Scariest Episodes of Non-Horror Shows: ‘Atlanta,’ ‘CSI,’ ‘Adventure Time’ & More

Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the television… a TV show not known for horror takes a turn for the nightmarish. As you’ll see below, horror stories have invaded procedural, sci-fi, comedy, and even children’s TV, and these out-of-left-field frights have startled viewers like a jump scare. As we hurtle toward Halloween, keep reading to see how TV shows got suddenly terrifying.

Adventure Time: “Blank-Eyed Girl”

Jake (John DiMaggio) and Finn (Jeremy Shada) encounter blank-eyed girls of urban myth, wordless menaces like those of The Ring, and struggle to figure out what they are. Are they vampires? Nope. Haints? Undead? Nay. Tulpas? Not this time. But are they creepy? Very much so… and their haunting presence has Jake and Finn contemplating what fear actually means.

Atlanta: “Teddy Perkins”

In this terrifying episode of Atlanta, Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) goes to a mansion to pick up a free piano, only to be trapped in the deadly sibling rivalry between a famous but reclusive musician and his titular brother. Donald Glover goes incognito to play Teddy, upping the freakiness factor with his wide-eyed stares and falsetto voice.

Boy Meets World: “And Then There Was Shawn”

In this send-up of slasher movies, one classmate gets a pencil to the head, another (played by I Know What You Did Last Summer star Jennifer Love Hewitt) is crushed by library books, and even Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) is stabbed in the back. (Luckily, it was all a dream!)

CSI: “Grave Danger”

Quentin Tarantino wrote, directed, and earned an Emmy nomination for this two-part season finale, in which Nick (George Eads) is abducted and buried alive in a coffin. And as if that weren’t sadistic enough, the coffin is loaded with fire ants and explosives…

Doctor Who: “Midnight”

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A visit to the resort planet of Midnight is anything but relaxing for David Tennant’s Doctor and the other passengers aboard a shuttle when an unseen entity terrorizes the spacecraft. And the psychological horror only ramps up when the entity starts infecting the passengers’ minds.

Rugrats: “Under Chuckie’s Bed”

Young Rugrats viewers must have gotten nightmares from this episode, in which Angelica (Cheryl Chase) frightens Chuckie (Christine Cavanaugh) with the tall tale of a neighbor kid, Barnaby (Kath Soucie), who was attacked by a monster under his bed. And we actually see Barnaby getting yanked under the bed and devoured!

Salute Your Shorts: “Zeke the Plumber”

Salute Your Shorts’ second-ever episode told a ghost story of the spirit of a dead custodian who uses a toilet plunger to extract nightmares from the minds of young campers. (Really, having someone put a used toilet plunger to your face is the real fright here.)

Star Trek: The Next Generation: “Schisms”

After Enterprise crew members experience disturbing disruptions in their sleep, they reconstruct their memories in the holodeck and realize they’ve been abducted and experimented upon by aliens. And Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is especially affected, as he’s had his arm severed and then reattached.

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