18 Creepiest Episodes That Will Forever Haunt Viewers

Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the CBS show Criminal Minds, as well as discussions of sexual assault, cannibalism, torture, and violence.Criminal Minds may be returning for its 16th season as a Paramount+ reboot, but the long-running CBS series has undoubtedly had an impact on viewers after 15 years long. Despite the anticipation for the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) team’s return to the big screen, it’s also frightening to see some of the most horrific scenes unfold one more time.

After all, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when episodes of the show about the worst aspects of humanity resemble mini-horror films. Despite the BAU team’s best efforts to save the day, some of the episodes have left viewers restless after watching.

18 “200”

Season 9, Episode 14 (2014)

When a member of the BAU is the victim, as was the case in this landmark episode, it inevitably gets worse. JJ (A. J. Cook), who was kidnapped at the end of the previous episode, wakes up restrained and slowly recognizes her captor. Also, through JJ’s flashback, the episode transports the audience to the past and reveals a tragic secret.

The episode is full of upsetting scenes that are plainly visible through JJ’s countenance, which is paralyzed by agony and dread. The episode is spooky not because of any TV serial killer’s horrific killing technique, as viewers often see during the show, but because everyone has a past and how the past follows and catches up with the characters in the most unexpected way.

17 “Open Season”

Season 2, Episode 21 (2007)

In “Open Season,” people would be kidnapped by the murderers featured in the episode, who would then let them go into the forest before hunting them. With the use of bows and arrows, Johnny (Jake Richardson) and Paul Mulford (Jim Parrack) could pursue their prey for several days before catching up and letting them bleed to death.

The episode is so spooky and unsettling because it depicts humanity at its ugliest, which is visible in both hunters and prey. Hunters who treat people like animals and treat their lives like a sport demonstrate how little they value human life, while “prey” who are cornered to death reveal their true nature.

16 “The Capilanos”

Season 13, Episode 17 (2018)

To look into a home invasion, burglary, and homeowner Mark Wilson’s death, the crew travels to the little hamlet of Guymon, Oklahoma in this episode. The team must determine whether Dylan Wilson (Lincoln Sullivan), the Wilsons’ seven-year-old son, who spoke before he was unable to speak as a result of the trauma, was telling the truth when he claimed that the murderer was wearing a clown costume.

People who suffer from coulrophobia may experience a very tough time watching “The Capilanos,” especially when the clown in this episode of Criminal Minds executed horrifying murders. Additionally, while it is quite common in today’s society for people to attempt to inflict their abandonment grief on others, it is nonetheless unsettling and distressing to witness when that hatred becomes excessive.

15 “The Caller”

Season 9, Episode 10 (2013)

The episode centers on a couple who receive multiple terrifying phone calls from a child before their son is kidnapped. The family is threatened by the unidentified caller, who says he’s “going to get them.” The BAU started their investigation when the son was discovered dead.

The natural horror of losing a child with visible gore is combined in “The Caller” with the unsettling tone of programs like True Detective that may disturb many viewers. Moreover, long after the episode has ended, viewers will remember the child’s voice and the horrifying sounds that came from the phone since they not only added to the episode’s chill factor but also touched the most vulnerable part of a person.

14 “North Mammon”

Season 2, Episode 7 (2006)

Three soccer teammates are kidnapped by an evil man (reminiscent of the most iconic horror movie villains) who employed them in a bizarre game. The unsub informed the girls that only one of them would perish while the other two could live. The two other friends must decide that one of the girls, who was unwell and becoming weaker every day while they were stranded without food or water, must die.

This episode, in contrast to many others, is primarily concerned with the victims who are imprisoned in an underground cellar instead of the unsub. Additionally, human nature and the lengths people would go to in order to survive are what makes this episode so haunting.

13 “Scared to Death”

Season 3, Episode 3 (2007)

In this episode, the BAU goes to Portland to help with the investigation into the disappearances of newcomers with no established social networks. There are no indications of sexual assault, although each victim was tortured to death. Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) then discovers a connection once a fifth victim is discovered: every death is linked to a distinct ailment.

This episode makes viewers imagine that they are in this scenario, which makes it so terrifying. Since the unsub of this episode is a fictional psychiatrist who shouldn’t have a medical license, it’s worse to imagine that someone may take advantage of your deepest fear and use it against you when he/she is supposed to provide you with safety.

12 “Birthright”

Season 3, Episode 11 (2007)

In this episode, several young women are discovered dead after having been burned and disfigured. As the case develops, the BAU makes a disturbing connection to similar crimes that took place in the 1980s. The copycat serial killer was actually the original murderer’s son, who believed it was his birthright to continue the evil legacy.

It’s unsettling to watch this episode because it’s so sick that someone can believe that murder might be a legacy to cherish. Furthermore, viewers could have trouble sleeping due to how horrific and terrifying the way the women were tortured in this episode.

11 “Proof”

Season 7, Episode 2 (2011)

When women are discovered dead in rural Oklahoma after having one of their five senses robbed, the BAU team examines the area. The episode features a seemingly sympathetic serial killer who had developmental limitations named Cy Bradstone (Andy Milder) who revealed that because of his impairment, he appeared unthreatening and was, therefore, able to approach the women with ease.

In the horrifying episode, Bradstone literally destroyed the victims’ senses by pouring acid into their mouths and eyes to rob them of taste and sight. The episode will stay with viewers for a long time since it reveals that at the bottom of one’s deepest anguish is his cruelty and willingness to hurt others in order to soothe his own sufferings.

10 “Mosley Lane”

Season 5, Episode 16 (2010)

Young children have been going missing in public places, and it has been discovered that the perpetrators are a team of husband and wife who collaborate to kidnap their victims. It becomes clear as the show goes on why Anita and Roger Roycewood (Beth Grant and Bud Cort) abduct children: they are unable to have children of their own.

The episode is packed with fear and authenticity; child abductions are still a common genuine crime, and the acting by the extras and the victims makes it one of the saddest Criminal Minds episodes ever. For example, there was a scene when Anita Roycewood sings a nursery rhyme to a sleeping child before pushing him into their family’s crematorium to be burnt alive.

9 “Lucky”

Season 3, Episode 8 (2007)

The episode centers on Floyd Feylinn Ferell, a cannibalistic serial killer played by Jamie Kennedy. Not that Ferell himself is a cannibal, but the fact that he makes his other victims become cannibals is what makes him so frightening. He feeds his victims the remains of prior victims, and the BAU team discovers that he even has a cookbook full of homemade cannibal recipes.

Yet, that is not all the disturbing details of this episode. Near the end of the episode, when Ferell is speaking with a priest, the priest informs him that “God is in all of us.” and Ferell responds, “So is Tracey Lambert,” making it one of the creepiest Criminal Minds episodes.

8 “The Uncanny Valley”

Season 5, Episode 12 (2010)

The episode centers on Samantha Malcolm (Jennifer Hasty), a serial killer of the “collector” variety who kidnaps women and turns them into dolls to display in her home. The team learns that her father had assaulted her when she was a young child and had later given her dolls as an act of restitution; as a result, she has been kidnapping women to replace the toys she has lost.

Samantha is one of a few sympathetic TV serial killers who viewers often feel sorry for because of everything she’s been through at the hands of her father. That, however, does not excuse her actions of kidnapping and abusing her victims emotionally. It’s undeniably one of the creepiest episodes of the show, even if viewers weren’t afraid of dolls before.

7 “The Lesson”

Season 10, Episode 8 (2012)

In this episode, the BAU looked into a serial killer in Arizona who bizarrely disposes of his victims. The unsub named Adam Rain (Brad Dourif), an old man who had just woken up from a coma and suffered serious prefrontal brain damage, which led to a psychological regression to a childish state of mind. He then kidnapped people, dislocated their joints, and made them perform in a play to reenact the incident in which his father was unfortunately killed.

The idea that a youthful mind could think up and carry out such heinous deeds against other individuals is so horrifying. Additionally, the usage of children’s music and children’s toy in this episode is wonderful for heightening the tension and giving the episode a creepier feel that some viewers may not be able to encounter in a while.

6 “Saturday”

Season 15, Episode 4 (2020)

The episode is set on a titular day, a day off for the BAU team, who decide to spend their days in various ways. However, when Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) is approached by a competitor in her hacking competition for assistance with a stalker, everything goes south. Even though he had been sending her ominous messages online, including one that threatened to gut her, that wasn’t the worst of it. The team later discovers that he has carved a hole out of her floor and living under her bed.

The episode is extremely distressing because of how it resembles some of the most suspenseful stalker movies and shows. It could sound cute at first, but once someone has to go through it, it’s undoubtedly a nightmare. Also, this episode is one of a select handful with a high likelihood of occurring, causing viewers to check their beds every night.

5 “Omnivore”

Season 4, Episode 18 (2009)

Hotch’s (Thomas Gibson) first BAU case, an elusive serial killer known as the Reaper, resumes his murders after a ten-year hiatus. To speak with George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell), the lone survivor of the Reaper’s strikes ten years ago, the crew had to fly to Boston. The crew learned that the Reaper was Foyet when they were unable to avert numerous unfortunate attacks and noticed discrepancies in Foyet’s account who later became Hotch’s number one enemy.

Due to the cold-blooded murders the reaper committed against his victims and the lengths he would go to fabricate his own murder, the episode is extremely eerie. A frightening part of “Omnivore” is also the unpredictability of people’s true nature; some people aren’t who they seem to be.

4 “Heathridge Manor”

Season 7, Episode 19 (2012)

In this creepy cult-themed episode, the BAU recognizes that the victim could be a part of a string of gothic, ritualistic murders and suspects the unsub might be a Satanist when a lady in Oregon was discovered dead in an asylum. The unsub of this episode is James Heathridge (Kyle Gallner) who drowned his victims to see if they were witches. Then after dressing them in The Merry Wives of Windsor costumes, he murdered them. James thought by murdering the Devil’s wives with the help of his hesitant sister Lara (Madeleine Martin), would help to take down the Devil.

This episode is one of the most disturbing Criminal Minds episodes because of the ways James kills and his descent into delusion. Another horrifying aspect of this story is how faith can be so strong and deceitful that it may be used as justification for killing others and a means of hiding their deteriorating mental health.

3 “The Boogeyman”

Season 2, Episode 6 (2006)

In this episode, the BAU travels to a small town in Texas to investigate child murders. The crew suspects a local hermit named Joseph Finnegan of being the unsub after narrowing the suspect pool. However, Finnegan had actually passed away from a heart attack while setting up a bear trap, and his body was hidden by Jeffrey Charles (Cameron Monaghan), who broke into Finnegan’s house and used it as a hideout while still making it seem like Finnegan was still alive.

Jeffrey Charles, a twelve-year-old child with a sad childhood, is actually the unsub in this episode who murdered three children in cold blood. When a case involves children, it always gets worse, and when the unsub is a child, it becomes downright horrifying.

2 “No Way Out, Part II: The Evilution of Frank”

Season 2, Episode 23 (2007)

This episode tells the second chapter of the sadistic murderer, stalker, and kidnapper Frank Breitkopf’s (Keith Carradine) tale. After killing Sarah Jacobs (Moira Squier), Gideon’s (Mandy Patinkin) girlfriend, Breitkopf went on to murder other victims who had survived Gideon’s earlier cases. To find and save Tracy Belle (Elle Fanning), who had been kidnapped by juvenile serial murderer Jeffrey Charles, Gideon, and the crew had to work against the time.

This episode is particularly chilling because of the murderous technique Breitkopf used and the way he turned his victims’ ribs into a wind chime for his lover. Moreover, Rebecca Bryant (Amanda Bernero), a previous hostage of her aspiring serial murderer father, and one of Breitkopf’s casualties in this episode, more than anybody else, deserved to live happily after everything she experienced, only to die horribly. This episode is also one of a few Criminal Minds arcs that should become films due to the number of small details it includes.

1 “To Hell… and Back, Part II”

Season 4, Episode 26 (2009)

After finding evidence linking many alleged disappearances that may be connected, the BAU continues its investigation of the serial killer in Canada. They come across a distressing discovery that might reveal the killer’s motivations, and Morgan (Shemar Moore) discovers a bin of shoes of various shapes and sizes outside the house.

Because of the narcissism displayed in Mason Turner (Garret Dillahunt), the brain behind this horrifying “experiment,” and the way his brother Lucas (Paul Rae) handled his brother’s “laboratory waste,” viewers can be kept awake for days after watching this episode. Moreover, the details reveal that pigs are omnivores which means that there were no bodies left to be found is also evocative, making it the scariest episode of Criminal Minds.

NEXT: The Best ‘Criminal Minds’ Episodes, Ranked