(#10) The Foretold From 'Mummy on the Orient Express' Is A Genuinely Creepy Mummy
As far as mummies go in film and television, the Foretold is absolutely the most upsetting version of this classic horror trope that has maybe ever existed. The mummy, or Foretold if you want to be technical, has all of the trappings that you look for in a creepy Egyptian evil being: bandages, the staggering gait, and even a sarcophagus.
The Foretold turns out not to be a cursed Egyptian creature, but rather a stealth soldier. Still, this horrific mummy is creepy enough to give audiences the heebie-jeebies. The opening scene of this episode is genuinely chilling, especially when the Foretold sucks the life force out of an elderly woman's skull.
(#6) The Doctor Discovers The Origin Of All Nightmares In 'Listen'
Doctor Who has long explored the things that frighten us as children. The show is technically for kids, so this makes sense, but in “Listen,” the Doctor tries to get to the heart of our fear of things that go bump in the night. When the Doctor goes in search of a creature that’s always with us, hiding in the corners we can’t see, he gets to the bottom of the fear that something is going to grab us from under the bed.
As always, this episode features eerie visuals, but it’s the hunt for a creature hiding beneath our beds that creates a more existential fear than Doctor Who usually tosses out. Even though this episode ends on a fairly upbeat note, there’s still a sense of dread surging through “Listen.”
(#2) 'The Empty Child' Features A Creepy Little Boy And People's Faces Transforming Into Gas Masks
"Are you my mummy?" Those four words are the soundtrack to one of the most horrifying episodes of Doctor Who's return to form in 2005. "The Empty Child" features the Doctor grappling with a creepy little kid with a gas mask for a face. That visual is freaky enough, but it's what happens to people who come into contact with the boy that's really upsetting.
Anyone who comes in contact with the boy with a gas mask for a face grows a gas mask of their own. The episode shows this transformation in a lengthy take that is downright Cronenbergian (which originally featured a skull-cracking sound effect the BBC ultimately cut for being "too horrible"). It's hard to watch even for the most dyed-in-the-wool horror fan. Parents reportedly flooded the BBC with complaints the episode terrified their children, and to this day the network hosts a parental advisory guide for "The Empty Child" on their website featuring children's "fear ratings."
(#3) An Invisible Threat Chews Through Characters In 'Silence in the Library'
In what is ostensibly a gothic ghost story, the Doctor is drawn to a library in the 51st century where spooky things immediately start happening. The lights in the main library go out one by one in a fairly terrifying scene, and that's after the Doctor and Donna encounter a disembodied head. It's a cute disembodied head, but it's still freaky.
Those scares don't compare to the Vashta Nerada, particle-sized creatures that are extremely carnivorous. This episode could have been a standard Doctor Who episode, but there are astronauts chased down long corridors by unseen creatures and an imminent threat that's only discernible as a double shadow. "Silence in the Library" is an intriguing story that will make you think twice about visiting unknown planets on a whim.
(#1) 'Blink' Introduced Audiences To The Terrifying Weeping Angels
No discussion of the most unsettling Doctor Who moments can be had without mentioning the Weeping Angels. These extremely old creatures that look like Victorian statues wait until someone turns their back on them or blinks, and then they strike.
With enough time, the Weeping Angles can drain the life from their victims while sending them back into an undetermined era of time seemingly at random. Their first appearance in "Blink" shows just how well Doctor Who works at telling a horror story.
It's hard to decide what's scarier - the idea that you won't even know that you're being zapped to the past or the sharp fangs and furrowed brows of the Weeping Angels. Strangely enough, the writer behind the episode - Steven Moffat - claims that the creatures are based on a real object.
(#8) 'Human Nature' Features Horrifying Scarecrow Creatures And An Especially Vengeful Doctor
Living scarecrows are always horrifying no matter the context, but in “Human Nature,” the creatures raised by the Family of Blood are just one part of a disturbing gothic tale. The episode finds the Doctor effectively shutting down the part of himself that is the Doctor and opting to live as “John Smith.”
The scarecrows that the Family of Blood use to search for the Doctor are definitely scary, but the most unsettling thing about this episode is the way the Doctor deals with the Family of Blood. He locks them all up in their own personal hells - a small girl is trapped in a mirror and one alien is turned into an undying scarecrow that is crucified in a field.
New Random Displays Display All By Ranking
About This Tool
After the new version of Doctor Who was launched, the ratings and reviews were not inferior to the original version. In addition to some classic alien villains, the new version of Doctor Who also adds new horror elements that are unexpected. From the Daleks to the Weeping Angels, Doctor Who is a series that is always full of horror and panic things, making it one of the perfect choices for many horror movie lovers.
The most terrifying episode of the series combines psychological horror with visual panic, disgusting monsters, and intense narrative. The random tool introduced 13 scariest 'Doctor Who' moments that may make you scream.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.