7 Scariest episodes from Supernatural, ranked

Eric Kripke’s Supernatural premiered in 2005 and ran for 15 long seasons, taking us into the world of two brothers, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) Winchester, who hunted otherworldly creatures around the country while looking for their father, John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

The horror series brought back numerous evil entities such as clowns, ghosts, and spirits, while also introducing hell, heaven, demons, and angels. As the show brought all our worst nightmares to the screen, we freaked out many times—just like the brothers, mostly Dean. However, even though all episodes are scary, some took it up a notch and delivered chilling and terrifying narratives that might still haunt us to this day.

Here’s a list of 7 episodes from Supernatural that can be deemed the scariest among them.

Disclaimer: The article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

7 Scariest episodes from Supernatural, ranked

7) Playthings (Season 2, episode 11)

Jared Padalecki in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

Supernatural never shied away from bringing in classic horror tropes such as haunted houses, cursed artifacts, or good old jump scares. In this scary episode, titled Playthings, the show used another of those classic horror elements—creepy dolls and hoodoo practices.

In the episode, Susan tries to sell her inn but is struggling, as people connected to the sale begin dying in strange, horrifying accidents. Her daughter, Tyler, notices that her dolls are found in positions resembling the deaths of these people.

In addition to the voodoo techniques the Winchester brothers notice at the inn, they later discover a child ghost who is preventing the mother-daughter duo from leaving the hotel by killing the guests. Her final attempt to keep them there turns terrifying as she tries to kill Susan first, then Tyler—by drowning her in the pool, just as she had died many years ago.

6) Provenance (Season 1, Episode 19)

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

In this episode of Supernatural, another fear is unlocked when the brothers discover a spirit and a death omen connected to an ancient painting behind brutal murders in New York. The episode was terrifying enough due to the way victims were murdered—by having their throats slashed—but it became even more menacing when Sam and Dean failed to identify the real murderer and found themselves in a dreadful situation.

Initially, the brothers believed Isaiah Merchant, the patriarch of the family in the painting, was the culprit and salted and burned his corpse. But this only freed the spirit of Melanie Merchant from her father’s restraint, making her even more deadly. She trapped Sam and Sarah Blake until Dean arrived to rescue them.

5) The Benders ( Season 1, Episode 15)

Jensen Ackles, Lauren Cohen, and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

While introducing demons, ghosts, and many other supernatural beings, the show didn’t forget how dangerous humans can be as well. In the Season 1 episode titled The Benders, we encounter the Bender family, who have been hunting humans for generations.

The family brutally kills their prey and keeps trophies and photographs of their victims. In the entire episode, otherworldly entities are only mentioned, but the horror that takes place is all committed by this psychotic, serial-killing family of mortal human beings—which makes it even more terrifying, especially as they capture both of the Winchester brothers.

4) The Kids are Alright (Season 3, Episode 2)

It’s not just the sight of a ghost or a monster that is terrifying in the horror series, but also the eerie and creepy feeling of being followed, or the brutal and bloody deaths that add to the scariness of the episodes. The episode’s first death, that of Richard Keel, is a horrific one—he falls flat onto a saw.

The episode titled The Kids Are Alright introduces changelings who kidnap children and mimic them in their homes while feeding off their mothers. Richard’s daughter, Katie, had been captured by a changeling who is now sitting at home, freaking her mother Dana out by staring at her while she sleeps or screaming and banging on doors if she locks them. The creepiness of the episode resembles the horror film Case 39, which makes it even more terrifying.

3) No Exit (Season 2, Episode 6)

What could be more terrifying than spirits? An angry and violent one—as seen in this episode of Supernatural. The episode begins with the usual but spooky horror setting, complete with flickering lights and loud scratching on the walls.

The episode tells the story of America’s first serial killer, Herman Webster Mudgett, who—even after being executed in the late 19th century—continues to hunt down blonde women and kill them. He captures his victims from their homes and takes them to a hidden chamber to murder them.

2) Bloody Mary (Season 1, Episode 5)

This episode might have scared a whole generation who tried to say “Bloody Mary” three times while looking into the mirror—but many likely never completed the challenge. After a group of friends unintentionally invoke the spirit of Mary Worthington by reciting “Bloody Mary” three times, people begin dying after seeing the figure of a young girl in mirrors.

The episode was one of the scariest and most nightmare-inducing of the series. It also brought back Sam’s guilt over the haunting and tragic death of Jessica.

1) Family Remains (Season 4, Episode 11)

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

Another episode of Supernatural that forgoes supernatural horrors to shed light on more psychological and disturbingly real scenarios. In this episode, the Carter family faces tragedy after tragedy as they move into a new house following the death of their older son.

However, the move turns deadly when they are attacked by children who had been tortured and locked up in the house for years, turning them into ferals. These children turn out to be the offspring of Rebecca, the daughter of Bill Gibson—the house’s previous owner—who sexually abused her multiple times, resulting in their birth.

Without introducing any new otherworldly creatures, this dark episode portrayed something far more sinister and grounded in reality through its fictional narrative.