History NightmareFuel / SonicTheHedgehog

* [[https://www.segamew.deviantart.com This Sonic fan artist]] had the idea of creating an AU in which Modern and Classic Sonic are separate entities (surprisingly though, this is not thanks to ''Generations'' — many of her artworks of this AU were posted in 2009) and are aware of themselves as video game characters and SEGA's mascots. As a result of the harsh backlash against Modern Sonic and the tensions between SEGA and the fanbase, Modern suffers from a severe breakdown and lashes out at Classic Sonic, [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Classic-Sonic-gets-a-Beating-109938509 subjecting the]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/What-happened-to-Good-2D-Sonic-109841820 poor hedgehog to]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Why-Do-you-Hurt-Classic-Sonic-109956327 bloody violence and abuse.]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/evilmetalsonicmi4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[VideoGame/SonicHeroes See me as I am]], [[TheDeterminator I am not afraid of anything...]]"'']]

** The final boss ([[spoiler:a OneWingedAngel transformation of Metal Sonic's]]) is rather terrifying, with its blood-red color scheme and vicious fangs plus copious shading that gives it a truly menacing appearance.

* NightmareFuel/SonicTheHedgehogCD
* NightmareFuel/Sonic3AndKnuckles
* NightmareFuel/SonicShuffle
* NightmareFuel/SonicAdventure
* NightmareFuel/SonicAdventure2
* NightmareFuel/SonicHeroes
* NightmareFuel/ShadowTheHedgehog
* NightmareFuel/SonicTheHedgehog2006
* NightmareFuel/SonicUnleashed
* NightmareFuel/SonicLostWorld
* NightmareFuel/SonicMania
* NightmareFuel/SonicForces

[[folder: General]]

** At a game show called Banzai Arcade's panel at an anime convention, one of the backdrops to one of the [[NintendoHard hard]] questions was a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Labyrinth Zone]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7ibpUL7Qv8 Dance Party"]]. Missing the question leads to the water level rising drastically, with [[https://youtu.be/q6GfLhut0dg?t=4m54s predictable results]].

* Death by getting crushed is one of the most common and feared ways of dying after drowning, due to the fact that ''nothing'' protects against it. You can be Super Sonic with 300 Rings remaining and still be paranoid around platforming sections because something could unexpectly come down upon you or a moving platform you're on could push you up into the ceiling or a bed of upside-down spikes.

** [[http://sonicintent.blogspot.com/2009/06/sonicnot-so-universe-rant-warning-ahead.html The .gif at the end of this blog post]] makes this [[BodyHorror all too clear.]] [[spoiler:It's a picture of Sonic, with the "bridge" between his eyes ''lifting up'' and his pupils '''''becoming one.''''']]

** Thank goodness he has two eyes and normal eyelids in the 2020 movie.

* Metal Sonic, not just because of his [[Main/RedEyesTakeWarning intimidating]] [[UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot design]] and [[KillerRobot modus]] [[ThereCanOnlyBeOne operandi]] but also because he barely toes the line between your average EvilKnockoff RobotMe and a full-on MechanicalAbomination at times. Reaches its absolute peak in ''[[VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix Knuckles Chaotix]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicHeroes Heroes]]'' when he transforms into Titan Metal Sonic and his gradual transformation into Metal Overlord respectively.
* In games where the FinalBoss must be fought with Super Sonic or Hyper Sonic, there is usually a pretty terrifying consequence if Sonic runs out of rings. For example, Sonic falls into the Earth's atmosphere, implying that he dies [[ReentryScare of reentry burnup]] or [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou by falling a loooooooooong way down]] in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' and ''Sonic Adventure 2'', and in ''Sonic Adventure'' he falls into what appears to be tens of meters of water and drowns.

[[folder: Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]
* In the 2-player vs. mode, when one player finishes a level, it starts a 60-second countdown for the other player to try and finish. The drowning music is once again involved (see folder above). Timing out doesn't merely cause the losing player to stop, they ''die'' as if the Act clock hit 10 minutes.
* The Chemical Plant Zone is mostly remembered because of the quickly rising purple water with no air bubbles known only as Mega Mack, making any comeback to the surface more and more difficult as time went by, eventually culminating in an inevitable instance of the drowning countdown. This is referenced in VideoGame/SonicGenerations, where Tails remarks about how [[FandomNod "and that pink water really makes me nervous for some reason."]] drives home how even Creator/{{Sega}} is aware of the level's infamy.

* Playing around with savestates on this game and [[ROMHack Sonic 2 Retro Remix]] with an emulator [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKD1303YiJI can result in a messy outcome.]]
* The infamous Sonic 2 prototype has the infamous blank stages: Wood Zone Act 2, both acts of Cyber City Zone, and both acts of Death Egg Zone. No level, just glitched (if any) background) and plummeting to your death three times. Even worse, playing Death Egg Zone, which has [[NothingIsScarier no music]], ''shuts off the [=Z80=] processor'', preventing sound from playing again until you reset.

* When you actually reach the final boss of this game, specifically the last robot Robotnik gets in for this particular boss battle, the music that plays can be downright ''disturbing''. What makes it Nightmare Fuel is the oddity and eerie calmness that its sounds make. The atmosphere this creates, after you have probably died several times just to reach this point, is that this calmness is probably what Robotnik feels every time he kills or roboticizes animals for whatever self-serving goal he has in mind. Exacerbated by the fact that the bot's movements are so slow and graceful, the worst part comes when [[spoiler: this is only half of the way the robot moves because then its claws make a jab at whoever you're playing as gracefully but not so slowly. It's clear that Robotnik's got no problem killing who you're playing as cruelly just as he did to countless other animals]]. And it ''is'' very easy to die again at this point.

[[folder: Sonic Spinball]]

[[folder: Sonic R]]

[[folder: Sonic Advance series]]
* The first ''Sonic Advance'' uses a fairly pleasant — and unused anywhere else in the game — sprite depicting Eggman's "pointing" artwork as an after-credits message, as a [[TheStinger stinger]], telling the player "Hey, go collect all the Chaos Emeralds!"... with a pitch black background. The message in the second ''Advance'' game, on the other hand, has a slightly modified version of the Eggman "menacing-and-greedy" sprite from the ''Sonic Advance 1'' intro, still with a black background, telling the player to collect the Chaos Emeralds, but this time in all caps with a ScareChord thrown in for good measure. The image itself can be [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/gba/b/son2son.htm seen at the bottom of this page.]]

* ''Sonic Advance 2'' is one of the only games in the series to pose the question "what happens when Dr. Eggman's space stations are destroyed?" Well, it turns out that they descend to Earth and destroy whatever area they land in a giant explosion.

[[folder: Sonic Riders]]
* ''Sonic Riders'' is a game you'd think has absolutely no potential for nightmare fuel whatsoever... until you race in the Digital Dimension track, the first half of which is a hellish landscape with creepy gargoyle statues and skeleton hands that try to drag you into a pit. Its potential for inducing nightmares is lampshaded in mission briefings as Storm the Albatross says he's scared of the place. The second half of the track is FluffyCloudHeaven. Sounds like a relief, but it comes across more as unnerving.

[[folder: Sonic Colors]]

** It actually makes sense, as it is actually an 8-bit version of [[{{Leitmotif}} Eggman's theme]] from Sonic '06. So it's a villain theme, and a very [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7QHG3YmC3s menacing sounding one at that]].

* Purple and Violet Wisps. They were once normal Wisps that were captured by Eggman and forced to obey him, and as such were turned into [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/f/fe/Wisp_Purple.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20110513170335 this]] and [[http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/b/bb/_Violet.png this]].

[[folder: Sonic Generations]]

** If that doesn't convince you, also consider Cream's [[https://youtu.be/wzGkcv8TcuI?t=72 line]] if you complete Speed Highway with Modern Sonic.
* The newly-designed [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 GUN military truck.]] After exploring the high-def redesign of City Escape, a player who hasn't seen previews would expect the truck to simply drive down a hill at reasonable speed like the original, [[spoiler:but now it is much bigger, faster, and equipped with three gigantic saw blades and rocket boosters, with the worst regard to human safety, as it proceeds to smash through a building quickly. As for all those cars that were just knocked about, they explode upon touch.]]

* [[http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?432434-Sonic-Hasn-t-Been-Darker&p=7713957#post7713957 This fan theory]] involving Eggman's plan in the game. [[spoiler:Made even worse in that ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' shows it to be '''''absolutely correct'''''.]]

[[folder: Other Games]]

* The GameOver screen for ''Sonic 3D Blast'': instead of the words "Game Over" simply flashing on screen after the last life is lost, the screen turns a pale blue as the letters for "Game Over" appear, set to the Game Over theme from ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', then at the very end, the screen just [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q236FqlgP4 shatters.]]

* [[spoiler:Metal Sonic's]] [[TheStinger appearance]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4: Episode 1''[='s=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbSsMppR1A8 alternate ending]] is a bit unnerving, when [[JumpScare unexpected.]]

** The final boss is rather terrifying, with its blood-red color scheme and vicious fangs plus copious shading that gives it a truly menacing appearance.

* The arcade game ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog'' can be a little frightening. The story of the game is that Dr. Eggman/Robotnik has captured Sonic, Mighty, and Ray and puts them on his island that contains various {{death trap}}s. The object of the game is to run from the beginning to the end in each level in one piece. The catch is the aforementioned traps such as giant tornadoes, gigantic stalactites, spike walls, and circular blades (which Eggman can activate with a push of a button). There are more in the game; the point is that it shows how determined Eggman is and how far he will go to destroy Sonic and friends. You can hear in his voice during the course of the game that he really loves [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Qr0kSXGEg torturing Sonic]]. That scream he lets loose at 1:14 proves this.
* Sonic X-Treme, even though it is cancelled and this soundtrack may not be real, has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AggTsbBNUFo a pretty unsettling game over tune]].

[[folder: Non-Game Media]]
* Super Sonic in ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic''. Unlike in the games where Super Sonic is merely a [[SuperMode super-powered form of Sonic's]], he is Sonic as a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide super powered sociopath]] who wants nothing more than to kill and torture anything in his path, preferably slowly.

* Sonic’s initial design for the 2020 movie was a [[UncannyValley little TOO humanoid]]. Granted he was later made to look cuter, but some merch still uses the old design.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

--> '''''[[AGodAmI I AM GOD]]'''''

* Metal Sonic is a creepy character when you think about him. How do you make him worse? Well, there's one fan theory as to why Metal Sonic remains Robotnik's greatest challenge to Sonic: it's because Metal Sonic is no robot, but actually a time-traveling, [[UnwillingRoboticisation roboticized]] Sonic from the BadFuture seen on Little Planet. That's an unnerving idea in itself, that Sonic's deadliest rival is actually a FallenHero version of himself from an alternate timeline, but it gets worse: this same theory postulates that Metal Sonic is trapped in an AndIMustScream situation, with his consciousness locked away amongst the programming, aware of his actions but unable to control himself... worse still, being stranded in this alternate timeline with a doppelganger of himself may be driving him insane, and his hatred of Sonic is now less a matter of programming, and more a broken, twisted mind struggling to deal with a situation it can't handle. There's a video on the theory [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtgDdLqCZCg here]], which really highlights just how unsettling it is.
** Said video also theorizes that Metal Sonic's plan in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' is a direct result of this origin, pointing to the line from the boss battle where Neo Metal Sonic makes a point of declaring he's "no longer afraid of anything". This is a strange thing for a seemingly emotionless robot to say, but makes perfect sense for the theoretical roboticised alternate Sonic. The video also theorizes that his declaration of becoming a "robot overlord ruling over a robot kingdom" is a twisted form of acceptance of what happened to him — he won't be alone if he inflicts his fate on others...

* [[https://www.segamew.deviantart.com This Sonic fan-artist]] had the idea of creating an AU in which Modern and Classic Sonic are separate entities (surprisingly though, this is not thanks to Generations — many of her artworks of this AU were posted in 2009) and are aware of themselves as video-game characters and SEGA's mascots. As a result of the harsh backlash against Modern Sonic and the tensions between SEGA and the fanbase, Modern suffers from a severe breakdown and lashes out at Classic Sonic, [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Classic-Sonic-gets-a-Beating-109938509 subjecting the]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/What-happened-to-Good-2D-Sonic-109841820 poor hedgehog to]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Why-Do-you-Hurt-Classic-Sonic-109956327 bloody violence and abuse.]]

** Thankfully this is an AU, and Generations and Forces have shown that the two Sonics are extremely good friends, with Modern acting as an older brother figure and mentor to Classic.

* The bad ending of ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' shows [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar8NEvPKVLM&t=6m57s the final boss overlooking a city (possibly Newtrogic High Zone) in flames,]] the implication being it just burned the whole place down.

* The bad ending of ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' shows [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar8NEvPKVLM&t=6m57s the final boss overlooking a city (possibly Newtrogic High Zone) in flames.]]

* Run out of Drill power while still underground and [[BuriedAlive you die]]. It's the ONLY that can kill you if it runs out. Thankfully not the case if you're using Drill underwater, but then again, [[OxygenMeter it's]] water.

* The arcade game ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog'' can be a little frightening. The story of the game is that Dr. Eggman/Robotnik has captured Sonic, Mighty, and Ray and puts them on his island that contains various {{death trap}}s. The object of the game is to run from the beginning to the end in each level in one piece. The catch is the aforementioned traps such as giant tornadoes, gigantic stalactites, spike walls, and circular blades (which Eggman can activate with a push of a button). There are more in the game; the point is that it shows how determined Eggman is and how far he will go to destroy Sonic and friends. You can hear in his voice during the course of the game that he really loves [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Qr0kSXGEg torturing Sonic.]]. That scream he lets loose at 1:14 proves this.

* [[Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline The online continuation]] of ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' by the original writers shows what happened to Robotnik after the ''Sonic Adventure'' adaptation -- reduced to a drooling madman who is said to "rarely sleep" and is focused entirely on revenge on Sonic. And as of #250, [[spoiler:he's been [[http://www.stconline.co.uk/250/comics/comic114_sml.jpg wired into a Drakon war computer]], speaking through a synthesiser, and it only ''partially restored his sanity'']].

** Said video also theorizes that Metal Sonic's plan in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' is a direct result of this origin, pointing to the line from the boss battle where Neo Metal Sonic makes a point of declaring he's "no longer afraid of anything". This is a strange thing for a seemingly emotionless robot to say, but makes perfect sense for the theoretical roboticised alternate Sonic. The video also theorizes that his declaration of becoming a "robot overlord ruling over a robot kingdom" is a twisted form of acceptance of what happened to him - he won't be alone if he inflicts his fate on others...

* [[https://www.segamew.deviantart.com This Sonic fan-artist]] had the idea of creating an AU in which Modern and Classic Sonic are separate entities (surprisingly though, this is not thanks to Generations - many of her artworks of this AU were posted in 2009) and are aware of themselves as video-game characters and SEGA's mascots. As a result of the harsh backlash against Modern Sonic and the tensions between SEGA and the fanbase, Modern suffers from a severe breakdown and lashes out at Classic Sonic, [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Classic-Sonic-gets-a-Beating-109938509 subjecting the]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/What-happened-to-Good-2D-Sonic-109841820 poor hedgehog to]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/segamew/art/Why-Do-you-Hurt-Classic-Sonic-109956327 bloody violence and abuse.]]

[[caption-width-right:320:This is Scorpius. You may scream now.]]

* ''NightmareFuel/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog''

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yw5jkAHgME The infamous drowning theme]] frequently reduces (most) players to tears while playing through Labyrinth Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'', if only because of how [[JumpScare louder-in-comparison and unexpected]] it is. The ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 games]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBpWn0j8A-0 feature an orchestrated version of it,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeub2_fm_Qc complete with realistic drowning;]] and, last but not least, ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' has an even more ominous-sounding, better-orchestrated version of the track, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUOMZNEzXw as heard here.]] What makes drowning in ''Colors'' even scarier is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPybKtOceQ Sonic's body language]] during it, depicting an even more realistic drowning. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg0t9eK3jg4 arguably the worst]] version is the ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' one, which combines the fast tone of the regular version with incoherent drumming.

** The drowning music also plays in some games at 9'49" out of [[TimedMission 10 minutes]]. Most levels are short enough that this doesn't happen, but ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' and ''Sonic Mania'' have substantially long enough levels that it's likely to happen, especially in Carnival Night Zone Act 2 (thanks to the [[ThatOnePuzzle notorious red barrel]]), both Acts of Sandopolis Zone, and ''Mania''[='=]s Flying Battery Zone Act 2.

-->'''The Sega Scourge:''' "Some would say that this sounds far too inherently villainous for something Sonic the Hedgehog would do. I see nothing villainous about it. What I see is acceptance of fear, heartache, and alienation. I mean, if everyone's a robot, Metal Sonic would no longer be alone, would he?"

* ''NightmareFuel/SonicSatAM''

* NightmareFuel/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog
* NightmareFuel/SonicSatAM
* NightmareFuel/SonicUnderground
* NightmareFuel/SonicX
* NightmareFuel/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog
* NightmareFuel/SonicTheHedgehogIDW

* In the 2-player vs. mode, when one player finishes a level, it starts a 60-second countdown for the other player to try and finish. The drowning music is once again involved (see folder above). Timing out doesn't merely cause the losing player to stop, they ''die'' as if the clock hit 10 minutes.

* In the 2-player vs. mode, when one player finishes a level, it starts a 60-second countdown for the other player to try and finish. The drowning music is once again involved (see folder above).

* Sonic’s initial design for the 2020 movie was a little TOO humanoid. Granted he was later made to look cuter, but some merch still uses the old design.

* [[spoiler:Metal Sonic's]] [[TheStinger appearance]] in VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4[='=]s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbSsMppR1A8 alternate ending]] is a bit unnerving, when [[JumpScare unexpected.]]
* One of the most creepy moments was the [[NothingIsScarier open interpretation]] of the [[MultipleEndings incomplete ending]] of the Game Gear version of ''Sonic 2'', in which Tails gets kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik. If you don't collect all the [[PlotCoupon Chaos Emeralds]] throughout the game, then you do not gain access to Crystal Egg Zone and have the [[DownerEnding bad ending]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ19n421nBc credits]], at the end of which Sonic looks up and sees [[spoiler:a constellation of Tails in the sky]], which could very well pertain to [[spoiler:Tails' presumed death]]. Youtube user LetsPlay/WhoIsThisGit [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCQZOh2faww had a field day with that one.]]
* The bad ending of ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' shows [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIApBr6xoK0 the final boss overlooking a city (possibly Newtrogic High Zone) in flames.]]

** And if the player fails to collect all Chaos Rings, ''he gets right back up after his defeat'' and everything goes red — [[GoryDiscretionShot we can assume that he's viciously tearing you apart]]. Cue aforementioned BadEnding.
* The Game Gear game ''Tails Adventure'' has a boss where you're trapped in a room and must use Tails's mini-robot to defeat Dr. Fukurokov. To do this, you have to navigate the robot through a tiny maze to reach a rock you must push onto the boss's head. He looks startled momentarily, then falls on his back and stays that way.

* The arcade game ''[=SegaSonic=] the Hedgehog'' can be a little frightening. The story of the game is that Dr. Eggman[=/=]Robotnik has captured Sonic, Mighty, and Ray and puts them on his island that contains various {{death trap}}s. The object of the game is to run from the beginning to the end in each level in one piece. The catch is the aforementioned traps such as giant tornadoes, gigantic stalactites, spike walls, and circular blades (which Eggman can activate with a push of a button). There are more in the game; the point is that it shows how determined Eggman is and how far he will go to destroy Sonic and friends. You can hear in his voice during the course of the game that he really loves [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Qr0kSXGEg torturing Sonic.]]. That scream he lets loose at 1:14 proves this.

[[folder:Fan Works]]

** One in particular is ''[[BlatantLies An Ordinary Sonic Rom Hack]]''. The game begins like normal until you push start and the title screen is replaced with a more nightmarish version. The actual gameplay remains unaltered until [[ThirteenIsUnlucky thirteen seconds]] pass, then the zone you're in transforms into something more akin to hell, with immortal enemies and rings that actually reduce your ring count. After a while, an evil Sonic doppelganger appears and chases Sonic, accompanied by [[HellIsThatNoise an off-key version of the drowning theme]], and if he catches you, you die. If the player gets a GameOver, the game returns to the SEGA logo... until a digitized render of the "I AM GOD" picture appears with a distorted version of the SEGA voice. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThSpW33w2gA Witness the horror for yourself.]]

** Despite this, the robot duo somehow manages to return to the Earth.

* The closest Eggman has gotten to a true MoralEventHorizon in the games: He tried to capture an entire alien species, the s, just so he can use their life energy to power his machines, which could've brought the s to extinction if Sonic and Tails failed to stop him. Eggman's master plan was to use them to power a mind-control weapon that's powerful enough to enslave the entire universe.

* Purple and Violet s. They were once normal s that were captured by Eggman and forced to obey him, and as such were turned into [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/f/fe/Wisp_Purple.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20110513170335 this]] and [[http://images.wikia.com/sonic/images/b/bb/_Violet.png this]].

[[folder: Sonic Heroes]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB25ZDKsaVg Final Fortress]] is perhaps Eggman's most massive AirborneAircraftCarrier to date, and when you're in the level, you're surrounded on both sides by dark mechanical corridors, flashing lights (which do not light up the place), metal conduits, and caution markings. All of this happens thousands of feet in the air, in the middle of rough weather. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB1Z338gcsU The music]] is quite possibly the most mournful, ominous, and heavy piece of music [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids ever made for a kids' game]].
* Neo Metal Sonic's transformation into [[OneWingedAngel Metal Madness]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaCFMFOGR6Y in Last Story]], and his scene in the cutscene before Sonic goes Super Sonic, can both be scary to younger audiences: perhaps as a form of AudienceSurrogate to that, the six-year-old Cream is shown during the scene being hugged by Big due to how terrifying it is to her (probably doubles as a mini SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}).
** Even Eggman's army of Egg Pawns and Metal Sonic's army is fleeing the scene in sheer terror when Metal Madness appears.
-->'''Neo Metal Sonic''': ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1w1Qcn9fqU All living things kneel before your master!]]''
** [[WhamLine "All life form data...]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycPI4jEhvY successfully copied."]]
* Egg Emperor, Eggman's ImplacableMan of a final mecha. The BossBattle takes place on the aforementioned Final Fortress.
* The last leg of Lost Jungle. It starts with a group of black frogs, which summon rain that kills plants, trying to drown you in the swamp by making the platforms beneath your feet disappear. Then, when you get away from them, a '''giant alligator''' bursts out of the swamp and starts chasing you. The rest of the level is a mad dash towards the finish line across a series of vine swings, with the alligator snapping at your heels all the way, where one mistake will likely mean instant death.
* Arguably, the ghosts in Hang Castle/Mystic Mansion. They appear out of nowhere, have a creepy laugh, simply fade when hit (just before reappearing in a couple of seconds), and even the characters admit that they make absolutely no sense. And as if that wasn't bad enough, imagine dropping into a room swarming with them, with walls that appear to be made of TV static. And in case you were going to get vindictive and try to Chaos Inferno all of them... they're immune to Team Blasts. Have fun.
** Also, in the Super Hard Mode version of Hang Castle, they will appear in much bigger sizes. Particularly, if you go to a small room, you will notice a giant laughing pumpkin head is appearing right in front of you, filling up the entire room.
** [[EldritchLocation Mystic Mansion]] in general. With switches that make statues and paintings come to life and attack, hallways that never end until you find the way out, doors leading into ''nothing'', and the aforementioned TV static room, the entire place is one massive MindScrew.
* The energy storage tank at the end of Power Plant for Teams Sonic and Dark was responsible for quite a few nightmares in younger players ([[ThatOneLevel in more ways than one]]). You're trapped inside a giant metal cylinder and have to climb all the way to the top, being chased by a rising wave of energy that looks quite a bit like lava and burns you on contact. Not only is it intense and claustrophobic, but it's all too easy to screw up and die.
[[/folder]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yw5jkAHgME The infamous drowning theme]] frequently reduces (most) players to tears while playing through Labyrinth Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', if only because of how [[JumpScare louder-in-comparison and unexpected]] it is. The ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 games]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBpWn0j8A-0 feature an orchestrated version of it,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeub2_fm_Qc complete with realistic drowning;]] and, last but not least, ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' has an even more ominous-sounding, better-orchestrated version of the track, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUOMZNEzXw as heard here.]] What makes drowning in ''Colors'' even scarier is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPybKtOceQ Sonic's body language]] during it, depicting an even more realistic drowning. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg0t9eK3jg4 arguably the worst]] version is the ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' one, which combines the fast tone of the regular version with incoherent drumming.

** Said video also theorises that Metal Sonic's plan in Heroes is a direct result of this, as he makes a point of declaring he's "no longer afraid of anything", a strange thing for a seemingly emotionless robot to say, but makes perfect sense for the theoretical roboticised alternate Sonic. The video also theroises that his declaration of becoming a "robot overlord ruling over a robot kingdom" is a twisted form of acceptance of what happened to him - he won't be alone if he inflicts his fate on others...
-->'''The Sega Scourge:''' "Some would say that this sounds far too inherently villainous for something Sonic the Hedgehog would do, I see nothing villainous about it. What I see is acceptance of fear, heartache, and alienation. I mean, if everyone's a robot, Metal Sonic would no longer be alone, would he?"

* NightmareFuel/SonicUnleashed

[[folder: Sonic Unleashed]]
* Dark Gaia, when it goes OneWingedAngel, transforms [[TransformationTrauma in a really disturbing manner]], and the final product is somewhere between StarfishAlien and EldritchAbomination. Its head is a Venus flytrap filled with eyes, the whole thing enclosed in tongues with two huge ones hanging down.
** And when Sonic attacks Dark Gaia's eye, [[{{Squick}} causing it to leak green blood]]... this is also the reason why the game received an ESRB rating of E10+.
* In the opening, Eggman actually manages to split the Earth apart into seven pieces (akin to ''Sonic Advance 3'').
** And the way that we see ''Super Sonic'' struggling and getting forcibly de-powered by being electrocuted and having the Chaos Emeralds ripped from his body then drained. What really makes the scene disturbing is how Sonic is screaming in agony as this happens.
[[/folder]]

[[caption-width-right:320:This is Scorpius. You may scream now]].