I really feel like "World Enough and Time" should be on this list, specifically the "pain... pain... pain..." "kill. Me. Kill. Me." Moment. I think sifting there for years or decades in extreme agonizing pain, not even able to do or say anything, is just horrible.
I think the darkest moment was finding out that the drones the master was using to control the earth were made from the tortured humans from Utopia takes place is episode 13 season 3
Also how can Midnight not be on the list, It's for me one of the scariest. It's one of those moments where the doctor has no companion and the situation gets out of control with everyone turning on him to the point where they are about to throw him out the aircraft. It somehow feels separate from what we are use to seeing from doctor who, the whole episode is amazing but scary.
If fear only exists in the mind because you can't understand what you are seeing or hearing then this is an example of one of the worst possible fears. Whatever it is attacking them in that episode has no form and is never shown but is clearly a major threat, even the doctor almost gets wasted by the others.
Honestly midnight is absolutely terrifying The entity has no form and no image It uses ours and it uses it to turn us against each other constable screwing with us mentally With no real implications on how we beat it other than killing the original host which is honestly so scary, forcing you to become a murderer in a sence to beat it, and the aftermath would probably leave you absolutely screwed up for good
@@fibanocci314 I have this friend whose first Dr who episodes were silence in the library/forest of the dead and midnight, she said that for ages she couldn't watch them at all
Something that didn't make the list but sticks out to me is pretty much the entirety of World Enough and Time. Bill getting shot and then converted into a Cyberman is genuinely upsetting. And that one scene where she's in the room with the patients and realizes they're crying out in pain really gets to me. Also, the Doctor temporarily losing himself and prompting Adelaide Brooke to kill herself to set things right in The Waters of Mars... that's some heavy stuff.
The Waters of Mars is an episode that should have made the list. They were commenting during it's production that it might be over the top for the Dr. Who audience.
“The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit” still remains one of those stories that’ll even scare the pants off adults. Gabriel Woolf, previously known as Sutekh, has such a creepy voice as The Beast. He gets lots of chilling scenes.😱👹
I watched that episode aged about 6? I think Toby was the only character to genuinely terrify me at that age - I even had to throw out the Possessed Toby Doctor Who trading card, it really got to me. The story is probably my favourite in the whole show today.
@@iLadyEbonyXO No no, you're right of course. There's an objective list of what all people do and don't find scary which - and I can only apologise for this - I clearly forgot to consult before finding this character scary, aged six.
And then David Tenant is given that line in one of the episodes as a comedy line 😂😂😂 Dont remember which one, but I think it was with the Sontarans invading Earth?
Weird how everyone finds that such a scary episode when everyone lived and nobody suffered prolonged agonising pain. Honestly I found that one pretty tame.
Very surprised that the series 10 'World Enough and Time' scene with the Cybermen saying "Pain! Pain!" "Kill me! Kill me!" Before their voices get turned down by the volume stick wasn't included. That's gotta be vying for no.1 spot for me.
The only Doctor Who monster that ever really unsettled me was the Vashta Nerada. I had just turned 19 when _Silence in the Library_ aired, and I remember it really creeping me out. I didn't trust shadows for _weeks._ Sure, the Weeping Angels are scary in their own right, and the Midnight Entity was an embodiment of the fear of the unknown, but the Vashta Nerada? They were really terrifying.
I was 9 at the time of its airing and to this day it stands as the only doctor who episode that ever managed to creep me out. In no way helped by it being a 2-parter and my dad holding a skull outside my bedroom door saying the line just as I was about to go to bed.
- Bob? How did you escape? - I didn't, sir. The angel killed me too. - If you're dead, how am I talking to you? - You are not talking to me, sir. The angel has no voice.
I know the who fan base is divided but I think he is just an amazing writer in general. I think his era just feels the most Doctor Who and is the most consistent.
Can't help to point out, though, that as insanely creepy those gas mask transformations were, this episode came also with one of the happiest and most wholesome endings this show has ever seen. _'Everybody lives! Just for once, Rose, everybody lives!'_
@@MangindDerous *'My leg’s grown back. When I come to the ‘ospital I had one leg.'* _'Well, there is a war on. Is it possible you miscounted?'_ That cracked me up completely. :D
@@DamnQuiltya classic Who list of dark moments will be too much for many NuWho fans as it will force them to break their NuWho Doctors bubble. The biggest I've seen is "The Doctor would never do genocide or murder" - cough cough plenty of examples of the Doctor doing genocide and murdering villains in classic 😂 The biggest being when a companion dies they stay dead, when a world is destroyed everything is dead - none of this NuWho time reversing and time distortion rubbish and everyone come back alive again lol
@@Mark-nh2hs note I got carried away and wrote a humongously long text below. and that is a good reason to have this classic list. I mean entire generations were and still are fans of a character that was and still is very flawed. I don't think that erasing the flaws or questionable actions of a character is actually any good. Like I can understand if a character presents themselves in a certain way because of reasons, but for the series itself to deny any of their flaws is pretty dumb. One reason I love classic and bf is that the characters are allowed to be flawed and to really fail. Actions do have consequences that stick and are many times both nightmarish heart wrenching. And yes in new we still got scary and teary stuff, but most often than not it doesn't sell it because so many times there's a solution or a reversal. Also, with very few exceptions the Doctor is shown as this untouchable type of character that can do no wrong and is almost always above everything in new, quite the contrast with classic and bf and even novels. Like for example (I will be super vague to spoil without spoiling here) in new we have many instances of the Doctor basically boasting their superiority one way or another or other characters being at awe at how amazing they are and more often than not this is their way to command a room or avoid getting killed on sight. And this better than you attitude that they got is never actually questioned or really put into test. Not in new at least. Now to the novel in (redacted) we have something odd happening and long story short characters have turned and transformed into alternative reality versions of themselves. Imagine if somehow a much earlier version of Inferno Earth transplanted it's people into prime Earth people with them losing their original identities and becoming the Inferno people and continue their lives as if this was normal and as if they didn't recognize the change because it is not only them but also the world itself is changing. Now when this happens is instant for most characters except for the Doctor. They think that because they are them and they are a Time Lord they will not be affected by whatever strange thing is changing all the other characters... Only that is not the case, their idea of self importance and superiority is the thing that leaves them to be turned at a slower pace, like a frog in a boiling pot, without them even noticing the transformation and loss of identity. Like for a grand majority of (redacted) the Doctor is no more, completely changed into (redacted) and becomes a downright villain. And here are the huge spoilers: the Doctor is only able to go back to their senses when they almost stab a baby to death in a ritualistic sacrifice. And they actually acknowledge their flaw regarding thinking so highly about themselves and how that led them to that moment. It is very well done, and I doubt we ever get something even close to that in new who. And it is a shame that flawed characters are so rare. Also that is a moment of novel, classic and bf having the Doctor own flaws biting them back, but they also have instances in which them doing the right thing leads to something terrible that they actually can't completely or at all fix. And yes new has some moments where characters return to an old place and oh gosh something bad happened, but with very few exceptions the Doctor says a few words, waves their sonic screwdriver and somehow fixes all and leaves with the people at awe at this mysterious stranger. Not so much in classic, bf and the novels, there many times the consequences for their actions, even the good ones are horrible and dreary and there is not amount of weird terminology, waving a tool or speeches that can fix the problems. And I truly believe that we need more of a Doctor that has to live with the consequences, that is very smart and capable, but isn't above it all and flawless. The Doctor should be able to really be wrong and to get hit with big losses that stick and aren't reversed or handwaved away.
@@DamnQuilty @DamnQuilty wow impressive. Yep I agree I grew up with the Classic Who and can rewatch it many times but NuWho I watch it on original airing and that's it never revisit it. I find that most NuWho Doctors are either carbon watered down 10th Doctors or copies of past Doctors - none are original. 3rd Doctor is way different to 1st and 2nd and so on. Maybe it's the times we live in that many want familiarity - I remember Capaldi first season he was angry and aggressive and many NuWho fans hated it so next season he became a mix of Tennant and M Smith and the fans were happy. Doctor Who shouldn't be like this, New Doctor new personality and behaviour. Oh I agree in Classic the Doctor could be very manipulative and put his companions into serious danger. You never really see this in NuWho, as when there is a major consequence resulting in mass death - he just whips into the tardis or other time machine and reverses time and everybody is alive again totally diminishing the overall point. Companions never die and always lusting after the Doctor which is extremely boring and after you explore it once that's fine but nearly every companion is way too much. I mean the Classic Doctor on occasions could be very cold and downright rude and nasty to his companions - 6th Doctor is often cited but all the classic Doctors have stories where this happens. It will be interesting to see where it goes with the new series - the fact that the 10th Doctor is back - people can say 14th but he acts and talks and behaves exactly like an older 10th Doctor - still no change there. We shall see. I do think many of the NuWho fans should watch the classics, but I've seen reviews from those who have watched it and complain about the doctors behaviour or the stories are too complex and long - generation TikTok brain sadly for many.
@@Mark-nh2hs yes, there's not much darker than Inferno, when the alternative Earth is turned into a ball of lava and everyone and everything is burned alive?
Turn Left is probably some of the bleakest and most hopeless the show gets. Showing every close victory of the last three seasons as a crushing defeat and watching everyone who could possibly help be slowly picked off.
Absolutely. The line where Wilfred says "Labour camps. That's what they called them last time. It's happening again." gets me every time. That and the scene just before Donna goes back in time, and realises she is going to die. It's one of the best Doctor 'light' episodes (and it's paired with Midnight which basically gave Catherine Tate a week off)
this. There were a lot of snubs on this list (Family of blood's ending for sure, midnight, waters on mars and blink all deserved consideration), but Turn Left cleans number one without much of a struggle.
I still remember my heart racing while watching the "Are you my mummy?" scene... (as an adult).. It was horrifying.. For weeks afterwards, it became our greeting for my friends.. It REALLY stuck with you
When I was about 4 years old I saw "Fury from the Deep" broadcast (sadly a lost story now) and I was truly traumatised. In that era the sets were dark & shadowy, the companions screamed for their lives, & the show's horror was aimed at an older teenage/adult audience. I'll never forget the corridors flooding with sea foam & this shapeless, thrashing beast coming out of the foam to attack people. Small clips are around on some of the 'missing stories' DVDs or there's the animated recreation using the original soundtrack.
What about Turn left? Not only is that episode one of the darkest in Doctor Who, the scene where Wilf salutes The Italian father before Donna is informed that he and his family were being sent to labour camps was horrifying
I think the Boneless was the first episode where the amazing Mike Collins' storyboards really came into their own to allow an episode to do something truly amazing visually. From that point on there was a visual style to the storytelling when he was heavily involved, they let his comic book sensibilities add to the creative process.
I love when doctor who veers into the horror of sci fi. It makes the fantastical moments all the more satisfying when we have those moments. Life is fear and chaos and pain but also joyous and wonderful. and I feel like Doctor who captures that so well.
The dark water storyline was also a SCP foundation story. One of the O5 council members died but was brought back and told the others that after death you are still conscious and feel everything. He then wanted to add it to the SCP database but the others refused as would cause panic to even their own staff. He was relieved of duty but he still secretly keeps uploading the story to the database himself.
1. Kinda surprised Don't Blink didn't make the list. 2. Terrifying (at least to me) in a completely different way is the Doctor when they go...dark. The Family of Blood's punishment is justified, but absolutely terrifying. And the Doctor's speech in Waters of Mars is so chilling: "The Laws of Time are mine! And they will obey me!" and "I've done this sort of thing before. In small ways, saving little people, but never someone as important as you. Oh, I'm good." No longer the healer and mender of Time, but its Master. Oof...still gives me chills.
I agree with you on the family of blood's punishment being really dark! Also those scarecrows terrified me and my siblings when we were little, once our family went to a sort of Doctor Who convention thing and they had a scarecrow just walking about the place and we had to avoid it all day! 😭
The weeping angels are the only creatures that scare the sh*t out of me and make me jump a mile (nearly dropped my tea when I walked into the living room) in doctor who. I loathe them so much.
I missed some classic who in those. The Whole Macra farse with the still, lifeless, image of the controller in "The Macra Terror" is very nightmarish, even more when the real controller appears and they broadcast in real time his death by their claws. There is to the blink-and-you-miss-it moment in "Inferno" when one of the Primords crushes with a wrench a poor operative of the project just of of frame. Not to mention the absurd number of companion deaths in "The Daleks' Master Plan", the howl Steven makes as Katarina is ejected to space is truly chilling, and Sara Kingdom's death as she rapidly ages to dust is for sure one of the most horrifying death in the whole show.
I cant believe the first appearance of the Weeping angels wasnt on this list in Dont blink. the way they kept creeping closer and closer was so unnerving and i reckon that episode was one of the scariest of this era
The opening of The Satan Pit was probably the only time the hair on the back of my hair truly stood up. That moment the Doctor is leaning over the open pit and he's debating on whether to go down or not, and eventually deciding not to really creeped me out. Probably also helped was the build up to Satan in The Impossible Planet.
these are all super true but that being said: waters of mars (adelaide's death specifically, or steffi) and world enough and time for the pain. pain. kill me. kill me. both belong on the list methinks. if i had to switch out two to put them in, i think the flatline example and donna with miss evangelista could get swapped out. that's just my opinion though!
Ok yeah, doctor Constantine turning is creepy. However the scene in the doctor dances where nancy is chained up next to the soldier who is slowly transforming is even more so. When he screams mummy it sends shivers down my spine.
Waters of Mars, when they’re all trying to escape and the German scientist gets trapped in the room with the water pouring down and she puts the video of her children on before it gets her. Chilling !!! Not scary as such, but properly dark
Tom Baker era: Noah's infection with green slime and conversion into a slime monster in The Ark in Space Kroll's tentacle busts through a pipe, wraps around a guy, and pulls his body into the pipe (which is too small to go without crunching stuff) - the Key to Time part 5. The plant creature in Seeds of Doom
Scarier part of impossible planet is when the beast is talking to tobey and is saying "I'm reaching out tobey I can almost touch you" that gives me the chills
I also want to bring to mind how dark the Expanded Universe often gets. Even the audios, which are usually more tame than the novels. One of the audios, called 'The Last'. In it, we find the Doctor and companions in a story arc without the TARDIS. They find themselves on a world where the apocalypse has already happened, it's too late. There are only a few suvivors. One by one each character is killed off one-by-one, eventually including one of the three companions. Meanwhile, the other companion is caught in cave-in, where she's paralysed from the neck-down. She's then later murdered brutally, on camera (or microphone). We hear her get helplessly smothered via a pillow where she's unable to fight back. We hear every second of her begging for her life and sobbing as she slowly dies. Eventually this is all reversed because they discover they're in a time loop. But at the time, you don't realise that and you believe that you just experienced the deaths of EVERYONE. And that you just watched the Doctor get led to suicide. By far one of the darkest Doctor Who stories I've experienced and it really stuck with me.
I used to watch Doctor Who when I was younger (about 6, 7, or 8) and the only thing I actually found scary, were the Weeping Angels, and sort of the Vashta Nerada (the shadows and stuff) and also the Autons. Still a great series though, still scared of Weeping Angels and I’m 13 😭 Edit: Peg dolls too, still scared of ‘em.
A few more of these. Blink - Pretty much everything. Listen - Anytime it's hinted that the hiding creature is in the room. The Waters of Mars - The Water Zombies and The Doctor Victorious. Amy's Choice - The Dream Lord's monologue. The Impossible Astronaut - Everything after they enter the orphanage. World Enough and Time - Bill's reveal as a Cyberman.
The best thing about The Impossible Planet is they never provide an answer as to what the Beast truly was, even the Doctor seems too unsure to say, nor do they ever explain who or how it ended up imprisoned there. It’s entirely upto the viewer to decide of the Beast truly was Satan, or the entity that inspired the many iterations of a satan like character that a central in many religions.
I really like the Cyberman episodes from the Tennant Era. Age of Steel & Doomsday were PERFECTIONUH. I love when they give even the slightest bit of humaity to them as a reminder, these were once human beings. Sally & Ms Hartman will forever stay in my brain after watching those episodes. "I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country *black tear*"
The 2D blowup of the nerve system & skin… is such a cool touch. The clock works too , having pieces of Reinettes life littered around the ship , maintaining it.. also , I think one of the voices they used for the a Clockwork female that addresses Reinette when they deemed her ‘compatible’ , is actually Reinettes voice , but all clockworky…😂 Again it’s quick , but a nice touch that adds another layer of darkness to that episode
Doctor who i feel is at it's best when it's dark as the early Tom Baker years proved that. I'm amazed the deadly assassin is not here as the doctor being drowned got the show in a lot of trouble.
Ark in Space, Pyramid of Mars, Seeds of Doom, etc. I was so luck to start Doctor Who with the first Tom Baker episode, peak Who story telling seasons. Edit: typo
Can we just talk about the waters of mars..... back in the day when was youngers i remember watching this episode and having nightmares about it..... im 18 now and i still cant watch this episode without being scared
I'm beyond surprised The Water on mars was not on this list. SEeing everyone stuck on Mars getting slowly possessed by The Flood knowing that even The doctor couldn't save destined fate. For sure my #1 imho.
How did the poor dude from that dalek episode in New York not make this list. The one where the guy gets pulled in by tenticles and basically vored to be turned into dalek Sec 😅😅😂😂😂
Dark Water's thing is even worse since its arguably true in the story, at least for anyone Missy grabs to the nethersphere. That its not brought up again after that bit feels really weird, like its a creepy throwaway.
Classic who had some really dark moments too, The worker being made to jump to his death in 'the green death', the doctor giving the professor a gun so he can shoot himself in 'Image of the fendhal' and basically the whole of 'the caves of androzani' and 'resurrection of the daleks'
Seriously tho... Donna took a long time to grow on me, I found her annoying but I mean, I watched her season probably 3 or 4 times before I decided she was the best companion the Dooctor ever had on the NuWhoniverse.. even my roommate, who doesn't actively watch the show said she was best so that says a lot
The Boneless' murals in Flatline are literally out of a nightmare I had as a child that I still remembered... so that pretty well freaked me out when I saw it. And now reminded of it again. So, lovely.
I came here to say this. In my opinion Midnight is the most terrifying. The moment when the _thing_ starts mimicking, then syncing, to finally take over the Doctor's speech is horrifying. Tennant and Sharp sell the hell out of their part just with their face and their body language. This episode hardly ever makes any list, and to me is one of the best ever.
If I ever let my kids watch Doctor Who I will definitely watch any episode first before I decide if I let them watch it. It's actually pretty variable, but somehow the only episodes I watched as a kid, by pure chance, were Deep Breath and Smile, both of which left me somewhat traumatised. The most haunting episode to this day for me will always be The Beast Below because of the fact that the Star Whale suffered unbearable pain for centuries. That's just so horrifying to think about.
With the Cyberman one, I'm surprised you didn't mention that this was the only time the Doctor actively took a life on screen, putting Sally out of her misery by deactivating the suit.
Oops! Sorry. As I was saying... Actually, there was one previous occasion when the Doctor kills someone. This is in the first story of Season 9, broadcast in January 1972. The 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee) kills an Ogron (with his own disintegrator pistol) And he does so in cold blood..
Honestly the most messed up thing for me as a kid was the pre title sequence for School Reunion. A child was eaten alive, I think it’s even implied another child was being eaten by the computer teacher when the main kid walks into the class at lunchtime
As a kid, I was terrified of the weeping angles, I used to run past churches and cemeteries as fast as I could, avoiding eye contact with any of the statues 😂
This was more of a "scariest" rather than "darkest" list, and even in scariest it missed quite a bit. My personal top 10 darkest moments (off the top of my head) 1. Turn Left --> from the salute, to the labor camps line, to donna not understanding and immediately her mom giving up 2. Waters on Mars --> The doctor turning on us, leading to Adelide's suicide 3. Age of Steel --> Entire species discovers in horror what they are 4. Midnight --> The doctor's voice stolen 5. Family of Blood --> The punishment ("he was being kind") 6. Parting of Ways --> Floor zero massacre 7. Blink --> ending with the statues 8. The Girl Who Waited --> The moment the doctor tells Rory he has to choose 9. Night Terrors --> Peg Dolls 10. Zygon Speech (Capaldi) --> maybe should be higher for the emotion and the real life implication, but it depends on how one views "dark". Alternatively i'd put here "the god complex" --> struggling to not say praise him. That was scary. Ultimately I feel like turn left is just a must, that was the darkest episode i've seen in any show in my life. Waters on Mars is also hard to imagine off the list entirely, and the rest we can kinda debate (though personally i loved the impossible planet but it was barely darker than monster of the weak. Very cool, great storyline, calling it dark cause it's the devil? c'mon)
I am AMAZED nobody talks about the opening to School Reunion. Finch realising the girl is an orphan so she won’t be missed, then killing her off screen. It’s an absolutely horrible moment for Doctor Who. Easily one of the darkest moments ever for me.
I still think about the “don’t cremate me” scene to this day! I don’t think of myself as someone who has ever been bothered by any type of horror stories and have actually died (well flatlined for 30 seconds) and was in a coma for 5 days after where I was not expected to live and since have really had zero fear of death but that scene has just really stuck in my mind. Good going Doctor Who! 😂❤🩺
It’s a lot less scary when you realize it’s just a trick by Missy. She used Time Lord technology to make the dead think they’re feeling what happens to their bodies so they’d want to stop feeling anything and willingly become Cybermen. And if it was real the ones buried would be in crippling pain from the decomposition process and being eaten by bugs and animals.
I agree with your #1, but this list is missing the Teller turning the one guy's brain in to 'soup' at the bank, in that one Capaldi episode. His head collapsing in on itself was GRAPHIC as all hell
the scene of Amy being turned into a peg doll is so dark it is memorable for me, i dread to imagine how she must have felt going through that, held in the arms of a fellow victim as her body turns to wood, nice hat on Amy though
That cremation story reminds me of an SCP entry. Not sure which came first, but basically they find an O5 council member's body (O5's are basically in charge of the SCP Foundation) after he had been dead for a long time, and brought him back to life because they needed his highly classified information that he had taken to the grave with him. For quick context for those that don't know, the SCP wiki is a website where people are putting in scary or weird and strange documents that resemble clinical research on anomalous materials, object, entities, and it's meant to act like an actual database of a real clandestine organization that keeps us in the dark about these impossible things, and studies them. Like an art piece statue that moves only when you aren't looking at it and snaps you neck, SCP-173, or like a girl that can put her hand through photos she takes with a specific camera, SCP-105, or a toaster that when you talk about it you refer to it as if it was you, so basically "I am a toaster with..." some of the stuff in the website are just locations or effects that take place when you think about them. Anyway, the O5 council member was a devil may care type, who avoided and scoffed at the idea of the medical procedures and use of anomalous materials to keep himself alive longer than normal because "who want's to live forever, right?" Well when he comes back to life he's ecstatic about it, starts going through with said life extending procedures and then starts acting very strange. Looking into SCP's that are involved with life prolonging effects or other such stuff. Eventually another O5 who considered themselves close with him interrogated him about his behaviour and constant breach of protocol and he reveals that when you die, you remain fully aware of your body. All you feel is the pain of your body breaking down, and when pieces of you are picked at by insects or animals and dragged away in different directions, the pain intensifies. The further your body spreads, the worse it gets. He was like that for years before they found him and he didn't want to go back. When they revealed it to the council they panicked and some of them started having mental breakdowns. A member decided they needed to be given amnestics (they use these to make people from the public forget the events that occur during capture of newly discovered or escaped anomalies. Sometimes protocol for containment/research of certain anomalies requires amnestics for staff as well) to make them forget about that horrible fate and started a lock down to keep them in their offices while they were being gassed. The guy who knew the truth didn't want to forget and get stuck in that same situation again so he bailed before he could be locked in, as did his friend. She ran off to go record the truth about this realization about death and the guy who was revived went to talk to an SCP which makes me question what exactly his plan was. SCP-106 is the one in question. AKA The Old Man. Read his file, and you'll understand why it's strange he went to that guy. As it turns out in that universe there are these things called infohazards, which are basically pieces of information that once you learn about them, they manifest anomalous effects. Similar to how demons work in world of Darkness and other media, or even Cthulu. Once you learn about them they become aware of you, but with these infohazards they aren't necessarily linked to gods, they can just sometimes cause you to spontaneously combust, or drop dead or have other weird effects that mess with you senses or mind, among other things. So there is an entity connected to humans that when they learn about it, and die, their conscious awareness of their bodies and how they break down, causing them infinitely immeasurable pain, feeds the entity. I could be wrong and you may not need to hear about this phenomena in order for the effects to take root post death, considering the original O5 council member didn't know about it prior, so I could be just remembering that infohazard thing wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere on the site. As much as I love SCP, I tend to stick with the series 1 articles, some of the ones post series 1 are enjoyable but a vast majority of them I find to be too convoluted. This was a series 2 entry I'm pretty sure, and I didn't really like it at first because the words "make death a Keter SCP" were written somewhere and I was like "wow this is going downhill." But I will admit this is a horrifying concept on it's own, and I lost sleep over it for a day or two contemplating if that was what we actually had in store for ourselves after death. Have fun with that everybody else! Lol... I'm sorry.
I'd say that the end of Family of Blood/Human Nature should have made this list, especially the way the Doctor dealt with them in the end. I mean, trapping a little girl on the other side of a mirror for all eternity?
PAIN! - The episode at the end of Bill's run where she's in the ward with the proto-Cybermen and all you hear is "pain", the nurse makes an adjustment to the IV. When she leaves Bill walks over and sees the IV is a speaker. This is a world (ship) where people are crying out for relief and it is ignored.
You're talking dark moments and you don't have Bill having been turned into a Mondasian Cyberman?! When they pulled that reveal at the end of the episode with the tear! That was much darker than your #1 pick.
Somehow, I don't remember the scene of the ship being damaged in "Girl in the Fireplace." I just remember the beginning of the episode at the palace of Versailles and Rennet calling for the Doctor. When was the scene with the ion storm and ship crew in trouble? Did I miss something? Deleted scene maybe?
Every Doctor's Darkest Moment: ua-cam.com/video/lZiV-z7FA5w/v-deo.html
I really feel like "World Enough and Time" should be on this list, specifically the "pain... pain... pain..." "kill. Me. Kill. Me." Moment. I think sifting there for years or decades in extreme agonizing pain, not even able to do or say anything, is just horrible.
Also what the Star Whale suffered, but for centuries. That's the most horrifying episode for me.
The best Cybermen story since the original.
I think the darkest moment was finding out that the drones the master was using to control the earth were made from the tortured humans from Utopia takes place is episode 13 season 3
@@camhopsmith8012 'Stars are diamonds in the sky!' [Mad Laugh]
YES
Also how can Midnight not be on the list, It's for me one of the scariest. It's one of those moments where the doctor has no companion and the situation gets out of control with everyone turning on him to the point where they are about to throw him out the aircraft. It somehow feels separate from what we are use to seeing from doctor who, the whole episode is amazing but scary.
If fear only exists in the mind because you can't understand what you are seeing or hearing then this is an example of one of the worst possible fears. Whatever it is attacking them in that episode has no form and is never shown but is clearly a major threat, even the doctor almost gets wasted by the others.
Honestly midnight is absolutely terrifying
The entity has no form and no image
It uses ours and it uses it to turn us against each other constable screwing with us mentally
With no real implications on how we beat it other than killing the original host which is honestly so scary, forcing you to become a murderer in a sence to beat it, and the aftermath would probably leave you absolutely screwed up for good
Midnight is one of my favorites episodes, but it also genuinely scares me.
@@fibanocci314 I have this friend whose first Dr who episodes were silence in the library/forest of the dead and midnight, she said that for ages she couldn't watch them at all
Yesss. "Midnight" was creepy as well as disturbing. Even the Doctor isn't safe, going into unknown territory.
Something that didn't make the list but sticks out to me is pretty much the entirety of World Enough and Time. Bill getting shot and then converted into a Cyberman is genuinely upsetting. And that one scene where she's in the room with the patients and realizes they're crying out in pain really gets to me.
Also, the Doctor temporarily losing himself and prompting Adelaide Brooke to kill herself to set things right in The Waters of Mars... that's some heavy stuff.
The Waters of Mars is an episode that should have made the list. They were commenting during it's production that it might be over the top for the Dr. Who audience.
To set things right... out of spite.
“The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit” still remains one of those stories that’ll even scare the pants off adults. Gabriel Woolf, previously known as Sutekh, has such a creepy voice as The Beast. He gets lots of chilling scenes.😱👹
That was my favorite episodes of season 2
I watched that episode aged about 6? I think Toby was the only character to genuinely terrify me at that age - I even had to throw out the Possessed Toby Doctor Who trading card, it really got to me. The story is probably my favourite in the whole show today.
@@iLadyEbonyXO being scared is a subjective experience mate
@@iLadyEbonyXO No no, you're right of course. There's an objective list of what all people do and don't find scary which - and I can only apologise for this - I clearly forgot to consult before finding this character scary, aged six.
Blink and silence in the library are still two of my absolute favourites mainly because I love David tennant as the doctor
"Are you my mummy?" That line really hits hard.
Freaks Ellie out every time she hears that line!
@@WhoCultureI had forgotten that episode. Very disturbing.
And then David Tenant is given that line in one of the episodes as a comedy line 😂😂😂
Dont remember which one, but I think it was with the Sontarans invading Earth?
Weird how everyone finds that such a scary episode when everyone lived and nobody suffered prolonged agonising pain. Honestly I found that one pretty tame.
@@wamengxiong0409 Yeah it was, "Are you my mummy?"
"If you could concentrate"
Where's Tim McKinney peeling his head open, vomiting a mouth full of tentacles & coughing out a brain into his hands as he's transformed into an Ood?
Check Baldur’s Gate 3. Ceremorphosis is not pretty
It is ood justice ⚖️
Very surprised that the series 10 'World Enough and Time' scene with the Cybermen saying "Pain! Pain!" "Kill me! Kill me!" Before their voices get turned down by the volume stick wasn't included. That's gotta be vying for no.1 spot for me.
The only Doctor Who monster that ever really unsettled me was the Vashta Nerada. I had just turned 19 when _Silence in the Library_ aired, and I remember it really creeping me out. I didn't trust shadows for _weeks._ Sure, the Weeping Angels are scary in their own right, and the Midnight Entity was an embodiment of the fear of the unknown, but the Vashta Nerada? They were really terrifying.
I was much older when I saw that and it traumatized me.
@@margarethall1625 _HEY! WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS?!_
@@SerathDarklands I love libraries and this just ruined it for me.😂
I was 9 at the time of its airing and to this day it stands as the only doctor who episode that ever managed to creep me out. In no way helped by it being a 2-parter and my dad holding a skull outside my bedroom door saying the line just as I was about to go to bed.
Imagine the Weeping Angels against the Vashta Nerada.
- Bob? How did you escape?
- I didn't, sir. The angel killed me too.
- If you're dead, how am I talking to you?
- You are not talking to me, sir. The angel has no voice.
So what we've learnt is that Steven Moffatt can write terrifying stories.
I know the who fan base is divided but I think he is just an amazing writer in general. I think his era just feels the most Doctor Who and is the most consistent.
Moffat is great when the studio don’t keep intervening
My opinion is that Moffat is good with monsters he’s created. Not so much with established ones
@@SawyerFoolsDefinitely better than Russel T Davies imo
@@SawyerFools No I think Davies' era is far more consistent than Steven Moffat's
I don't know what more chilling the dark facts in the video or the creepy horror music in the background.
Yes
Can't help to point out, though, that as insanely creepy those gas mask transformations were, this episode came also with one of the happiest and most wholesome endings this show has ever seen. _'Everybody lives! Just for once, Rose, everybody lives!'_
Not only that, but the amputees got their limbs back, the blind could see and so on 😂😂
@@MangindDerous *'My leg’s grown back. When I come to the ‘ospital I had one leg.'*
_'Well, there is a war on. Is it possible you miscounted?'_
That cracked me up completely. :D
Steffi’s death in The Waters Of Mars is one of the darkest moments for me
Same. "Hallo Mami, hallo Mars" got me big time
number 1 for me tbh I was STUNNED
For me Waters of Mars was the most frightening experience ever. I still remember it very well.
This "10 Darkest Doctor Who Moments" needs a part 2, covering Classic Doctor Who...
Agreed. Most of the lists here need a Classic version.
@@DamnQuiltya classic Who list of dark moments will be too much for many NuWho fans as it will force them to break their NuWho Doctors bubble. The biggest I've seen is "The Doctor would never do genocide or murder" - cough cough plenty of examples of the Doctor doing genocide and murdering villains in classic 😂 The biggest being when a companion dies they stay dead, when a world is destroyed everything is dead - none of this NuWho time reversing and time distortion rubbish and everyone come back alive again lol
@@Mark-nh2hs note I got carried away and wrote a humongously long text below.
and that is a good reason to have this classic list. I mean entire generations were and still are fans of a character that was and still is very flawed. I don't think that erasing the flaws or questionable actions of a character is actually any good. Like I can understand if a character presents themselves in a certain way because of reasons, but for the series itself to deny any of their flaws is pretty dumb. One reason I love classic and bf is that the characters are allowed to be flawed and to really fail. Actions do have consequences that stick and are many times both nightmarish heart wrenching. And yes in new we still got scary and teary stuff, but most often than not it doesn't sell it because so many times there's a solution or a reversal. Also, with very few exceptions the Doctor is shown as this untouchable type of character that can do no wrong and is almost always above everything in new, quite the contrast with classic and bf and even novels. Like for example (I will be super vague to spoil without spoiling here) in new we have many instances of the Doctor basically boasting their superiority one way or another or other characters being at awe at how amazing they are and more often than not this is their way to command a room or avoid getting killed on sight. And this better than you attitude that they got is never actually questioned or really put into test. Not in new at least. Now to the novel in (redacted) we have something odd happening and long story short characters have turned and transformed into alternative reality versions of themselves. Imagine if somehow a much earlier version of Inferno Earth transplanted it's people into prime Earth people with them losing their original identities and becoming the Inferno people and continue their lives as if this was normal and as if they didn't recognize the change because it is not only them but also the world itself is changing. Now when this happens is instant for most characters except for the Doctor. They think that because they are them and they are a Time Lord they will not be affected by whatever strange thing is changing all the other characters... Only that is not the case, their idea of self importance and superiority is the thing that leaves them to be turned at a slower pace, like a frog in a boiling pot, without them even noticing the transformation and loss of identity. Like for a grand majority of (redacted) the Doctor is no more, completely changed into (redacted) and becomes a downright villain. And here are the huge spoilers: the Doctor is only able to go back to their senses when they almost stab a baby to death in a ritualistic sacrifice. And they actually acknowledge their flaw regarding thinking so highly about themselves and how that led them to that moment. It is very well done, and I doubt we ever get something even close to that in new who. And it is a shame that flawed characters are so rare. Also that is a moment of novel, classic and bf having the Doctor own flaws biting them back, but they also have instances in which them doing the right thing leads to something terrible that they actually can't completely or at all fix. And yes new has some moments where characters return to an old place and oh gosh something bad happened, but with very few exceptions the Doctor says a few words, waves their sonic screwdriver and somehow fixes all and leaves with the people at awe at this mysterious stranger. Not so much in classic, bf and the novels, there many times the consequences for their actions, even the good ones are horrible and dreary and there is not amount of weird terminology, waving a tool or speeches that can fix the problems. And I truly believe that we need more of a Doctor that has to live with the consequences, that is very smart and capable, but isn't above it all and flawless. The Doctor should be able to really be wrong and to get hit with big losses that stick and aren't reversed or handwaved away.
@@DamnQuilty @DamnQuilty wow impressive. Yep I agree I grew up with the Classic Who and can rewatch it many times but NuWho I watch it on original airing and that's it never revisit it. I find that most NuWho Doctors are either carbon watered down 10th Doctors or copies of past Doctors - none are original. 3rd Doctor is way different to 1st and 2nd and so on. Maybe it's the times we live in that many want familiarity - I remember Capaldi first season he was angry and aggressive and many NuWho fans hated it so next season he became a mix of Tennant and M Smith and the fans were happy. Doctor Who shouldn't be like this, New Doctor new personality and behaviour. Oh I agree in Classic the Doctor could be very manipulative and put his companions into serious danger. You never really see this in NuWho, as when there is a major consequence resulting in mass death - he just whips into the tardis or other time machine and reverses time and everybody is alive again totally diminishing the overall point. Companions never die and always lusting after the Doctor which is extremely boring and after you explore it once that's fine but nearly every companion is way too much. I mean the Classic Doctor on occasions could be very cold and downright rude and nasty to his companions - 6th Doctor is often cited but all the classic Doctors have stories where this happens.
It will be interesting to see where it goes with the new series - the fact that the 10th Doctor is back - people can say 14th but he acts and talks and behaves exactly like an older 10th Doctor - still no change there. We shall see. I do think many of the NuWho fans should watch the classics, but I've seen reviews from those who have watched it and complain about the doctors behaviour or the stories are too complex and long - generation TikTok brain sadly for many.
@@Mark-nh2hs yes, there's not much darker than Inferno, when the alternative Earth is turned into a ball of lava and everyone and everything is burned alive?
Turn Left is probably some of the bleakest and most hopeless the show gets. Showing every close victory of the last three seasons as a crushing defeat and watching everyone who could possibly help be slowly picked off.
Don't forget the way Rose and UNIT convinces Donna to help, and the consequences if she doesn't.
Absolutely. The line where Wilfred says "Labour camps. That's what they called them last time. It's happening again." gets me every time. That and the scene just before Donna goes back in time, and realises she is going to die.
It's one of the best Doctor 'light' episodes (and it's paired with Midnight which basically gave Catherine Tate a week off)
His delivery (as always) is amazing.@@retrogiftsuk4812
The stars disappearing does it for me.
this. There were a lot of snubs on this list (Family of blood's ending for sure, midnight, waters on mars and blink all deserved consideration), but Turn Left cleans number one without much of a struggle.
Poor Scootie!
And, yes, Ellie's singing scared the *#$@&😮 outta me. 😊
And was also amazing singing
How is Midnight not on this list?
I was thinking the exact same thing.
There's no way of picking a single moment from that episode. Everything after the first ten minutes is disturbing as fuck.
@@godoflemmings17agreed
I still remember my heart racing while watching the "Are you my mummy?" scene... (as an adult)..
It was horrifying..
For weeks afterwards, it became our greeting for my friends.. It REALLY stuck with you
Ok…can we just talk about how good Ellie’s singing voice is like my god WOW
When I was about 4 years old I saw "Fury from the Deep" broadcast (sadly a lost story now) and I was truly traumatised. In that era the sets were dark & shadowy, the companions screamed for their lives, & the show's horror was aimed at an older teenage/adult audience. I'll never forget the corridors flooding with sea foam & this shapeless, thrashing beast coming out of the foam to attack people.
Small clips are around on some of the 'missing stories' DVDs or there's the animated recreation using the original soundtrack.
What about Turn left? Not only is that episode one of the darkest in Doctor Who, the scene where Wilf salutes The Italian father before Donna is informed that he and his family were being sent to labour camps was horrifying
I think the Boneless was the first episode where the amazing Mike Collins' storyboards really came into their own to allow an episode to do something truly amazing visually. From that point on there was a visual style to the storytelling when he was heavily involved, they let his comic book sensibilities add to the creative process.
Nah, the empty child should have been number one. That scene terrifies me to my core.
Are you my mommy?
I love when doctor who veers into the horror of sci fi. It makes the fantastical moments all the more satisfying when we have those moments. Life is fear and chaos and pain but also joyous and wonderful. and I feel like Doctor who captures that so well.
"if I gotta be terrified so do you" 😭you where wrong for that I almost forgot those dolls and you not only reminded me you had to make me relive it
The dark water storyline was also a SCP foundation story. One of the O5 council members died but was brought back and told the others that after death you are still conscious and feel everything. He then wanted to add it to the SCP database but the others refused as would cause panic to even their own staff. He was relieved of duty but he still secretly keeps uploading the story to the database himself.
1. Kinda surprised Don't Blink didn't make the list.
2. Terrifying (at least to me) in a completely different way is the Doctor when they go...dark. The Family of Blood's punishment is justified, but absolutely terrifying. And the Doctor's speech in Waters of Mars is so chilling: "The Laws of Time are mine! And they will obey me!" and "I've done this sort of thing before. In small ways, saving little people, but never someone as important as you. Oh, I'm good."
No longer the healer and mender of Time, but its Master. Oof...still gives me chills.
I agree with you on the family of blood's punishment being really dark! Also those scarecrows terrified me and my siblings when we were little, once our family went to a sort of Doctor Who convention thing and they had a scarecrow just walking about the place and we had to avoid it all day! 😭
The weeping angels are the only creatures that scare the sh*t out of me and make me jump a mile (nearly dropped my tea when I walked into the living room) in doctor who. I loathe them so much.
For me as a kid it was the Weeping Angels that got me. Instant moving is jump scare galore
I missed some classic who in those.
The Whole Macra farse with the still, lifeless, image of the controller in "The Macra Terror" is very nightmarish, even more when the real controller appears and they broadcast in real time his death by their claws. There is to the blink-and-you-miss-it moment in "Inferno" when one of the Primords crushes with a wrench a poor operative of the project just of of frame. Not to mention the absurd number of companion deaths in "The Daleks' Master Plan", the howl Steven makes as Katarina is ejected to space is truly chilling, and Sara Kingdom's death as she rapidly ages to dust is for sure one of the most horrifying death in the whole show.
Very surprised to not see Adelaide’s suicide from Waters of Mars on this list
I cant believe the first appearance of the Weeping angels wasnt on this list in Dont blink. the way they kept creeping closer and closer was so unnerving and i reckon that episode was one of the scariest of this era
Ellie singing the doll song💀💀💀
😱😱😱
The opening of The Satan Pit was probably the only time the hair on the back of my hair truly stood up. That moment the Doctor is leaning over the open pit and he's debating on whether to go down or not, and eventually deciding not to really creeped me out. Probably also helped was the build up to Satan in The Impossible Planet.
these are all super true but that being said: waters of mars (adelaide's death specifically, or steffi) and world enough and time for the pain. pain. kill me. kill me. both belong on the list methinks. if i had to switch out two to put them in, i think the flatline example and donna with miss evangelista could get swapped out. that's just my opinion though!
Ok yeah, doctor Constantine turning is creepy. However the scene in the doctor dances where nancy is chained up next to the soldier who is slowly transforming is even more so.
When he screams mummy it sends shivers down my spine.
I mean, the base premise might be "mildly disturbing" sometimes, but all in all it's a kids show.
Waters of Mars, when they’re all trying to escape and the German scientist gets trapped in the room with the water pouring down and she puts the video of her children on before it gets her. Chilling !!! Not scary as such, but properly dark
Tom Baker era:
Noah's infection with green slime and conversion into a slime monster in The Ark in Space
Kroll's tentacle busts through a pipe, wraps around a guy, and pulls his body into the pipe (which is too small to go without crunching stuff) - the Key to Time part 5.
The plant creature in Seeds of Doom
Im pretty sure ellie’s my favourite narrator for this channel
Scarier part of impossible planet is when the beast is talking to tobey and is saying "I'm reaching out tobey I can almost touch you" that gives me the chills
I also want to bring to mind how dark the Expanded Universe often gets. Even the audios, which are usually more tame than the novels.
One of the audios, called 'The Last'. In it, we find the Doctor and companions in a story arc without the TARDIS. They find themselves on a world where the apocalypse has already happened, it's too late. There are only a few suvivors. One by one each character is killed off one-by-one, eventually including one of the three companions. Meanwhile, the other companion is caught in cave-in, where she's paralysed from the neck-down. She's then later murdered brutally, on camera (or microphone). We hear her get helplessly smothered via a pillow where she's unable to fight back. We hear every second of her begging for her life and sobbing as she slowly dies.
Eventually this is all reversed because they discover they're in a time loop. But at the time, you don't realise that and you believe that you just experienced the deaths of EVERYONE. And that you just watched the Doctor get led to suicide. By far one of the darkest Doctor Who stories I've experienced and it really stuck with me.
Where can I find the audio adventures?
I used to watch Doctor Who when I was younger (about 6, 7, or 8) and the only thing I actually found scary, were the Weeping Angels, and sort of the Vashta Nerada (the shadows and stuff) and also the Autons. Still a great series though, still scared of Weeping Angels and I’m 13 😭
Edit: Peg dolls too, still scared of ‘em.
A few more of these.
Blink - Pretty much everything.
Listen - Anytime it's hinted that the hiding creature is in the room.
The Waters of Mars - The Water Zombies and The Doctor Victorious.
Amy's Choice - The Dream Lord's monologue.
The Impossible Astronaut - Everything after they enter the orphanage.
World Enough and Time - Bill's reveal as a Cyberman.
Great picks! There were too many to choose from. Might do a sequel list at some point!
@@WhoCulture Anything that results in more of these awesome videos works for me :)
@@WhoCulture OMG I never even mentionded Midnight or Turn Left when Donna realizes she;s going to die.
The Blink episode absolutely terrified me when I was younger
The best thing about The Impossible Planet is they never provide an answer as to what the Beast truly was, even the Doctor seems too unsure to say, nor do they ever explain who or how it ended up imprisoned there. It’s entirely upto the viewer to decide of the Beast truly was Satan, or the entity that inspired the many iterations of a satan like character that a central in many religions.
I really like the Cyberman episodes from the Tennant Era. Age of Steel & Doomsday were PERFECTIONUH.
I love when they give even the slightest bit of humaity to them as a reminder, these were once human beings.
Sally & Ms Hartman will forever stay in my brain after watching those episodes.
"I did my duty for Queen and Country.
I did my duty for Queen and Country *black tear*"
I'm 27 and I rewatched empty child last night, and I just kept thinking - how did I watch this as a child??
I love that you added my suggestion for this list! 😅❤
The 2D blowup of the nerve system & skin… is such a cool touch.
The clock works too , having pieces of Reinettes life littered around the ship , maintaining it.. also , I think one of the voices they used for the a Clockwork female that addresses Reinette when they deemed her ‘compatible’ , is actually Reinettes voice , but all clockworky…😂
Again it’s quick , but a nice touch that adds another layer of darkness to that episode
A perfect episode for the fast approaching Halloween 🎃 👻🙀. Thank you Ellie. 🔥🐈⬛
Doctor who i feel is at it's best when it's dark as the early Tom Baker years proved that. I'm amazed the deadly assassin is not here as the doctor being drowned got the show in a lot of trouble.
Ark in Space, Pyramid of Mars, Seeds of Doom, etc.
I was so luck to start Doctor Who with the first Tom Baker episode, peak Who story telling seasons.
Edit: typo
I’m just waiting around for the biggest collection of doctor who to go iPlayer and the 60th! LOVE THE CONTENT!❤🎉
"Full Fathom Five Doctor isn't canon he can't hurt you"
Full Fathom Five Doctor: *"Wrong. Answer."*
Can we just talk about the waters of mars..... back in the day when was youngers i remember watching this episode and having nightmares about it..... im 18 now and i still cant watch this episode without being scared
I'm beyond surprised The Water on mars was not on this list. SEeing everyone stuck on Mars getting slowly possessed by The Flood knowing that even The doctor couldn't save destined fate. For sure my #1 imho.
How did the poor dude from that dalek episode in New York not make this list. The one where the guy gets pulled in by tenticles and basically vored to be turned into dalek Sec 😅😅😂😂😂
Dark Water's thing is even worse since its arguably true in the story, at least for anyone Missy grabs to the nethersphere. That its not brought up again after that bit feels really weird, like its a creepy throwaway.
Someone give Ellie a blanket and some warm milk, she sounds terrified... She's so precious...
Pumpkin spice latte instead of milk, and you're golden. She's not going to sleep anyway.
Classic who had some really dark moments too, The worker being made to jump to his death in 'the green death', the doctor giving the professor a gun so he can shoot himself in 'Image of the fendhal' and basically the whole of 'the caves of androzani' and 'resurrection of the daleks'
The Empty Child scared me so much when I was a kid I had nightmares for a month. Although at the same time I thought it was so cool
I wouldn’t put these quite in the same order, but they’re all legit. I think hearing the human trapped in the cyberman has to be the most disturbing.
Seriously tho... Donna took a long time to grow on me, I found her annoying but I mean, I watched her season probably 3 or 4 times before I decided she was the best companion the Dooctor ever had on the NuWhoniverse.. even my roommate, who doesn't actively watch the show said she was best so that says a lot
The Boneless' murals in Flatline are literally out of a nightmare I had as a child that I still remembered... so that pretty well freaked me out when I saw it. And now reminded of it again. So, lovely.
The gasmask was my first taste of doctor who, after that I definitely wanted to see more
Never perceived Doctor Who as a child’s show - just British SciFi.
I never understood what the hell happened in the gas mask one
The fact the there’s no mention of Midnight in this episode is a travesty. Midnight is one of the most harrowing episodes of Doctor Who.
I came here to say this. In my opinion Midnight is the most terrifying. The moment when the _thing_ starts mimicking, then syncing, to finally take over the Doctor's speech is horrifying. Tennant and Sharp sell the hell out of their part just with their face and their body language. This episode hardly ever makes any list, and to me is one of the best ever.
The three W is probably the most chilling moment as it gets you thinking, What If?
But i think one of the darkest moments is from Midnight.
Night Terrors is definitely the most terrorizing Doctor Who episode
Watching this at bedtime was a mistake. 😂 Ellie you freaked me out!
I’d argue that bill walking around the cyber man hospital is the most spine chilling
If I ever let my kids watch Doctor Who I will definitely watch any episode first before I decide if I let them watch it. It's actually pretty variable, but somehow the only episodes I watched as a kid, by pure chance, were Deep Breath and Smile, both of which left me somewhat traumatised. The most haunting episode to this day for me will always be The Beast Below because of the fact that the Star Whale suffered unbearable pain for centuries. That's just so horrifying to think about.
With the Cyberman one, I'm surprised you didn't mention that this was the only time the Doctor actively took a life on screen, putting Sally out of her misery by deactivating the suit.
wait what episode was that?
@@strwbrry3860 The Age of Steel. iirc the full scene is up on the DW youtube channel titled "Cyberman Autopsy"
Mercy kill, sometimes death is better
Actua
Oops! Sorry.
As I was saying...
Actually, there was one previous occasion when the Doctor kills someone.
This is in the first story of Season 9, broadcast in January 1972.
The 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee) kills an Ogron (with his own disintegrator pistol)
And he does so in cold blood..
Honestly the most messed up thing for me as a kid was the pre title sequence for School Reunion. A child was eaten alive, I think it’s even implied another child was being eaten by the computer teacher when the main kid walks into the class at lunchtime
As a kid, I was terrified of the weeping angles, I used to run past churches and cemeteries as fast as I could, avoiding eye contact with any of the statues 😂
I got to admit, the waters of Mars scared the living hell out of me as a child.
I was an adult and I absolutely can't stand The waters of Mars.
Waters of mars makes me cry every time
@@margarethall1625 my mum can't either
It'd be perfect if there was a week of Doctor Who Halloween
I'd managed to suppress the memory of the existence of Night Terrors. Thank you very much for this video.
The Waters of Mars, was a pretty scary episode to me.
This was more of a "scariest" rather than "darkest" list, and even in scariest it missed quite a bit. My personal top 10 darkest moments (off the top of my head)
1. Turn Left --> from the salute, to the labor camps line, to donna not understanding and immediately her mom giving up
2. Waters on Mars --> The doctor turning on us, leading to Adelide's suicide
3. Age of Steel --> Entire species discovers in horror what they are
4. Midnight --> The doctor's voice stolen
5. Family of Blood --> The punishment ("he was being kind")
6. Parting of Ways --> Floor zero massacre
7. Blink --> ending with the statues
8. The Girl Who Waited --> The moment the doctor tells Rory he has to choose
9. Night Terrors --> Peg Dolls
10. Zygon Speech (Capaldi) --> maybe should be higher for the emotion and the real life implication, but it depends on how one views "dark". Alternatively i'd put here "the god complex" --> struggling to not say praise him. That was scary.
Ultimately I feel like turn left is just a must, that was the darkest episode i've seen in any show in my life. Waters on Mars is also hard to imagine off the list entirely, and the rest we can kinda debate (though personally i loved the impossible planet but it was barely darker than monster of the weak. Very cool, great storyline, calling it dark cause it's the devil? c'mon)
Totally agree on all of these picks. Either scary or emotionally/mentally scaring. The early years were just terrifying!
They didn’t include blink. That was the worst one for me.
daleks:kills a family and what not. also daleks:"do you like my balloon?"
I am AMAZED nobody talks about the opening to School Reunion. Finch realising the girl is an orphan so she won’t be missed, then killing her off screen.
It’s an absolutely horrible moment for Doctor Who. Easily one of the darkest moments ever for me.
I still think about the “don’t cremate me” scene to this day! I don’t think of myself as someone who has ever been bothered by any type of horror stories and have actually died (well flatlined for 30 seconds) and was in a coma for 5 days after where I was not expected to live and since have really had zero fear of death but that scene has just really stuck in my mind. Good going Doctor Who! 😂❤🩺
It’s a lot less scary when you realize it’s just a trick by Missy. She used Time Lord technology to make the dead think they’re feeling what happens to their bodies so they’d want to stop feeling anything and willingly become Cybermen.
And if it was real the ones buried would be in crippling pain from the decomposition process and being eaten by bugs and animals.
I agree with your #1, but this list is missing the Teller turning the one guy's brain in to 'soup' at the bank, in that one Capaldi episode. His head collapsing in on itself was GRAPHIC as all hell
the scene of Amy being turned into a peg doll is so dark it is memorable for me, i dread to imagine how she must have felt going through that, held in the arms of a fellow victim as her body turns to wood, nice hat on Amy though
Hopefully it was a quick mental shift cause if not then that must be one of the most traumatic experiences ever
First time I have heard and seen parts of the episode and wow that looks absolutely terrifying - still want to watch it though….
Dark Water seriously fucked me up, when the voices said "don't cremate me"
25th Nov, 2nd Dec, 9th Dec are the confirmed dates for the specials!!
The darkest moment in the show was in Turn Left. I think you know which scene I'm on about.
That cremation story reminds me of an SCP entry. Not sure which came first, but basically they find an O5 council member's body (O5's are basically in charge of the SCP Foundation) after he had been dead for a long time, and brought him back to life because they needed his highly classified information that he had taken to the grave with him.
For quick context for those that don't know, the SCP wiki is a website where people are putting in scary or weird and strange documents that resemble clinical research on anomalous materials, object, entities, and it's meant to act like an actual database of a real clandestine organization that keeps us in the dark about these impossible things, and studies them. Like an art piece statue that moves only when you aren't looking at it and snaps you neck, SCP-173, or like a girl that can put her hand through photos she takes with a specific camera, SCP-105, or a toaster that when you talk about it you refer to it as if it was you, so basically "I am a toaster with..." some of the stuff in the website are just locations or effects that take place when you think about them.
Anyway, the O5 council member was a devil may care type, who avoided and scoffed at the idea of the medical procedures and use of anomalous materials to keep himself alive longer than normal because "who want's to live forever, right?" Well when he comes back to life he's ecstatic about it, starts going through with said life extending procedures and then starts acting very strange. Looking into SCP's that are involved with life prolonging effects or other such stuff. Eventually another O5 who considered themselves close with him interrogated him about his behaviour and constant breach of protocol and he reveals that when you die, you remain fully aware of your body. All you feel is the pain of your body breaking down, and when pieces of you are picked at by insects or animals and dragged away in different directions, the pain intensifies. The further your body spreads, the worse it gets. He was like that for years before they found him and he didn't want to go back.
When they revealed it to the council they panicked and some of them started having mental breakdowns. A member decided they needed to be given amnestics (they use these to make people from the public forget the events that occur during capture of newly discovered or escaped anomalies. Sometimes protocol for containment/research of certain anomalies requires amnestics for staff as well) to make them forget about that horrible fate and started a lock down to keep them in their offices while they were being gassed. The guy who knew the truth didn't want to forget and get stuck in that same situation again so he bailed before he could be locked in, as did his friend. She ran off to go record the truth about this realization about death and the guy who was revived went to talk to an SCP which makes me question what exactly his plan was. SCP-106 is the one in question. AKA The Old Man. Read his file, and you'll understand why it's strange he went to that guy.
As it turns out in that universe there are these things called infohazards, which are basically pieces of information that once you learn about them, they manifest anomalous effects. Similar to how demons work in world of Darkness and other media, or even Cthulu. Once you learn about them they become aware of you, but with these infohazards they aren't necessarily linked to gods, they can just sometimes cause you to spontaneously combust, or drop dead or have other weird effects that mess with you senses or mind, among other things. So there is an entity connected to humans that when they learn about it, and die, their conscious awareness of their bodies and how they break down, causing them infinitely immeasurable pain, feeds the entity. I could be wrong and you may not need to hear about this phenomena in order for the effects to take root post death, considering the original O5 council member didn't know about it prior, so I could be just remembering that infohazard thing wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere on the site.
As much as I love SCP, I tend to stick with the series 1 articles, some of the ones post series 1 are enjoyable but a vast majority of them I find to be too convoluted. This was a series 2 entry I'm pretty sure, and I didn't really like it at first because the words "make death a Keter SCP" were written somewhere and I was like "wow this is going downhill." But I will admit this is a horrifying concept on it's own, and I lost sleep over it for a day or two contemplating if that was what we actually had in store for ourselves after death.
Have fun with that everybody else! Lol... I'm sorry.
I'd say that the end of Family of Blood/Human Nature should have made this list, especially the way the Doctor dealt with them in the end. I mean, trapping a little girl on the other side of a mirror for all eternity?
To be fair, she was an utterly evil being possessing the body of a little girl who she killed, but the punishments are still horrifying.
Not my kids they walked around saying hey, who turn off the lights
PAIN! - The episode at the end of Bill's run where she's in the ward with the proto-Cybermen and all you hear is "pain", the nurse makes an adjustment to the IV. When she leaves Bill walks over and sees the IV is a speaker. This is a world (ship) where people are crying out for relief and it is ignored.
Leaving older Amy Pond behind, because she was a spare created from a weird timey-wimey accident. Made her wait for decades, then abandoned her.
If that "don't cremate me" scene got complaints I wonder how everyone felt about the Torchwood: miracle day "don't cremate me" scene
You're talking dark moments and you don't have Bill having been turned into a Mondasian Cyberman?! When they pulled that reveal at the end of the episode with the tear! That was much darker than your #1 pick.
Please dont cremate me
Pain pain pain kill me kill me
The empty child the entire episodes
Night terrors whole ep
Waters of mars ending
Somehow, I don't remember the scene of the ship being damaged in "Girl in the Fireplace." I just remember the beginning of the episode at the palace of Versailles and Rennet calling for the Doctor. When was the scene with the ion storm and ship crew in trouble? Did I miss something? Deleted scene maybe?
I think it was in the classic series, purely based on the visuals