The eeriest Zelda side quests are the ones that quietly abandon Hyrule’s usual heroics and lean into isolation, uncanny repetition, and unexplained dread—think the Ben Drowned creepypasta, the haunted Romani Ranch mask, or the silent, staring children of Ikana Canyon. These are not full horror games, but specific quests and stories that use unsettling music, empty spaces, and ambiguous fates to create genuine unease. Below is a tour of the most disturbing side content across the series, why it works, and how to experience it yourself.
What Makes a Zelda Quest Feel Like Horror
Zelda’s horror moments rarely rely on jump scares. Instead, they borrow from classic eerie-fiction techniques: a slow build, a violation of the familiar, and a sense that something is wrong beneath the surface. Key ingredients include:
- Isolation – The quest takes you away from towns and allies, often into a forest, well, or abandoned building.
- Uncanny NPC behavior – Characters act strangely, repeat the same line, or stare without reacting.
- Dissonant music – A cheerful tune that plays in a wrong context, or a sudden silence.
- Unresolved fates – The quest ends without a clear explanation, leaving the player to imagine the worst.
- Masked or hidden identities – A character who is not what they appear to be.
These elements appear in nearly every 3D Zelda, but they cluster in a few unforgettable side quests.
Majora’s Mask: The Creepiest Side Content
Majora’s Mask is the series’ most horror-adjacent game, and its side quests are the main source of dread. The three-day time loop means every NPC is on a schedule, and you often see them in private moments—grieving, panicking, or lying to themselves.
- The Romani Ranch quest (Day 1–2) – You help Romani defend her cows from aliens (the “ghosts� that appear at midnight). The quest is tense, but the real horror is the next day: if you fail, Romani is gone, and her sister Cremia acts as if she never existed.
- The Skull Kid’s mask collection – Each mask you collect comes from someone’s trauma. The “Postman’s Hat� quest forces you to watch the postman run to the end of the world and then vanish. The “Kafei’s Mask� quest is a tragic romance with a deadline.
- The Moon’s interior – Not a side quest per se, but the final area features a field of smiling children who ask you to play. Their faces are fixed, and the music is a distorted lullaby. It’s genuinely unsettling.
The game’s horror works because it never explains the aliens, the moon children, or the fate of the missing. You are left with questions.
The Bottom of the Well and the Shadow Temple
In Ocarina of Time, the Bottom of the Well is a mandatory dungeon, but it’s the side quest to obtain the Lens of Truth that turns it into a horror set piece. The well is a cramped, dark maze filled with ReDeads and Gibdos—zombie-like enemies that freeze you with a scream. The atmosphere is oppressive: dripping water, low light, and the knowledge that you are underground in a place where people were buried alive.
The Shadow Temple (which follows) is more of a dungeon than a side quest, but it shares the same aesthetic. The horror here is environmental—the walls are carved with faces, and the floor is littered with bloodstains (later censored in some versions). The music is a dirge, and the boss is a phantom that you must defeat by reflecting light. It’s the closest the series gets to a haunted house.
The Forest Temple: A Ghost Story
The Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time is a side area you must clear to progress, but its design is pure haunted mansion. The temple is a twisted version of a manor, with hallways that rotate, paintings on the walls, and a set of four Poe sisters that you must hunt down. The Poes are ghostly figures that laugh and vanish, and the music is a slow, eerie waltz. The final boss, Phantom Ganon, is a doppelganger who paints himself into a portrait—a classic ghost trope.
What makes it horror is the sense of being watched. The temple is empty, yet you hear footsteps and laughter. The puzzle design forces you to backtrack, and the rotating corridors make you feel lost. It’s a masterclass in environmental storytelling.
Twilight Princess: The Twilight Realm and the Puppet
Twilight Princess has two notable horror-tinged side quests. The first is the “Bug Hunt� in the Twilight Realm—you must collect tears of light while avoiding shadow beasts. The realm is a corrupted version of Hyrule, with a purple sky and a constant, low drone. The second is the “Puppet� side quest in Castle Town, where a child’s toy (a wooden puppet) comes to life and leads you to a secret room. The puppet’s face is fixed in a grin, and its movements are jerky. The quest ends with the puppet disappearing, and you never learn what it was.
The most disturbing moment, though, is the scene where you see a character’s face contort into a mask-like smile during a cutscene. It’s a brief, uncanny moment that sticks with players.
Skyward Sword: The Silent Realm
Skyward Sword’s Silent Realm trials are optional (though needed for the Master Sword). You must collect sacred tears while avoiding guardians that wake if you touch a puddle of light. The trials are silent except for a heartbeat-like drum, and the guardians are tall, white, and faceless. If they catch you, you’re sent back to the start with a scream. The horror is in the tension—you are never safe, and the guardians’ movements are unpredictable. The fact that the realm is a dream-like version of the real world adds to the unease.
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom: Subtle Dread
The open-world games trade scripted horror for environmental storytelling. In Breath of the Wild, the most eerie side quest is “The Lost Pilgrimage� in the Korok Forest, where you follow a trail of glowing seeds through a foggy maze. The maze is filled with fake Koroks that look like the real ones but have hollow eyes. It’s a short quest, but the implication that something is mimicking the forest’s inhabitants is unsettling.
Tears of the Kingdom adds the “Gloom� mechanic, which is a corruption that drains your hearts. The Depths, a vast underground area, is a horror environment: pitch black, with a map that only reveals itself as you travel. The side quests there involve finding statues and dealing with a mysterious entity called the “Demon King’s curse.� The most disturbing is the “Missing in Action� quest, where you find a soldier who has been driven mad by the gloom, repeating the same phrase over and over. It’s a small moment, but it’s chilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Ben Drowned creepypasta real?
No. Ben Drowned is a famous fan-made creepypasta about a haunted Majora’s Mask cartridge. It is not an official side quest. However, it was inspired by the game’s eerie atmosphere, and it has become a part of Zelda fandom lore.
Which Zelda game is the scariest?
Most fans point to Majora’s Mask for its constant dread, but Ocarina of Time’s Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple are also strong contenders. The Silent Realm in Skyward Sword is the most tense, and the Depths in Tears of the Kingdom are the most atmospheric.
Are there any jump scares in Zelda?
Yes, but they are rare. The most notable are the ReDead screams in Ocarina of Time, which freeze you in place, and the Guardian encounters in the Silent Realm, which trigger a loud roar when they spot you. These are more startling than genuinely frightening.
Why is Majora’s Mask so disturbing?
It deals with themes of death, grief, and the inevitability of time. The side quests often end in tragedy, and the game forces you to watch NPCs’ lives crumble. The moon’s face is a constant reminder of impending doom.
Can you avoid the horror elements?
Most horror side quests are optional. You can skip the Romani Ranch alien defense, the Poe hunting, and the Silent Realm trials, though some are required for full completion. The main story in any Zelda game is rarely horror-focused.
What is the scariest side quest in Breath of the Wild?
The Lost Pilgrimage is the most unsettling because of the fake Koroks. The “From the Ground Up� quest in Tarrey Town has a slightly eerie moment when a character’s face is obscured, but it’s not horror. The Blood Moon event is also spooky, but it’s a game mechanic, not a quest.
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