The 1990s and early 2000s are filled with TV shows that are now incredibly adored and cherished —whether they be a mother-daughter relationship study, a high school melodrama, or even a teen vampire horror. The nostalgia of it all creates a quality to such cult shows of popular culture that make them remembered and irreplaceable amid newly released, more contemporary series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris a 1997supernatural horror dramacreated by Joss Whedon. Following the life of Buffy, a mystical warrior that fights supernatural forcesincluding vampires, and an average high schooler simultaneously, the show mixes scares with humor and drama for a compelling story that stuck with popular media for decades. Its own iteration on horror is a unique tone, and here we have the 10 scariest episodes of Buffy and her role as the Slayer.
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10"Fear, Itself"
This Halloween-themed episode (season 3, episode 4) is not scary with intense jump scares but rather psychologically tense while thoroughly exploring the characters' deepest fears and anxieties. In “Fear, Itself,” Buffy and her friends attend a fraternity Halloween party in a haunted house that turns out to be literally haunted. Infused with real supernatural elements, the house has characters that come to life and set the scene for a nightmare maze of fears and phobias. The manifestation of the characters’ anxieties, insecurities, and fears becomes a creepy experience heightened with a comedic tone that mixes the dark matters with the light. Although it does not aim for intense horror, the episode is still a portrayal ofphobias’ psychologically damaging aspects, especially in the course of Halloween.
9"Same Time, Same Place"
The third episode of the seventh season, “Same Time, Same Place,” is another episode that was not necessarily intended to purely scare its viewer. After Willow returns to Sunnydale from spending time away, she starts regaining control over her magic addiction while a demon is preying on the town and killing people by eating their skins. Willow’s magic slowly becomes an obstacle in communicating with the people around her. Being invisible, Willowstruggles with feelings of alienation and lonelinessas her friends try to solve the mystery, and she is incidentally left out. Willow’s invisibility is the reason for the ongoing unease feel of the episode. Since it is a metaphorical representation of emotional distance, the physical troubles only add to the sense of frustration and suspense as the story progresses.
8"Forever"
On a more sentimental note, “Forever,” the 17th episode of season 5, is set during the aftermath of Buffy’s mother Joyce. Dawn, Buffy’s younger sister, becomes obsessed with the possibility of bringing their mother back to life through magical means. With the emotional implications and complex consequences of resurrection, defying and tampering with the natural order of things becomes a disturbing connection. Also, while Dawn is going through her mourning, a vengeful demon named Gnarl starts attacking ones who engage in resurrection spells. The suspense of Gnarl’s hunt and the helpless attempts of Dawn combine the thriller aspect with thesometimes unsettling elements of psychologies of griefand loss. The overarching tension mostly comes from the terrorizing consequences of people trying to defy death and manipulate the natural order of existence.
In line with the episode name, “Conversations with Dead People” is the series’ 7th episode of the 7th season and focuses on multiple storylines that all feature communication with the deceased. One of the storylines has Buffy encounter a vampire named Holden Webster and delves into deep conversations about her own psyche. Meanwhile, Willow is contacted by Cassie Newton, a girl who died recently, and they also engage in deep conversations about death and the afterlife. And finally, Dawn is visited by a mysterious entity claiming to be their now-deceased mother Joyce.
These conversations dig into the struggling themes of death, loss, unresolved emotions, and past actions' inevitable consequences. It is a scary one in the sense that the episode extracts fears and mistakes from everyday life and emphasizes the inability to hopefully resolve them all.
6"Passion"
One of the more pivotal episodes of the series, “Passion” is the 17th episode of the second season and focuses on the actual pursuit of becoming a Slayer. Buffy’s ex-love interest, Angelus, becomes obsessed with tormenting Buffy’s life and takes immense pleasure from psychologically terrorizing both her and her friends with the hopes of breaking her spirit and causing irretrievable suffering. The torment Angelus caused is the episode’s main hook and layer horror with grief, loss, sorrow, and revenge. The death of certain characters and their emotional impact on others drive the vulnerable parts forward and situate Angelus’ villain profile and his evil capabilities even more. With this episode, the season takes a turn towards darker storylines and increased dangers and stakes throughout. It starts showcasing the consequences of becoming a real Slayer.
Related:The Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes, Ranked
5"Normal Again"
Looking at the blurring of reality and fantasy, season 6, episode 17 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is named “Normal Again.” In this episode, Buffy experiences a disturbing alternate reality after being injected with a demon’s venom during a battle. In this odd reality, Buffy is mental institution patient and deludes her life as a Slayer. While her parents are still her parents, her friend group is now a part of the hospital staff and other mental patients. The episode hints at a potentially meta nature and asks the questions of what is real and what is not. Perhaps the scariest part of it is its depiction of one losing touch with reality and experiencing mental breakdowns over it altogether. The cold, sterile, and off-putting atmosphere of the mental institution also adds to the unwelcome, disorienting, and unnerving sense of the entire narrative.
The 11th episode of season 2, “Ted,” has Buffy’s mother Joyce dating Ted—seemingly the perfect man. With his charm, wit, and attentiveness, Ted creates the illusion of the ideal partner, though, as the episode progresses, his dark side emerges. Underneath that deceptive exterior lies a controlling, manipulative, and physically abusive man who inflicts these on both Joyce and Buffy. T
he supernatural elements in this episode are not at the forefront, and evil forces or mysterious beings do not trigger the horrors. It is essentially a portrayal of the psychological horrors that follow an abusive domestic relationship. The manipulation, control, violence and emotional turmoil surrounding suchtoxic relationshipsdepict horror extracted from real life, making them so jarring. The episode almost works as a cautionary tale about the realization, confrontation, and escape that is required in abusive environments, especially when they are shown behind an unwaveringly ordinary facade.
3"Killed by Death"
The 18th episode of season 2, “Killed by Death,” has Buffy become severely ill with the flu and is eventually admitted to the hospital. While she’s there, a ghostly figure known as Der Kindestod starts stalking and attacking the children of the pediatric ward. The name translates as ‘child death’ in German and depicts a supernatural entity that hunts sick children. As Buffy tries to battle her sickness and the harrowing consequences of a relentless threat, the dread and unease radiating from the preying of Der Kindestod only increase by the minute.
The vulnerability and helplessness of children and sick people combine to enhance the tension while the emotional and physical weakness of Buffy remains on the line as well. The chilling installment is one of pure psychological terror, emotional depth and supernatural horror. And ultimately a great watch.
2"Listening to Fear"
In “Listening to Fear,” season 5, episode 9, Sunnydale is plagued by a sinister slug-like entity that arrives in a meteorite. The demon targets hospital patients and viciously attacks them by laying eggs in their bodies. One of the people in the hospital is Buffy’s mother Joyce, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. With its unusual and deeply disturbing method of attack, the demon becomes a horrifying source of threat, and the visceral dread derived from these attacks impacts not only the vulnerable patients but the entire town.
The combination of fear with both psychological and physical illness enhances the stress of the plot and utilizes theintricacy of family dynamics, especially when one member is sick. Emotional strain, helplessness and the anxiety that results from an unknown force of fear collectively leave an emotionally exhausted audience after the episode is over.
Possibly one of the most memorable episodes, the 10th episode of season 4 is the highly acclaimed “Hush.” A group of supernatural beings known as The Gentlemen render people of the town of Sunnydale unable to speak or scream shortly after they arrive.The Gentlemen navigate the town in silencewith their henchmen and prey on the people by removing their hearts. Interestingly enough, the episode contains minimal dialogue and really makes use of the silence factor of its main villain. The characters are left to communicate through non-verbal means and heavily rely on gestures, facial expressions, and written communication. Although it is new and attention-grabbing, the silence eventually does start to amplify the sense of helplessness and vulnerability when fighting an obscure threat.
The physical appearances of The Gentlemen are also a primary scare factor of the episode with their razor-sharp teeth, uncomfortable smiles, and the weird contrast with their formal attires. The silent grace creates a horrifying environment that has evil working in the shadows, lurking beneath the surface.
