History Main / NightmareHands

[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/ReZero https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caf98d2d6c3a9557761e7793b4042f3be97b1170_hq.jpg]]]]

* ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'':

* ''Literature/FateZero'': When the Grail corrupts Irisviel, several small hands emerge from the pool she is standing in tugging at her and pulling her in deeper.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': The inside of "The Gate of Truth" seems to be filled with nightmarish hands that seek to rip you apart.
* The climax of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' ends with [[spoiler:[[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureYoshikageKira Yoshikage Kira]] in a mysterious alleyway that sort of acts as a gateway to hell. If one looks behind, then they will get DraggedOffToHell. As punishment for being a SerialKiller, Reimi tricks Kira into looking behind. As a result, countless ghastly hands grab him everywhere, as he is forcefully dragged into the abyss of darkness that lurks.]]
* ''Literature/ReZero'':
** Betelgeuse has this as a superpower, his "Unseen Hands" can also turn invisible, but are generally represented as black and demonic.
** The Witch of Envy's grasp over Subaru's lifeforce is represented as a nightmare hand caressing his literal heart.

--> From the water covering the ground, grasping hands rose on their own, clawing at the enemy's legs.
* ''Fanfic/EclipsedHearts'' has a heroic example in the [[CastingAShadow Shadow Mages]] and their use of Shadow Hands. Although the protagonist Luna and her mother Noir can command shadowy extending hands for combat and {{mundane U|tility}}ses, both are good examples of DarkIsNotEvil and help the heroes protect the worlds from the forces of Darkness. Of course, Luna is also shown to strike fear into her friends when she uses her Shadow Hands with full force[[note]]Ventus is stunned when Luna uses her hands to pound Maleficent's minions to the ground, Sora's party are a little frightened when she uses a large array of giants hands to slam down on Cerberus, and Sora's party are a little creeped out when Luna uses her hands to round up Lock, Shock, and Barrel.[[/note]], even if they know she's on their side.

* ''Series/TheLibrarians2014'': "...And the Heart of Darkness" has the team looking through a "haunted house", [[spoiler:actually a magical house known as The House of Refuge that's been coopted by a HistoricalDomain psycho killer]] looking for survivors of a killer. Ezekiel, perhaps the most GenreSavvy when it comes to haunted houses, finds a partly open closet and mutters repeatedly to himself, "Movie guy is wrong." as he goes to investigate the closet. He opens the door and finds it empty. But then as he turns his back, a large number of hands start reaching out of the closet for him...

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': the [[https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Mystery_Hand Mystery Hand]] card is a detached hand plus arm of the DARK attribute and "Fiend" monster type.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'': Wandering a hallway in the Spenser Mansion, there is a scene were zombie arms come breaking through the windows grabbing at the player character, be it Jill or Chris.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}} Splatterhouse]]'' series:
** In ''Splatterhouse 1'', the second section of stage IV, after the library, the player has to jump over broken floorboards and avoid falling into [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/584217-splatterhouse/images?pid=584217&img=49 small pits where severed hands]] are. The hands can jump out of the pit and grab the player.

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* ''Webcomic/CastleSwimmer'': The Octalia dark magic can be shaped into black hands to extend their grasp.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "Jailbusters", the Ghostbusters get thrown into the "Arm Pit", which is a pit full of disembodied arms that try to grab them and drag them to their deaths.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': The Cluster (and the gem experiments more broadly) tend to manifest as a writhing mass that takes the shape of a gigantic arm.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'':

The hands themselves are generally either a grotesque mass of BodyHorror, or MadeOfEvil. The DraggedOffToHell variation naturally comes with the implication of being souls of the damned. These limbs can also sometimes double as CreepilyLongArms in the case of an unseen MonsterUnderTheBed.

* ''VideoGame/MrHoppsPlayhouse1'': In the climax, a giant Mr. Hopp extends a hand towards Ruby, [[RunOrDie and she can only run from him]]. In front of her, there are black hands coming out of the ground and she must shoot them (either with a gun or a slingshot, depending on which version of the game you play).
* ''VideoGame/MrHoppsPlayhouse2'': In the Underworld, one of the hazards is a black hand that drops down from the ceiling and attempts to grab Esther.

** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': Part of the horror of navigating the River Twygz in [[TheUnderworld the Underwhere]] is fending off the Underhands, ominous grasping white arms that live on the riverbed and are said to drag souls [[DeaderThanDead deeper into oblivion]]. To make matters worse, they're [[InvincibleMinorMinion totally invincible]]. Even using Barry, the one thing they can't outright NoSell, will just make them regenerate unharmed.

** During the war arc, [[spoiler:Shigiraki develops this as an ability, made all the more horrific since every hand has his MakeThemRot powers]].

[[folder:Web Animation]]

* ''Anime/FateZero'': When the Grail corrupts Irisviel, several small hands emerge from the pool she is standing in tugging at her and pulling her in deeper.

* ''Anime/ReZero'':

''Why'' this imagery is so scary has a couple possible sources. Many grasping hands naturally evoke a feeling of being overwhelmed by a mob, and sometimes even has [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything disturbing implications of being physically violated]]. The fact the hands commonly pull you somewhere unseen (underground, underwater, [[DarknessEqualsDeath into shadows]], into portals) also appeals to a [[NothingIsScarier fear of the unknown]] combined with a fear of being ''taken'' by something malevolent.