# Creepiest moments in TV shows (spoilers pretty damn inevitable) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938 "2006-08-31T16:30:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/61 "2006-09-01T15:50:15Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] _The X-Files_, any episode, is guaranteed to win for me, but one of the earlier _Buffy_ episodes comes really close–it’s about an obsessive cheerleader, and at the end Buffy and a friend are looking at a golden trophy statue in a glass case at the school. They’re creeped out by it and leave. The eyes of the statue suddenly come alive, with the panicked eyes of the girl who’d previously in the episode lost her mouth, and you can hear her muffled screams again. Euuurgh. [/QUOTE] The girl who lost her mouth wasn’t the one trapped in the statue. It was the woman who switched bodies with her daughter so she could relive her glory days. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/62 "2006-09-01T16:20:31Z")
**Buffy** ’s “Conversations with Dead People.”: “Mother’s milk is red today.” ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/63 "2006-09-01T16:42:29Z")
All good choices, but can any of them really compare with _The Simpsons_ Comic Book Guy and Skinner’s mother in bed together? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/64 "2006-09-01T18:52:39Z")
Would someone be so kind to give me a plot run down of the X-Files “Home” episode everyone keeps talking about? I’ve followed the link but it’s pretty vague (probably trying to not give too much away). I think I know which one it is, but a little description would be swell. 🙂 Perhaps a spoiler box? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/65 "2006-09-01T19:12:03Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] Would someone be so kind to give me a plot run down of the X-Files “Home” episode everyone keeps talking about? I’ve followed the link but it’s pretty vague (probably trying to not give too much away). I think I know which one it is, but a little description would be swell. 🙂 Perhaps a spoiler box? [/QUOTE] It’s about a family of inbred, disfigured hillbillies who kept their freakish invalid mother in some kind of a box or drawer, if it’s the one I remember. And yes, it’s creepy as hell, far beyond usual X-Files standards. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/66 "2006-09-01T19:13:12Z")
[QUOTE=Southpaw] Are you referring to the two-parter “Sylvia”? In which Albert’s girlfriend get raped by a guy in a clown mask? Very disturbing. Especially for a “family” show. [/QUOTE] And wasn’t the clown her father?? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/67 "2006-09-01T19:20:01Z")
No, the clown wasn’t her father. The clown (technically, it was a guy in a creepy mime-type mask) was killed at the end of the second part, and the father was there at the time. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/68 "2006-09-01T19:26:54Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] … one of the earlier _Buffy_ episodes comes really close–it’s about an obsessive cheerleader, and at the end Buffy and a friend are looking at a golden trophy statue in a glass case at the school. They’re creeped out by it and leave. The eyes of the statue suddenly come alive, with the panicked eyes of the girl who’d previously in the episode lost her mouth, and you can hear her muffled screams again. Euuurgh. [/QUOTE] Are you sure about that? I thought the person that was imprisoned in the cheerleader statue was Amy Madison’s mother, Amy Madison being Buffy’s schoolmate and fellow cheerleading team contender in that ep. My nomination for creepiest is from Buffy’s second season when Angelus kills Jenny Calendar and then leaves her body in Giles’ apartment. Yikes. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/69 "2006-09-01T19:31:45Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] It’s about a family of inbred, disfigured hillbillies who kept their freakish invalid mother in some kind of a box or drawer, if it’s the one I remember. And yes, it’s creepy as hell, far beyond usual X-Files standards. [/QUOTE] Not to mention that the episode opens with someone burying a not-quite-dead baby. Later Scully gets to examine the baby corpse that exhibits nearly every birth defect known to man. The family has been inbreeding for generations. The episode ends with the freaky mother and son taking off to continue the family tradition. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/70 "2006-09-01T19:34:49Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] And wasn’t the clown her father?? :eek: [/QUOTE] No, he was the town blacksmith. The father was just as big as a jerk…he refused to accept the fact his daughter was growing up, and because she was developing on top he blamed her for “leading on” the boys. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/71 "2006-09-01T19:38:31Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] No, he was the town blacksmith. The father was just as big as a jerk…he refused to accept the fact his daughter was growing up, and because she was developing on top he blamed her for “leading on” the boys. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] That’s very jerkish, I agree, but still not as bad as being a rapist. I mean, really, if forced to pick one, wouldn’t you pick the jerkish father? That said, did Michael Landon at least kick the father’s ass at some point? Because the father is clearly a member of the Butt-Whupping of the Month Club, and it’s important to keep club members supplied. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/72 "2006-09-01T20:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=Sailboat] Can I nominate any Bush press conference? Sailboat [/QUOTE] No. Please keep political jabs out of Cafe Society. > [@RikWriter](#): > > Jesus Christ, some people just can’t have a single conversation without bringing up politics. **RikWriter** , you’ve been here long enough to know better. If you see an inappropriate post, report it. The more you comment, the longer the hijack gets; report the post and let the mods deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/73 "2006-09-01T20:26:14Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] Would someone be so kind to give me a plot run down of the X-Files “Home” episode everyone keeps talking about? I’ve followed the link but it’s pretty vague (probably trying to not give too much away). I think I know which one it is, but a little description would be swell. 🙂 Perhaps a spoiler box? [/QUOTE] I had to know too. Try [this](http://xfroadrunners.com/transcripts/season4/403home.txt). ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/74 "2006-09-01T20:34:54Z")
[QUOTE=zamboniracer] Are you sure about that? I thought the person that was imprisoned in the cheerleader statue was Amy Madison’s mother, Amy Madison being Buffy’s schoolmate and fellow cheerleading team contender in that ep. My nomination for creepiest is from Buffy’s second season when Angelus kills Jenny Calendar and then leaves her body in Giles’ apartment. Yikes. :eek: [/QUOTE] You’re correct. It’s Amy’s mom in the statue. For Buffy, I actually found the end part of “The Body” to be pretty creepy; the part where Dawn is in the room with the corpse. Not the vampire part–that was the usual–but any time Dawn was about to touch the body. Especially the last few seconds. Creepy because I was expecting something to happen (but was delighted and disappointed when nothing did). ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/75 "2006-09-01T20:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] All good choices, but can any of them really compare with _The Simpsons_ Comic Book Guy and Skinner’s mother in bed together? [/QUOTE] What about Drew Carey and Shirley Jones in bed together? That trumps your animated creepiness any day. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/76 "2006-09-01T21:03:38Z")
How could I have forgotten so quickly? Maybe it was a self-preservation trauma response… He was eliminated pretty quickly, but every instant of camera time that [Malan Breton](http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/3/bio/Malan_Breton) has had this season on _Project Runway_ has be supremely creepy. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/77 "2006-09-01T21:23:19Z")
Well, I guess I get to be the first to mention _American Gothic_, huh? Major creepy moments right in the pilot episode. First, to whet your appetite, there’s the flashback: A firelit room in a cottage where a storm rages outside. Mrs. Temple, a young mother, is telling a story to her five-year-old daughter Merlyn. There’s a knock on the door and the little girl says, “Someone’s at the door.” The mom goes to answer it… and it’s Lucas Buck (Gary Cole), a police deputy and oh by the way also Satan manifest on earth. Mrs. Temple realizes he’s a threat and tries to keep him out. He forces his way inside and playfully taunts the mother, “It’s not about you, it’s about family.” He then proceeds to attack and rape the mother in front of her daughter. We see most of this from the daughter’s POV, as she cringes in a corner or behind a chair. Next creepy moment, ten years later. Merlyn has been traumatized by the abovementioned incident into near catatonia and now can only chant the words, “Someone’s at the door.” Her younger brother Caleb – the child secretly conceived from the rape – takes care of her and protects her from Gage, her drunk and abusive father. Unfortunately, the night of his tenth’s birthday he’s out when Merlyn has one of her ‘fits’, repeating the phrase “someone’s at the door” over and over until Gage freaks out in a rage. He whacks the poor girl several times in the head with a shovel. No, that’s not the creepy part. That’s coming. The police are called and Lucas Buck, now Sheriff, walks through the house to find Merlyn, lying on her bed and bleeding profusely but still alive. As she groans “someone’s at the door,” Lucas cradles her in his arms gently, caressing her head. And then with a brutal twist he breaks her neck, killing her instantly. THAT was creepy. Really the whole series is full of moments like these. Like Lucas murdering a suspicious federal agent (played by Bruce Campbell) in a box full of flesh-eating beetles… ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/78 "2006-09-01T23:27:50Z")
The one series that creeps me out more than any other I’ve ever seen is the late 70s - early 80s British SF/ghost series [‘Sapphire and Steel’](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapphire_&_Steel) . For a long time after watching the ‘Man Without A Face’ episode, I was wary about having my picture taken… ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/79 "2006-09-01T23:50:20Z")
That CSI episode where the woman hit a fella with her car and left him stuck in the windshield for 3 days till he died… based on actual events?!?! eep ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938/80 "2006-09-01T23:56:14Z")
For me the creepiest X-File ever was “Roadrunners”, one of the Mulderfree episodes from the eight season. I’ve watched it once and don’t want to ever watch it again. What happens to Scully is bad enough; what makes it even worse is that the people doing it aren’t inbred degenerates like the Peacocks or sickos like Donnie Pfaster, but once-decent people in the thrall of a sincere but utterly batshit religious faith. If only they were Methodists or something, they’d be about as dangerous as potted plants. I also want to mention “En Ami”, in which Scully goes on a road trip with the Smoking Man; there is a moment when Scully goes to sleep (possibly drugged), the Smoking Man puts on gloves and reaches for her, and the next we see Scully she’s in a hotel room bed wearing pajamas instead of her clothes. Ewwww. Then there’s the moment in “War of the Coprophages” when Mulder’s just shocked a scientist with his bug evidence, they pause, and… a life-size cockroach runs down the screen. It takes a second or so to realize it’s a special effect. Assuming you haven’t smashed in the TV, or left the room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepiest-moments-in-tv-shows-spoilers-pretty-damn-inevitable/370938.md?page=5)