most disturbing tv shows of all time


Naturally, some viewers gave up there; this one was just too disturbing to finish. American Gods is another Brian Fuller program that is just as violent, just as relentless, and just as masterful as Hannibal. Tony's never been one to conceal his rage, but this particular act of violence was fueled by so much hate, and the tension had been building up to this moment so well, and still, somehow, it was utterly surprising. Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity. The kill-or-be-killed levels to which some of the humans will go to claim territory, get revenge, or demonstrate power can get downright bothersome. Negan proves in this one episode alone, that he's more than just a man, he's a force of nature that is ready to force the series back to life. Wewere wrong. People buried alive, covered in compost and fed sugar water so they grow fungus all over their bodies. So it's totally understandable if you'd rather watch Sean Connery romp around in League or even Hugh Jackman's action take onVan Helsing. Additionally, while many scary movie franchises get more and more bland as sequels and spin-offs abound, scary TV shows know from the start that they will need to work with a premise that can last at least an entire season. ", "When Lady Sybil died shortly after giving birth. M. any of these scenes left viewers without answers, attempting to rearrange their thought patterns because of the horrors they had just been witness to. The third season, starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, has garnered more positive reactions.

We see Glenn wrestle to declare his love for his wife one last time as his eye is completely out of its socket. The main thread of the show follows her and her boyfriend/parole officer, Ray Stussy (Ewan McGregor), as they attempt to steal a stamp from Ray's older brother Emmit (also McGregor). After tuning in for so many shows about serial killers and potentially being turned off, you might think it a good idea to revisit some good old ghost stories. Such a good series, too. It avoids flips, and haymakers, in favor of an all out fist fight that is much more horrifying. It's an episode consisting of Negan bullying and poking fan-favorite Rick Grimes until he's about ready to burst. It's made even worse in the opening to the show, when we see a man wake up and try to escape, only to realize he's stitched to the others around him. ", "That episode where Seymour the dog waits for Fry for years in the elements.

Just the way her whole family surrounded her, pleading for her to live, and there was absolutely nothing they could do. The fact Rusty later comes to the realization that he had taken down the wrong men only makes it more appalling. Suggested violence can sometimes trump actual violence. Sons of Anarchy is a brutal, unapologetic story about family and revenge, and no episode fit that bill more than the finale to season 6. Victims with their eyes gouged out. Cookies help us deliver our Services. During the episode, his character's health devolves to the point that the viewer knows he's going to die. Remember all of those old-timey monster movies from when you were a kid? It's hard to keep watching Game of Thrones because of how brutally it displays acts of violence, but not many of those acts can compare to the horror of knowing an infant child is being murdered just out of frame. Share yours in the comments below. It plays out like a nightmare on film, and Lynch is able to craft a perfectly disturbing dimension without the reliance on special effects. In Bates Motel, Mama Bates is very much alive and played by Vera Farmiga, with an 18-year-old Norman played by Freddie Highmore. So yeah, if you had to give up on this one in order to save your stomach or your soul we understand. This is truly the most shocking and appalling episode of television ever aired, not to mention Game of Thrones was such a pop-culture phenomenon, that everyone was able to share their bewilderment at the same time. H/T Reddit. Plenty of folks have given up on AMC's zombie apocalypse drama just because it's so dang gross. Netflix's Mindhunter is based on the true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. And he doesn't kill him cleanly; he beats the life out of him with his barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat named Lucille. The blood, brains, and especially the intestines that are featured in full close-up as the walkers chow down on some human flesh often reach truly disgusting levels. The first season starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as Louisiana State Police homicide detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. "When Sylar broke into Claires home, overpowered her, cut open her head, and rubbed his finger along her brain to take her power all while she was immobilized on the coffee table and unable to die because of her healing ability. The moments when a person gets eaten or even just bitten can be pretty nausea inducing. A seemingly normal family photograph of a little blonde girl sat on her fathers knee, his arms draped a, As a plus-size person, Im not used to seeing bodies like mine represented on television, let alone on reality shows watched by the masses. School shootings are a tough topic to approach in television or film, and to display it in all of its terrifying and gory details might be considered a little too much by viewers. It's raw, and gut-wrenching, and it's highlighted by an insanely violent wrestling match between Dan and Captain Turner. The show offers up both jump scares and an imposing creepy feeling of impending dread. A horror movie has around two hours to set up a sufficiently scary plot with high enough stakes to get your blood racing, plus introduce you to your cast of characters, and then orchestrate the horrible things that will happen to them.

The zombie apocalypse makes the world a brutal place, and the humans who remain don't do much for each other to ease the pain and suffering. Vote up the TV series almost too creepy for you to watch alone. What do you believe is the single most disturbing scene to ever air on TV? The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. What is your favorite creepy TV show in history? COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Cory refuses and the Captain ends up shooting the robot in the face, before taking Cory in his ship. But even if you couldn't make it through the first because of how discomforting it was, you'd definitely be forgiven. But while a movie like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen brought all of these characters together and made it fun, Penny Dreadful aims to scare and disturb. At first Cory is terrified of the robot, but he soon finds solace in her. Hemlock Grove is a terribly gritty interpretation ofclassic fictional horror stories and motifs, and thanks to the help of horror master Eli Roth, it's also incredibly gory. Let us know in the comments below! Good old-fashioned people eating other people. The sexual tension between Norman and Norma is evident and super creepy, and Norman's growing mental illness sets the two on a path of cover-ups and destruction. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! An audience can get wrapped up in the actual staging of the scene by the cast and crew, but suggested violence allows for no such contemplation, and we're left imagining in our own minds exactly how the death was carried out. But while the first season earned rave reviews for its acting and storytelling, the second hasn't been received as favorably, in part because the series seemed to be doubling down on its most disturbing aspects. Crying, Shaking, Throwing Up: Quinta Brunson &, A Cheaper Netflix Subscription Is Coming (But Theres A Catch), Im 23 & Nostalgic For The Fictional Millennial Experience. There are many television programs that live and die by this "shock factor," but those won't be mentioned here, because it's easy to shock an audience, but it's not easy to invoke a visceral reaction from them. It was also hard to predict this outcome because of Kate Mara's own popularity, which the audience believed made her "unkillable".

Mulder and Scully end up tracking down a group of brothers who buried an infant alive, only to find out that the brothers had been creating babies with their deformed, amputee mother for years. It's set in 1977, during the early days of criminal profiling and criminal psychology. At least those won't make you feel nauseous well, not for the same reasons, we'd wager. Some of these shows, quite literally, got away with murder. ", "When the lady smothered her baby so the enemy wouldnt hear it crying and kill everyone on the bus. As an example, a lot of fans finally abandoned the show after Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) brutal bat-to-the-head murder of fan-favorite Glenn (Steven Yeun). It's more than we ever thought we would see from Piscatella - and far more than we ever wanted to see. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. In the episode he ends up binding and gagging Nicky, Blanca, Red, Piper, Alex, and Boo, as he tells them that he's going to enact his revenge on Red. The case is actually modeled after the real life Lisa Steinberg case, and it revolved around a child who has been inducted into the hospital with wounds that consisted with physical and sexual abuse. Fuller understands how images can imply and demonstrate certain ideas that mere words cannot, and he uses the medium to its absolute fullest. We see a man having a serious panic attack as the plane he's on travels through an electrical storm. Netflix's 13 Reasons Why follows the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), a teenage girl who has committed suicide and leaves behind cassette tapes for a fellow high school student named Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette). Here are the ones we hated watching most. 13 Reasons Why is hard to watch, for both good and bad reasons. There's gang rape, creepy cult murders, and women being treated generally like crap. If people don't tune in for Season 3, it won't be hard to understand why. Gemma was strong in her convictions, and there was no staying her hand after Tara had ratted on Jax. This has got to be the most devastating moment throughout all of Mad Men. In 1995, they investigated the murder of prostitute Dora Lange, and must revisit the case 17 years later. And then her pastor morphs into Nikolai Timoshev, Elizabeth's old instructor, who Phillip killed in the pilot episode. There are few characters in television history that inspire as much hate as Todd Alquist in Breaking Bad. For a show full of crazy supernatural elements, that moment was just so realistic and relatable for so many people. It's one of the best choreographed fights scenes in TV history, but it's incredible because of how overly simplistic it was. The worst of it was that Lane ended his life because of a single mistake that the audience had seen the characters of Mad Men commit since the pilot. The audience was so pleased seeing Jesse happy for what felt like the first time ever (note: this was also the last time he would be truly happy) and using his greatest strength to help out both Andrea and her child. With that being said, it's an incredibly honest and intense look at what these acts of violence can actually look like. As Negan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan proves he can play sadistic perhaps a little too well. But what if they don't? It's a code-word for compelling and interesting. By focusing on technology and how its presence in our lives shapes the ways we eat, breathe, and live, the series is able to predict some of our worst nightmares and offers up scenarios that have terrifying results. A show that displays the devastation of a single man'sfamily and professional life can be tough to watch sometimes. As Rusty monologues about life being like a dream, and seeing a monster at the end of it all, a nearly naked, machete-wielding man wearing a gas mask is revealed - seemingly the killer. This is a particularly interesting episode because it's the only one throughout the entire run of Law &Order that needed to place a disclaimer at the end of the episode, saying it was only "inspired" by an actual case. For those who dont know, the prime minister was blackmailed into having sex with a pig on national television in order for terrorists to release a princess they kidnapped. Thor: Love And Thunder 8 Non-Marvel Easter Eggs You Probably Missed, 25 Disturbing TV Scenes We Never Wanted To See, MCU: The 10 Biggest Threats Facing The Avengers In Phase 4 & Beyond, Netflix's Boo, Bitch: Where To Find The Cast on Instagram, 10 Breaking Bad And Better Call Saul Actors That Could Portray MCU Characters, 10 Recent Movie Quotes That Will Become Classic, According To Reddit, Friends: 10 Best Quotes From Side Characters, Ranked. If one season disturbs you enough to quit, chances are the others will as well, since every new season and setting feels like it's trying to out-creep the last one. It's hauntingly beautiful as the opening scene comes to a halt, but it's terrifyingup until that point. Scary TV shows, though, adhere to different guidelines. The story follows a single man's search for salvation in the rubble of his dying world. Audiences were screaming at their television sets the entire time, begging for the producers to stop the episode in its tracks, and to just end the show before Gemma confronted Tara. However, as recent horror success A Quiet Place shows, the more limiting a horror story is, the scarier it can be. Like Mindhunter, Dexter, and Hannibal, HBO's True Detective earns its disturbing label for highlighting just how wretched human beings can be to one another. The phone rang and it was her brother, and then it stopped ringing and she just knew he was dead. Without further ado, here are the 25 Disturbing TV Scenes We Never Wanted To See. Deadwood has produced some of the greatest episodes of television, period, and this might take the cake overall. HBO's limited series Sharp Objects, based on the novel of the same name by Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn, isn't likely coming back for a second season. Plus, the nature of the medium means you have to create shorter episodes, but balance them with longer story arcs. Shortly before he passes, Mark experiences a phenomenon called 'terminal lucidity,' which is a medical term that refers to a period of increased mental clarity and alertness during the dying process. Season 1 of this series was called some of the best television in years, while season 2 received mixed reviews. Prepare to relive some truly harrowing television moments. The most brutal part of the show is easily the first werewolf transformation the audience is introduced to. It's a shocking scene because television viewers aren't used to seeing something so real and pertinent to our lives, and with acts like this being covered so constantly in the media, it's hard to experience it again in a medium that is supposed to distract us from the horror that can occur in the real world. ", "The whole 'Michael Jackson'/Teddy Perkins episode was extremely disturbing to me. Unfortunately that dream was cut short when Rob, his wife, his mother, and his unborn child were viciously slaughtered during the bloodiest wedding of all. She played Edith so well as a naive-yet-loving and supportive wife, so her being put into a dramatic situation and using the full range of her acting skills made her shine so bright. The most disturbing thing about Black Mirror is how close to home it feels. Twin Peaks is a strange show. Then, his sister left the table at the restaurant and drove back. Most of the genius of Weiner's writing was that we were able to see something so tragic, and then still have sympathy for the problems of the characters we'd been with for years. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. More than any other moment in the show, this seems to be the image burned into the minds of SoA fans everywhere, and it certainly left viewers unsure of how far the show would push the envelope in the future, luckily the creative team found a way. Mason Verger deserved it; he deserved all of it- but it's still one of the most disgusting acts committed on a show that prides itself on carnage. But Hall managed to make the lead character so likeable that some audiences were willing to look past all of the blood and dead bodies. Patricia Clarkson co-stars as Camille's mother, whose cringe-inducing relationship with her daughters adds an even more bone-chilling creep factor that may be just too much for some viewers. Well, Showtime's Penny Dreadful takes those characters you loved growing up and twists them into a disturbing Gothic horror TV series. Just how creepy can TV shows get? It's dramas like these, and so many others (that will be mentioned throughout this list) that have demonstrated how to present tense and believable drama fueled by raw human emotion, and how to truly disgust and shock viewers everywhere. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. It's made even more harrowing when at the end, he's left picking up the shattered remains of his reading glasses, as he's surrounded by the books he loves so much. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that House of Cards was able to secure a spot on this list. ", "The pig scene from 'National Anthem.' The main character, Henry Bemis is obsessed with books, and the episode revolves around those who would prevent him from reading them. Each and every season seems to improve on the Coen inspired storyline, and this season saw the introduction of an amazing character, Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Season two stars Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, and Taylor Kitch, and tells the story of three cooperating police departments investigating connected murders. The show features a handful of beloved literary characters, like the mysterious Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray; Mina Harker, Van Helsing, and Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula; Victor Frankenstein and the Creature from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; and Dr. Jekyll from Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Scary movies also have the added benefit of a cold, dark movie theater with a top-notch sound system, both of which are indispensable for a horror experience. To everyone's shock, Frank eliminated all of Zoe's future options outright by pushing her in front of an oncoming train. WARNING: Due to the nature of the TV scenes being shared in this post, there is VERY DISTURBING CONTENT AHEAD, including descriptions of violence and sexual assault.

In the scenes that follow, the creative teams behind the greatest television dramas set out to build tension slowly, until it reached its overflowing boiling point, at which point they would magnificently reach a narrative crescendo, in which all the shit would hit the giant industrial sized fan. The killer actually arranges a series of bodies with alternating skin tones to create the appearance of the human eye from an aerial view. Below is a list of some of the scariest TV shows of all time. He then start to cut open Red's shirt, and Piper attempts to intervene, only for Piscatella to break her arm in the process. In the most emotionally disturbing scene in The Walking Dead's history, Negan kills series veteran, Glenn. Everyone was just hoping that dessert wouldn't be his own nose. They can lettension build up longer, which will only translate to bigger payoffs. Also, SPOILERS AHEAD. Disturbing scenes are abundant throughout television show history, especially thanks to Netflix and HBO. History tells us that was pretty close to how it happened, too. The spacecraft only has enough fuel to touch down for a little while and then take off again. Taking place in an old mental institution, Asylum might just hit closest to home, because it depicts actual horrendous things that were done to the mentally ill and psychiatric patients back in the day.

It's later discovered that her parents had been cocaine addicts, and their neighbor had actually seen her father beating her mother, and then her mother beating the child. Specializing in blood patterns is already pretty vexing, but Dexter has a second, secret career: he moonlights as a vigilante serial killer who hunts down murderers who aren't caught by the lumbering criminal justice system. Its one of the most violent deaths Ive ever seen on television. The results of these conversations are downright disturbing, particularly the crimes committed against women. Keri Russell gives a career defining performance as Elizabeth, and her backstory is rife with terrible circumstances, including the fact that her old Soviet martial arts instructor raped her during her training. Mothers are supposed to take care of their children, right? California residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Amy Adams stars in the series as Camille Parker, a crime reporter who returns to her hometown to try and solve the murder of two young girls. Characters dining on human body parts. The premise alone is pretty disturbing, but Camille's self destructive behavior adds a whole other layer that might be a bit triggering for people who have experienced similar issues. But having someone like Lane, a character who appeared to have the closest to modern sensibilities, end his own life was just heartbreaking. Or do you like shorter stories and narrative arcs with more bite, such as American Horror Story and Alfred Hitchcock Presents? ", "When the brotherdiagnosed with bipolar disorder broke down. " In the future, an inmate named Cory is sentenced to solitary confinement on a far=off asteroid for 50 years. This episode of The Twilight Zone was adapted from a short story written by Lynn Venable. It seemed like Game of Thrones was consistently trying to tell its audience that nothing was off limits, but this single moment pushed that idea further than it had ever been pushed prior. ", "The botched execution of Thomas Cromwell because Henry Cavill's character got the executioner drunk. Just such dread from all of the people knowing theyre about to die. During his fourth year of confinement, he is visited by a spacecraft carrying supplies for him. These are the shows that you definitely should be watching, along with a few that you should avoid. The strut across the field is also oddly reminiscent ofThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which alone makes it worthy of this list. It's especially heartbreaking because the audience assumed the point of view of Jesse throughout most of the show, seeing through his eyes the kind of evil that Walter White could cook up. ", "The season opener with Negan having Rick Grimes and company on their knees, and he bashed Glenn and Abraham. Just don't shut it off and then pick up your phone they'll find you in there as well. You've read their picks, but now it's YOUR turn! It's in this scene that Cooper's dream is proven to be an actual locale, even if its only in his subconscious. Television loves to push the boundaries of what can be shown to a general audience. One of the reasons Tony is so compelling is because when he needs to get things done, he usually does it himself. Not to mention the fact that the faceless men had completely beatenour hero to a pulp minutes before putting a rope around his neck and fastening him to a tree. NBC's Hannibal aired for three seasons and was so bloody and disturbing that one newspaper op-ed led to its disappearance from one of the network's Utah affiliates. They were just scary enough to give a little chill, but still hokey and quaint enough that they were good for a laugh. It legitimately put Jean Stapleton at the top of the list of greatest TV actors.

Obsessed with travel? The opening scene of Fringe is terrifying for anyone who's ever been a passenger on an aircraft, and it's even scarier for those about to fly somewhere. The Twilight Zone is known for its strange and often depressing storylines, but few are able to trump the episode "The Lonely. ", "The attempted sexual assault of Edith. Whether were talking about classics like The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, and Twin Peaks, or more modern entries like Hannibal or Stranger Things, the truth is scary TV shows offer a distinctly different appeal than scary movies do. They interview already convicted and imprisoned serial killers to learn things like motive, methods, and strategy. There's nothing surreally artistic built into this act of horror from Hannibal season 2; it's just plain gross. Hawkeye tried to convince himself over the years that it was a chicken, but finally admitted it to himself, because he was the one who told her to keep the baby quiet. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! He was a child/girlfriend/dream-killer who delivered one of the most intense and brutal killings in all of televised programming. The end of the third episode in season one, we finally get to see the murdererwho had been committing such heinous crimes throughout the first few episodes. The medium has evolved from being a place filled with only family-friendly programming to a platform to showcase anything the mind can imagine, no matter how scary and creepy it may be. This is the kind of episode to leave you reeling at night, afraid to fall asleep, just in case your nightmare features one of the shocking moments throughout. It'scan be difficult to root for a character that is ruthlessly evil, but getting behind Frank is hard to resist. ", "When Homelander gave up on the hijacked plane. The drama sure is a downer the characters' lives aren't exactly enviable, for sure. Having Mason Verger totally drugged out of his mind, being told by Hannibal to consume his own nose, was just a hair over the line. The X-Files is easily one of the strangest, most intriguing, and boldest television shows ever created, but "Home" might be the oddest (and the best) episode of the series. In the most outrageous act of villainy ever put to screen, Nikki leaves a still bloody tampon in the desk drawer of Emmit's office in his home (where he usually keeps the stamp on the wall) when she attempts to break in and steal it. The plane drifts through the clouds as the ominous intro music begins to play. Frank Underwood had yet to prove that he was willing to throw anyone under the bus (or a train) to get a political advantage, and to keep himself safe. Please proceed with caution and take care of yourself. Lord of The Rings: 10 Best Frodo Baggins Quotes, According To Ranker, 8 Signs Your Favorite TV Show Has Been Around Too Long, The Quarry: All Of Jacob's Deaths, Ranked By Brutality, 10 Movies Destined To Become Classics, According To IMDb Polls, The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills: 10 Memes That Perfectly Sum Up The Show, 15 Fastest Ships In The Star Wars Universe, Ranked, The 9 Best Television Villains Of 2022 (So Far), The 10 Best Card-Based Games On Steam, Ranked According To Metacritic, 9 Things Only Marvel Comics Fans Know About Ms. Marvel's Connection To The X-Men, 10 Strongest Time Traveling Superheroes, According To Ranker, 10 Best Movies About Vikings, According To Ranker, 10 Films Starring The Thor: Love & Thunder Cast On Netflix. But their relationship sure is a strange and disturbing one. It's one of the craziest openings to a series, and it's utterly disgusting. Being a series about a serial killer who kills serial killers, it was pretty evident from day one that Dexter would be unsettling. They helped her give birth, and then buried the dead fetuses in the backyard.

The most iconic part of the entire fight is when Dan ends up plucking Captain Turner's eye out of its socket. Reporting on what you care about. And as for bi, As Iain Stirling bellows that a bombshell is on their way to the Love Island villa, the story and editing is usually the same, regardless of, Netflix is adding a new tier that will offer a cheaper monthly subscription in exchange for adverts. It's a hard show to follow, but an easy program to get behind. Unfortunately, the producers went through with it, and Gemma ended up taking a grill fork and smashing it into Tara's head. Critics and fans have nearly universally agreed that we are currently in the golden age of television, highlighted by masterful dramas like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards. From Tense Dramas To Teen Nostalgia, Hub Club Is Serving You Summ Why Are Reality TV Shows So Obsessed With Romanticising Our Exes? Bodies carved up so that their backs are splayed like grotesque angel wings.