The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s few major franchises that has dabbled into
darker territory over the years.
From enemies that looks like they came straight out of a horror movie to storylines that are
potentially metaphors for the stages of grief, there’s a lot to take in when it comes to
the grittier undertones of the beloved series.
So today, we’re taking a look at some of the darker moments in the series, specifically
the ones that freaked us right out, with our list of the top 10 scariest Zelda moments.
Let’s jump in!
10.
Yeta (Twilight Princess) Yeta is a yeti who is the wife of Yeto – yes,
creative names, friends.
She lives in the snowpeak ruins, and generally, when you first meet her, you’d think her
to be a gentle and kind creature, based on appearances alone.
At one point though, despite her kind nature, she becomes possessed by the mirror and is
transformed into a terrifying creature called Blizzeta, who you then have to fight as a
boss.
And the cut scene leading up to that fight is not pleasant, to say the least.
9.
Demise (Skyward Sword) Demise is yet another boss that provides quite
the chilling experience for players.
He’s also the final boss of Skyward Sword.
Taking place in an eerie battleground, it’s one of the most tense battles of the game,
and Demise’s sheer size is enough to make players feel intimidated.
Perhaps the scariest aspect of the battle though is when it’s finished, and Demise
makes you a promise that an incarnation of his hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming
them to wander a blood soaked sea of darkness for all time.
8.
The Vision (Twilight Princess) The Visions is a cut scene that many consider
to be really freaky, and it’s a really solid example of how Nintendo isn’t afraid to
explore darker territory with the series.
In the cut scene, Link has a vision in which one of the Guardians tells him the story of
the goddesses and how they descended and gave order and life to the world.
Her story takes a twisted turn when she begins to tell him of the battle that ensued over
the Sacred Realm, herself turning into a creepy version of herself with a dagger.
A bunch of Dark Links then appear, turning Link to dust, and featuring some creepy as
hell moments.
all as an overall message that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
7 House of Skulltula (Ocarina of Time) Here we have one of the spookiest locations
to ever appear in a Zelda game.
The House of Skulltula can be found in the Kakariko Village, and is home to the Fabulously
Rich Family, all of who were transformed into Skulltulas thanks to their greed.
It’s your mission to free them of this curse by killing enough Gold Skulltulas and retrieve
their tokens.
But this eerie atmosphere definitely isn’t helping in the motivation department, that’s
for sure.
Seeing the family in their Skulltula form is absolutely horrifying, especially if you
attack any of them – it’s a sound effect that I’d rather erase from my memory.
6.
Getting grabbed by a wallmaster (Ocarina of Time)
Wallmasters are the jump scares of Zelda enemies.
Having existed since the very first Legend of Zelda title, Wallmasters hang from various
points throughout the game and will drop down and grab Link.
While they’re pretty nerve wracking in most of the Zelda titles, the ones in Ocarina of
Time are particularly frightening.
First encountered in the Forest Temple and later in the Shadow Temple, the Spirit Temple
and in Ganon’s castle, there is an easy way to avoid getting grabbed if you pay attention
to their shadows and keep your ears open for the ominous noise that signals their approach.
Plus, if you have the unfortunately luck of getting attacked by ReDeads along with a wallmaster,
well, you’re in for a tough time.
5.
Fighting Death Sword (Twilight Princess) Death Sword may only be a mini boss in the
Arbiter’s Grounds, but holy crap is he utterly horrific.
He is an undead spirit who wields this massive black sword.
When you first enter the boss room, you’ll see a sword tethered to the ground by a bunch
of rope, with the sword embedded into the stone floor.
Cut one of the ropes and the sword will begin to rise.
It’s spooky as hell.
From here, it basically looks like you’re facing a ghost as the sword strikes down at
you.
You need to become Wolf Link in order to use your beast senses and reveal Death Sword’s
true form, which gradually becomes more visible as you attack.
And it ain’t pretty.
You can eventually turn back into your regular ol self in order to shoot arrows at the boss
who floats above you.
Perhaps the worst part about the Death Sword battle is it’s wails – they’re super
unsettling.
4.
Redeads and their Scream (Wind Waker) The Legend of Zelda series is filled with
its fair share of creepy enemies and foes, one of which are these dudes – ReDeads,
which have appeared in the franchise since Ocarina of Time in 1998.
But perhaps they didn’t live up to their full terrifying potential until Wind Waker
came around, and they got a bit of a makeover.
Now teal skinned voodoo-esque zombie creatures, their screams in the title are absolutely
petrifiying, and they grow in height, with their eyes glowing red, and like their previous
appearances, the scream will paralyze Link.
Compared to their previous incarnations, their shriek is louder.
If you get too close, they’ll latch onto Link and bite him repeatedly as well.
3.
The Hand in the Toilet (Majora’s Mask) ??? is a character that appears in Majora’s
Mask – it’s a skeletal looking hand that reaches out of the toilet located in Stock
Pot Inn at midnight, asking for paper, and remains there until 6am.
While it might be totally freaky, if you do give it an item made of paper, it will reward
you with a piece of heart.
So where on earth does this hand even come from?
Many believe it was inspired by Japanese ghost stories in which a hand grabs someone from
beneath the toilet whenever someone sits on said toilet.
2 Fighting Dead Hand (Ocarina of Time) Ask any long time Zelda fan what moments from
the game’s past traumatized them the most, and surely this one will be one of the popular
answers.
Dead Hand is a mini boss that appears in Ocarina of Time from 1998.
When you enter it’s room in the Shadow Temple, you get locked in, and turn around to see
multiple white ghostly hands shooting out of the ground, their palms facing upwards.
When you attack his ‘infinite hands’ they can grab hold of you.
In addition to that, Dead Hand itself is utterly terrifying – it slugs around at a fairly
slow speed, but in order to attack it’s gruesome body, you need to avoid getting grabbed
by its hands.
And if Dead Hand manages to get to you before you get out of one of it’s hands grasps,
well, that’s no bueno friends.
You also encounter Dead Hand twice in the game – another time being in the Bottom
of the Well, which is perhaps the scariest dungeon level in the entire game.
And it’s infinite hands?
Players have speculated that you’re fighting over a mass grave, and the red spots all over
Dead Hand’s body is actually the blood of its victims.
1.
Destruction of Termina (Majora’s Mask) Majora’s mask is by far the scariest Zelda
title in the history of the franchise, and one of the most memorable, too.
And if you haven’t played the game (which, is a shame, since it came out in 2000), spoilers
for a potential ending here.
If Link fails to stop Skull Kid, Skull Kid will use Majora’s mask to have the Moon
destroy the entire world, crashing into Termina.
This is also the fate it you don’t play the Song of Time to reset the three day cycle,
causing the moon to be engulfed in flames, shooting chucks of rock into the surface of
the Earth.
The cut scene depicts the moon crashing into the clock tower, and when it finally reaches
the ground, it releases a fiery shockwave.
Link covers his eyes, the fire consumes him, we hear screams, and then see Majora’s Mask
disappearing into the flames.
Essentially, it’s the apocalypse.
And to make matters worse, we then hear the happy salesman’s laughter, along with text
that reads ‘you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?’
Talk about existential dread.
There we have it friends!
What other scary moments from Zelda games freaked you out?
Give us a shout in those comments below!
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