10 Most Visually Disturbing Horror Series to Haunt Your Dreams

There are a lot of great scary series to choose from, but these horror shows have particularly intense and haunting imagery that you won’t forget. Although big-budget indie horror movies alike have striking shots, from the brutal kills in Clown in a Cornfield to the dancing doll named M3GAN, the small screen has plenty of wild moments, too.

Whether we’re rewatching a beloved, groundbreaking sci-fi/horror show or one of Ryan Murphy’s terrifying series, these shows feature frightening characters and unsettling scenes, and go to some out-of-the-box and impressive places.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

Although pretty tame by today’s standards, The Twilight Zone‘s first five seasons have some creepy and creative moments. One of the most unforgettable? The gremlin hanging out on the wing of the plane in “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” This reveal is particularly effective as the other characters act as if Robert Wilson (William Shatner) is making it up.

Season 2, episode 6, “Eye of the Beholder” also features a big reveal that still gives you a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach, no matter how many times you’ve seen it. When the doctors turn around and you see that their faces resemble that of a pig’s, it’s startling.

The fear on Janet Tyler’s (Donna Douglas/Maxine Stuart) face is evident as she regrets getting work done, and now her life is forever altered. While viewers are used to seeing gross or scary scenes on TV now, these were all a big deal when The Twilight Zone aired.

American Horror Story (2011-Present)

Ryan Murphy’s anthology horror show has more than a few violent scenes, and season 5, Hotel, is especially gruesome. Sally McKenna’s (Sarah Paulson) love of sewing people together is definitely unexpected, and this is a lot more grim than the typical ghosts and jump scares found in the genre.

Episode 11, “Battle Royale,” stands out as Sally does drugs and actually sews her body onto two other people. But the rest of American Horror Story has plenty of gross imagery, too, and while some seasons are more compelling than others, these detailed moments are what make the show such a strong entry in the genre.

When you see a close-up of Twisty the Clown’s (John Caroll Lynch) scarred face in season 4 and Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) putting the head of a minotaur into a box in season 3, it’s definitely powerful.

Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)

The beloved horror show has more than a few scary and awe-inspiring scenes, none more so than season 2’s “Glorious Horrors,” which features Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney)’s fancy ball where everyone gets covered in blood and even drinks out of cocktail glasses full of the stuff.

Sure, this is only part of Vanessa Ives’s (Eva Green) imagination, but even though it doesn’t really happen, it’s still not something viewers are ever likely to move on from.

Other episodes of Penny Dreadful feature grotesque imagery, including in season 1’s “Exorcism of Vanessa,” which is an especially gripping and rough look at demonic possession. There’s also the excellent and scary character Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), who is a pitch-perfect werewolf with horrifying fangs.

Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)

When a character vomits kittens, you can tell a horror show is on a whole other level, and that’s why so many people were surprised by Brand New Cherry Flavor when it began streaming on Netflix in 2021.

As if vomiting animals wasn’t enough (and this would be horrifying even if the show simply mentioned this rather than actually showing it), Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) births kittens in episode 4, “Tadpole Smoothie.” It’s no wonder Brand New Cherry Flavor is considered one of the strangest and most shocking on the streaming service.

The story is a spin on the traditional “make a deal with the devil” trope as a witch helps her get even with someone who wronged her, but of course, she realizes that was a huge mistake.

Channel Zero (2016-2018)

A villain called the “Tooth Child” sounds eerie, especially since most aren’t fans of the dentist, but this character from Channel Zero: Candle Cove is one of the most impressive on any scary show. The attention to detail in this creature design is incredible, as this is a monster whose entire head and body are covered in teeth.

As the name suggests, this villain from season 1 of the anthology show kills kids and uses their teeth. We’ve all seen killers wearing black capes and masks so many times before, and the Tooth Child is much more unique than those typical evil characters.

Yellowjackets (2021-Present)

Cannibalism is going to get people talking, and the scene of the stranded teenage soccer players eating Jackie Taylor’s (Ella Purnell) dead body in season 2 is one of the most attention-grabbing from the entire series.

It was even a lot for the cast members. Sophie Nélisse, who plays teen Shauna, told Entertainment Weekly they ate rice paper but “we were all gagging as soon as they called cut.” No matter where the story goes, that brutal scene can’t be topped, and it’s hard not to compare any other reveal or moment to that image.

There are a lot of other images on Yellowjackets that help it live up to its hype as an alarming and scary series, from the animal skin that the Antler Queen wears to the lost girls shivering in the freezing Canadian wilderness.

American Horror Stories (2021-Present)

Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story spinoff doesn’t shy away from gruesome imagery, either, from the eerie demon Ba’al in season 1 to Shelby (Emma Halleen) appearing at school with a blue face and X’s over her eyes. However, it’s the “Tapeworm” episode starring Lisa Rinna that is deeply disturbing.

Beauty, the competition models feel, and eating disorders are all explored when Vivian Lee Finch (Laura Kariuki) eats a tapeworm to lose weight. The tapeworm kills her when she’s taking a bath, and while the show is a lot of fun, it’s a graphic scene that you might wish you hadn’t seen.

Marianne (2019)

The Netflix horror show Marianne has lovely scenes in a seaside town in France, but the otherwise peaceful setting only emphasizes the villain’s brutal nature.

Whether threatening Emma Larsimon (Victorie Du Bois) or pulling a tooth from her mouth in the chilling opening scene, Mrs. Daugeron (Mireille Herbstmeyer), who thinks she’s the witch Marianne, is a nightmare. She’s so memorable because of her chilling grin and the dead look in her eyes.

All eight episodes are so scary thanks to Marianne’s powerful hold on all of the characters. It’s not easy to remove the image of Emma’s parents standing naked with awful scars from your mind. It’s definitely tough to stop watching, though.

Hannibal (2013-2015)

A TV show about classic horror villain Hannibal Lecter is going to have some out-there shots, and one of the most striking is when a killer has buried people when they’re still alive and then mushrooms have grown from their corpses.

This scene from season 1, episode 2, “Amuse Bouche,” needs to be viewed several times, as it’s hard to fully take in that you’re staring at dead bodies with actual mushrooms on their legs and chests. Season 2, episode 4, “Takiawase,” has a corpse that now looks like a beehive.

But nothing can really be more shocking than Roland Umber (Ryan Field) being part of a “human mural” and getting himself out of it in a wild season 2 storyline.

His pained screams and the image of his skin tearing might be a lot for even the biggest horror lovers, but it’s so much fun to watch Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) that the gore feels well-earned.

The Haunting Of Hill House (2018)

Along with being an incredible show that moves you and makes you care about the Crain family and their many tragedies, The Haunting of Hill House has what must be the wildest moment from a Mike Flanagan Netflix horror show.

The reveal of Nell Crain (Victoria Pedretti) as the Bent-Neck Lady is amazing, as you see her disturbing death as she hangs from a rope, and then you see young Nell staring at the ghost of her older self.

It’s an absolutely stunning image that also contains a huge and upsetting plot twist, and it’s impossible not to bow down to Flanagan as a horror master after this scene.