History Main / FauxHorrific

* The squirrel scene from ''NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation'', where everyone reacts to the tiny rodent as if it were a knife-weilding lunatic.

Compare WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous, NightmareRetardant.

* Wormy, the caterpillar turned butterfly in ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', is played like this, although [[NightmareFuel the closeup shots of Wormy's face]] was of a horsefly, not a butterfly, to try to make it look more menacing.
** "Oh my gosh...a FLOATING SHOPPING LIST!"
** The episode Krab-Borg. Everybody remembers what kind of show gives SpongeBob nightmares and delusion in the next day?
** "Sing a Song of Patrick". Patrick's song is [[SuckinessIsPainful something of a]] BrownNote in-universe; to the viewers, it can range from "not that horrible, really" to "[[EarWorm quite catchy]]".

* In a ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' "Treehouse of Horror" connecting segment parodying ''NightGallery'', Bart directs the viewer's attention to a painting he claims is so horrific that "merely to [[BrownNote gaze at it]] is to [[GoMadFromTheRevelation go mad]]." Cut to Homer looking at one of the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_Playing_Poker Dogs Playing Poker]]'' paintings, freaking out and collapsing in [[LaughingMad hysterical laughter]].
* ''TinyToons'' did a similar gag in their ''NightGallery'' spoof. The picture in question was Babs' third-grade school photo.
* As in the picture, ''TheSpoonyExperiment'' does this [[strike:sometimes]] [[LargeHam all the time]].
** As a particularly overblown example, in one episode Spoony comes back to [[HostileShowTakeover take back his show]] [[CloningBlues from his clone]]...until he realizes that he'd have to review ''FinalFantasyX'', and is DrivenToSuicide from the terror.
* TheNostalgiaCritic does this a few times, like the reveal that ''GoodBurger'' would be his next review.
** "Wanna know what's ''really'' scary? Stephen King is writing ''Drama'' again!" *SKREEM!!*

* The infamous ''DaddyDayCare'' scene. 'I missed'.

* CatherineTate played a character who screamed with terror at quiet, everyday noises, such as someone opening a letter or putting a glass down on the table.

* {{Freakazoid}}: The scariest thing in the world would be if they gave [[TakeThat Sinbad]] another show.

* As in the picture, ''TheSpoonyExperiment'' does this [[strike:sometimes]] [[{{LargeHam}} all the time]].

* Of course, the infamous DaddyDayCare scene. 'I missed'.

* The InsaneClownPosse put out a [[SugarBowl fluffy]] song called [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-agl0pOQfs Miracles]] which spawned some [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQW1rYdFG98 reaction videos]].

** The episode Krab-borg. Everybody remembers what kind of show that give Spongebob nightmares and delusion in the next day?

* As in the picture, ''TheSpoonyExperiment'' does this sometimes.

[[TheSpoonyExperiment http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoony_frightened_of_wc_movie_745.jpg]]
[[caption-width:330:This is the cast of the ''WingCommander'' movie? The horror! The ''horror!'']]

[[quoteright:330:[[TheSpoonyExperiment http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoony_frightened_of_wc_movie_745.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:This is the cast of the ''WingCommander'' movie? The horror! The ''horror!'']]

* Aunt Josephine in ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' has a laundry list of fears which [[LemonyNarrator the narrator]] categorizes as "rational" and "irrational." One of her irrational fears is of real estate agents.

* The ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode ''ItLivesByNight'' begins with Mike showing the bots paint samples. Both are frightened to the point of hiding by the eggshell sample.