The Sims 4 is a game that obviously targets teens with its PEGI 12 rating. As such, it's mostly free of any dark themes or horrific events. After all, we must make sure that the youth of the world is not influenced by games that are too close to real life. Maxis even went as far as allowing Sims to climb out of a pool with no ladder — an obvious act of disrespect to a long-standing tradition.

That being said, just like any game out there, it's not hard to find some suggestive themes if you really go looking for them. Some will be quite innocent, such as the "Juice on the Rocks" drink that is an obvious reference to the real-life cocktail (you can almost certainly guess which). Most kids will not even think about such innuendos.

Others are somewhat darker but still realistic. The death caused by the Enraged mood is obviously a heart attack, so don't even try to deny that, Maxis. And don't even get me started on the complicated relationships a player may encounter. If only I had a penny every time my Sims turned out to be virtual homewreckers "by accident."

If you think that this is where Maxis drew the line, think again. In The Sims 4, there are some secrets and references so dark and so shocking that they have definitely made at least some players quit the game forever.

So, without further ado, here are 15 Dark Secrets You Didn't Know About The Sims 4.

15 Sims Can Start Religious Cults

Sims Eating Grilled Cheese in The Sims 4
via: simcitizen.com

Religious cults are a serious problem in real life. However, it also appears that even The Sims universe wasn't spared by their far-reaching grasp. Did you know that your Sims can actually start such cults?

Well, they can start a religious cult, actually, and a very specific one. The Grilled Cheese Cult can be started by eating grilled cheese three times in a row. This will unlock the Melt Master trait, which will allow your Sims to paint grilled cheese on an easel, summon the notorious sandwich with just a thought, and most importantly, evangelize about grilled cheese.

In case you didn't have enough dairy products in your life, this is your chance. Just don't come knocking on my door and talking about your lord and savior, the Cheddar.

14 Vampires Can WooHoo In Public

The Sims 4 Vampires Pack
via: sims-online.com

We all know what the WooHoo social interaction actually is, so I will not even discuss this. Usually, due to the nature of the activity, Sims would be unable to do it in public and that's completely okay.

However, it seems that laws and common decency do not apply at all times. Vampire Sims can actually WooHoo wherever they please, and that is not okay.

In order to do so, both of them must have the Bat Form ability. Then, when they change into tiny, flying phantoms of the night, they can WooHoo anywhere, at any time.

This is not only illegal, since they are technically still citizens, but also highly questionable and completely creepy. Just think about it - the two stray dogs you saw on the street yesterday could actually be werewolves!

13 Writers Can Resurrect Other Sims

The Sims 4 Sim Using Book of Life
via: simsvip.com

Writing is something absolutely beautiful. A good writer can really capture the soul of a character. If we lived in The Sims universe, I would have meant that literally.

Sims that max out their Writing Skill and complete the "Bestselling Author" aspiration receive a new ability as a reward. They can write The Book of Life. This special book can then be used to "Capture Epic Saga" of a specific Sim.

In case you're thinking that is some sort of a masterpiece biography, let me explain what happens next. If a Sim dies, The Book of Life containing their "Epic Saga" can be used to summon them back among the living.

I've been writing for years, trying to perfect the craft. However, even I do not want such a great and scary power.

12 Necromantic Flowers Exist

The Sims 4 Sim Tending to Garden
via: sims.wikia.com

While we are on the subject of necromancy, let's dig a little further down and see how gardening can bring the dead back to life.

In The Sims 4, there is a special plant, called a Death Flower, that can be used to save Sims from an untimely demise. When a Sim dies, and the Grim Reaper shows up to take their soul, a member of their household can offer the Death Flower instead. The Grim Reaper will gladly accept it and return the deceased back to life.

The flower can also be used to resurrect ghosts. It is a key ingredient to ambrosia - a type of food that specters can eat to return to the mortal realm.

Moral of the story is that we should all be nice to our gardeners. We never know when they might save our lives.

11 The Goth Family Are Witches

The Sims 4 Bella Goth
via YouTube.com (Rémi Marocelli)

The Goths are the most well-known family in just about any game of The Sims franchise. They have founded more towns than we can count and they always seem to have more cash than they can spend. One cannot help but wonder where their fortune and fame came from. It appears that magic is the answer.

Tracing the Goth family history back, we find that the earliest known member of the clan is Lady Ravendancer Goth, the author of Lady Ravendancer Goth's Book O' Spells.

Additionally, throughout the different games of the franchise, many Goths have shown an affinity to magic. This extends even to their relatives that do not use the same last name - the Crumplebottom sisters.

What's more, a girl by the name of Morgana Goth was known for driving people insane with her beauty in the late 17th century. How's that for a superpower?

10 The Goths Are Actually The Addams Family

The Sims 4 Bella and Mortimer Goth
via YouTube.com (DragonFinderOfVenus)

If you look closely, you may seem an uncanny resemblance between the fan-favorite Goths and the classic Addams Family from the cartoon of the same name.

Just think about it - they are both old money families, heavily influenced by the gothic movement of the 12th century. What's more, Morticia Addams and Mortimer Goth's names both share the same root - the Latin word "mort", which means "death".

What's more, Mortimer has a habit of kissing his wife up her arm, Cassandra's outfit closely resembles that of Wednesday Addams, and young Mortimer in The Sims 3 is dressed just like Pugsley Addams.

If you are still not convinced, look at the architecture of the various Goth homes through the ages. They are obviously inspired by the Victorian mansion of The Addams Family.

9 The Loch Ness Monster Is Real

The Sims 4 Sea Monster Emily
via sims4.eu

With The Sims 4 Get Together expansion pack, Maxis reintroduced an old character that was first included in the first game. Don't start going through all the families in Windenburg now, because I am not talking about them.

Actually, I was referring to the Loch Ness Monster that can sometimes be seen in the waters near The Island Bluff. According to an official interview with Maxis personnel, its name is apparently Emily. However, we all know that it is actually Nessie in disguise, trying to get away from all the tourists.

A monster that looked almost identical to Emily, save for the colors, can sometimes be seen in the lower right corner of the screen in the base The Sims game. If players possess the Unleashed expansion, they can also summon it with a special cheat.

Are those two the same monster? Are they related? We have yet to know.

8 Sims Can Die Of Embarrassment

The Sims 4 Rejected Marriage Proposal
via forums.thesims.com (take0nme)

Remember the last time you gathered enough courage to ask that girl at the bar for her number and she shut you down in an extremely rude manner? I bet you were thankful that you cannot die of embarrassment.

Well, guess what. Not everyone is as lucky as you are because your Sims can actually get so embarrassed that it causes their death. The "Mortified" mood can be caused by extremely shameful situations, such as having your marriage proposal rejected, and it can lead to the untimely demise of a poor Sim.

Even something as simple as singing karaoke poorly can cause deathly shame in The Sims 4. And I do not know anyone in real life that actually sings well in karaoke bars. Imagine the fear those poor Sims feel every time they go out with friends, knowing it could be their last.

7 Grim Reaper Breaks The Fourth Wall

The Sims 4 Grim Reaper Taking a Selfie
via forums.thesims.com (blunote00)

The Grim Reaper is a very special being in The Sims universe. His job is both important and very hard, especially with all those pesky necromancers running about. But what if he is something more than pixels on a screen? What if he actually knows that you think it's all a game?

Normally, when players pause the game, most sound effects and event-related music would stop. However, if the game is paused with the camera locked on the Grim Reaper, there is a chance that the creepy melody that comes with him would still play.

You didn't think you could just pause death, did you? He does not play by your rules, mere mortal! So, next time he comes around, just let him do his thing and do not touch that pause button.

6 The Grim Reaper Cannot Starve

The Sims 4 Grim Reaper Eating Cracker
via YouTube.com (PrettyGrumpyBear)

Did you know that there are ways to add the Grim Reaper to your household? Probably. Did you know that you cannot kill him, though?

You may try to burn him, kill him with extreme moodlets, feed him to a cow plant, and so on, and so on. None of these will work. If you add the Reaper to your household, most of his needs would not even decay.

If you cheat your way around that problem, you might think you are done. After a few days, his hunger will reach zero and he will die, right? Well, no. He will simply pull out a cracker from his back pocket and eat it to regain the majority of his hunger.

I told you already - he just doesn't play by your rules.

5 Your Sims Can Abuse Medication

The Sims 4 Sim on Drugs

Medicine is great for when you need to cure your Sim. With the power of The Sims, the moment you order it from the computer, it is already placed in your inventory. Isn't that convenient?

Well, it is also a little scary, actually. Perscription drugs shouldn't be that easily available, especially online. You might be asking yourself what's the big deal. Well, take a closer look at the screenshot above.

In it, you will find my own Sim, Jason, sitting on his couch, high beyond comprehension. This is the result of taking medications without being sick. He is now Dazed and needs to lie down for a moment (or a day). All of this - due to lack of drug control.

Well done, Maxis, you introduced the concept of substance abuse to teens.

4 Sims Can Become Supervillains

The Sims 4 Supervillain Lair
via simsvip.com

Some of you may already know that, but it doesn't make it any less scary. Your Sims can actually become supervillains, complete with evil statues, world maps, and everything.

If Sims take the Secret Agent career, at level 7, they will have to choose what branch shoulder their next promotion be in - Diamond Agent or Villain. Choosing the Villain tree is obviously far more exciting, especially considering it also pays better.

You might think it's all fun and games, like the villains in Powerpuff Girls or some other Saturday morning cartoon. But what if it isn't? What if your Sim is actually a psychotic maniac that has ended hundreds of people, just to get to where he is? You didn't think that through, did you now?

3 All Sims Are Secretly Evil

The Sims 4 Laugh at Grave Interaction
via Reddit

That's right - all of them are secretly dead inside, their hearts pumping not blood but tar. You're probably wondering what makes me say so. Let me explain before you call me mad.

Let's ignore for the moment that some Sims are probably responsible for countless murders. Let us also ignore that they abuse drugs, raise the dead from their graves, and dare to WooHoo anywhere they please while being in Bat Form.

Putting all of those aside, did you know that your Sims can laugh at their enemies' graves? Not just that, but they will also get a Happy moodlet from that. What kind of a monster would do this?

If this doesn't convince you that Sims are evil, I do not know what will.

2 Sims Can Get Erased From Space-Time

The Sims 4 Five Ghosts In A Bar
via simsvip.com

We already talked about this in the list 15 Facts About The Sims EA Keeps Secret, but it is so horrifying that I couldn't help mentioning it once more. The game would sometimes automatically erase Sims from space-time. What's more, it will not even notify you in any way at all.

That's right. Due to technical reasons, the game would sometimes limit neighborhoods to 180 Sims. And once that limit is reached, it will start eradicating unhoused Sims and ghosts. So, all Sims that do not own a home and all the deceased relatives of your beloved virtual family might be gone forever, as if they never existed.

And all of this is justified by saving some processing power? Seriously, Maxis? You should be ashamed of yourselves!

1 Wishing Wells Are Extremely Dangerous

The Sims 4 Whispering Wishing Well

The Whispering Wishing Well, introduced with the Romantic Garden Stuff pack, might look innocent enough. Toss a few Simoleons down there, make a wish and it may or may not come true. However, there is a far darker aspect to it.

If the Wishing Well is having a bad day and it's not in the mood, it could actually kill a wishing Sim in more ways that one would think possible. It can burn them, make them laugh to death, instantly transform them into a ghost, cause a heart attack, or even cause a death of embarrassment.

But this is not all. If a ghost sim decides they want to be resurrected in their true form by the Wishing Well, they are welcome to try. I wouldn't if I were them, though. If the Well is just having a bad day, there is a chance that it will instantly resurrect them and then immediately kill them, just as they realize they are alive again.

Now, that's dark.