Reactive Continuous Scream

Whoops! Looks like Newton ended up in the wrong dimension...

Somebody is startled by another - and screams. The surprise at being screamed at makes the other scream (usually even louder than the originator), which leads to the first person continuing to scream, which makes the other then scream even more. If more than two people are involved it can end up with a room filled with people screaming in surprise with no one really knowing why.

Examples of Reactive Continuous Scream include:

Advertising

• A variant used in this 2008 Super Bowl commercial with forest animals and a woman in a car about to hit a squirrel.
• Another variant was used in a legendary Super Bowl commercial, except a Reactive Continuous "WHASSAAAAAAAAP?" replaced the scream.
• The Bike Epic Bike Day ad for Capri Sun features the girl starting a bike ride. Her dad hands her a Capri Sun. Then, she and her friends start biking on a trail in the woods and came across a family of Bigfoot having a picnic. Then, they all started screaming their heads off like bloody hell and the kids run off. Anyway, here's a reason why it's cursed is the screams of bloody murder are a nightmare, however.
• The IHop Pumpkin ad says it all. Duh.
• This one goes off in this Old Navy commercial. If you dunno what that meant, here it is.
• The Epic Scream Sprint ad. Oh, God the scary Sprint commercial. Anyway, it's a Hell Is that Noise-laden one thanks to Sensory Abuse and Nightmare Fuel. The ad starts with the girl in the bathroom washing her face. However, the zombie shows up. The girl turns to see the zombie and screamed bloody murder. Then the zombie screams along with her. And then, things got even worse as the director, the camera man and others all join along the chorus one after the other. And to be fair, this scary Sprint commercial aka the clamorphobic's worst nightmare involves nothing except the horrible screams of hell.
• This Paramount+ ad. It features Dora, Aang, Nate, Blue, Chase, Sky and Peppa exploring the cave filled with paintings of various characters. However, when they stumble across Painty the Pirate, it unexpectedly talk and said his trademark line "Are you ready kids?" which made Peppa, Aang and the other characters (Including the nightlight Dora was holding) scream realistically causing Painty to join in the chorus. This ad might be extremely terrifying for kids and grownups, so you have been warned.

Anime and Manga

• Yotsuba&! initiates a three way scream that goes on for half a chapter; while showing a live frog she caught to her friend Ena, her other friend Miura shows up in an scarecrow outfit, causing Yotsuba to scream. Ena uses the frog to scare Miura, who screams and backs into Yotsuba, who renews her own screaming, and reflexively starts hitting her with Ena's favorite teddy bear, causing Ena to start screaming...
• In Soul Eater, Eruka and Asura do this when he wakes up for the first time in... over a century.
• Shows up in the Sackboy: The Well Stitched Hero April Fools Day episode. However, as Captain Pud reminds Newton about who made this Screamer Prank video right before he finishes his sentence about the picture, the scary image of the Japanese ghost girl shows up as a loud scream plays in the background causing poor him to yelp in shock and clenched his chest and falls off the chair to the floor. Turns out, Vex did pulled a prank on him which is a prank gone too far.

Captain Pud: Well? As you can see, there is nothing special about the-- (His sentence is interrupted by a Jump Scare) (Captain Pud yelps and clenches his chest like he has a heart attack and falls on the floor) Newton: Crumbs! Dad, are you alright?! Vex: April Fools!!!

• Here's a frightening one. In the anime version of Persona 5, when Makato sees Futaba she lets out a non stop scream. Then Futaba screams along with her. Watch if you dare!
• Happens to Nate and Whisper in the Yo-Kai Watch manga adoption chapter "Summon Your Courage".

Fan Works

• In the twenty-seven episode of Dragon Ball Abridged Vegeta, Krillin and Gohan were screaming during their fight with Freeza.

Vegeta: "Healer's down!" Krillin: "Need a rest!" Gohan: "Out of mana!" Vegeta starts screaming and they all follow suit.

• This fanart has Newton and Wilson encountering each other leading both of them to yelp.
• This Incorrect Little Big Planet quote has Newton and Avalon having a screaming contest. And anyways, Larry doesn't know how to stop him, only for Clive to find out who win however.
• This video from Ask Fluffle Puff features Fluffer Puff seeing Derpy blowing bubbles. However, one of them pops right in Fluffle Puff's eye thus causing her to scream in pain. Then Derpy even screams along with her and it lasts through the entire episode right until the end. Your ear drums will bleed afterwards...
• Happens to Mallow, Geno and Vivian in MissD's animation of Super Mario RPG.
  

Film

• When Gertie walks into the bedroom and first sees ET the Extraterrestrial, the continuous screaming starts - especially disturbing given the sound of ET's scream and his expression.
• This was a stock device in many of the early direct-to-video movies starring the Olsen Twins.
• Seen in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey version). In fairness to Cindy, the Grinch was just plain scary-looking in that scene, lurking up there in the corner like that.
• Staplerfahrer Klaus
• The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie had this happen when April wakes up in the Turtles' den and sees them for the first time. She starts screaming and a few of the turtles join in the chorus.
• Shows up in the opening scene from The City of Lost Children. However, Krank screams out and the chain reaction screaming clone chorus goes off causing the glass in the lab to break.
• Happens in the 2022 Lyle Lyle Crocodile film when Katie accidentally walks in on Lyle who is talking a bath. Whoops.
• Malibus Most Wanted featured one near the climax by everyone involved in the movie up to that point.
• In the original trailer for Clue there's a short instance where Mr. Green is screaming. Col. Mustard slaps him and yells, "WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING!!?" "Because I'm frightened!" "OF WHAT!!?" "Screaming!!"
• HAIR UN-BALDER
• In Scary Movie 3, Gorge told Sue that everyone is dying and they both start screaming non-stop. It really goes on forever! Watch until the end maxed volume and cover your ears so your ears won't bleed to death.

• Happens in Toy Story 4. However, when Woody accidentally breakes Bo's arm, they both started SCREAMING EAR-SHATTERINGLY in an extremely deafening tone all though that she was just screwing up with him. Oop, the longer version of the screaming scene... On the other hand...

Literature

• Happens in the Discworld book Maskerade, between Mr. Bucket and one of the ballet girls.
• A projective telepath in The Ear, the Eye and the Arm accidentally causes a psionic version of this when he thinks of a train and it scares a baby, whose fear scares him in turn. It's treated seriously, as part of how he's Blessed with Suck: if he hadn't interrupted the reaction in time, they could have both gone insane.

Live Action TV

• Often shows up with one of these all over the place in Bear in the Big Blue House. Oop, it even overlaps as a Jump Scare as this trope itself suddenly goes off starting with the character screaming after getting startled and then the other screaming back ending with them turning to the camera screaming at the viewers, such as when Mouse shows up late in the episode "Listen Up", when the otter twins interrupts Bear's nap in "Winters Nap" ect.
• Done by Mystery Science Theater 3000, with the interesting twist of cutting to a commercial in the middle of it — they're still doing it when we get back, and Tom continues screaming at intervals after everyone else has stopped.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" "AAAAAAHHHHH!" "AAAAAAHHHHH!" "AAAAAAHHHHH!" "We'll be right back! AAAAAHHHHH!"

• This happens in a Halloween episode of Dark Angel, where Joshua opens the door to a group of trick-or-treaters with predictable results.
• Happens at the end of an episode of the sitcom Taxi between Louie and Death. Or maybe it was just a girl scout selling cookies.
• Happens in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody several times.
• My Name Is Earl had this happen in a flashback where Earl tried to rob a wealthy family only to get trapped in the sons room. Afraid of the boogeyman, the kid looked under his bed only to find Earl. They both start screaming.
• In the Kenan and Kel Christmas episode between Kenan and a woman whose house he's trespassing in.

Video Games

• House of Rules: When the woman goes into Guest Room A and finds the second subitem of the tenth work rule, Colin will pop out of the closet, causing both of them to scream.
• The opening for Rayman Origins.
• I=MCGM: Shows up in Abius Marianne's dress story. It starts with Abius Marianne accidentally teleporting and encounters her modern self. However, the extremely long back and forth screaming goes off. You Don't Want to Know how long is gonna last...
• This Little Big Planet 3 community cutscene Trentan2's Shorts: The Movie happens to Tanner and Jack in one scene after realizing that he's deaf.

Web Comics

• Shows up in this Little Big Planet fan comic. Ruby is trying to make the bracelet work. However, Vex shows up behind her, then she turns to see Vex and screams in terror and shoots a fireball at him right in the eye which causes him to scream in pain. Afterwards, Ruby feels bad for him. Poor Vex...

Web Original

• One particular sketch of AMV Hell III shows re-dubs a scream from Bleach into a reactive continuous scream, with all the other characters looking on in shock and confusion.
• There was an episode of Baman Piderman that did this
• Golden Eye in 5 seconds.
• There's one on Dragon Ball Abridged in episode 10 part 2.
• This happens in one of the movies of the Asdfmovie series.
• At the beginning of The Lebrons episode "Gloria", this happens between Gloria and a grasshopper.
• Happens in the Scoutellite animation "The spoy's ultimate attack".
• In Hey Ash Whatcha Playin's segment on Final Fight, Anthony walks in on Ashly and begins to scream, then Ash follows and then their friends walked in and started to scream as well. One of them screamed so hard that his nose started to bleed (which was real and not scripted...).
  • Another one has Anthony waking up finding and X on his back and screams once he sees Ash is carrying a knife. Ash also screams while explaining that she's imitating Shadow Of The Collosus.
• Happens in A Very Potter Sequel when Ron pulls out his rat Scabbers, Harry starts screaming, only for Ron to join in.
• One Smosh video involves an horribly unbelievably long one done by Those Two Guys. Bet your ears aren't gonna handled it...
• Appears in the first episode of "The Amazing Digital Circus" when Pomni opens the door accidentally walking in on a mannequin taking a bath. However, the red frowning drama mask shows up as it screams and went close to her causing Pomni to yelp in shock and slams the door with the mask hitting it leaving the face shaped Impact Silhouette which is the wrong door. Oops.
• Shows up in the The Amazing Digital Circus video A Very Special Digital Song. However, after Gummingo disappeared as it leads to this with Pommni and Caine, including Bubble. As you can tell, this clamorphobic internet angel Princess Hero Girl herself find this screaming scene traumatizing.

Western Animation

• Happens to Fred and Francine in one episode of American Dad! after he turned into a girl.
• In Disney's Tarzan, Jane screams when first meeting Terk the gorilla, who is just as surprised.
• Used repeatedly in DreamWorks/Aardman's Flushed Away, between pampered house-rat Roddy and the Greek Chorus of sewer slugs.
• Happens on The Emperors New Groove after Kuzco has a Where Where moment.
• Doctor Rockso from Metalocalypse has one such moment, played entirely for laughs:

Rockso: (whispers) I do cocaine. Murderface: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Rockso: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

• To clarify, Murderface was asleep on the couch and Rocko woke him up by sitting real close next to him and putting his hand in Murderface's pocket. That would make anyone scream.

• In Family Guy, after noticing that he did this to Quagmire's dad (who just transitioned into a woman) Brian and Stewie both started SCREAMING nonstop for an extremely long time which lasted forever.
• Shows up in the Jake and the Never Land Pirates episode "Treasure of the Pirate Mummy's Tomb" aka the Mummy episode done by Jake, Izzy, Cubby, Skully and the Pirate Mummy. Why? Because seeing people gives him the heebie jebbies.

• In Phineas and Ferb this happens between Candace and Buford (who's dressed as Little Suzy Johnson) in "One Good Scare Oughta Do It!" Also happens between Candace and a squirrel in the episode "Comet Kermillion", after Little Suzy brings said squirrel out from behind her back.
• The screaming episode from Phineas and Ferb: Take Two. Plus, the screaming chorus scene went viral and would traumatized any viewer. We're giving you clamorphobics a reminder not to watch it due to the chain horror movie scream-along chorus from hell. Otherwise when the screaming chorus goes off, You're Too Late. And anyway, Disney and Emma Roberts, how on earth did you get that idea?
• In the Regular Show episode "Brain Eraser", this happens when Mordecai walks in on a naked Pops.
• In Shark Tale with Ernie, Bernie and Oscar. They end up doing it twice in a row.'
• In The Lion King 1½ when Timon and Pumbaa meet for the first time.

AAAAAGGGHHHHH!!

• • Lampshaded in Timon and Pumbaa's MS Ting of the movie.

Pumbaa: Y'know, first impressions are very important Timon: Oh, I thought you were a scream.

• During the bar fight in Korgoth of Barbaria, Korgoth unleashes a brutal series injuries on the Giant Mook who challenges him one on one. All of the other mooks/victims, (virtually all of whom have also already been injured horribly by Korgoth) react by screaming in horror at each obit of brutality. Watch until the end and see for yourself.
• Happens to Big Nose and a Mummy in the Golf Episode of Pink Panther.