Top 30 Scariest TV Moments of All Time

The Leftovers (2014-17)
Imagine waking up, going about your daily routine-then suddenly your little baby vanishes. No sound, no warning- just gone. A parents worst fear, isnt it? Even worse, theres no body, no clue or explanation as to why it happened. Panicking, you realize youre not the only one. Others are screaming for loved ones whove disappeared into thin air. What could be scarier than that? Absolutely nothing can amount to that existential dread. Thats the haunting reality of this world, where about 2 percent of the population has disappeared, leaving the leftovers to grapple with the emotional wreckage. Some concepts should never leave the fictional realm, because when you imagine them happening, no nightmare even comes close.

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
With this, Mike Flanagan creates yet another genuinely terrifying gothic drama centered on the downfall of a wealthy family. One unforgettably scary moment? The resurrection of Eliza, mother to Roderick and Madeline[a]. After this devout woman falls ill, she refuses medication, and eventually dies. With no one to turn to, not even their father, the siblings hastily bury her in their backyard. Heres where things get truly frightening. Eliza was buried alive! On a stormy night, she claws out of the grave and pays her kids a bone-chilling visit. But she doesnt stop there. A rage-filled, dead-ish Eliza tracks down and strangles her kids biological father. Ghost or zombie? We have no idea, but her return froze the blood in our veins.

Chucky (2021-24)
The Childs Play franchise has never held back when it comes to gore and creative kills. We thought the show might tone things down, but instead, it cranks the carnage up to eleven. One death that totally crossed the line? Michelle Cross brutal demise. After Tiffany breaks into Michelles home to steal a Belle doll, Michelle goes to investigate the noise. Little did she know she was headed towards a gruesome trap. While shes mid-convo with Tiffany, Chucky drops down from the chimney like Santa Claus, only he comes delivering a deadly surprise. Right in front of Tiffany, he slices Michelle clean in half. Damn! Its one of Chuckys most shocking kills and honestly, it left us more than a little traumatized.

The Exorcist (2016-17)
Weve seen great twists, but this one? It left our jaws on the floor. Angela Rance suspects theres a demonic entity in her household, and all signs point to her moody, withdrawn daughter Katherine. Naturally, we assumed shes the one possessed. Imagine our shock when we discover that the sweet and supportive younger sister, Casey, is the one under the influence of Pazuzu, the demon from the original film. Her physical transformation, her unnatural voice and strength- it all brought back the iconic imagery from the franchise that gave us sleepless nights. We did not see that coming.

Hemlock Grove (2013-15)
Goosebumps alert, you might want to skip this one. The town of Hemlock Grove is plagued by violent deaths and some townsfolk believe Peter Rumancek is behind them. Can you blame them? Hes rumored to be a werewolf, and that rumor turns out to be true. When Peter finally reveals his real form, were hit with a visceral sight well never forget. Instead of a smooth, magical transformation, the beast literally rips its way out of Peters body, causing his skin to fall to the ground. Its so grotesque we wish wed covered our eyes earlier, but by then, it was way too late. Hands down, its one of the nastiest things weve seen on TV. Thanks a lot, Eli Roth.

Bates Motel (2013-17)
How far would you go to keep someone you love forever? For Norman Bates, the answer is chilling all the way. After Norma falls in love and marries the towns sheriff, Norman loses it. Consumed by jealousy, he decides the only way to keep his mother to himself is ensuring they die together. While she sleeps, he floods the house with carbon monoxide. The contrast of them lying peacefully on their beds and the true brutality of their reality amplifies the dread. But it gets darker. Romero returns home to discover mother and son unconscious, and it turns out Normas dead while the culprit lives. Its gut-wrenching! Norma may have helped shape the monster, but this is still an indescribably disturbing scene.

Yellowjackets (2021-)
Of course, we expected this survival show to be intense, but that opening scene? It launched us straight into a frenzy with no warning. It begins with a girl running through an icy forest, barefoot and panicked, stalked by unseen hunters. Then, she falls into a spiked pit- absolutely brutal! What happens next, though, is even more terrifying. Masked figures draped in animal furs and Yellowjacket t-shirts drag her away before shes slaughtered. This sequence left us with so many unsettling questions. Who are these people? How did it come to this? At that point, we had no answers. But one thing became clear: Yellowjackets isnt just a survival tale, its a descent into primal terror with no escape from its unsavory elements.

Sons of Anarchy (2008-14)
An eye for eye makes the world blind and Sons of Anarchy proves just that. Fueled by a lie about Clays shooting, Tig targets Laroy[c] only to end up killing his girlfriend, not knowing shes Damon Popes daughter. To get even, Damon doesnt just retaliate, he orchestrates something unimaginably evil. Lured to an empty yard, Tig is handcuffed to a pole, and forced to watch helplessly as his daughter is burned alive. The violence itself is horrifying, but its Tigs unbearable grief that makes this one of the shows darkest moments. Its seriously the kind of horror no parent should ever face. This just goes to show that one mistake can definitely cost you everything.

Midnight Mass (2021)
This Netflixs supernatural horror didnt have many jump scares, but the few it delivered hit us pretty hard. One that nearly sent us flying off the couch was Father Pauls first encounter with the vampire angel. In a flashback to his time in the Holy Land, Father Paul gets trapped in a sandstorm and stumbles into a dark, claustrophobic cave. Out of the shadow emerges a grotesque, bat-like creature that leaves us as terrified as he is. Frankly, its a perfectly timed jump scare that caught us completely off-guard. Whats even wilder is Father Paul's decision to bring this same thing back to Crockett Island. Just what the heck was he thinking?

Hannibal (2013-16)
Bryan Fullers psychological horror series is not for everyone. With its gory, strangely artistic murders, it will mess with your mind as much as it does with your stomach. One scene that continues to haunt us? The human cello. Yep, you heard that right. Serial killer Tobias turns a corpse into a ghastly musical instrument, with strings, and all. Its twisted, surreal and impossible to forget. Through Grahams vivid, unsettling vision, we see how this sickening sight was crafted, making it ten times more disturbing. Someones vocal being played like a violin? Thats not fascinating, its downright chilling. According to Lecter, Tobias may have been serenading another killer. That makes it even sicker.

Lost (2004-10)
We certainly wouldnt call Lost scary, but it did have its creepy moments.But Jacobs 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,, 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.

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 Greens 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 cant believe what theyre seeing and hearing.

Salems Lot (1979)


From November 17 to 24, 1979, CBS aired one of the scariest miniseries of all time - an adaptation of Stephen Kings seminal vampire novel, Salems Lot. Dont let the fact that this is a cheap TV miniseries from the 70s deter you - it is absolutely horrifying. Its perhaps most well known for the iconic window scene, in which young Danny Glick emerges from the fog and begins scratching on Mark Petries 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...

Atlanta (2016-22)
Sometimes, the scariest scenes dont need overt horror or monsters- they just need silence, tension and that creeping feeling that something is deeply wrong. Thats exactly what Atlanta delivers with this episode. Darius[d] visits a weird mansion to pick up a rare piano, but from the moment he steps inside, something is amiss. Despite every red flag screaming for Darius to leave- like Teddy Perkins eerie behavior, he stays. Then comes the chilling twist: Teddy reveals he intends to use Darius as sacrifice to boost interest in his museum. Thankfully, Benny shows up just in time to stop Teddys evil plan, but not before were left completely shaken.

Supernatural (2005-20)


In 2020, Supernatural came to an end after fifteen years, fifteen seasons, and over 320 episodes. Put simply, theres a lot of good horror material to choose from throughout the shows exceedingly long run. But for this one, were going all the way back to season one - the shows fifth episode to be exact. The legend of Bloody Mary is one of the worlds 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.

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 dont 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.

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. Youd think the forces of Hell were ascending from the stairs! Still, we do feel really bad for Shelley...

The Last of Us (2023-)
Instead of jumping straight into zombie mayhem, The Last of Us opens with father and daughter sharing quiet moments at home. Its so ordinary, so comforting that when the horror strikes, it hits like a truck. Sarah wakes up in the dead of night to find her neighbourhood totally unrecognizable, with humans turning into monsters right before her eyes. What makes this so downright terrifying isnt just the zombies- its the abrupt transition. When Sarah slept, the world was fine. When she woke up, everything was falling apart. Thats nightmare fuel we never want to experience in real life. And Ellie uncovering the truth about David and his group of cannibals took things to an even more terrifying level.

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 fours 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.

The Walking Dead (2010-22)



The shows 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 its the way he died that makes this sequence so horrific. Glenns 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.

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; its a miracle they didnt drop dead of fright.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)



Most people probably wouldnt consider Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be very scary, despite its image-conjuring title. Those people havent seen The Gentlemen. These villains star in season fours 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 peoples 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. Wasnt this show supposed to be fun? Because watching this certainly isnt fun.

Game of Thrones (2011-19)





As scary as Ramsay Bolton was, even he cant compete with an epic battle involving ice zombies. Season fives 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 shows most exciting, and certainly its scariest, sequence, complete with many horrific images that will long be 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. Theres more horror packed in these twenty minutes than some horror movies!

American Horror Story (2011-)


As scary as Asylum was, it didnt have Freak Shows 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. Twistys actions are of course repulsive, but his macabre physical design adds another layer that elevates him above other freaky, murderous clowns. Its that damn mask. Then again, as we later find out, whats beneath the mask is arguably even scarier...

Stranger Things (2016-)
This coming-of-age series always had its scary moments, but season 4? Thats when things got seriously darker and Chrissys death was the turning point. We barely knew her but her sweet, awkward vibe with Eddie made us care. Then, in a blink, everything spiraled. Desperate for something to keep her awake, Chrissy goes to Eddie for help. But Vecna already had her in his grip. Before Eddie could process whats happening, Chrissy begins levitating, eyes blank, body frozen. Eddies panicking. Were panicking. Then it happens: her limbs snap and her eyes burst. Its a jarring moment that instantly changed the shows tone. We dont blame anyone who couldnt watch the rest of the show without dreading whod float next.

The Haunting of Hill House (2018-)


Even though it has basically little to do with Shirley Jacksons 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. Were not sure if this plot twist was more brilliant or petrifying, but either way, its certainly memorable.

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 ones 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.

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 arent 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.

It (1990)


No one can deny the sheer screen charisma and magnetic energy of Tim Curry. Even to this day, the opening sewer sequence of the IT miniseries involving Pennywise and Georgie is deeply distressing, which mainly stems from Currys 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 youre passing a sewer grate, just remember - they all float down there.

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: its 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. Its 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.

[a]madda-lynn https://youtu.be/bOvrj2859xs?si=Ne2nkOpv-K6O0RmP&t=134
[b]roo-MAN-sick https://youtu.be/UW5m_7qxwCY?si=xicvX4qn94xtZrwI&t=75
[c]luh-ROY https://www.yarn.co/yarn-clip/f969afb8-ddb2-4c8d-b6da-c7be189c6955
[d]DAIRY-iss https://youtu.be/hiMRNkZ_icE?si=bLUZLLdKenaHhDo0&t=2