These Five Episodes of Supernatural Are Must-Watches for Horror Movie Fans

For 15 seasons, Supernatural gave fans a mix of monster-of-the-week scares, heartfelt brotherly drama, meta humor, and apocalyptic battles between Heaven and Hell.
The show consistently produced episodes that could rival theatrical horror releases, especially in the early seasons. Whether you were watching during its debut on The WB in 2005 or revisiting it on streaming today, these stories remain effective reminders of the show’s roots as a paranormal thriller.

Beyond Sam and Dean’s larger mythology, the show also delivered some truly terrifying standalone episodes that could rival feature-length horrors. Many of these installments borrowed directly from horror tropes, folklore, and even infamous real-life killers, making them just as chilling as the films they were inspired by. Below, we’ve highlighted our five Supernatural episodes that we think stand shoulder to shoulder with horror movies.

5) “Asylum” — Season 1, Episode 10

When fans talk about Supernatural’s early days as a horror series, “Asylum” almost always comes up. And it’s understandable—who isn’t freaked out by a deserted, ramshackle psychiatric hospital? “Asylum” remains one of the scariest Season One outings because it leans into the natural, claustrophobic dread over flashy CGI effects. The setting alone taps into classic horror imagery of flickering lights, dark corners, decrepit hallways, and the uneasy feeling that something is always watching.

If this were a feature film, it would sit comfortably next to cult favorites like Session 9 or Grave Encounters, both of which used similar asylum settings to terrifying effect.

4) “The Kids Are Alright” — Season 3, Episode 2

Creepy children are a horror staple, from Village of the Damned to The Omen. Supernatural leaned hard into this trope with “The Kids Are Alright,” an episode that introduces the monstrous changelings that replace human children in an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers kind of way before the monster duplicates then feed off the children’s mothers.

The eeriness of this story comes straight from the performances of the child actors, who manage to take something as simple as a child’s innocence and create a sinister environment with a simple, emotionless blank stare or a sudden aggressively overbearing demand for attention. The episode does a great job of taking a familiar horror concept and twisting it through the lens of Supernatural’s monster mythology.

3) “Family Remains” — Season 4, Episode 11

If there’s one Supernatural episode that instills real horror in the hearts of its fans, it’s “Family Remains.” It is definitely one of the most disturbing episodes of the series because the horror is rooted in reality. Steeped in the realms of true-crime style stories, “Family Remains” sticks with you because it proves that the monsters are real, and they’re human.
But beyond that, it also incorporates the classic ghost horror trope well. The jump scare moments of a ghost appearing in a window, then gone, the manifestation picking off people one by one, and the dark and terrible reason behind it all. It’s very The Ring.

2) “Bloody Mary” — Season 1, Episode 5

Few urban legends are as universally feared as Bloody Mary, and Supernatural’s take on the legend remains one of its most terrifying early entries. The episode follows victims who die gruesomely after chanting her name in front of a mirror. It taps into childhood dares and slumber party games that most viewers already knew, making the horror feel unsettlingly close to home. “Bloody Mary” is one of the show’s most effective horror stories because of its relatability. If you’re from the Millennial and Gen X generations, there would have been many a sleep over where someone was dared to test the legend as a kid, and then no one could sleep after out of absolute terror.

The episode plays on that anxiety with grisly mirror imagery that would make any horror filmmaker proud. Like Candyman before it, “Bloody Mary” blurs the line between folklore and supernatural slasher, cementing its status as a story that could have easily anchored its own horror film franchise.

1) “No Exit” — Season 2, Episode 6

Now, we know that for many, “Bloody Mary” takes the top spot for scariest episode, but “No Exit” definitely gets our vote. Much like “Family Remains,” this episode is based in reality. But what makes it worse, is that it’s based in direct reality, rather than an upsetting, generalized example of human horror.

“No Exit” pits the Winchesters against the ghost of H.H. Holmes, often called America’s first serial killer, and even suspected of being Jack The Ripper. Holmes’ spirit haunts an apartment building constructed over the site of his infamous “Murder Castle,” where he tortured and killed victims in the late 1800s. If you don’t know his story, it’s worth some research—but it’s not pleasant! The episode effectively channels historical horror, using Holmes’ legacy to give the supernatural threat real-world grounding. Trapped women, hidden walls, and eerie whispers give the episode a genuine sense of menace. Add in the fact that it’s Jo Harvelle’s first real hunt alongside the brothers, and you get a story that feels both personal and unflinchingly scary.

It’s easy to imagine “No Exit” as a standalone horror movie about an urban haunting rooted in true crime, making it one of the show’s most cinematic effort.

Honorable Mention: “Monster Movie” — Season 4, Episode 5

Now, we know this is cheating a little bit as technically this makes 6 episodes, but you can’t have modern horror without honoring its elders.

“Monster Movie” is a black-and-white love letter to classic Universal horror films, complete with vampires, werewolves, and mummies. Unlike the episodes above, this one leans into the more campy and fun elements, embracing the tropes of old-school horror and melodramatic cinema. The episode stands out because of its classic stylized feel, with the entire episode filmed in black and white to keep the audience in that world and a departure from the show’s typical format. While it isn’t terrifying in the traditional sense, it captures the joy of horror fandom and serves as a reminder that horror movies don’t have to be… well… horrific. Apart from seeing Dean “I don’t do shorts” Winchester in lederhosen.

Do you agree with our top 5 choices? Which Supernatural episodes make you keep the lights on? Give us your top 5, with your “whys” in the comments!

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