5 Supernatural Episodes That Are Actually Scary, Including Jensen Ackels’ Favorite

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For fifteen seasons, Supernatural blended dark fantasy with a strong emphasis on family, and even included a good amount of humor. However, horror was always at the heart of the show. Though not every episode aimed to be truly terrifying, some installments have stayed with viewers, lingering long after they finished watching. Even Jensen Ackles, who played Dean Winchester, has said that one particular episode especially disturbed him.

I’ve been thinking about how genuinely frightening Supernatural could be, and I’ve put together five episodes that really prove it can be as scary as anything else out there. Seriously, if Dean Winchester – a guy who hunts monsters for a living – can get spooked by something, you know it’s good stuff!

5) “Everybody Loves a Clown” (Season 2, Episode 2)

Not everyone loves clowns, and Sam Winchester is definitely not a fan. Given their frequent use in horror – from real-life criminals like John Wayne Gacey to the terrifying Pennywise in Stephen King’s It – it’s no surprise clowns are often creepy, making this episode a natural fit for this list.

This episode creates suspense by contrasting the horror with the naiveté of children, a common technique in scary stories. The demon is only visible to them, and surprisingly, they don’t seem frightened by it, even when they first see it at the carnival and later by the road. This escalates to a chilling point when the clown appears at their house, and the children willingly let it in to harm their parents. This detail is particularly frightening because it leaves the adults helpless until it’s too late.

This episode really resonated with a lot of viewers, especially those who were already afraid of clowns. It gave them even more reason to avoid them! The creepy carnival atmosphere, the feeling that something bad was about to happen, and the unsettling fun house all contributed to a surprisingly scary episode. It cleverly used a common fear – coulrophobia – while still telling a classic, self-contained monster story.

Interestingly, this episode aired nine years before the unsettling 2016 clown sightings, where people dressed as frightening clowns intentionally scared others at night – blocking roads, lurking near waterways, and even staring into home security cameras. Considering this, Supernatural was remarkably prescient, and the episode “Everybody Loves a Clown” definitely deserves recognition for anticipating this creepy trend.

4) “No Exit” (Season 2, Episode 6)

The second season episode, “No Exit,” serves as a frightening example of how true historical figures can be the source of real horror. The episode focuses on the ghost of H.H. Holmes, widely considered America’s first serial killer, who traps and terrorizes women in an apartment building. Sam and Dean join forces with Jo Harvelle (played by Alona Tal) to stop the ghostly attacks.

The true-crime element makes the episode even more unsettling. Holmes’ crimes were genuinely horrific, and the idea of his “Murder Castle”—briefly mentioned in the episode—is deeply disturbing because it shows the terrifying capacity of a person to not only think about such evil acts, but to actually commit them. Bringing Holmes’ darkness into the world of Supernatural gives the episode a chilling sense of realism.

The tight, enclosed spaces definitely make things scarier. The victims are hidden within the building’s walls and crawlspaces, a chilling nod to the real-life torture chambers Holmes designed. But the truly unsettling part is that Sam and Dean can’t permanently destroy Holmes’ spirit. They can temporarily stop him—even burying him under tons of concrete—but he’s still out there. This means that at any point in the future, construction or development could accidentally unleash him again, restarting the nightmare.

3) “The Benders” (Season 1, Episode 15) — Jensen Ackles’ Pick

Even as a ghost in Supernatural, Holmes was just as terrifying as he was when he was alive, proving that people can be the most frightening monsters. This is precisely why Jensen Ackles identified “The Benders” as the most chilling episode of the whole show.

This episode features Sam being kidnapped by a family living in the backwoods who hunt people as a hobby – and it’s a completely grounded, non-supernatural story. Jared Padalecki has mentioned in interviews that the episode’s power comes from its realism. He explained to ScreenRant that it’s “not the supernatural element, it’s humans doing very bad things.”

This episode feels like a traditional survival horror movie, bringing to mind films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes. Similar to “No Exit,” this story is based on true events. Between 1871 and 1872 in Kansas, the “Bloody Benders” family was accused of murdering as many as 20 travelers who had stopped at their cabin for the night.

Despite battling countless supernatural creatures over 15 seasons, Jared Padalecki says the episode “The Benders” still gives him chills. That alone makes it essential viewing for anyone wanting to see the spookier side of Supernatural.

2) “Bloody Mary” (Season 1, Episode 5)

The Supernatural episode “Bloody Mary” stands out as one of the show’s scariest. In its early seasons, Supernatural often drew on well-known urban legends for its weekly monster stories, and the tale of summoning “Bloody Mary” with a mirror is arguably the most famous.

The Winchester brothers encounter a series of strange deaths linked to mirrors, and the investigation brings the terrifying legend of Bloody Mary to life as she emerges from reflective surfaces. Many fans remember this episode as the one that truly scared them of looking in mirrors, especially at night. Its chilling atmosphere and faithful take on the myth make it a standout, and one of the most frightening episodes of the show.

This episode cleverly uses a “Truth or Dare” style setup to make the story deeply personal. It exposes the hidden secrets of the characters, forcing them – and the audience – to face difficult realities. It’s a horror story that gets under your skin and stays with you.

1) “The Kids Are Alright” (Season 3, Episode 2)

While Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester) hasn’t explicitly called it the scariest episode, he admits this one was particularly unsettling. “The Kids Are Alright” expertly uses the creepy potential of children in horror. Dean reconnects with a former girlfriend, Lisa, and quickly notices something strange about the neighborhood kids – they’re behaving as if they’ve been replaced. He soon discovers his suspicions are correct: the children aren’t who they seem, but changelings – creatures that impersonate children and feed off their mothers.

The show features a particularly disturbing creature design: changelings are revealed to be pale, leech-like monsters whenever their reflections appear in mirrors. This contrast between their seemingly innocent, childlike appearance and their sudden, aggressive behavior and predatory nature creates some of the most unsettling images in the series.

This episode is particularly impactful because it takes the seemingly safe and comforting world of family life and twists it with frightening elements. It’s the kind of episode that might stay with parents long after their children are asleep.

What are the most frightening episodes of Supernatural in your opinion? Share your thoughts in the comments below and discuss with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-16 04:12