10. Badge- "Are You Afraid of the Dark"
There are very few universal truths in this world, but there is one thing I can assure you of: every red blooded American who grew up in the 90s can cite at least one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark that creeped them out to no end. For me that episode was “The Tale of Badge." Said story is about some girl who is forced to babysit her annoying ass brother, who plays a magic flute and releases a demonic rat man who kidnaps her brother and lures her into some sort of mystical, corpse filled, cavern forest. I know what you're thinking "90s rat/human hybrids aren't creepy. They're kindly and they teach you how to do karate." Not when they look like this they don't...
9. Arthur "Trinity" Mitchell - Dexter
In real life, serial killers are relatively rare, but on television the cup runnuth over especially on Dexter. Yet in the sea of homicidal maniacs the Trinity killer bobs to the top. Arthur Miller isn't creepy in the way the 5th season's road kill scraping, woman hating Boyd Fowler is nor in the way Jordan Chase's overly charismatic murder ringleader is. Not withdrawn from society, and not showy and suave, Arthur Mitchell is perfectly normal... outside of the fact the viewer first encounters him when he strips naked in a stranger's bathroom, attacks her from behind, bathes with her, and slits her femoral artery. OK maybe he's a bit less than perfectly normal, but you wouldn't guess it just looking at him. In later scenes when he's acting like your average family man he gives no signs that he's one of the most prolific serial killers ever. So you're essentially confronted with the reality that you can't tell when someone is evil. They don't just pop out from a crowd. And that's why he earns the distinction of being EXTRA creepy. If after viewers learn he is a serial killer, he runs around dancing in a pools of blood, cackling, twirling his moustache, and polishing guns in lonely cabins it would be WAY less creepy because that's what serial killers do. They don't build houses for the poor, lead mass at their church, or raise their kids. Crazy people are supposed to be easily distinguishable by their scruffy facial hair, dislike for showering, and fondness for the wilderness. Sure when Dexter pressures Trinity there are some signs, what with him being oddly transfixed on his dead sister's ashes, and the heavy implication they had an incestuous relationship. But his facade of normalcy is pretty solid and pretty damn creepy.
8. The Flukeman - X-Files
Just on a conceptual level parasites are freaking creepy. The idea of hundreds of little bugs all crammed up into your body, reproducing exponentially, while slowly draining you of your health is... not so appetizing. So when the X-files did an episode on a supersized parasitic flukeworm/man/thing it stood out as one of their single creepiest monsters ever. If watching an unsuspecting sewer worker spit up a huge ass worm before keeling over in the shower and dying isn't enough to get you squirming, the creature's appearance will more than likely do the trick.
Yeah, look at that beauty, and just imagine that it's floating around somewhere in your sewer system, right beneath your feet, just waiting for an opportunity to latch onto you and lay it's larvae in your body. If you aren't adequately creeped out there's something wrong with you.
7. Drusilla - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Bloodthirsty, remorseless vampires are pretty creepy, but at this point pretty run of the mill. Long before they were the things of tweenage dreams, there was one gal who was just as crazy as she was vicious. That demon of the night is the remarkably unbalanced Drusilla. Dru may not be the most deadly vampire on the show (though she's certainly no slouch), but she is batshit crazy. She drifts in and out of scenes incoherently babbling some strange mix of British lullabyes and anecdotes about some heinous act she has committed. She punishes her dolls (actual dolls) by refusing to let them watch as she eats people. She constantly has the most vacant stare you can imagine. She's always breaking out into creepy little songs for no apparent reason, also they never really seem to be about anything. In a matter of minutes her tone can shift from childish delight (normally at the prospect of someone's gory demise) to detached sadness (usually related to something undistinguishable in her mind). Just a few examples of Drusilla's.... unique comments:
"Do you like daisies? I plant them, but they always die. Everything I put in the ground withers and dies. "
"I met an old man. I didn't like him. He got stuck in my teeth,"
"Pretty music. Pretty, pretty music. They cry out for mercy. They cry out for mercy. "
Mental instability, a penchant for violence, unpredictable mood shifts, plus her unusual speech patterns all equal out to being absolutely creepy.
6. The Reavers - Firefly
The Reavers are the creepiest bastards that you never get to see, at least not during the run of the series. Sometimes the best way to spook your audience is by NOT showing them something. Such is the case with Reavers. We never got the chance to see them (largely due to Firefly's tragically short run) but we did get to see everyone FLIP THE HELL OUT at the mere thought of them. The mention of their name drives grown badasses to huddle in fear, and seemingly level headed individuals to become suicidal but nothing I type can give express things better than Zoe's description of the space marauders.
What's that you say Zoe? "They'll RAPE US TO DEATH. EAT OUR FLESH, AND SEW OUR SKINS INTO THEIR CLOTHING." Well if that isn't the creepiest sentence I've ever heard I... oh there's more? You say odds are they won't do that to us in that order? You're implying Reavers will likely begin eating you while you're alive and THEN rape you to death? Is further evidence of their immense creepiness needed?
5. Maryann Forrester - True Blood
There's something off about a "social worker" who lives in a mansion, throws wild parties, collects disenfranchised minority children, and smokes pot. As fate would have it, what was "off" about Maryann Forrester was that she wasn't a social worker at all, but in fact a psychotic, brainwashing, human sacrificing, greek god worshipping maenad. The writers of True Blood sure as hell weren't going to share that information with their viewers in manner that could in any remote way be considered timely. Instead she slinks around the town for half a season pretending to be Mother Theresa, while the viewers try and figure out what she was up to.
Now you try and tell me that bitch isn't up to something. And that poster came out before the season even premiered, so viewers are siting on the edge of their seat for a whole fucking season as they nurse the increasingly apparent notion that this woman is the baddest mofo in town. She is always plotting something. You can tell. Every scene you just think, Tara stop doing everything Maryann suggests because she's clearly plotting something. But I'll be damned if anyone can figure out her motive or really the limit to her powers, even after it becomes readily apparent that she has some sort of mind control, carnal intent releasing mojo all a viewer can do is be creeped out by her increasingly bizarre and inexplicable behavior episode after episode.
4. Anthony Freemont - Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is one of the most iconic series in the history of television, and without question one of the most influential in terms of sci-fi. In the hallowed halls of The Twilight Zone there are certain episodes that everyone, even people who've never seen the show, seem to know about. One such instance is "The Good Life" an episode that centers around omnipotent, omniscient, six year old Anthony Freemont. Everyone has had the grave misfortune of encountering a snot nosed brat. It tends to be very annoying as you know they're a douchebag, but as they're a ten year old it's not really socially acceptable to call them a douchebag, so you just have to bite your tongue and mumble in a disgruntled fashion. But imagine you can't curse under your breath in frustration or even be frustrated for that matter, without the threat of being wiped off the face of the earth. So is the case with Anthony Freemont. He's every bit as impulsive and whiny and immature as any other little child, but he can bend time, space, and reality to his will. Small complication, no? It melds a kind of powerlessness with a universal frustration, and wraps it up into an adorable unsuspecting package. Whenever you make a character all powerful and unpredictable, there's a certain amount of inherent spookiness. But making that character a child really just increases that creepiness exponentially. You can't attack kids, they're kids, that however doesn't stop them from being selfish, evil, short tempered bastards.
3. Benjamin Linus- Lost
Sure, imbuing characters with supernatural abilities, a jarring physical appearance, and a less than sane disposition goes a long way in making a character creepy, but on LOST Benjamin Linus shows us that a run of the mill genocidal tyrant is just as capable of making our skin crawl. There is something unquestionably creepy about Ben, and not the least of it has to do with Michael Emerson’s amazing performance. Emerson is tremendously skilled at making even the most innocuous statements sound chilling. If you don't believe me just listen to him describe his shopping plans on Letterman.
What the fuck was that? Now I'm pretty much terrified of socks, and I'll be damned if I'll step into a Target again. With delivery like that it's really no wonder that Ben quickly became the creepiest part of an already unsettling show. But acting aside, the character has enough mystery about him to be troubling. You see, Ben KNOWS THINGS. No one fucking knows things on LOST, not even the writers. Yet, somehow Benjamin Linus seems to be aware of all sorts of sh*t. He never has the courtesy to explain any of it to us, but he makes references to rules and knows about smoke monster releasing buttons. Ben was introduced as the a prisoner of war, the enigmatic leader, of the mysterious "Others," and during his initial encounter with the protagonists, he maintains a shocking level of confidence and placidity. Sayid can't make him break a sweat during their torture session, and Ben winds up inflicting mental anguish on the man torturing him physically. Which really is Ben's M.O. He knows what buttons to push for everyone on the island, and when he lands in hot water he doesn't get rattled in the least, he just start fucking you over mentally, which is probably what is so creepy about him. He is so damn even keeled in even the most chaotic situations, it gives the impression that there just HAS to be a reason for him to be so calm and confident, and births the nagging sense that any perceived advantage one has over him must be outweighed by the inevitable ace up Ben's sleeve. Eventually, the writers pull back the curtain to show us that Ben is just as scared, desperate, and confused as the rest of us, but for a couple seasons he was the most disturbing bastard on TV.
2. Weeping Angels - Dr. Who
So you get the unsettling feeling that some amorphous unseen force is lurking behind you just waiting to do some sort of harm. You know that’s unreasonable so you give the room a quick once over, nothing here but inanimate objects you must be fine. FUCKING WRONG! That dumb looking statue is actually a sentient creature that is plotting to kill you. That is of course if you’re dealing with the recurring Dr. Who villains known as the Weeping Angels who are just as nonthreatening as they are deadly. As long as you are looking at a Weeping Angel it is unable to move, but they are incredibly fast and equally homicidal so the second you look away it is very likely to sprint across the room and kill you. Just think of it as a kind of dark and twisted Toy Story. It probably doesn’t help you can’t kill or harm the angels in any known way. The only thing that one can possibly do is hold them at bay by staring at them. As they can be detained by a simple glance, it might not seem hard but if you think about it you’ll soon realize that it’s utterly unsustainable. It’s impossible to stare at one spot forever unless you happen to be a statue, which you are not, but they are. And that's what the Dr. Who writers play off of so successfully, the feeling that no matter how idyllic things feel in an instant, there is an unshakable notion that you are lying on the very cusp of disaster. There’s nothing you can do to win, you can only hope and wish and pray, and freak the fuck out as you try to rationalize away the impulse that just won’t leave. Angels always come in packs too (like RAPTORS!!!), so you’re very likely to get the feeling one is lurking behind you, but you can’t investigate that hunch without taking your eyes off the angel in front of you and seriously risking your own life and limb. Moreover, the Weeping Angels are unreadable, what being statues and all. You can’t tell what they’re thinking. Can’t tell what they’re feeling. Can’t see them sweat or hear them planning. You can’t go on the offense. Which all goes back to the same concept of, somehow KNOWING something is terribly wrong despite all reasonable signs to the contrary. You’re stuck on the defense with an unreadable enemy that could come at any moment from any angle, and it is literally impossible to see it coming. The absolute paranoia and complete lack of certainty are to major components of getting creeped out, and the Weeping Angels deliver them in spades. It’s why “Blink” is one of the most tense episodes of television you’ll ever find as evidenced by the trailer.
1. The Gentlemen - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Before I even start giving an explanation do me a favor. Look at this.
Honorable Mentions:
Bloody Mary- Supernatural
Paul Young - Desperate Housewives
Grundel- Extreme Ghostbusters
