TheSuper Marioseries is one of Nintendo’s most family-friendly properties. The series officially kicked off in 1985 withSuper Mario Brosfor the NES and has slowly evolved into one of the most beloved video game franchises of all time. However, despite the colorful world of the games, it occasionally crosses into unsettling territory.
Whether it’s a mainline game or a spin-off, theMarioseries has its fair share of creepy moments. Some games, like theLuigi’s MansionorPaper Marioseries, lean into the franchise’s more odd and uncanny aspects. Nevertheless, these ten moments stand out as some of themost disturbing things to happen in theMarioseries.
Updated on July 26, 2025, by Blaise Santi:Later this month, the Mario franchise will be entering a new era with the release ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. The Nintendo Switch sidescroller seeks to totally reinvent theSuper Mario Bros.formula, creating a much more zany worldscape than fans of Nintendo’s best-selling franchise may be used to. For some fans, these new power-ups and enemies may remind them of some of the more disturbing moments from the series' varied history. These additional four moments from throughout theMariomainline games and their spin-offs still disturb even the most hardcore fans of the series years after they were released.
14Phantos Haunt Mario’s Dreams
Super Mario Bros. 2is quite the outlier in theSuper Mario Bros.franchise, featuring four playable characters and the introduction of many enemies that vary greatly from the original NES game, including Shy Guys and Bob-ombs. One of the more memorable and frightening enemies from this title was the Phanto Mask, which appear when players gather a key.
Once the key has been taken, Phantos chase players to the end of the level, making similar unpredictable movements as the angry sun fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. It can be quite a terrifying race to the finish line once players grab the key near a Phanto Mask. What’s even scarier is how the Phanto Mask cannot be defeated by players, making it a constant threat.
13Professor E. Gadd’s Numerous Failed Experiments
Luigi’s Mansion 3is the latest installment in the Luigi-led spin-off series, which contains some of the more horror-inspired moments in the entireMariofranchise. A new addition to this Nintendo Switch title is Professor E. Gadd’s creation: Gooigi, a clone of Luigi made of green goo, who can help players reach areas blocked by spikes or grates.
Players can read about Gooigi’s backstory in Professor E. Gadd’s journal, which offers some disturbing insights into the scientist’s experimentation process. Particularly, the third entry describes how Gadd attempted to force the lifelike green goo into a human form, though this process did not always last, forcing the goo to melt away from its human form in a scary way.
12Mario Gets Revenge Against Donkey Kong
The very first appearance of Mario was in the arcade titleDonkey Kongfrom 1981, where players control Jumpman as he tries to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the titular ape. Though Mario appears to be the hero in this story, the game’s sequel in 1982 tells a different side.Donkey Kong Jr.finds Mario as the villain, having captured Donkey Kong.
In this game, players now control Donkey Kong’s son, the titular Donkey Kong. Jr., while Mario assumes DK’s role from the last game as the keeper of the caged animal. It’s a much more disturbing depiction of Mario compared to other games, making him a much less sympathetic character than in future iterations.
11Count Bleck’s Tragic Love Story
There are many disturbing moments in the Nintendo Wii titleSuper Paper Mario, which has one of the darkest and most intricate storylines for any Mario game. Among the most disturbing is the backstory involving the game’s main antagonist, Count Bleck. Particularly, it involves a forbidden love story between him and Tippi, Paper Mario’s main Pixl sidekick.
After losing Tippi because of his demanding father, Count Bleck, formerly Blumiere, decides to use the power of the Dark Prognosticus to destroy every dimension. It also appears that Bleck sacrifices himself and Tippi to prevent the destruction of the universe at the end of the game after having a change of heart. However, Bleck seems to get his happy ending.
10Bowser Jr. Thinks Princess Peach Is His “Mama”
Super Mario Sunshinewas a significant entry in the series forintroducing fans to Bowser Jr, the petulant son of Mario’s nemesis. Since then, the character has appeared all over theMariofranchise, even becoming playable inSuper Smash Bros. 4. However, his involvement in the story ofSunshineis quite odd.
Disguising himself as Shadow Mario, Bowser Jr. kidnaps Princess Peach, continuously calling her his “mama.” Apparently, Bowser has convinced his son that Peach is his mother, which begs many questions about Bowser’s parenting decisions. In an ending scene, Bowser admits he lied to his son, who claims he knew the truth anyway.
9The Never-Ending Staircase
Long-time fans of theMarioseries have spent hours searching the belovedSuper Mario 64and finding all its hidden details and Easter eggs. However, some of its most disturbing secrets are hidden in plain sight. That’s certainly the case with the endless staircase that players can find.
If players cross the door to the final level before collecting 70 Power Stars, they’ll be met with a long staircase. Players can attempt to climb it as long as they can, but they will never reach the end. Not only that but chilling, looping music plays over this pointless attempt, adding to the sense of dread in reaching the final boss.
8A Ghost Lurking In The Background
Super Mario 3D Landfor the Nintendo 3DSfeatures theMarioseries' classic playful tone. However, the game also consists of the franchise’s typical Ghost House levels, placing Mario in spooky mansions haunted by Boos. Eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot this creepy Easter egg.
Once players reach the flagpole at the end of World 4-4, make Mario stand on the fence wall behind it. After waiting a few seconds, a ghostly figure will appear and then slowly fade away. The appearance of this ghost has led to many fan theories about what it is, and if its placement in the game was intentional or not.
7Getting Way Too Close With Bowser
TheMario & Luigiseries places the video game world’s favorite siblings in a turn-based RPG format. The tone of this series differs drastically from the mainline games, often bordering on absurd or nightmarish. One entry in the series, however, forgoes that tone for something a lot more disgusting.
In the story ofMario & Luigi’s: Bowser’s Inside Story, the plumbing duo are sucked inside Bowser’s innards. They spend the majority of the game navigating Bowser’s organs and defeating the enemies inside. Along the way,Mario and Luigi also help Bowser deal with several medical issues, which is definitely above their pay grade.
6Luigi Fights A Baby
Luigi’s Mansionis one of the most disturbing games in theMarioseries, as it puts Mario’s frightened brother Luigi at odds with ghosts that he must catch. In his adventure through the mansion to find Mario, Luigi comes across many boss characters who represent members of the family who once lived in that house.
One of the earliest boss characters is Chauncey, a ghost baby. Fans ofLuigi’s Mansionare probably very familiar with Chauncey’s creepiness, throwing tantrums and crying loudly during the battle. However, Chauncey’s existence begs a very tragic question: what happened to this baby?
5Mario Meets The Desolation Of Smaug
Super Mario Odysseyfinds Mario traveling to different kingdoms that resemble real-world locations such as Mexico, New York City, and Alaska. One kingdom, the Ruined Kingdom, takes inspiration from medieval England. However, this kingdom’s glory has been lost to war, providing a dark backdrop for this pit stop on Mario’s journey.
The Ruined Kingdomalso features quite a memorable boss battlein the Lord of Lightning, a giant, hyperrealistic dragon whom Mario must fight. For a series as cartoonish and whimsical asMario, this dragon stands out as one of the most horrifying and fearsome creatures that players ever have to battle.
