartoon, the mask was to hide his face. Destro, himself masked but a normal guy underneath, is repulsed in one episode when walking in unexpectedly on Cobra Commander dining. When the animated movie rolled around, everyone [http://joetoonarchive.com/displayimage.php?album=52&pos=193 saw why]... then [[It Got Worse]].

* ''[[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.

* [[Transformers Animated|Blackarachnia]] without her helmet.

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

* In an episode of ''[[Tom and Jerry Tales]]'', a shape-shifting alien takes the form of Jerry, [[media:l_6211cdd9c8c74e9aa581ae2b89f09ec6_2943.png|and pulls off a terrifying]] [[Slasher Smile]].