Top 20 Scariest TV Moments of All Time

Top 20 Scariest TV Moments of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 scariest TV moments of all time.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most terrifying sequences ever seen on television. We’ll be considering both horror and non-horror shows on this list - so long as it’s scary, we’re including it! And a big-time spoiler alert is in effect!

What do you think is the scariest moment in television history? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

#20: Jacob’s Cabin
“Lost” (2004-10)

We certainly wouldn’t call “Lost” scary, but it did have its creepy moments. But Jacob’s cabin goes beyond creepy. This was straight up horrifying. At the tail end of season three, Locke demands that Ben take him to see Jacob. Ben in turn takes him to the seemingly empty cabin, prompting Locke to grow frustrated. But then things start shaking, items fly across the room, creepy voices are heard, and even a shadow figure is seen sitting in the chair that was previously vacant. The sequence puts most ghost movies to shame, and it rightfully generated a ton of discussion online. When “Lost” wanted to creep us out, it creeped us out good.

#19: Vanessa’s Possession
“Penny Dreadful” (2014-16)

This Showtime horror show takes its name from the penny dreadfuls, a type of cheap, mass-produced, pulpy horror story produced in the United Kingdom throughout the 19th century. It contains a ton of popular horror characters, including Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and his monster, and Abraham Van Helsing. In the second episode of the series, Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives attends a séance and grows possessed, resulting in one of the most disturbing possessions ever put to screen. Green is simply spectacular throughout the entire sequence, and her performance is wonderfully aided by the emotional reaction shots of those around her, who can’t believe what they’re seeing and hearing.

#18: The Window Vampire
“Salem’s Lot” (1979)

From November 17 to 24, 1979, CBS aired one of the scariest miniseries of all time - an adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal vampire novel, “‘Salem’s Lot.” Don’t let the fact that this is a cheap TV miniseries from the ‘70s deter you - it is absolutely horrifying. It’s perhaps most well known for the iconic window scene, in which young Danny Glick emerges from the fog and begins scratching on Mark Petrie’s window. The visuals alone are freaky enough, but the tense music elevates the scene to the next level. Now just remember, this scene was on primetime television! Anyone could have seen it! Surely it left some children traumatized for years...

#17: The Ghastly Grinner
“Are You Afraid of the Dark?” (1990-96; 1999-2000; 2019-)

Now if you want to talk about traumatized children, The Ghastly Grinner certainly did ensure that we were all afraid of the dark. This horror anthology was made for children and aired on Nickelodeon throughout much of the ‘90s. Really, any episode from the show could have been included on this list, but there’s just something really unnerving about the Ghastly Grinner. The makeup, the creepy laugh, the music, the voice, causing people to spurt blue ooze from their mouths...it’s all just so positively nightmarish. Not to mention the guy always pops up out of nowhere, ensuring everyone gets startled out of their wits. And this was made for kids!

#16: Bloody Mary
“Supernatural” (2005-20)

In 2020, “Supernatural” came to an end after fifteen years, fifteen seasons, and over 320 episodes. Put simply, there’s a lot of good horror material to choose from throughout the show’s exceedingly long run. But for this one, we’re going all the way back to season one - the show’s fifth episode to be exact. The legend of Bloody Mary is one of the world’s most popular. The legend was adapted very well for “Supernatural,” complete with Sam and Dean bleeding out their eyeballs and a moaning woman crawling out of a mirror on all fours, “Ring” style. Not to mention the creepy zombie walk she does across all the broken glass. This is “Supernatural” at its absolute best.

#15; Twin Birth
“V: The Final Battle” (1984)

This NBC sequel miniseries only ran for three episodes back in 1984, but it certainly left a lasting impression with this grotesque sequence. Quite frankly, we don’t know how something like this made it onto primetime television! Robin gives birth to an adorable little baby girl, only for her to sit up and stick out a forked tongue at her own mother. Certainly freaky enough. But then a green alien baby begins crawling out of Robin and looking around with human eyes! It looks directly into the camera and a “to be continued” title card flashes across the screen, leaving us desperate for more. And we absolutely needed more, because this was about the creepiest thing we had ever seen on TV at the time.

#14: Finding Help
“American Horror Story” (2011-)

Of all the “American Horror Story” seasons, “Asylum” was arguably the scariest. Mainly due to traumatizing sequences like this one! Poor Shelley tries to escape from the asylum, and in return, Arden amputates her legs. Sister Mary then drops her at a school, where she is discovered by a child (who will most certainly require lifelong therapy). Now just imagine being that child - you hear a creepy high-pitched moan, you go to investigate, and you see some horrifically disfigured human with no legs slowly crawling towards you. You’d think the forces of Hell were ascending from the stairs! Still, we do feel really bad for Shelley...

#13: Theon’s Punishment
“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

This show was filled with horrible people who did horrible things. And then there’s Ramsay Bolton, who makes those people look like Cinderella. The third season finale was immediately preceded by the Red Wedding, so audiences were already feeling a little unsettled. And then we watched Ramsay eat a thick sausage while taunting Theon about his recent castration. This scene is taken straight from a piece of Medieval, Gothic horror, complete with the dreary setting and lighting, the macabre torture device, and Theon both looking ravaged and begging for death. And then Ramsay beats Theon and forces him into accepting the new name of Reek. Joffrey was a monster, but Ramsay is basically the Devil.

#12: Tony’s Dream
“The Sopranos” (1999-2007)

“The Sopranos” is a show about gangsters. However, it is far more philosophical and spiritual than one might expect. Case in point - the many dream sequences sprinkled throughout the show. Like most dreams, these sequences often made little overt sense and were eerily surreal. The creepiest is found in season four’s “Calling All Cars,” when Tony dreams about a house. He looks in and sees a horrifying shadow figure descending the stairs, where it proceeds to stop and stare at him in unbearable silence. Is it, Livia, his mother? Entire essays could be written regarding the meaning of the dream. Subliminal subtext aside, this is simply a really haunting and unnerving sequence, a true nightmare brought to the screen.

#11: What Negan Does to Glenn
“The Walking Dead” (2010-)

The show’s sixth season finale proved enormously controversial, as it ended in a manipulative cliffhanger. And even then, the long-awaited follow-up was frustratingly slow in revealing its answers. But when they came, they came hard. Glenn was perhaps the most beloved character on “The Walking Dead,” so watching him die was painful enough. But it’s the way he died that makes this sequence so horrific. Glenn’s head-bashing came out of nowhere, and while “The Walking Dead” never shied away from gore, the result is perhaps the most dreadful (and disgusting) image the show has ever produced.

#10: Going In
“Chernobyl” (2019)

The Chernobyl disaster was begging for a screen adaptation. The world got a fantastic one in 2019 from HBO and creator/writer Craig Mazin. The first episode is all about the disaster itself, and the second concerns the preliminary clean-up work. This includes draining the basement of water to prevent a catastrophic steam explosion. In go volunteers Ananenko, Bezpalov, and Baranov. They wade through knee-high radioactive water and attempt to make their way through the basement labyrinth in the dark. And then their flashlights go out, leaving them in utter darkness. The sound design throughout this sequence is truly intense, complete with the characters’ panicked breathing and the screaming Geiger counter. Never mind the radiation; it’s a miracle they didn’t drop dead of fright.

#9: The Gentlemen
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)

Most people probably wouldn’t consider “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to be very scary, despite its image-conjuring title. Those people haven’t seen The Gentlemen. These villains star in season four’s “Hush,” which is often considered one of the best episodes of the series. These are creepy demonic figures who take on the appearance of pale, bald humanoids with metallic teeth. They float around about an inch off the ground, use a magic box to steal people’s voices, and cut out hearts with a scalpel. To make matters worse, the stolen voice prevents their victims from screaming for help - or even screaming out in pain. Wasn’t this show supposed to be fun? Because watching this certainly isn’t fun.

#8: The Wight Stuff
“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

As scary as Ramsay Bolton was, even he can’t compete with an epic battle involving ice zombies. Season five’s “Hardhome” mostly concerns the titular village, as Jon goes there to meet with the Lord of Bones and recruit the wildlings to his cause. But before they can leave, the village is beset by thousands of screaming, growling wights. The massacre at Hardhome is one of the show’s most exciting, and certainly its scariest, sequence, complete with many horrific images that will long stuck in your mind. These include the wights charging the fence and falling off the cliff, the skeletal child wight, and the undead corpses rising to stare at Jon with their icy blue eyes. There’s more horror packed in these twenty minutes than some horror movies!

#7: The Picnic
“American Horror Story” (2011-)

As scary as “Asylum” was, it didn’t have “Freak Show’s” Twisty the Clown. And Twisty the Clown could very well be the scariest villain in “American Horror Story” history. He is introduced in brutal and agonizing fashion when crashing a nice picnic. The scene is straight out of a nightmare, complete with a grotesque and filthy creature intruding on an idyllic space. Twisty’s actions are of course repulsive, but his macabre physical design adds another layer that elevates him above other freaky, murderous clowns. It’s that damn mask. Then again, as we later find out, what’s beneath the mask is arguably even scarier...

#6: Whisperers Reveal
“The Walking Dead” (2010-)

One of the prevailing themes of “The Walking Dead” is that humans are scarier than zombies. One of the scariest scenes comes in the very first episode, when Rick wakes up all alone in an abandoned hospital. But the show has always provided intense scares from its human villains, and the introduction of the Whisperers is among the creepiest and most atmospheric scenes of the entire series, complete with dense fog and scary… well, whispering. The reveal itself is particularly brilliant, as what appears to be a zombie ducks under Jesus’s sword and stabs him in the back. That’s because the Whisperers are post-apocalyptic Leatherfaces, disguising themselves in masks made of zombie skin. It’s revolting stuff.

#5: The Bent Neck Lady
“The Haunting of Hill House” (2018-)

Even though it has basically little to do with Shirley Jackson’s seminal horror novel, “The Haunting of Hill House” is an exceptional Netflix production that blends horror with fascinating human drama. The show is filled with many blood-curdling moments, including a dead Nell appearing behind Steve, and little Luke getting stuck in the basement with a creepy-crawly. But perhaps the scariest of all is the Bent Neck Lady. Not just for her physical appearance, although that is certainly hair-raising. Rather, the scariest aspect of her character is what she represents - that being a dead Nell haunting herself from the future. We’re not sure if this plot twist was more brilliant or petrifying, but either way, it’s certainly memorable.

#4: Basically the Whole Episode
“The X-Files” (1993-2002; 2016-18)

Really, this entire freaking episode is terrifying. Of course, “The X-Files” produced some real doozies back in its heyday, including season one’s “Squeeze.” But absolutely nothing beats “Home.” In this one, Mulder and Scully travel to an isolated farmhouse to investigate the death of a baby. What they find is ripped straight from a delirious nightmare. This was the only “X-Files” episode to be given a TV-MA rating and the first to contain a viewer discretion warning, owing mainly to its disturbing nature and graphic violence - which included burying a baby alive. The episode was criticized for its content, and even the production crew were disturbed by what they had to make. Regardless, what they made was a classic episode of television.

#3: Weeping Angels
“Doctor Who” (1963-89; 1996; 2005-)

True to its reputation as the most popular science fiction show of all time, “Doctor Who” has crafted some truly legendary creatures throughout the decades. The freakiest of them all - the Weeping Angels - were introduced in 2007. The episode “Blink” found the Doctor, Sally Sparrow, and Larry Nightingale fighting said Angels, murderous quantum-locked creatures who deposit their victims in another time period. The Angels appear as stone statues when being observed and strike when their victims aren’t looking. Their physical appearance, their sudden movements, and their powers are all terrifying, and they have often been ranked in various polls as some of the greatest “Doctor Who” monsters.

#2: Pennywise in the Sewer
“It” (1990)

Let’s face it, the original “It” miniseries is pretty corny, and watching it now with the films as comparison is borderline impossible. But no one can deny the sheer screen charisma and magnetic energy of Tim Curry. Even to this day, the opening sewer sequence involving Pennywise and Georgie is deeply distressing, which mainly stems from Curry’s menacing performance. It helps that there are no dated visual effects to bring the scene down - just good old-fashioned acting prowess. This scene traumatized an entire generation, and even though the movies are more recent, it will likely continue to do so. Next time you’re passing a sewer grate, just remember - they all float down there.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Bloodbending
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)

Spirit of the Harvest Moon
“Courage the Cowardly Dog” (1999-2002)

Working the Graveyard Shift
“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)

#1: Something on the Wing
“The Twilight Zone” (1959-64)

Before he was Captain Kirk, William Shatner was “that guy” from “that” episode of “The Twilight Zone.” Officially titled “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” this episode was crafted by some of the greatest minds in horror: it’s written by Richard Mattheson and directed by Richard Donner, later of “The Omen” fame. The famous wing sequence is among the scariest ever put on TV, combining a fear of flying with deliriously surreal and truly terrifying images — a result of great minds at the top of their respective games. It’s one of the most parodied scenes in pop culture for a reason - everyone knows it, everyone fears it, and everyone needs to laugh about it to alleviate any lingering trauma.