This is a look at the scariest episodes from the revived series; a look at the episodes 2005 - Present that managed to send us diving behind the sofa or squirming beneath the blankets or whatever was on hand to use as a shield.
10: The God Complex (S06 E11)
I have included this episode from Series 6, not because it is
particularly scary, but because it both deals with some deep concepts and has
an overall dark and creepy atmosphere about it. Taking inspiration heavily from
Kubrick’s The Shining, this episode is a never-ending labyrinth of
disturbing images/ideas and claustrophobic hallways that are haunted by a creature that feeds on the very thing we turn to in times of fear: our faith.
9: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (S06 E01&02)
I have to say that I found The Silents to be more disturbing than really frightening. There is a difference between being creeped out by something and being scared of something. The Silents, for all they look like Slenderman, only do the former for me. But that doesn’t mean that the amnesia-inducing aliens don't hold a bit of horror for me. Personally I value my mind and memory very much, so the idea of a monster that could not only erase moments from my mind but also influence me via post-hypnotic suggestion carries quite a bit of weight on the creepy factor.
8: Human Nature/Family of Blood (S03 E08&09)
This episode can be frightening for
a couple of reasons. First and most obvious are the antagonists known as the
Family of Blood who possess the bodies of innocent people and covet
immortality, being willing to kill, maim, and commit all sorts of atrocities
(visible and implied) in order to gain it. These aliens are dark, unrelenting,
and surprisingly subtle, considering that they are Doctor Who villains. The
second reason is that, due to The Doctor’s use of the Chameleon Arch,
everything in this episode just feels off-kilter. It’s like a trip down the
rabbit hole, minus all of the funny and magical creatures from Wonderland and plus
all of the unsettling, dark undertones. It is quite disconcerting to be
watching The Doctor who is not The Doctor. That makes Human Nature/Family
of Blood scary and unsettling on a subconscious level…but that is also what makes
them such good episodes.
7: The Time of Angels/Flesh & Stone (S05 E04&05)
Amy Pond has had an angel implanted
in her mind and it is forcing her to slowly count down to her doom. In order to
pause the process, Amy must keep her eyes shut at all times (thereby negating
the effect of the angels turning into stone as long as you look at them). Not
only that but, in order to find The Doctor and River, Amy has to navigate her
way through a forest of angels with her eyes still shut.
6: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (S04 E09&10)
Like
the episode mentioned above, this two-parter is also created by the diabolical
mind of Steven Moffat. Among other things it involves the introduction of River
Song and the creation of the flesh-stripping shadows known as the Vashta
Nerada. That name means ‘the shadows that melt the flesh’ in one of the various
languages The Doctor has picked up over the years and is about an apt
description as one could give - within seconds of latching onto a target the
swarm of darkness completely devours every last bit of muscle, flesh, and
sinew leaving behind a clean, grotesque skeleton.
5: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (S01 E09&10)
And we have yet another episode penned by Stephen Moffat
here. Are you starting to see a pattern? This two-parter, which pits The
Doctor, Rose, and charismatic newcomer Captain Jack Harkness against an army of
gas-mask zombies, is easily the scariest story from Series 1. What makes this
episode so scary is that it plays off of the very base childhood fear of losing
one’s parents (or being rejected) and the adult fear of technology gone
horribly, epidemically wrong. The premise is frightening enough but when you
factor in the lighting, atmosphere, and acting you should be prepared for a
wild ride of scares.
4: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (S02 E08&09)
The
first time I watched this episode I actually had to pause it and walk away for a few
minutes to process what I had seen. I think it was the combination of claustrophobic
conditions, epic scale, and satanic possessions that got to me. This two-parter
is quite dark and deals with some really deep and frightening themes of belief
and what is truth. And, of course, they’re fighting The Devil! It doesn’t get
much darker than that.
This
is the episode that many consider to be the perfect introduction to Doctor
Who. While it may be true that it is possible to watch Blink with
little to no foreknowledge of the program and universe and understand it
(well, as much as any of Moffat’s scripts can be understood), I take issue with
showing this to a newbie and I never use it as an introductory episode for two
reasons (a) because watching this story first gives the viewer a rather unfair
expectation as to the overall…quality of the show and (b) because the episode
is so good it is something that has to be earned. It has everything – great atmosphere,
fairytale elements, an ever-tightening mystery, jump-scares, psychological
scares, creepy imagery, likable characters that you actually fear for, and the
list goes on and on.
2: Midnight (S04 E11)
I
have described many of the episodes on this list as ‘claustrophobic’, either
because they take place in cramped, inescapable locations or because the
enemies are forever closing in, but Midnight takes the term right back
to the original definition and just runs away with it. The entire episode takes
place on a stranded shuttle with a limited cast of characters and an unseen
monster that we never actually find out what it was. The fact that the enemy
remains a mystery only ups the creep factor, but the real thing that makes this
story so frightening are the panicking humans. Oh sure it’s scary whenever Skye
is first possessed and is repeating everything said. Sure the music creates a
great atmosphere when paired with the lighting and picture-perfect acting. Sure
it is scary whenever The Doctor is taken over by the creature. But what is
infinitely more terrifying is the depths that the frightened humans are willing
to sink to – turning on Skye, The Doctor, and eventually each other in their
fear and becoming willing to commit murder just to save their own precious
skins.
1: The Waters of Mars (S04 E16)
The
classic base-under-siege story is taken to a whole new level with this
terrifying story of the doomed first human colony on Mars. Anyone who complains
that NuWho just doesn’t have the scares that the classic series did needs to
watch this episode right away, preferably at night in an empty house. Between
the unstoppable Flood, the claustrophobic sense of impending death, and The
Doctor (or, as he dubs himself, the Time Lord Victorious) – this episode is
truly frightening and memorable as it wrestles with morality and fate.
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