To many, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a campy and comforting show, making it the perfect series to return to again and again. As one of the biggest shows of the ‘90s, it’s no surprise that this series had an effect on thousands of viewers. However, for every episode that made the fans dream of becoming Slayers, there’s one episode that makes us all thankful not to live in that universe. These episodes are the stuff of nightmares, bringing terrifying villains or concepts to life. This show proves that you can be haunting and comforting in equal measure—though usually not in the same episode.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer was creative in how it combined different genres and themes together. It was a little bit of everything, in a way. It was a teenage drama, coming-of-age tale, comedy drama, philosophical at times, and of course, a supernatural horror. What made Buffy the Vampire Slayer is how relatable those horror scenes were, plus the fact that they often came out of left field.
4) Season 2, Episode 18 – “Killed By Death”
“Killed By Death” takes childhood nightmares and brings them to life, and that’s enough to earn it a spot on this list. The episode begins with Buffy falling extremely ill, resulting in her hospitalization. This unintentionally puts her in the perfect place to face down a new kind of monster.
The monster in question is called Der Kindestod, and its preferred target is children. Specifically, this one likes to hunt sick children, hence the name. There is something truly haunting about a monster that can be seen only by children. That terror increases tenfold when one considers a monster that prefers to target the weak, helpless, and vulnerable.
“Killed By Death” takes this fear a step further, if possible, by making it personal. Der Kinderstod had previously killed one of Buffy’s family members, a young cousin. This death directly resulted in Buffy’s fear of hospitals, which feels pretty valid at the moment.
3) Season 6, Episode 19 – “Seeing Red”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer may be famous for portraying dramatic fights against the supernatural, but sometimes it’s the more realistic threats that hit closer to home. As such, most fans would agree that “Seeing Red” is one of the scariest episodes around. To put this into context, James Marters (Spike) reportedly had to go to therapy after filming this episode.
“Seeing Red” marks two ends. The first is the end between Buffy and Spike. Their breakup involves a harrowing scene in the bathroom; during this scene, Buffy is mentally, physically, and sexually assaulted by somebody she had come to love and trust.
The second ending is for Tara. Most fans are still not over Tara’s shocking death, which came in a surprisingly human way. By this point in the episode, Warren forgoes his usual means of attack (magic and trickery) and goes straight for a gun. Only, instead of hitting Buffy, he misses, hitting Tara instead.
Both scenes are all too real for many viewers, so “Seeing Red” should probably be watched with an ounce of caution.
2) Season 7, Episode 3 – “Same Time, Same Place”
It’s safe to say that Willow has gone through a lot, especially by Season 7. Notably, by this point in the series, she had fallen in love and watched the person she cared for most in the world die (see above: “Seeing Red”). However, “Same Time, Same Place” brings Willow back to Sunnydale, and things get strange and terrifying.
It all begins with the realization that Willow’s friends cannot see or hear her, or vice versa. Enter the Gnarl, a terrifying demon that’s immune to most forms of magic. Isolating Willow from the group and putting her against a demon like this was not a kindness, to say the least.
It gets worse, as the Gnarl feeds off of human skin, flaying its victims. There was a brief moment when Buffy and the gang began to find these bodies, and they worried it was Willow. However, Willow was a target, not the perpetrator. What follows includes a near-miss for Willow, as the Gnarl begins to eat her alive, taunting her in the process. The only silver lining is that the crew does arrive in time to save her.
“Same Time, Same Place” is a solid reminder that the creatures Buffy is tasked with hunting are inhumane, haunting, and immortal.
1) Season 4, Episode 10 – “Hush”
Most Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will agree that there is one group of demons more terrifying than the rest, so their episode gets the number one spot on this list. The Gentlemen are demons introduced during Season 4, and they stalk in complete silence. How? By removing the ability to speak from their potential victims. In this case, that is all of Sunnydale.
At a glance, it looks like all of Sunnydale has fallen victim to a strange flu or virus. That’s a natural assumption when everybody loses their voices, right? Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before the Gentlemen begin harvesting the hearts of Sunnydale—and we do mean that literally.
Perhaps it’s the way these demons force silence upon their victims, or perhaps it’s the overall nightmareish feeling to this episode. Whatever it is, there is something truly and deeply terrifying about “Hush.” It’s like the episode unlocked a primal fear in many of its viewers, and that’s something we’ve never quite gotten over.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Tubi, Hulu, and Disney+.
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