From creating an inconceivable reality, to a created fear the mundane, the scare tactics of the show rely on its audience to question what they understand. Despite previous debates over if the show could still be considered family viewing, the sense of adrenaline from every horror-induced episode makes for some compelling television. These episodes recount The Doctor’s scariest moments and how he, and those around him, suffered the consequences of fear.
10 Hide (Series 7)
Inspired by The Haunting of Hill House novel, ghost hunters seek to contact a spirit inhabiting Caliburn House in 1974. Featuring a cameo appearance from Jessica Raine portraying a psychic, she continues to reach an apparition of a trapped woman. The Doctor and Clara embark upon a ghost hunt on a stormy night and run along creepy corridors.
The episode stands out as scary with its jerky camera angles and fast-paced scenes inspiring a great feeling of horror. There are plenty of twist and turns and blind corners perfect for jump scares and the camera will not quite reveal what is hidden in the background. Keeping the cast small makes it most effective as quiet fear creeps up on the viewer.
Audiences see The Doctor at their best throwing themselves into oblivion in search of answers. This moment in the series also deepened the dynamic between The Doctor and Clara as they questioned each other, leaving fans guessing.
9 Sleep No More (Series 9)
In a Thirty-eighth-century laboratory, Le Verrier, “Sleep No More” consists primarily of found footage of a rescue team learning the truth. The recordings mark a twist in the usual Doctor Who format as the viewer is told to pay close attention to what happens next.
The camera is imbedded in the action like a member of the rescue team. CCTV-esque shots make the characters seem as though they are being observed constantly, making for dramatic irony. It effectively builds fear and suspense of ‘The Sandmen’ as they wreak havoc across the lab, without giving the viewer a good look at first. Immersive and from the viewpoint of each character is compelling viewing and scary because of the social realities.
8 Night Terrors (Series 6)
Inspired by writer Mark Gatiss’ fear of dolls, this is a classic horror episode situating a boy, George, who is scared to fall asleep. This episode is classic of ‘The Ponds’ era, as it has all the charm and wit along with classic jump scares.
It is made more terrifying from the perspective of a child being scared of the dark: a simple anxiety multiplied. Fear lies in the episode’s ability to build suspense and the viewer having to solve the mystery of creepy shadows and singing and laughing dolls. A story of overcoming fears ultimately ends with a sweet resolution, but true to form nothing is ever resolved in Doctor Who.
7 The Girl In The Fireplace (Series 2)
What is scarier than a masked ball? A masked ball in Eighteenth-century Paris with clockwork service androids. Focusing on The Doctor and Madame de Pompadour, this fun and fearful historic episode plays with the passing of time as the androids gain power.
Taking the simple idea of masquerade costumes and masks and making it evil is experimental for a Doctor Who episode, but makes it memorable still today. Despite key characters like Rose having a smaller role, its attention to detail in the characterization of famous historical figures being wrapped up in a horror story is spectacular.
6 Gridlock (Series 3)
Horrors come to life on the motorway (freeway) five billion years in the future in New New York, where The Doctor and Martha get separated by thousands of flying cars who fear the anonymous beast below. This fast-paced episode deals with a myriad of worries about what the future could hold for humanity, specifically a killer virus and human self-destruction.
The killer Macra feeding on the gases below present a new challenge for The Doctor as he cannot rescue Martha easily. Confusion and suspense rule as he struggles to problem-solve. He learns that he needs to be honest with her and the episode ends with hope.
5 Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead (Series 4)
This two-part episode about a flesh-eating shadow provides more questions than answers about the invisible menace, as well as The Doctor’s timeline. Like other iconic episodes, this starts with a simple idea that turns ugly as the Vashta Nerada in the shadows start killing people off.
Placing the action in a dusty empty library makes the fears more real and horrific as the episode progresses. This era of Doctor Who’s most terrifying episodes are where The Doctor and Donna have no control. As they search for answers, simple terrors and tear-jerking jolts captivate audiences as they dread what horrors lurk in the dark.
4 Midnight (Series 4)
“Midnight” is a one-off episode that places The Doctor in a vulnerable position and visibly scared. A group of tourists trapped in a shuttle with a monster that they do not understand, it begins to repeat everything that they say before targeting The Doctor. It remains one of the most terrifying episodes in part due to its simple format of a one-room scene and a group of people turning against each other.
The Doctor’s curiosity and intelligence have no effect on the tourists who are afraid of what they do not understand. Russell T. Davies’ writing serves to show the negative side of being human, with the script taking center-stage.
3 The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon (Series 6)
Moffat’s villain designed to compete with previous aliens in terms of terror and scariness: The Silence. They are one of the most terrifying species of their era, as whoever looks away from them forgets they exist. They are quiet and terrifying, making an ingenious way of building suspense. Combining all aspects of immense production value that could be expected from a series premiere, it is a spectacle with stellar cinematography and a clever script.
Despite being one of the darker episodes of series six, it still maintains the same level of comedy. The fantastic chemistry between actors makes this episode a nostalgia trip for the Eleventh Doctor days. Fear dominates this episode because it subverts expectations and takes the plot in ways the viewer did not expect at the time. It reveals a lot of major plot points and what is to come, most specifically about the future of Amy and The Doctor.
2 Blink (Series 3)
The Weeping Angels are arguably the scariest Doctor Who alien to-date with its unpredictability and unknown consequences. It is unclear at first what happens to those who are attacked by the angels and “Blink” quickly became one of the best and most memorable Doctor Who episodes.
The Doctor is not directly in the action for most of the episode, existing purely on screens helping the quickly familiar Sally Sparrow navigate the angels. The tone of the episode is bleak and chilling, as the sudden appearance of the angels is terrifying to those watching. It is timeless and creepy and certainly one for hiding behind the sofa for.
1 The Empty Child (Series 1)
Most iconic in terms of fear-inducing madness, “The Empty Child” encounters the impossible through a monster taking the form of a terrifying child in a gas mask. In the middle of The Blitz in 1941, The Doctor and Rose encounter an indescribable entity that infects everything it touches and created a whole new real-life terror for its viewers.
The episode is unsettling as there is panic and pandemonium leaking out of every scene. Jump-scares and eerie music perforate throughout the dimly lit bombed-out sky. Storyline-wise, it is as classic as Doctor Who comes, with a happy ending that viewers have to suffer spin-chilling fear and dread to get to.
More: Doctor Who: Underrated Stories From The Classic Series
