- Frank's appearance in general is creepy as Hell, and that freakish voice only makes it worse. While the theater scene makes it clear that he's more benevolent than his costume would have you believe, it's here that we get a good look at the man behind the mask. While the demented rabbit mask may have been freaky, his true face isn't much of an improvement.
- Particularly the last time he appears before Donnie. Donnie's in therapy, in a state of hypnosis and starts saying "Frank is gonna kill". Then he shouts "I CAN SEE HIM RIGHT NOW!" and the whole scene just goes off the rails, with random cuts of Frank, Donnie's eyes and the sky all set to some jarring music. Noteworthy is that this is the first time Donnie is actually scared of Frank.
- For first-time viewers, the jet engine landing on the Darko's house.
- The scene where Donnie nearly gets his throat slashed by one of the bullies is very disturbing.
- Despite never appearing, Gretchen's stepfather is pretty terrifying. He physically abused her mother and when Gretchen comes home one day to an empty house, she fears the worst. Fridge Horror sets in when you realise that since he had no contact with Donnie, he's not affected by the tangent universe and will most likely come after Gretchen and her mother again.Gretchen: I'm just so scared. I keep thinking something awful is happening...
- For a more realistic kind of nightmare fuel, there's Jim Cunningham, who visits the local high school to do motivational speeches...and who's also a child porn hoarder, as everyone discovers with horror after Donnie burns his house down. This guy wasn't just there to be a professional motivator...
- Donnie killing Frank in a fit of rage for killing Gretchen even though it was an accident. While it's implied that Frank had to die in order to become a manipulated dead so he could go back in time to set Donnie on the path to setting things right, it was still unsettling to see that Donnie can get angry enough to outright kill even if an offense against him was accidental.
