"Join Us" Drone

Hmm, the pale skin, fangs, hunger for blood and inhuman demeanor you weren't showing before do make a compelling argument.

Join us, Lucy,
Join us, Lucy,
Join us, Lucy,
Join us, Lucy,
Join us now.
Join us, Lucy,
Join us, Lucy,
Join us, Lucy,
Lucy Loud.

— Possessed-seeming dancers, The Loud House fanfiction The Nightmare House

In a story that involves a malevolent force that can subjugate others through supernatural means, those affected might propagate the spell. If choice is a factor, they'll go after those they know, often droning "join us" in some fashion or at the least try to sales pitch how great being under the power of said force is. This is usually done in a Creepy Monotone and/or all in unison. This communicates a zombie-like state or otherwise showcases that the victims aren't themselves. Granted, the whole thing never makes for a convincing argument since the victim's target will be less than willing to take the offer, but it nevertheless does a good job in showcasing the threat of said force. Think of it as peer pressure, only much more scary.

Often the result of a Hive Mind. Sometimes a staple of Zombie Apocalypse, if said zombies are a bit more sentient. Can often overlay with Transhuman Treachery as well, if the victims are really sincere that the transformation is better than being normal. Compare Madness Mantra.

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Examples:

Anime and Manga

• In the Junji Ito Kyoufu Manga Collection story "The Conversation Room", a group of female patients have been assimilated into a single connected being, unknown to the hospital staff. They creepily urge another patient, Sugie, to join them in their room, before later assimilating her.

Comic Books

• In Peculia and the Goon Grove Vampires (Pictured in the image there), near the end Peculia runs into the Babysitters who were all fed on by the vampire family to whom they fell prey. Now turned themselves, they cite they love the change and chant for Peculia to join them when they corner her in a tree.
  Honor: It'll be some much better if you don't resist.
  Noelle: Only a brief feeling of obliteration, then you will live forever!
  Wren: It feels wonderful! Join us!
  Noelle: Yes! Join us!
  All three: [closing in on Peculia with Noelle and Wren grabbing her] Join us! Join us!
• "Powerful Pretty," DC issue #36 of The Powerpuff Girls, has the Pokey Oaks kids under the influence of Sedusa's hypnotic cosmetics. Buttercup is the only child not taking part with the cosmetics, but the others march towards her zombie-like entreating her to join them {"Glitter Girlie...one of us...").
• In Sonic X #13-14, the ghosts from King Boom Boom's castle wind up near one of the Thorndye's summer homes due to the tailsman being stolen from the castle. As such King Boom Boom and his subjects end up transplanted there and begin possessing people (including Lindsey Thorndye and Vanilla). All of them chanting "Join Us" when Chris and Cream encounter them.

Fan Works

• In The Nightmare House, Lucy Loud's nightmare involves possessed-seeming dancers who chant to her to "join" them.
• Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space. Played for Black Comedy when Mad Scientist Dr. Zarkendorf is assimilated by the cyborg Hive Mind.
  "I am Mouthpiece of Cyborg," he said in a dull monotone. "I have been freed from my irrelevant emotions. I must now bullshit you into surrendering to this horrible fate without taking any pleasure from it whatsoever."
• Rocketship Voyager. During Voyager's battle with the Psiborg Collective, the Martian telepaths who control their psionic-guided weapon system start chanting, "Resistance is futile."

Films — Live-Action

• In The Brides of Dracula, one of the charm school teachers, Gina, is bitten and drained by Baron Meinster. She rises the following night just when her fellow teacher/friend Marianne comes by her coffin to pay her last respects, now a vampire and itching to bite her though tries to convince Marianne to do so with her consent.
  Gina: Marianne. My darling Marianne. You haven't forgotten your little Gina. Put your arms around me please, I want to kiss you, Marianne. Please be kind to me, say that you'll forgive me for letting [The Baron] love me. (After a cutaway to Van Helsing outside) We can both love him, my darling. He's up at the old mill now. We can go there together. (Hold out her hand) Come with me, Marianne.
• The Evil Dead (1981): The spirits of the dead are frequently heard moaning the words "join us."
• The Faculty: Late in the film, the alien-infected Stan and Delilah and the alien Hive Queen Marybeth each try to convince the remaining protagonists to embrace the Puppeteer Parasite and join their Hive Mind, claiming that they won't be persecuted for being nerds, or goths, or outcasts anymore. Naturally, they aren't interested.
• A variant in Freaks: The famous "one of us" chant comes from a titular freaks accepting Cleo as someone who has joined them, whether she likes it or not. The difference is the context. The first time, they meant it in a friendly way since she was marrying a friend of theirs that they considered family. But when she reveals she was stringing him along, they show her they meant it literally as well and makes sure her appearance reflects likewise at the end of the movie.
• Near the end of The Matrix Reloaded, as Agent Smith attempts to infect Morpheus, two of his copies say a variant of this.
  If you can’t beat us…join us
• In The Mummy (1999), one of the curses Imhotep inflicts is boils that turns a good chunk of Cairo's citizens to his control which he uses to storm the building where the heroes are located in trying to find where the Book of the Dead is, all the while chanting his name. Amusingly when Jonathan runs out to start up the car so they can escape and runs into a mob of them, he uses the chant himself to get them to halt their attack and ignore him.
• Shaun of the Dead inverts this when Shaun hatches his plan to gather his friends and head to the Winchester. He goes to get Pete who earlier said he'd been attacked by someone on the street. He finds that Pete has become a zombie and tries to talk him down, mentioning his plans and meekly asking "Join us?"
• The Shining: The infamous Grady Twins scene when they implore Danny to "play" with them. Doesn't help that Danny sees a quick cut of their dead bodies after they were murdered by their father when they do.
  Twins: Come play with us, Danny, forever and ever and ever.

Literature

• Dracula:
  • Lucy, after having been turned, beckons this to Arthur when Helsing, Seward, Quincy, and he confront her vampire form in a graveyard.
    Lucy: Come to me, Arthur. Leave these others and come to me. My arms are hungry for you. Come, and we can rest together. Come, my husband, come!
  • Near the end of the book, Dracula's brides happen upon the camp where Van Helsing and Mina are stationed. A makeshift holy barrier Helsing made keeps them from getting near the two. But this doesn't stop them from calling out to Mina and trying to appeal to her growing vampire transformation to join them, citing her as their "sister".
• Robert A. Heinlein's The Puppet Masters: Puppeteer Parasite aliens are trying to take over the human race. One of the aliens is allowed to possess a human being, a secret agent fighting them. While under control, the agent tries to convince his boss to let one of the aliens control him.
• Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat: In The Case of the Chewable Worms, B.A.D.D. creates worms that everyone finds super tasty. After eating even one, people keep eating, and they may try to force holdouts to eat them too.

Live-Action TV

• Used a few times to spice up "educational" short films on Mystery Science Theater 3000, such as the "mirror world" inside the toaster in The Days of Our Years, and the whispers of "Conform!... Conform!" from the Mr. B Natural riff.
• In Star Trek: The Next Generation (and subsequent appearances in other series), the Borg, with the famous catch-phrase of "You Will Be Assimilated." Much later the Borg Queen makes a much more elegant personal sales pitch to Seven of Nine, who snarkily replies that if she opened with that instead she might simply receive volunteers.
• Taskmaster: The "most dramatic entrance" task from the first episode of series 9 has Katy Wix build a series of balloon heads that she dresses in kerchiefs that she also wears, then walks into the room in a haze with her "four sisters" and pressures Alex in an eerily mindless voice to "join our cult? join our cult? join our cult?"

Theatre

• Probably the most epic is in Evil Dead: The Musical. Very rarely is this done in a song, complete with a ridiculous number of puns, jokes, and other general humor. [1]

Theme Parks

• The Smiler at Alton Towers used this in their advertising campaign. The drone is also used when the ride leaves the station before going into one of the ride's 14 inversions.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: The ghostly images of the missing guests beckon this of the riders when the "elevator" stops on the 13th floor before changing into lighting and electrifying the hallway, cutting the lights.

Video Games

• The Scavenger Room in the original Dungeon Keeper is a chamber in which to place (strong) minions to convince (weaker) minions of the rival dungeon keepers to join your team. The Scavenger Room is filled with flailing eyes and a hoarse, whispered chant emits from it saying "join us", "come with us", and "we will teach you things of evil".
• Part of what makes the Hammer Haunts in the original Thief so pants-wettingly terrifying is their constant whispered muttering, which is largely unintelligible, but is periodically punctuated by a very distinct refrain:
  Join us... join us now!

Webcomics

• Parodied in this strip of Questionable Content, when Faye accuses Marten and Dora of turning into a "freaky clone couple."
  Marten: What's the matter, Faye?
  Dora: Does it make you uncomfortable?
  Marten: The fact that we are of one body? Of one mind?
  Dora: Is it discomfort you feel, or... fascination?
  Faye: Gah! Stoppit!
• Total Undead Drama: Sadie and Katie are frequently doing this after they become vampires, beckoning others to join Storm's growing coven. At one point even parodying the O'Grady twins from The Shining when Gwen runs into them in a hallway while exploring Storm's manor.
  Katie/Sadie: Like, come and hang with us, Gwen. We get now why you like being goth so much, the darkness is totes thrilling. It's everything you want and more. So come and hang with us, forever and ever.

Web Originals

• In keeping with tradition (see the Live-Action TV folder), the Rifftrax crew put an interesting spin on the Mirror of Erised scenes from the Harry Potter movies.
  Join us, son... join us...
• The Cityverse includes an Eldritch Abomination based in Antarctica which hijacks various media to send messages of "join us" to the world.

Western Animation

• In The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, the episode "One of Us" has everyone try to force Jimmy into watching the Happy Happy Fun Show that has them turn into rather cheerful zombies.
• The Amazing World of Gumball: In the Series Finale, "The Inquisition", the school gains a new superintendent who wishes to "fix" the flaws of the students by turning them into human characters. Gumball and Darwin find themselves the only two left and run for it, only to encounter Tobias, Tina and Sussie who have undergone the process. They corner the two, imploring them to join them and chanting "It's better this way."
• Codename: Kids Next Door:
  • Operation L.O.C.K.D.O.W.N has a bit of a variant, since the power subjugating the Sector is caused by being spanked by a vampire without their glove. So when Numbuh 5 is is the Final Girl among the group who've been turned. They cite her as being "bad" as an excuse to spank her and turn her into a spank-happy vampire.
  • In "Operation: D.A.T.E.", the Delightful Children From Down The Lane hold a party, inviting every kid in town. They then lure the kids into having their photos taken, using the "camera" to brainwash them. When discovered by Numbuh One and Lizzie, the brainwashed victims all chant "Join us" in unison.
• Danny Phantom: In Urban Jungle, Sam gets mind-controlled into serving as Undergrowth's queen/caretaker for his plant regime. Danny has to make a break for the Ghost Zone as it's the only place where Undergrowth's power can't follow. All the while Sam chases him, imploring that he join Undergrowth's kingdom and that they can rule together.
• Dexter's Laboratory: In "Gooey Aliens That Control Your Mind", Dexter gets his hand on some specimens that crawl out of a meteor and take them to the lab. They break free and crawls into the ears of his mother, father, and sister, Dee Dee, taking over their brains and bodies. They head back into the lab intent on having Dexter taken over as well and using his lab to contact other of their kind for a full-on Alien Invasion.
  Mother: [warped tone] Must build alien transceiver.
  Father: [ditto] Must contact mothership
  Dee Dee: [deep warped tone, to Dexter] Must take you in for reconditioning.
• Parodied in Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nazz invites Ed and Edd to a barbecue; Edd accepts the invite first, and he and Nazz try to persuade Ed, who thinks Edd is experimenting on the kids, to join them by saying "Join us, Ed" over and over again.
• The Fairly OddParents!: In one of the original Oh Yeah! Cartoons, one of Santa's Christmas Elves is dragged back to the North Pole. Once he's thrown into the sleigh, more elves pop up, telling him in a monotone voice, "Come, Jeff. Be one of us."
• Futurama: In "The Honking", The Planet Express crew go to the home of one of Bender's relatives, Uncle Vlad, for a will reading which specifies Bender will get the inheritance if he spends the night in said relative's mansion. Naturally, it's haunted (kinda — it's revealed later that it was just projections coming from the relative's body) and Bender ends up confronted by the "ghosts" of his ancestors (lead by Vlad) who drone "join us" as they come out of the paintings.
  Vlad: Come to us, Bender, you'll like being dead.
  Bender: That's what they said about being alive!
• In the Growing Up Creepie episode "Attack of the Wasp Zombies", the hypnotized students chant this to Creepie as they corner her.
• Recess: In "The Game", the playground becomes gripped by the allure of a tile game called "Ajimbo" that even the main characters fall into it's clutches. Only T.J is left still resisting playing it, he nearly gives in but sticks to his guns in his refusal to do so. However the kids, now acting like zombies at this point, start to corner him, chanting in unison "You will play" as they do so.
• The Simpsons:
  • In the "Treehouse of Horror IV" segment "Bart Simpson's Dracula", Bart does this after being bitten by Mr. Burns, trying to beckon Lisa to do so while floating outside her window with other kids he's bitten.
    Bart: Come join us, Lisa, it's so cool. You get to stay up all night drinking blooood!
  • In the "Treehouse of Horror V" segment "Time and Punishment", Homer ends up in a timeline where Flanders is the (oddly tyrannical) ruler of Earth and his family is taken in for reconditioning. Marge, Bart, and Lisa are lobotomized and try to convince Homer to join them.
    Bart and Lisa: [holding a jar of a piece of their brain that was cut out, droning] Join us, father.
    Marge: [likewise] It's blissssss.
• Totally Spies!: In "Computer Creep Much", this ends up happening to Jerry and Sam when an evil A.I use bug-like drones to brainwash them. The two going on about how "wonderful" it feels to be "liberated" with the latter trying to get Alex to join them.
  Sam: (in a zombie-like tone) Join us, we need your brain.
  Alex: Well that's a first.
• Victor and Valentino: In "The Collector", Val inadvertently trades Victor to a creepy collector named Chip to regain a priceless coin from his coin collection that Victor spent. When Val goes to get him back, he finds that Chip turned Victor into a doll and has likewise done so with other unfortunate victims. Chip awakens the dolls and sics them on Val, with the dolls chanting "Join us" as they try to capture him.
• What's New, Scooby-Doo?: In "Mummy Scares Best", the titular mummy causes his victims to chant "join us" when going after others. This ends up happening to Fred, Daphne, and Velma when the gang explores one of the pyramids.

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