Horror television has been a fixture throughout the medium’s history. Some series have become bingeable events on streaming platforms, like Stranger Things or Midnight Mass. But they were preceded on network television with series like Kolchak the Night Stalker, Tales from the Darkside, The X-Files, and many more. Horror is healthy wherever you look on the dial or guide, with plenty of staying power. Part of it is due to the creative and ghastly monsters that have filled these series over the years. Sometimes, they even outdo the big screen budgets, creating horrifying beasts and killers that leave a mark on the audience.
We decided to take a step back and drill down into our horror memory banks to rank a few of the best TV beasts to grace the small screen. The results were a mixed bag, with a few nostalgic surprises seeping in to join some modern creepers. Scroll down to take in ten of the TV horror creatures that are scaring audiences in primetime.
10) Ghastly Grinner – Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A blast from the past, and similar to Goosebumps‘ “Attack of the Mutant,” the Ghastly Grinner mixes a few concepts to please comic book fans and horror fans. He also taps into that evil clown trope that we have seen with Pennywise and the Joker. The Grinner is otherworldly strong, can teleport around, and seems to have the magical power to infect victims with his laugh. It turns anybody affected into a laughing creep drooling blue ooze.
9) Tooth Child – Channel Zero
If you skipped Channel Zero when it was airing on SyFy, Shudder has you covered. And with that, you have a chance to take in the next creepy monster on the list: The Tooth Child from season one of the anthology series. The Tooth Child has origins in the world of creepypasta and in the series, is tied to the Candle Cove series that has been connected to several child murders. All of that backstory is there to take in when you watch the series, but you can see that this monster is frightening based on looks alone. It has a humanoid shape and is technically a shell for a murderous spirit, but the shell is made of teeth. Lots and lots of teeth.
8) Shadow King – Legion
While Legion is not your classic horror TV series, Noah Hawley’s take on Marvel’s mutants comes with one of the scariest baddies on television. Known as Amahl Farouk, this psychic mutant has existed as the Shadow King for hundreds of years and targets David due to his father, Charles Xavier, and to feed on his psychic power. To do this, he takes on several disguises, with one being the horrifying Devil With Yellow Eyes. If I were to run into this version in my dreams, I’d never want to sleep again.
7) Demogorgon/Vecna – Stranger Things
We’re combining these two because they are technically all part of a hive mind in the Upside Down. They are also the most frightening baddies from the Netflix hit, occupying different ends of the monster hierarchy to this point. The Demogorgon is more of a classic predator with humanoid qualities, but they are aggressive like a xenomorph. Vecna is more of a mastermind controller, originally known as the human Henry Creel. He was sent through a gate to the Upside Down by Eleven after he tried to use his psychic powers to murder her and other test subjects. He is the driving force behind the attempts to destroy humanity, and is still alive at the end of season four. The final season arrives in November, so we’ll hopefully get an update.
6) The Gentlemen – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Only appearing in the partially silent episode “Hush,” The Gentlemen have remained a memorable and horrifying addition to the monster canon. The six demons arrive in Sunnydale and immediately make all of the citizens silent by stealing their voices. The plan is carrying enough weight to cause troubles, but then you take a look at their makeup and design. These are horrifying monsters with demonic eyes, rictus grins, and a whole lot of style that Slenderman would borrow years later.
5) The Weeping Angels – Doctor Who
If you’ve ever played Super Mario Bros, these Doctor Who villains are sort of like dealing with the ghosts and boos. These aliens are depicted as statues locked in time but in reality they are quite frightening, especially when they manage to gather around. The Weeping Angels have time travel powers and can create time loops to feed on unsuspecting victims. But the real reason for the fear comes from the horrifying look they all have, backed up by razor sharp teeth. As long as you never blink, you should be fine.
4) Flukeman – The X-Files
One of the more enduring images from the classic The X-Files, the Flukeman is a piece of human science gone wrong, created through radiation exposure and “abnormal” cell fusion. Essentially, Flukeman is a human worm and reproduces through offspring that infect victims through a bite. It originated on a Russian freighter that was disposing of debris from the Chernobyl site. It survives its encounter with the FBI, standing as the only case Dana Scully doesn’t want to relive alongside her partner, Fox Mulder.
3) Clickers – The Last of Us
Zombies have taken quite a few steps forward in the days since Night of the Living Dead. The Last of Us has taken the concept to new levels due to the effects of its world deadly fungus and the way it changes those affected. Clickers are the third stage of this Cordyceps brain fungi infection, losing their humanity far more than runners and stalkers as their faces are split open by the fungus eating their brains. This growth leaves the Clicker blind and causes the trademark sound it uses for echolocation. The final result? A horrifying update to a classic concept that proves to be scarier by far.
2) Titans – Attack on Titan
We had to question whether Attack on Titan counts as a horror show, but after some refreshers and research, we got our answer. While the armored titans and special titans are formidable and scary, they’re still manga and anime staples. With Attack on Titan, the real horrors are the regular humanoid titans that resemble smiling naked people. These “Pure Titans” are dumb and driven by a desire to eat any human they encounter. The backstory gets more complicated from there, but it is worth your time if you can find it. It only took halfway through the first episode to cement them in this spot, probably around the time the fifth or sixth person was snatched up and chewed by a giant naked grinning monster.
1) The Peacock Family – The X-Files
The scariest monster on this list brings us back to The X-Files for another classic. The Peacock Family of inbred mutants is brought onto the FBI’s radar after a deformed child is found buried. The three boys are the main killers, cheered on by their deformed mother, who is quite insane and quite violent. The scene that gets them firmly in the top spot, though, is when Mama Peacock orders her sons to kill the local Sheriff and his wife. The three mutants drive off, a Johnny Mathis cover on the radio, and a brutal murder on the menu. Pepper in some incest and you have a pure nightmare in the 9 o’clock hour.
Disagree with our choices? Feel like we were too hard on some of these monsters? Sound off in the comments.
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