Wednesday, October 31, 2018

15 Surprisingly scary moments in kids games

Let's face it, a game for children is the last place you expect to find something scary. From easter eggs implying a doomed species to more blood than any kids should see, join me as we count 15 horrifying moments in games that are otherwise cute. Bosses and enemies will be excluded since have their own lists, plus if I didn't, they'd probably take up the whole list. Warning: This list contains high levels of nightmare fuel. Viewer's discretion is advised.

#15 Banjo-Kazooie: Clanker

If this thing wasn't so friendly, he'd take the top spot easily!
The vast majority of this game was cute, but this guy is nightmarish. You first see him after swimming through a narrow pipe, giving you a full view of his bulging eyes and razor sharp teeth. Despite being made of metal, there are blotches of blood on parts of him and you have to swim through his disturbingly gory innards to get some of the level's Jiggies.

#14 Plants Vs. Zombies: Game over

Don't let them zombies in your house...
This game is really funny throughout, but what happens when a zombie reaches your house is really disturbing. The screen turns dark and the sounds of chewing followed by a big no suddenly appear. The 2nd game goes further by showing a large brain on a plate with a bite taken out of it.

#13: Monkey Island: Navigator head

Who thought this was kid appropriate?!
Monkey Island is probably the last game you'd expect to have this ugly mug. Not only is this head still alive thanks to voodoo magic, it also wears a necklace of eyeballs that makes the wearer invisible to ghosts. You need this guy to navigate the lava maze underneath the giant stone monkey head, so you'll have to endure the sight for a while.

#12 Star Fox: Out of This Dimension

What was in those brownies I had earlier???
In the third level, destroy the second massive asteroid you see and fly into the bird that pops up. You'll be teleported to a world where the planets have faces, the whole background waves back & forth and distorted carnival music plays. Once you enter this dimension, you can never leave.

#11 New Super Mario Bros.: The first Bowser fight.

That had to hurt...
Bowser was thrown into lava before, but this time we see him flailing about as his flesh is burned off. His screams of agony and Mario's lack of concern only make things worse. Even this isn't enough to kill Bowser, however, as his skinless skeleton comes after you later in the game.

#10 Cuphead: The bad ending.

Demonic possession wasn't part of the deal!
At the end of Cuphead, you get the decision to either hand over the soul contracts you recieved or refuse and kick his ass. If you accept, both Cuphead and Mugman will be transformed into demonic versions of themselves and become his new right hand men. We don't see what happened to the other soul debtors (the previous bosses), but I don't think we want to know.

#9 Animal Crossing New Leaf: Alien message

If you turn your TV on at 3:33 AM on Sunday or Monday, you'll see this. A UFO appears and beams down an alien, who says something in an undecipherable language. What meaning this easter egg has is still a mystery.

#8 Pokemon: The Pokedex

It looks innocent, doesn't it?
Since the beginning of this series, the Pokedex has had countless dark and disturbing Pokemon descriptions. For example: Yamask is the soul of a dead person turned into a Pokemon, Houndoom's fire attacks won't stop hurting if left untreated, Lampent is pretty much the Grim Reaper in chandelier form and CuBone's helmet is the skull of its dead mother. I think you get the point...

#7 Donkey Kong 64: Game over sequence

The game over screens from the original DKC trilogy were bad enough, but this is even worse. Instead of a screenshot, we get a cutscene of King K. Rool letting loose a haunting evil laugh as his ship prepares to destroy DK Isle. We don't see the actual destruction, but the mental image remains.

#6 Kirby Dreamland 3: The bad ending

This thing's boss battle is arguably even worse!
This happens if you fail to collect all 30 heart stars. After the cutesy credits play out, the screen pans up to reveal a sinister black circle with a blood red eye. What really gets you is how it comes out of nowhere.

#5 Sonic CD: Secret screen

Translation: Fun is Infinite with Sega Enterprises! Majin.
Putting FM46 PCM12 DA25 into the secret sound test will reveal this disturbing secret. The creepy faced Sonics littered across the screen were bad enough, but this screen also comes with some of the creepiest music in Sonic history. This screen also serves as the game's anti-piracy system.

#4 FNAF World: The 4th sub-tunnel

                                                        
Once you're here, you can't leave. EVER!!!
This RPG spin-off might be much cuter and funnier than the main series, but this scene is absolutely terrifying. Going into the 4th sub tunnel will land you in red, 8-bit area. Old Man Consequences (the guy whose fishing in the immage above) will tell you that you've gone to far into the game's code and that there is no way out. True to his word, the only way to escape is to close the game.

#3 Undertale: Flowey

Beneath that cute smile hides a literally soulless monster!
Flowey starts out rather cute looking, but quickly shows his true colors after he tries to kill you. He later stalks you throughout the whole game, making various creepy faces and letting his murderous intents show. His photoshop form adds several more tons of nightmare fuel.

#2 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: The Moon

That face does not belong on a moon!
This game is already pretty scary by Zelda standards, but this celestial body doesn't help matters. Whenever you look up, you see this thing looking right back at you with the face of pure rage. Worst of all, this thing will slam right down on Termina like an oversized comet if you fail to stop it.

#1 Splatoon: Post-boss fight easter egg

Wait around after beating a boss and you'll hear metal banging, train engines and distorted screams. These sounds imply that by reclaiming the zapfishes, you are dooming the Octarian society. You can listen to them in the video above... If you dare!

Honorable mentions

Here are some choices that I left off since they were either bosses or horror games disguised as kids games, but I just had to mention them.

Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning: GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

Get one math problem wrong and this guy will end you.
While the intentionally bad design often waters down the horror aspect, what happens after you get all 7 notebooks is still rather eerie. Baldi congratulates you on finding the notebooks, and then he screams at you to leave. You have to reach 3 exits to leave; the first one just turns the walls blood red and the second adds an unnerving droning noise.

Eversion: The whole thing

Now we're getting really scary!
This game starts out as the kind of world you'd expect the Care Bears to inhabit. The more you evert, however, the more nightmarish it becomes. Eventually, it turns into a hellish landscape filled with terrifying monsters, pools of blood and nightmarish faces.

Earthbound: Giygas

Just look at him!
I know he's a boss, but he is easily the scariest thing both in the Earthbound series and on this list. Everything about him is disturbing. His appearance, the music, the different phases, the fact that you have to pray to defeat him, it all makes for a boss battle from Hell.

And those were some moments that should've been reserved for the horror genre. If you can name more or feel that I should've included enemies and bosses, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comment section. I'll see you later. Have a happy Halloween.

References




15 Barbaric forms of torture

Throughout the ages, people have come up with many different ways to damage their enemies beyond repair. From being hung on a cross until you bled to death to having a rat claw its way into your chest, join me as we count down 15 barbaric forms of torture that make the electric chair look like a day at the spa. Warning: This is easily the most terrifying list I've made so far, because unlike SCP-106 and Giygas, these methods actually exist. Viewer's discretion is advised.

#15: Gibbeting

Captain Kidd did not receive the best demise...
This is the least gruesome method of torture on this list, but it's still extremely cruel. The victim was locked in a cage that heavily limited their movement and hung from a strong tree branch until they died.

#14: Scaphism

It's best I show this bath tub instead of the results of this punishment...
The victim was forced into a large tub with only their heads showing. They were then force fed milk and honey, the later of which was also smothered over their faces. The honey and the victim's waste would attract insects whom would eat their flesh, causing it to grow gangrenous.

#13: Tiger Bench

This torture method is still used today!
The Chinese would use this technique to punish those who practiced Falun Gong. Victims legs strapped to a bench and their backs strapped to a board. After that, bricks were placed under their feet until either their legs or the straps broke.

#12: Breast Ripper

Thank the Heavens this thing is no longer in use!
This device was made specifically to rip the breasts off of women who practiced adultery or self-abortion. The sharp ends were usually heated to unbearable temperatures before being inserted into the victim's chest area.

#11: Bamboo torture

Who knew something so innocent looking could be used to kill?
Victims of this Chinese death sentence were hung horizontally over sticks of bamboo that were sharpened and left in place until the bamboo grew long enough to impale them. This works because not only is bamboo hard, but it also grows quickly.

#10: Burning at the stake and pressing

Image by Avvakum
During the Salem Witch Trials, people accused of witchcraft were tied to a large wooden pole and set ablaze. Those who refused a trial were placed under a large board and covered with large rocks until either took the trial or were crushed to death.

#9: Flying carpet

This'll send you to a whole new world of pain!
The only thing ISIS' monstrous device has in common with mythical flying carpets is the name. Victims were strapped to hinged wooden boards which were bent backwards until their spines broke.

#8: Crocodile shears 

Still cleaning than feeding prisoners to an actual crocodile!
This hellish pair of scissors was heated red hot before it was closed on a victim's appendages. Sometimes this weapon was even used on a persons private parts. It was mainly used on assassins who tried to kill the king in late medieval Europe.

#7: Spanish Donkey

The gruesome instrument of torture is on the left of the image.
The victim is put on a large wedge with a sharp top and then various weights are put on their legs until the increasing gravity causes the wedge the tear them in half. Often tons of spikes were added to the wedge to increase the agony.

#6: Iron maiden

Look at those spikes!
The victim was forced into a large metallic box that had large spikes on the inside, impaled them when the doors were slammed shut. Historians doubt that this technique was ever actually used, but that does nothing to erase the fear.

#5: Blood Eagle

Its hard to see on this Stora Hammers stone, but its still there...
This viking tailored execution technique involved slicing the victim's back open until their ribcage was visible and pulling their lungs out until the victim suffocated. It was named because it made the victim look like they had blood-stained wings.

#4: Brazen bull

BURN BABY BURN!!!
The victim is placed inside of a large brass bull and a fire is set underneath it to essentially cook him or her alive. The device was designed to make the inevitable screams of agony sound like the bellowing of a bull. Ironically, the person who made it was its first victim.

#3: Torture chair

Electric chair? What's that?
Victims were strapped to chairs containing hundreds of sharp spikes. Some chairs also had compartments underneath the seats to hold heating elements. This chair was also used to scare confessions out of prisoners as they watched other experiencing this torture device.

#2: Rat torture

You thought these guys were little more than pests, didn't you?
A cage holding a large rat is strapped to the victim's chest, then a source of heat is placed next to the cage. With nowhere to go, the rat resorts to clawing the victim's chest to escape the heat.

#1: Crucifixion

He died for your sins, you know!
This form of execution is famous for being how Jesus Christ died. The victim is laid out on a cross which their hands and feet are shortly nailed to. The cross is then risen and the victim is left to hang until they eventually die.

Sources

I'm sorry for any nightmares you suffer in advance. If you can think of any forms of torture I missed, leave your suggestions in the comments. I'll see you later. Have a happy Halloween.

20 Nightmarish SCPs

You'd better be glad these things aren't real. From stuffed monkeys that can turn you inside out to monstrous reptiles that are virtually indestructible, join me as we count down 20 of the scariest objects and creatures contained by the SCP Foundation. Warning: This is probably the most disturbing list I've made so far. Viewers discretion is advised.

#20: SCP-309: Plush Toy

This is one stuffed toy you definitely don't wanna hug!
Classification: Euclid
Rubbing this stuffed animal will make you feel uneasy. Hugging it, however, will cause you to spontaneously turn inside out. This state is not only irreversible, but also universally claimed by victims to be the worst pain they've ever endured, even among those who suffered cluster headaches.

#19: SCP-055: Self-Keeping Secret

Classification: Keter
There really isn't a description of this thing because no one knows what it is. Whats worse, there is now way of knowing what it is since anyone who sees it forgets about it afterwards, no matter what they use to remember it. This thing could be a monstrous being or world ending device and there'd be no way of knowing without forgetting about it.

#18: SCP-SCP-597: The Mother

It's best I show this instead of fan art of this SCP.
Classification: Keter
This thing is a mass of mammaries. Any living things that go near it will start sucking the milk that it produces and start regressing to a childlike state. This is described as a sexual experience. I thinks we should move on.

#17: SCP-087: The Stairwell

This one's just eerie.
Classification: Euclid
This is a staircase that goes down infinitely. As you go down them, you'll hear the distressed cries of a small child coming from the darkness. Eventually, you'll encounter a terrifying ghost.

#16: SCP-823: Carnival of Horrors

This is one park you don't wanna attend!
Classification: Euclid
This amusement park has killed over 200 people. Incidents include a man being decapitated on a roller coaster and a mascot being suffocated to death. The theme park may be deserted, but it continues to kill anyone who enters.

#15: SCP-1048: Builder Bear

This is the Albert Wesker/Slade Wilson of stuffed animals!
Classification: Safe Keter
This teddy bear used to be classified as safe until the foundation found out that it was taking people's body parts and using them to create more living teddy bears. When guards tried to capture him, one of its creations let out a high pitched screech that caused growths to form in the ears of everyone who heard it. During that time, the builder bear made its getaway and now its location is unknown.

#14: SCP-596: Cursed Regeneration Statue

This object proves that sometimes, the staff is just as bad as the things they contain.
Classification: Safe
Touching this statue will heal all your injuries, but at the cost of leaving you permanently stuck to and unable to move it. Not even amputation can separate you from it. The worst part: instead of destroying the statue, SCP employees use those trapped to it to harvest spare body parts.

#13: SCP-835: Expunge Data Released

There are some things we're better off not knowing...
Classification: Keter
This article reveals that the events hidden by the [DATA EXPUNGED] boxes are just as horrible as you think. This creature appears to be a massive collection of coral that continuously grows at an exaggerated rate.. It feeds using long, sticky tentacles that can break plate steel. The article describing the thing also has an uncensored version. I won't spoil any of it, but I assure you that it is nasty..

#12: SCP-173: The Sculpture

Don't blink...
Classification: Euclid
As long as your eyes are on it, it can't hurt you. Once you break line of sight, for even a split second, it starts moving extremely fast and breaking the necks of every human it touches. When it breaks out of its cell, it will go through the ventilation system in search of new prey. To give perspective on how horrifying this statue is, even SCP-682 (mentioned below) is scared to death of it.

#11: SCP-096: The Shy Guy

This guy is like the Left 4 Dead Witch on steroids!
Classification: Euclid
Once you see its face, this thing goes from sitting in place sobbing incoherently to rushing right at you with intent to massacre. Even if you view a picture of its face and are hundreds of miles away from it, it'll still chase you down and reduce you to a puddle of blood. Contrary to its skeletal appearance, it can ignore massive amounts of minigun fire and ripping massive airplanes apart like they were made of tissue paper.

#10: SCP-804: World Without Man

It takes a world to destroy a world!
Classification: Keter
This isn't just fine art. When activated, it destroys every man made material within an increasingly larger radius, though it fortunately isn't immune to its own power. It had no memetic influence on people, possibly meaning that the creators of the device just wanted to watch the world die.

#9: SCP-058: Heart of Darkness

This thing is both nasty and destructive!
Classification: Keter
This heart has 4 legs, 4 tentacles, a stinger and an extremely violent nature. Regardless of what its doing, it speaks with the voice of an old British man. This thing is very destructive for its small size; It managed to destroy a large percentage of a city before the Foundation could capture it.

#8: SCP-035: Possessive Mask

Wear this mask and you'll no longer be yourself!
Classification: Keter
When you see this comedy/tragedy mask, you'll wanna put it on. However, not only does the mask possess whoever wears it, but it also constantly produces a corrosive material which will kill you within minutes. As if that wasn't bad enough, the mask also has an interest in possessing the monstrously indestructible SCP-682.

#7: SCP-435: He Who Made Dark

Some seals are best left shut...
Classification: Keter
Bonded to this meteor is a horrible abomination bent on destroying all light in the universe. It can't move when illuminated, but just 90 seconds of darkness could release it from its prison. 

#6: SCP-682: Hard to Destroy Reptile

Tyrannosaurus Rex has nothing on this monster!
Classification: Keter
This crocodile-like monster comes with monstrous durability, an impossibly strong healing factor, immense destructive power and an intense hatred of Earth life. As if that wasn't bad enough, this thing can adapt to any situation and change its body based on what its up against. The foundation tried everything to destroy it, but with no luck. 

#5: SCP-993: Bobble the Clown

It's like Dora the Explorer, only it teaches viewers to do horrible stuff.
Classification: Safe
This TV show stars Bobble the Clown, an innocent looking clown who teaches children to do various horrible crimes like murder, cannibalism and monster summoning. He takes pleasure in twisting the minds of his young viewers. Worst of all, he's apparently been corrupting humanity for millennia and the clown identity is just his latest guise.

#4: SCP-610: The Flesh That Hates

This makes the plague look like chicken pox!
Classification:Keter
Much like the Flood from Halo, this disease turns any living beings it makes contact with into disgusting, zombie-like abominations. The infection starts out as simple skin irritation, before it kills the host and mutates their skin to form various nasty forms. Not only that, it will also stretch the skin outwards around the environment, effectively making large cocoons for habitation.

#3: SCP-106: The Old Man

A monster in both behavior and appearance!
Classification: Keter
The only thing rivaling this monster's gruesome appearance is his cruelty. When he catches someone, he transports them to a pocket dimension where he can torture them mercilessly for his sick amusement. He can also walk through solid matter and he leaves a corrosive black liquid wherever he goes. The procedure for a containment breach involves torturing a human being and sounding his/her screams throughout the building to attract this monster.

#2: SCP-579: [Data Expunged]

Classification: Keter
Most entries on the website have certain horrific events censored, but this one takes it up a notch by revealing absolutely nothing about the item in question. All we know is it is contained in an alternate universe and the procedure for containment breach is to destroy that universe. If it survives that, it's safe to assume that we're doomed.

#1: SCP-2317: Doorway To Another World

Unless the SCP-343 can stop him, we're doomed! Image by Sunny Clockwork.
Classification: Apollyon
There are 6 iterations to this SCP. They start out describing the door and the world within, but they eventually start talking about the godlike entity trapped within. He is bent on destroying all of creation and dangerously close to escaping his prison. Worst of all, the foundation is powerless to prevent him from escaping.

There you have it; my picks for the most terrifying things ever contained by the thankfully fictional SCP Foundation. With over 2000 objects and creatures listed, I couldn't include them all if I tried. If you can think of some you believe belong on the list, tell me about them. I'll see you later. Have a happy Halloween.

References

15 Scariest bosses in video games

There's eerie, and then there's these monsters. From an old-cartoon version of Satan himself to extraterestrial abominations, join me as we count 15 of the most nightmarish bosses in gaming history. I will be excluding monsters in games were you can't fight back and for the most part bosses in kids games, since they have lists of their own. Warning: This list has plenty of nightmarish material. Viewer discretion is advised.

#15: The Devil

This guy does NOT like those who refuse to pay their soul contracts!
Satan certainly stands out in the otherwise cute but difficult world of Cuphead. First of all, his fight takes place in hell. His first stage is pretty mild, but he becomes gigantic when you advance to his second phase. If you lose to him, you see him holding Cuphead and Mugmans severed, soulless heads. That being said, this is still a rather cartoony version of the devil and the final part of the fight is him bawling his eyes out as you finish him off, hence why he's so low on the list.

#14:  Starfox: Andross

That's just nasty!
This monkey's first form was monstrous enough, but his second form is even worse. Once his head and hands is destroyed, all that's left is his brain and eyes. The tendrils underneath the brain only make this boss that much worse.

#13: Undertale: Photoshop Flowey

Just look at it!
The final boss of the neutral path of this retro-style game is disturbingly out of place. The various parts that make it look vastly different from anything else in the game, it has a huge variety of ways to destroy you and it actually uses save states to give itself an advantage. Before the fight even starts, the game closes itself. Once you reopen it, the intro glitches out and your current save file is replaced with Flowey's. 

#12: Super Metroid: Mother Brain

Houston, we have a problem...
This fight starts out like the other battles, but it takes a turn for the worse when she acquires a large robot body. Not only does the body itself look nasty, the brain also grows a jaw full of sharp teeth. Mother Brain becomes much more powerful in this form, nearly killing Samus before the baby Metroid from earlier sacrifices itself to save her.

#11: Spider-Man: Monster Ock

Now would be the time to run!
This is what happens when the Carnage symbiote bonds with Dr. Octopus. Not only does this thing look terrifying, he's also a cold-blooded psychopath. Not only that, you also have to avoid him while escaping the doctor's exploding base.

#10:  Splatterhouse: Biggie Man

One chainsaw is bad news. Two is straight up overkill!
This humanoid abomination has chainsaws for hands and the determination to use them. Despite his lack of skin, he can take a lot of pain before going down. Before you fight him in the remake, the much feared Terror Mask says you're screwed upon seeing him.

#9: Metal Gear Solid 3: The Sorrow

Now this is a haunting experience!
This ghoulish mercenary shows up after Snake's near death experience. Through out the fight, you're forced to walk through a deep river while the ghosts of Snake's previous victims haunt him. You can't kill this guy and the battle ends with Snake seemingly dying from an unknown cause.

#8: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Dead Hand

Evidently, this guy has numerous past victims!
This thing manages to stand out in what is essentially a corpse den in a well. Once you get grabbed by one of the 4 hands sticking out of the ground, this blob of flesh comes out to eat you alive. Its wide open mouth and bloody markings don't help anything. By the way, he doesn't disappear when he is defeated.

#7: The Evil Within: The Keeper

Meet the safe-headed butcher!
This lethal slaughterer has a knack for butchering his victims. Armed with a huge meat tenderizer, a sack of severed heads and barbed wire mines, the Keeper hunts the grounds in search of fresh meat. He was born from a combination of Ruvik's memory of the safe where he kept his research, and his unbridled rage

#6: Castlevania: Beelzebub

This is just GROSS!
Few things are as gruesome as a gigantic zombie that was cut up and hung on large hooks. This burial gone horribly wrong doesn't attack you on its own, instead a swarm of large flies do the fight for it. If this list was ordered based on gruesomeness, this thing would be number one.

#5: Kirby's Dream Land 3: Zero

This was aimed at kids?!
Even considering the amount of disturbing villains Kirby has slain, this guy stands out big time. He spends most of the fight firing blood at you and when he loses enough health, his eye gorily erupts out of his body and continues to attack you. This guy is made much more jarring because of how much he clashes with the rest of the game.

#4: Resident Evil 4: Nemesis

This guy is the T-800 of the Tyrants.
This monstrosity combines the immense strength and durability of the Tyrants with enough brain power to operate a rocket launcher. It also has tentacles for grabbing prey from afar. Throughout the game, the Nemesis hunts Jill down like a wolf hunting a deer. 

#3: Doom: Spider Mastermind

If Krang has a cousin, this would be it.
Of all the demons in this series, the creepiest by far is the Spider Mastermind. As if her face wasn't ghastly enough, she comes equipped with a heavily armored spider tank and a powerful gatling gun. If you plan on facing her, be sure to bring the BFG9000.

#2: Silent Hill: Pyramid Head

Even the other fog-covered monsters fear this guy!
When this freak isn't hunting the player, he is subjecting the other monsters to horrific acts and sexually abusing mannequins. He is immune to conventional weaponry and his weapon choice of a monstrously oversized knife. He is the manifestation of James's unfulfilled desire for punishment.

#1: Mother 2/Earthbound: Giygas

Those reptilians are looking pretty cute now, aren't they?
What better way to end this list than with a horrific abomination from an otherwise bright and colorful game? Giygas spends the whole battle swirling around the screen with a terrifying look on his face, saying things like "It hurts... It hurts... good". You can only destroy this thing by praying and its second stage changes the background to have many copies of him slowly moving across the screen.

And those are what I consider the most nightmarish bosses that any video game protagonists have fought against. I'd like to hear about your opinions. I'll see you later. Have a happy Halloween.

References

  • TV Tropes
  • WatchMojo