The 12 Scariest Episodes of "Supernatural" Ever

Halloween is upon us, and for some people (me), that means scary movies! If you don’t have it in you to watch an entire movie of death and jump scares, a Supernatural episode might be just the thing you need.* All of these episodes are self-contained stories with minimum-to-no myth-arc or carry-through plot, and can be enjoyed by the Supernatural junkie and newbie alike.** So, lets join Sam and Dean Winchester for some good-ol’ Halloween *spirit*. (The show is available for streaming on Netflix).

*If you would prefer something less scary altogether, here is a list of general Halloweenish episodes.

**I left out episodes that didn’t lend themselves to one-off watching (for example, “Everybody Loves a Clown” is the scariest (imo), but the 20 minutes of murderous clown is joined by 30 minutes of plot angst at The Roadhouse and thus it was excluded).

12

1x17

"Hell House"

Mordecai Murdock was rumored to have killed his six daughters before committing suicide in his house in the 1930s. The house now stands abandoned in the woods, but something is killing young girls who venture within. Something is not what it seems, but no matter what, one thing is clear: there’s something very wrong about this house. 

This episode features a creepy atmosphere and multiple deaths. The unknown factor, so rare for the Winchesters, keeps the suspense up even through the hilarity that is Ed and Harry. It just goes to show, sometimes the scariest thing is the monster that you create.

11

1x03

"Dead in the Water"

The string of water-related deaths and disappearances around one particular lake over the last few decades have started ramping up lately. Can Sam and Dean find the cause and save the day before another family is wiped off the map? 

This episode was particularly scary to me, as I already thought lakes were creepy. Also, I hear drowning is one of the most painful ways to die.

10

1x11

"Scarecrow"

Every year near the sleepy town of Burkitsville, a couple disappears. Dean and Sam investigate on their father’s orders and discover a creepy scarecrow guarding the rich orchard. Spoiler: the scarecrow did it.

Again, I just think scarecrows are creepy. They really know how to pick ‘em in this show, huh. This episode has the most outside plot of any of the twelve here, since Sam splits off for a bit due to family drama. However, I will never look at scarecrows or nice small-town folk the same again, so they’ve obviously done their job.

9

2x04

"Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things"

While Dean and Sam pay a visit to their mother’s tombstone, Dean notices something strange about a nearby grave. The strange gets dangerous when people in town start getting offed.

This episode may not be the scariest, but the creep-factor is huge. I chose it in part because it’s a different sort of monster to what we normally see in the show. And it is scary. However, it does contain some spoilers for outside plot, so if you plan to watch the show and somehow don’t already know the basic story of John Winchester, maybe skip this one.

8

1x07

"Hook Man"

A small-town preacher’s daughter begins to think she is cursed when the people around her start dying gruesome deaths. Like, really gruesome.

This one has some moments of true horror. It reminded me of all the scariest twists of the ghost stories I heard as a kid.

7

2x11

"Playthings"

Sam and Dean stay at an old hotel under the guise of “antiquing.” What they are actually doing is investigating the mysterious deaths that have started since the hotel was put up for sale.

What’s creepier than children? The answer is nothing. Except maybe old people. Both of which factor in here. This episode manages to make objects moving on their own actually concerning rather than ridiculous, and has a classic gothic horror feel.

6

1x15

"The Benders"

When Sam disappears from a night out drinking, Dean must hunt him down before somebody else does.

Only watch this one if you want to be well-and-truly disturbed. I don’t want to spoil it, but let’s just say that people are crazy.

5

2x16

"Roadkill"

Dean and Sam try to help a woman who crashed on the side of the highway. But things get complicated by the ghost of a man who only appears one night of the year to punish a highway traveler for his death.

This episode turns out to be just as emotional as it is scary. I mean, this is Supernatural after all. It’s not your average scary story, but it’ll have you thinking about it well after it’s done.

4

1x10

"Asylum"

Local legend says that if you spend the night in the derelict asylum, you come out insane. When it actually starts happening, Dean and Sam investigate. But if they spend the night in the asylum, will they go crazy too?

Now this is a good-old-fashioned scary story. Complete with jump scares and plenty of dark corners, this will probably remind you of every haunted house you’ve ever been to.

3

2x06

"No Exit"

Jo Harvelle joins the boys to hunt a ghost that only takes pretty blonde girls. But what happens to bait? It gets taken.

Claustrophobic? You will be after this. Jo Harvelle is a blessing, but she also comes with a teensy bit of outside plot. You don’t need to know anything about her before the episode begins, it’ll tell you everything that’s relevant. This episode also has teensy spoilers for the John Winchester story. That said, I ranked it number three anyway because it is downright scary and it deserved it. 

2

1x05

"Bloody Mary"

We’ve all heard about Bloody Mary. But what if the stories are real? Would you risk it?

This episode is known as the one that people stop watching Supernatural after. Not because it’s bad (that's just a lie cowards tell) but because it is scary af. It reaches down to the middle-schooler in all of us while also probably stealing years from our lives.

1

4x11

"Family Remains"

A family moves into an old farmhouse shortly after the previous owner is killed there. We all know that’s bad news, but just wait. It’s even worse than you think.

This one holds the honor of being the only one to make me scared in Real Life. It had me looking over my shoulder in my own house. It reminds me a lot of the more recent ghost movies, but it has something that none of them have. 

Also, there is a spoiler concerning something that happened to Dean that you probably know about anyway if you know anything about Supernatural.

Well, I hope you appreciated my list of the top twelve scariest episodes of Supernatural. And I hope you go and check them out. Happy Halloween!

Sound off in the comments to let me know if you think I got it right.