- “I am the Dark Lord of nightmares, the bringer of terror... Tremble before me! Fear me!”
- ―Fear, Itself
Gachnar, self-styled the Dark Lord of Nightmares and the Bringer of Terror, was the demon of fear.
Biography
- “Gachnar, of course. Its presence infects the reality of the house, but it hasn't achieved full manifestation.”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
Gachnar was accidentally summoned after his Mark was painted as a Halloween party decoration on one of the floor of the "Goat Room" of the the Alpha Delta house in UC Sunnydale and a drop of blood was spilled on it.
Gachnar's presence caused mayhem among the partygoers, who became trapped inside the house, as well as the death of Josh. The Scooby Gang was victimized as well, though they understood the situation when Rupert Giles entered the house with an electric chainsaw and told them about Gachnar and his Mark. In an impulsive attempt to stop the demon, Buffy Summers destroyed his mark, ignoring thet its physical destruction would actually bring forth Gachnar into physicial form.
However, all the Scoobies were surprised to see that Gachnar was only a few inches tall. Both Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris taunted the demon on its "cuteness" and size. Despite his attempts to scare his much taller rivals, Gachnar was killed when Buffy squashed him with her foot.
Powers and abilities
- “Gachnar's trying to manifest itself. To come into being.”
- ―Willow Rosenberg[src]
Gachnar could be conjured by performing a summoning ritual, which involved spilling blood over a painted Mark of Gachnar, a star-shaped symbol. Once the demon was summoned, his presence infected the reality of the immediate environment in which the ritual has been performed.
The effects of the infection ranged from - but were not limited to - transformations of inanimate objects to animate, temporary re-animation of corpses, as well as temporary hallucinations affecting those in the area.
All of these effects were not only driven by the fear of the victims, but also, the fear then "fed" Gachnar who used to eventually bring himself forth, completing the summoning ritual. The physical destruction of the Mark of Gachnar was also another way in which the demon would be brought forth.
Personality and traits
- Willow: “He's so cute.”
- Xander: “Who's a little fear demon? C'mon, who's a lit-tle fear demon?”
- — Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris[src]
Behind the scenes
- Gachnar was portrayed by Adam Bitterman.