Contains mentions of brutal deaths, suicide, and spoilers for all the shows discussed.
One of popular culture’s most storied genres,horrormovies have played host to some of the most disturbing cinematic scenes in history. It’s a long-running state of affairs, one that television has been attempting to replicate in more modern times through a catalog of increasingly terrifying instances. Many of thebest horror television shows ever madehave leveraged an array of gruesome kills, shocking plot twists, and nightmarish visuals to produce an array of terrifying moments that have left their viewers feeling disturbed for days to come.
Whether the scene in question comes from agreat and gory showthat leaves you frozen in fear, or adark horror series that plays with your head, these unsettling moments have a habit of haunting the audience’s dreams long after the credits roll. From nightmarish scenarios that become even more frightening because they could conceivably occur in reality, to supernatural encounters harrowing enough to leave grown adults checking their closets at night, horror television’s most disturbing moments underline the basic mission statement at the heart of the genre; “scare your audience silly.”
Stranger Things
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Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
Unsurprisingly for a sci-fi horror show,Stranger Thingshas featured some notably disturbing moments since debuting in 2016. The fourth season saw the show adopt its darkest and most mature tone to date, a state of affairs that was exemplified in brutal fashion with the demise of Chrissy Cunningham. The Duffer brothers appeared to be settingGrace Van Dien’s fan-favorite chargeup to become a regular supporting character, only to do away with the cheerleader in arguably the show’s most brutal death to date.
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Targeted as a result of her struggles with depression, Chrissy is psychically killed by Vecna in unapologetically gruesome fashion. The bloodcurdling sight of Jamie Campbell-Bower’s ghastly humanoid is bad enough, but it only gets worse as he begins his work in earnest. Levitating off the ground in a trance, Chrissy’s limbs twist and fracture with sickening cracks, a macabre visual that concludes as the cheerleader’s jaw snaps and her eyes explode. It’s an absolutely horrifying spectacle, with the appalled screams of Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson mirroring the audience’s reaction toStranger Things’most shocking demise appropriately.
Midnight Mass
Created and directed by Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass follows the residents of an isolated fishing community whose lives are changed by the sudden appearance of a charismatic new priest, Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). The residents of Crockett Island struggle to eke out a meager living, just barely surviving off the mainland, but the appearance of Hill changes everything. Attendance at the local church is at an all-time high, but cynical ex-con Riley Flynn doesn’t trust the priest, and sets out to uncover his dark secret.
Mike Flanagan’s first miniseries foray outsideThe Hauntinganthology series proved to be a triumph, with 2021’sMidnight Masslauded as one of the finest shows of the year.Flanagan’s acclaimed answer to’Salem’s Lotfeatures some notably terrifying moments, from Monsignor Pruitt’s first encounter with the vampire to the sight of Riley bursting into flames before Erin’s horrified eyes. With that being said, the vast majority pale in comparison to the miniseries' chaotic congregation scene in its sixth episode.
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Evoking legitimately disturbing connections with the infamous Jonestown massacre,the scene sees churchgoers drink poison in an effort to be “reborn” after being tricked into consuming the Angel’s blood,only to be revived almost immediately as vampires with an insatiable bloodlust. Unsurprisingly, proceedings descend into absolute bedlam as the undead proceed to decorate the church’s walls with the living’s blood and viscera, placing the cherry on one of horror television’s scariest sequences.
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a Horror Anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The franchise has seen stars like Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, Denis O’Hare, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, and Dylan McDermott. Each season follows a new premise and spans an array of horror genres like witches, ghosts, serial killers, and more.
American Horror Story’sreputation has fluctuated over the course of twelve seasons, with critical reception ranging from effusive to dismal. With that being said, the show’s second installment, subtitledAsylum, is widely regarded asAmerican Horror Story’sbest season, featuring some of the long-running horror anthology’s most unsettling moments to boot. Look no further than the horrifying reveal of serial killer Bloody Face’s true identity,a scene that has been haunting viewers for more than a decade.
The depraved doctor dons a horrifying mask made of his victims' skin, now complete with Wendy’s teeth, to reveal his identity as Bloody Face and cap off one ofAHS’most traumatic moments.
Sarah Paulson’s Lana Winters believes that she has been rescued by Zachary Quinto’s Doctor Oliver Thredson, only to find herself dumped in his basement by a hidden door after discovering a workshop filled with human body parts. She awakens next to the frozen body of her dead partner, Wendy, before Thredson arrives to perform the desolating coup de grâce. The depraved doctor dons a horrifying mask made of his victims' skin, now complete with Wendy’s teeth, to reveal his identity as Bloody Face and cap off one ofAHS’most traumatic moments.
Slasher
Slasher is a horror anthology television series that premiered in 2016 on Chiller. The show’s first season, titled “The Executioner,” follows a young woman who returns to her hometown to uncover the truth behind a series of murders that took place 20 years prior. Each subsequent season features a new storyline and characters, exploring themes of horror and suspense.
The best slasher anthology series that you’ve never heard of,Slasherwas one of horror’s smartest television shows. The long-running series was also notorious for featuring some of the nastiest deaths in television history across five blood-soaked seasons. SubtitledSolstice, the show’s third installment is arguably the most horrifying example of this reputation, chronicling a nightmarish array of murders perpetrated by a masked serial killer known as the Druid.
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The show’s third episode sees science teacher Kaili Greenberg encounter the Druid’s appalling methods first-hand. Abducted from inside her own car by the killer, Erin Karpluk’s unfortunate charge awakens tied and gagged in the school’s biology lab. It only gets worse from there,as the Druid proceeds to dispatch his unfortunate victim by performing an autopsy on the entirely conscious teacher with a pair of bolt cutters.It’s hard to pick which is more disturbing: Greenberg’s harrowing howls of despair or the nightmarish visuals of her killer’s handiwork.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror drama mini-series created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) for Netflix. This modern retelling follows a corrupt pharmaceutical CEO, Roderick Usher, as he is forced to reckon with his past as a curse begins to claim the lives of each of his children.
Mike Flanagan’s latestacclaimed horror miniseries,The Fall of the House of Ushermodernizes and adapts several of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic stories into a single nonlinear narrative, depicting a curse on the titular family with horrifying results. Bearing the same title as the Poe short story it is based on, the show’s second episode “The Masque of the Red Death” depicts the first death of Roderick Usher’s six doomed children in unforgettably ghastly fashion.
Prospero “Perry” Usher’s name is derived from the lead character’s name inThe Masque of the Red Death.
Usher’s youngest illegitimate son, Perry’s desire to pursue the life of a hedonistic socialite sees him meet an absolutely appalling end. In the midst of throwing a masquerade-themed party at a condemned Usher property, a pre-arranged signal for the building’s water sprinklers to signal the start of an orgy is met with an abhorrent surprise. Unbeknownst to Perry,the sprinklers' supply line actually runs to a tank of corrosive chemicals, dousing him and his unfortunate guests in acid waste.The screams of horror and agony as the party-goers literally begin to melt is a horrifying spectacle that lingers in the mind long after the credits have rolled.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
WhileBlack Mirroris renowned for an emphasis on science fiction and dystopia, the acclaimed anthology series has never been afraid to dabble in scarier material. This state of affairs is perfectly exemplified by one of thebest episodes fromBlack Mirror’ssixth season, “Loch Henry.” A seemingly low-stakes thriller that suddenly morphs into fully-fledged horror, the show produces one of its most shocking twists with the jaw-dropping reveal that Davis' unassuming mother Janet was actually a twisted serial killer.
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One of the most disturbing moments from a show notorious for producing them,the snuff video unmasking Monica Dolan’s seemingly sweet old lady as a sadistic murderer, is legitimate nightmare fuel.Donning a carnival mask and nurse’s costume, Janet depravedly cavorts around to upbeat music, gleefully twirling an electric drill as her gagged victims moan in terror. As such, Pia’s mask of appalled shock as she watches the ghastly home video unfold is an appropriate reflection of most viewers' reactions at home.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
The quintessential example of astunning television death that still haunts viewersto this day, it speaks volumes to the harrowing nature of Rita Bennett’s demise that it’s arguably the most shocking moment on a show revolving around a vigilante serial killer. To this day, Dexter’s discovery of his wife’s corpse in a bathtub filled with blood is regarded as one of the most controversial and shocking moments in television history, from the connotations of the wider show to the scene’s harrowing visuals.
Ironically, the shock factor of Rita’s murder at the hands of the Trinity Killer is ultimately compounded by the fact that it takes place off-screen, and happens after John Lithgow’s villainous charge is purportedly taken care of.Simply put, it’s Dexter’s worst nightmare brought to life, and there isn’t a damn thing that he can do about it.Throw in the sight of baby Harrison quite literally living out his own father’s childhood experiences as he wails in a pool of his own mother’s blood, and Rita’s death remains one of television’s most disturbing moments.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on July 31, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
The seventh season premiere ofThe Walking Dead, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” is notorious for containing some of the most controversial and upsetting moments in television history, pulling zero punches in bringing one of the comic’s most devastating sequences to life. The shockingly graphic death of Michael Cudlitz’s cast mainstay Abraham Ford at the hands of Negan and his baseball bat Lucille immediately prior was terrifying enough in itself, but it paled in comparison to the demise of Steven Yeun’s Glenn Rhee.
Rhee’s status as one of the show’s longest-serving and most beloved characters didn’t save him from one of the most savage deaths in television history.
Fans hoping that Ford would assume the fate of Glenn’s comic book counterpart were disappointedRhee’s status as one of the show’s longest-serving and most beloved characters didn’t save him from one of the most savage deaths in television history. A harrowingscene that made many viewers quit the show, every sickening detail of Negan caving Glenn’s skull in is captured with what seems like an almost gleeful lack of restraint, from the sight of his eyeball popping out of his skull to the visual of his twitching corpse as Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s charge ruthlessly batters his defenseless head.
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
Anybody familiar with the canon of Neil Druckmann’sThe Last of Uswas always aware that HBO’s adaptation would present plenty of emotional carnage, a reality that became apparent as the show brought one of the game’s most upsetting moments to life in unflinching fashion. The demise ofsupporting characters Henry and Samis one of the saddest television scenes in recent memory, a devastating sequence that sees Lamar Johnson’s character mercy-kill his infected younger brother before turning the gun on himself.
The episode in which the scene takes place, “Endure and Survive,” holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The show’s take on events was arguably even crueler than the games, eliciting a sliver of delusional hope that Ellie’s blood might cure Sam after he revealed that he had been bitten. However, there was to be no such reprieve for Keivon Montreal Woodard’s charge. Succumbing to his infection overnight,the newly feral Sam is gunned down by his brother to prevent him from murdering Ellie.It only gets more harrowing from there, as Henry shoots himself in the head to escape the horror of his actions in a heartrending instant.
Hannibal
Created for TV by Bryan Fuller, Hannibal is a TV adaptation/reimagining of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel. The show follows the exploits of FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and their perpetual game of cat and mouse that unfolds over the series. When a string of murders in Minnesota requires a brilliant mind to crack the case, Will Graham is called in to investigate - but due to the intimate and terrifying nature of the crimes, he is appointed Dr. Lecter to act as his psychiatrist. The truth of Dr. Lecter is that he is Will’s target - but to complicate matters, he’s the only person that can truly understand him.
The quintessential example of a show canceled too early,Hannibalis widely regarded as a front-runner for horror television’s finest offering. Along the way, Bryan Fuller’s acclaimed series also gained a reputation for some of the most disgustingly artistic murder scenes of all time.Hannibalis notorious for its brutal and shocking deaths, with the show’s eponymous villain and a host of his murderous contemporaries transforming human remains into unforgettably macabre showpieces on multiple occasions, from the human cello in “Fromage” to the literal Bloody Valentine in “Primavera.”
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With that being said, the human mural in “Sakizuke” is arguably the show’s gold standard when it comes to terrifyingly disturbing moments. Mads Mikkelsen’s charge encounters a serial killer who arranges numerous bodies of different skin pigmentations in a grain silo, constructing a nightmarish imitation of a gigantic human eye. This visual is disturbing enough in itself, but it’s compounded by the unabatedhorrorof a scene depicting one of the victims unintentionally awakening to realize that he is literally stitched into this abhorrent human tapestry alive.
