About

Sub-Zero Jumpscare refers to a series of video edits parodying a moment in a Mortal Kombat 1 trailer in which the Mortal Kombat fighter Sub-Zero jumps from a roof into a fight. Edits will generally alter the audio made when Sub-Zero descends.

Origin

On June 9th, 2023, Mortal Kombat 1 received a gameplay trailer.^[1] In one of the first scenes of the trailer, Sub-Zero joins a fight by shooting ice from his perch on a roof, then jumping into the fray (shown below).

The same day, YouTuber Dubious mouse posted a video in which they edited Sub-Zero's scream from the trailer to be slightly more comical, dubbing it, "Sub-Zero Jumpscare." The video gained over 53,000 views in three months (shown below).

Spread

On June 12th, 2023, YouTuber ClydeMystik325 posted an edit that gained over 297,000 views in three months (shown below, left). The video inspired numerous edits over the following weeks. For example, on June 17th, YouTuber Broman posted a variation that gained over 51,000 views in early three months (shown below, right).

On July 7th, ClydeMystik325 posted a second version of their first video, gaining over 407,000 views in two months (shown below, left). On July 22nd, user @caitzillain posted an example that gained over 10,000 views in six weeks (shown below, right).