History YMMV / EyesWideShut

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* NightmareFuel:
** The iconic gathering of the secret society. As mentioned above, the music is disturbing, as is the mysterious nature of the event.
** During the opening ritual of the gathering, a masked couple on the balcony stare down at Bill suspiciously. Done in POV, it arguably gives the illusion that they're staring right at the viewer.
** The tense scene at the end of the gathering when Bill is outed as an uninvited guest, with all of the masks suddenly looking at him (with the angles and lighting making them look even more ominous/demonic) and the ominous Ligeti music playing.

** The tense scene at the end of the gathering when Bill is outed as an uninvited guest, with all of the masks suddenly looking at him and the ominous Ligeti music playing.

** The iconic gathering of the secret society. As mentioned above, the Ligeti music is disturbing, as is the mysterious nature of the event.

** The tense scene at the end of the gathering when [[spoiler:Bill is outed as an uninvited guest.]]

** When the wife tells her tale to the protagonist, what you get to see is the face of Creator/TomCruise listening to Creator/NicoleKidman -- his wife -- describing how he doesn't understand women. The couple's real-life successive break-up makes this almost prophetic.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: You'd think a film with a plot as simple as, "A man discovers that his wife contemplated an affair a year ago and contemplates having one himself," would be a simple enough experience. [[MindScrew You would be dead wrong]]. Then again, many would say this is par for the course when it comes to Creator/StanleyKubrick.

* EveryoneIsSatanInHell: A common conspiracy, sometimes repeated semi-jokingly, is that Kubrick was murdered by the Illuminati/The CIA/some other powerful group because the orgy scene, held and conducted by masked figures implied to consist of the Global Elite, was too accurate.

*** As an addition, journalist Larry Celona, who acts as the film's journalistic advisor and wrote the news article [[spoiler:for Mandy's death in the newspaper that Bill reads]], also wrote about Epstein's death in RealLife.

* HarsherInHindsight: When the wife tells her tale to the protagonist, what you get to see is the face of Creator/TomCruise listening to Creator/NicoleKidman -- his wife -- describing how he doesn't understand women. The couple's real-life successive break-up makes this almost prophetic.

* VindicatedByHistory: ''Eyes Wide Shut'' divided audiences and critics upon release, with an attitude toward sex that critics view as "dated" and a plot considered exploitatively bizarre. In the years since, the perception has evolved and Kubrick's approach is widely regarded as "timeless", with the 2019 Epstein's scandal giving the film a renewed relevance.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Most people are familiar with this film than with ''Traumnovelle''.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The average person doesn't know much in the movie aside from nude Creator/NicoleKidman (at times kissing naked Creator/TomCruise, as seen on the poster) and the infamous masked orgy.
* EndingFatigue: After TheReveal, the film still goes on for some time. Probably justified, as it highlights that the mystery, captivating and intriguing though it is, [[MocksteryTale is ultimately of secondary importance]] compared to the issues of lust, trust and fidelity. [[MindScrew And then there's a possibility that the reveal was false anyway...]]

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: During its release, it received much better reception and appreciation in European territories and in Japan than in the anglosphere.
* HarsherInHindsight: When the wife tells her tale to the protagonist, what you get to see is the face of Creator/TomCruise listening at Creator/NicoleKidman -- his wife -- describing how he doesn't understand women. The couple's real-life successive break-up makes this almost prophetic.
** A secret society that hosted orgies and ring doesn't seem that ludicrous in late 2010s with Katie Couric mentioned in her memoir attended Jeffrey Epstein's, a convicted sex trafficker and offender, private party that eerily resembled one in the film.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Alice mostly disappears after the first act, robbing us of more of one of Creator/NicoleKidman's most engaging performances ever.
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: You'd think a film with a plot as simple as "a man discovers his wife contemplated an affair a year ago, and contemplates having one himself," would be a simple enough experience. [[MindScrew You would be dead wrong]]. Then again, many would say this is par for the course when it comes to Creator/StanleyKubrick.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: During its' release, it received much better reception and appreciation in European territories and in Japan rather than in the anglosphere.

* NightmareFuel: The iconic gathering of the secret society. As mentioned above, the Ligeti music is disturbing, as is the mysterious nature of the event.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Alice mostly disappears after the first act, robbing us of more of one of Nicole Kidman’s most engaging performances ever.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: During its' release, it received much better reception and appreciation in European territories and Jspan rather than in the anglosphere.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV_qPnsYIaA Musica Ricerata no. 2]] is used to great effect.

* NightmareFuel: The iconic gathering of the secret society. As mentioned above, the music is disturbing, as is the mysterious nature of the event.

* EndingFatigue: After TheReveal, the film still goes on for some time. Probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as it highlights that the mystery, captivating and intriguing though it is, [[MocksteryTale is ultimately of secondary importance]] compared to the issues of lust, trust and fidelity. [[MindScrew And then there's a possibility that the reveal was false anyway...]]

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: You'd think a film with a plot as simple as "a man discovers his wife contemplated an affair a year ago, and contemplates having one himself," would be a simple enough experience. [[MindScrew You would be dead wrong]]. Then again, many would say this is par for course when it comes to Creator/StanleyKubrick.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Alice mostly disappears after the first act, robbing us of more of one of Nicole Kidman’s most engaging performances ever.