History NightmareFuel / KuboAndTheTwoStrings

* During the fight at Hanzo's castle the bottom half of one of the sisters' masks breaks. Her skin is just as white as the mask was and the way her mouth contorts in fury while the upper half of her face is covered by the mask is ''terrifying,'' as are her sharp teeth. It dives hard into the UncannyValley to great effect.

* Even though Beetle turns out to be benign, it's scary from Monkey's point of view when he seemingly abducts Kubo out of nowhere. [[AdultFear One minute, her back is turned, and the next, he's gone, leaving only his voice calling out for her]]. Since Monkey is basically Kubo's mother, it's every parent's worst nightmare to have your child stolen from right under you.

* Monkey nearly stabbed Beetle. Once their true identities are revealed, it's ironic that Sariatu nearly killed Hanzo like she was supposed to years ago, if it hadn't been for Kubo's intervention. It would've also been [[TearJerker tragic]] for Kubo's mother to kill her husband and never really know the truth then.

* In a huge rarity for western animation, the film posits that sometimes your own family is the worst enemy you could have. Have fun with that, kids.

** How scary is Kubo's "I kill you" line? In the commentary, Travis Knight said it ''shocked him'' to so much as write in the script.

* On an emotional level, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1UOrjWje0 CinemaWins]] makes a point that Kubo's seetheing dialogue "I kill you" is [[BewareTheNiceOnes greatly]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness unsettling]], especially coming from someone as normally [[NiceGuy kind]] as him.

* Even though Beetle turns out to be benign, it's scary from Monkey's point of view when he seemingly abducts Kubo out of nowhere. [[AdultFear One minute, her back is turned, and the next, he's gone, leaving only his voice calling out for her]]. [[spoiler: Since Monkey is basically Kubo's mother, it's every parent's worst nightmare to have your child stolen from right under you.]]
* If you think about it [[spoiler: it's scary that Monkey nearly stabbed Beetle. Once you know their true identities, it's ironic that Sariatu nearly killed Hanzo like she was supposed to years ago, if it hadn't been for Kubo's intervention. It would've also been [[TearJerker tragic]] for Kubo's mother to kill her husband and never really know the truth then.]]

** While we don't ''see it'', the implication that [[spoiler:Monkey killed the first sister by cleaving into her head, given her mask was sliced in two]] is rather frightening.
* [[spoiler:Hanzo's transformation into Beetle]] manages to be this despite never appearing onscreen. We just see [[spoiler:the Hanzo doll convulsing as it's crushed and refolded by one of the Sisters.]]
* During the fight at [[spoiler: Hanzo's castle]] the bottom half of one of the sisters' masks breaks. Her skin is just as white as the mask was and the way her mouth contorts in fury while the upper half of her face is covered by the mask is ''terrifying,'' as are her sharp teeth. It dives hard into the UncannyValley to great effect.

* Kubo and Monkey finds refuge inside a Dead Blue Whale! Let that sink in for a moment: they have to take shelter inside a giant something's ''corpse''.

* Kubo and Monkey finds refuge inside a Dead Blue Whale!
** Just the fact they have to take shelter inside a giant something's ''corpse''.

* While we don't ''see it'', the implication that [[spoiler:Monkey killed the first sister by cleaving into her head, given her mask was sliced in two]] is rather frightening.

* A small moment, but Kubo has a small moment of PowerIncontinence in this scene. When he lies to Monkey that it must've been [[BlatantLies mosquitos]] that bit her rear, he notices that three of the origami birds are changing into origami mosquitos who make a beeline for Monkey. The look on his face hints that he doesn't mean for this to happen. Bonus points for the origami mosquitos' uncanny size, bordering on [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Jumanji Jumanji-sized]].

* The fact that Kubo ''[[EyeScream had one of his eyes ripped out]]'' when he was a ''baby''.

* Then there's [[BigBad the Moon King's]] floating, glowing, [[OneWingedAngel monstrous form]], looking like a mix between a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkleosteus Dunkleosteus]],'' a koi fish and a centipede with massive human teeth, helped by the fact that it has enough elements of his human guise to make it more [[EldritchAbomination eldritch]].
* In a huge rarity for western animation, the film posits that sometimes your own family is the worst enemy you could have. Have fun with that, kids.
* The Gashadokuro. A giant roaring skeleton with fiery eyes that nearly eats both Monkey and Beetle. Even the credits sequence showing how the massive puppet was animated ends with him [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou lunging at an animator!]]
** The thing's introduction counts as well: Beetle pulls a sword from a pedestal shaped like a skeletal hand, which rises up into utter darkness. This is followed by numerous giant bones littered around the area also rising into the abyss. Followed by two giant glowing eyes lighting up, and the Gashadokuro revealing its nightmarish skeletal face...
** Its reveal is made even more terrifying since the film first seems to prepare a JumpScare with the hand possibly clutching Beetle once he pulled out the sword. Instead it is a BaitAndSwitch as the hand slowly descends into darkness, only for something ''much worse'' to come back with that hand.
** A touch of FridgeHorror when its SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset attire is made completely out of ''human-sized'' bones. In Japanese mythology, Gashadokuro is formed from the bones of humans who died from war and starvation. When it catches someone, it bites their head off. The only warning of Gashadokuro's arrival is ringing in the ears. The only defense is to run.

* Kubo and Monkey finds refuge inside a Dead Blue Whale!
** Just the fact they have to take shelter inside a giant something's ''corpse''.

** Not to mention that they reveal themselves not only by the creepy cooing, but also by appearing out of mist. At first there's only one...then the second one appears from behind the first.

** A touch of FridgeHorror when its SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset attire is made completely out of ''human-sized'' bones. In Japanese mythology, Gashadokuro is formed from the bones of humans who died from war and starvation. When it catches someone, it bites their head off. The only warning of Gashadokuro's arrival is ringing in the ears.