Monsters have beena mainstay in entertainment for as long as there has been movement in pictures, and with what is seemingly a second golden age of television, the variety of storytelling that is being offered and showcased is both stellar and astounding. Leading the foray of that charge is the horror genre, which has seen a resurgence in the last few years in both film and television.
There are several shows that are horror-based and explore the darker side of matters, stoking those primal survival instincts and energies that exist within the human condition. Indeed, the resurgence and resurrection of the absolutely terrifying and the macabre over the last decade, especially within the past five years, have been nothing short of a work of art for both film and television.
Update August 09, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great monsters of the week that scared audiences.
However, while movies have been the big ticket market for the scariest, boasting some of the most iconic monsters known in the entertainment industry, equally, television has brought some of the biggest scares to the small screen over the last few years, monsters and ideas of monsters that rival that of those on the big screen. But what is unknown to many is that premium and peak horror has always been a part of televised storytelling, oftentimes showcasing delightfully scary monsters of both the supernatural variety and malicious beasts. Here are some iconic TV monsters that showed up just for an episode of television.
13Ghost Boy (Supernatural)
DevotedSupernaturalfans were given the best of both worlds when the monster-hunting Winchester brothers met some of television’s most iconic and beloved characters: Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. In a thirteenth-season episode of the enduring series, Sam and Dean find themselves transported into the animated universe ofScooby-Doo,where they epically meet Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and of course, the lovable Great Dane himself and help the gang solve a real-life mystery.
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Though not a scary episode by any means, “Scoobynatural” features the Winchesters as they face off against the spirit of a young boy who is being controlled by a villainous human criminal, leading to one of the most buzzed about and legendary crossovers in small screen history. Sam and Dean’s efforts to take care of the spirit wreaking havoc sucked them into a TV where they met the groovy amateur sleuths, making the episode an instant classic.
12Der Kindestod (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Undeniably one of the most spine-tingling foes Buffy and the Scoobies faced (after The Gentlemen, of course), was the demon Der Kindestod, who prayed on sick children and sucked the lives out of the ones who were unlucky enough to actually see him. A young Buffy had once witnessed Kindestod kill her ill cousin Celia, and she yet again encountered the frightening humanoid after catching the flu and ending up in the Sunnydale hospital. With tusk-like razor-sharp teeth, claws, and a chilling gaze, Kindestod stalked the children’s wing of the hospital and drained their life forces, going unnoticed to any adult he passed.
The scene where a bed-ridden Buffy was lying in her hospital room, and Der Kindestod came ominously strolling down her hallway and gazed in upon her was deeply unsettling and disturbing. Listening to Buffy’s Watcher and mentor Giles, describe how Kindestod sits atop his prey and pins them down before feasting on their life force was also horrific, and audiences rejoiced when the Slayer was able to end his reign of terror.
11The Banshee (Charmed)
Charmedis infamous for putting the Halliwell sisters through the wringer when it comes to the many demons and monsters they face, with the butt-kicking women saving not only San Francisco but also the whole world from unspeakable evil time and time again. When Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) is singled out by a group of Banshees running rampant in the city and leaving death and destruction in their wake, the heartbroken witch becomes their latest victim and finds herself transforming into a banshee after they prey upon her grief.
The banshees kill people with their piercing sonic scream and turn good witches into one of their own, with Phoebe losing any memories of her former life and relationships after being attacked. They feed on their intended victim’s pain, and Phoebe’s sisters Prue and Piper must stop her from killing an innocent before she is too far gone.
10The Flukeman (X-Files)
There have been some extremely terrifying events, characters, and monsters through the duration ofX-Filestelevision show. For a show known for its aberrations and out-of-the-world plots and storylines,X-Filesmade sure that its monsters were frightening in a way that felt real, even plausible. But that was one of the show’s tenets, to make the otherwordly real and just waiting, hidden behind a veil or curtain.
The reveal of one of the show’s most memorable monsters is that of the Flukeman. The Flukeman is the product of nuclear fallout and waste. From its skin to its obtuse and gapingly twisted mouth to its cold, dead eyes, the Flukeman as a monster was eerie and almost undefeatable.
9Chimera (Fringe)
Similarly to X-Files,Fringeboasted of the strange and otherworldly as well. Oftentimes, the show’s rag-tag team/trio would face off with some figure or monster that was beyond the norm of reality and also beyond the scope of what was supposed to exist. Again, much likeX-Files,Fringedealt with “the what if,” but in a way that wasn’t conspiracy but rather on the fringe of acceptance. Even their monsters were a part of that possibility. One of those monsters was the Chimera.
The Chimera was a genetically altered beast that had a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail with rhinoceros skin. What the monster could do was just as horrific as its appearance: projectile larvae that could rip through a person’s body.
8Puppets (Angel)
Another less gruesome but nonetheless memorable monster of the week was in theBuffy the Vampire Slayerspin-offAngel,where the brooding vampire with a soul and private detective fights evil and helps keep the citizens of Los Angeles safe. In the season five episode “Smile Time”, Angel and his friends set out to stop a nefarious puppet show that is sucking the brain power from the young children who watch it. After being transformed into a puppet himself, Angel must rely on Gunn, Fred, and Wesley to break the spell and save the lives of thousands of innocent children watching the diabolical program and the puppet masterminds behind it.
The episode was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, and witnessing a menacing vampire version of Angel the puppet was extremely fun for audiences and perhaps more horrific for those with pupaphobia (a fear of puppets). Though this entry is light-hearted in nature, the monster helped make the episode one of the best in the series.
7The Thing From The Grave (Tales from the Crypt)
Getting back to more eerie and obviously scream-worthy monsters, the classic horror anthology seriesTales from the Cryptscared the pants off of audiences with the season one episode “The Thing From The Grave”, in which supermodel Stacy (Teri Hatcher) is left devastated after her overbearing and abusive fiancée Mitch (Miguel Ferrer) murders Devlin, a photographer she was falling in love with while in a jealous rage. Devlin always promised he would protect and watch out for Stacy, keeping his word even from beyond the grave and returning to exact his revenge.
Devlin emerges in a grotesque and ghastly physical shape, with rotten flesh, a goosebump-worthy ominous grin, and maggots in his eye sockets. He seeks out Mitch to eliminate his killer once and for all, but not before causing those who catch a glimpse of him to cower in sheer terror (including his lady love, Stacy).
6Famine (Supernatural)
Supernaturalis known for its longevity as one of the longest-running prime-time television series, and within that time, there were some amazingly extraordinary obstacles and antagonists for Dean and Sam to face. Similar toBuffy the Vampire Slayer,Supernaturaldealt with the darkness of ideas and characters found within different religions. One of those characters was Famine.
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Famine was the embodiment of hunger, and as one of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, he desired to feed on the souls of humans. Despite Famine’s undercover appearance as an old man in a wheelchair, Famine’s twisted pursuit of souls could also cause others to feel hunger and act, gorging on what they desire most.
5The Gremlin (The Twilight Zone)
The Twilight Zoneis one of the most popular shows of all time when it comes to the weird, horror, and the out there. During the show’s seven-year run as an anthology series, there was nothing short of a plethora of oddities and monsters that had to be faced and/or come. One of those monsters was the Gremlin. In the “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” episode, William Shatner’s character sees something on the wing of the plane, but no one believes him.
What happens next is one of the memorable jump-moments of television asthe Gremlin gets closerand closer to the window and us. The fact that no one else saw it and the potential for what it could do to the unknowing passengers on the plane leads to the build-up of terror that the Gremlin provides.
4The Gentlemen (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris part of pop culture lore and legend, and while it has some of the most memorable television moments for a paranormal/supernatural television series, it also dealt with some really tough emotional moments. Part of the reason whyBuffyis so well-loved is how intrinsically and intimately the show dealt with the object of religion in a relatable and palatable way. In addition to the show’s framework, there were also some iconic weekly monsters that the slayer and her friends had to deal with.
One of the creepiest instances was The Gentlemen. The Gentleman were four entities that were zombie-like with the ability to steal people’s voices. In the episode titled “Hush,” the Gentleman uses an eerie lullaby to steal the voices of victims so that they can harvest their hearts.Buffy and her creware left voiceless, unable to communicate, as they try to survive the terror and panic in silence.
