I’m a huge Doctor Who fan. I have a Doctor Who bathroom with a T.A.R.D.I.S. door if that tells you anything. We use Doctor Who in our homeschool and my kids love the series. Some of the episodes can get a little intense. I have put together this list of 5 scary Doctor Who episodes kids may want to avoid. These are episodes that either scare me or one of the kids has asked me to turn off because it scares them.
5 Scary Doctor Who Episodes kids may want to avoid
As with anything, your kids may be completely different than mine. I may post this list and get a comment that says these are your child’s absolute favorites. I may even leave one off that you think is considerably more terrifying. Please leave me a comment either way. I love talking Doctor Who with other fans. These are not in any particular order.
The Idiot’s Lantern
It’s an exciting time to buy T.V.’s and one salesman has a good deal for you. There’s just one problem, these t.v.’s steal something from the viewer. They steal faces and “soul energy” from the viewer. While this sounds like a decent plot there is one thing that makes it terrifying. That would be the word hungry said by this terrifying woman’s voice:
That my friends is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Blink
This has to be one of the most iconic episodes of Doctor Who. Most Whovians know how to finish the all too popular phrase, “Don’t Blink.” In case you wondered, the answer to that phrase is, “Blink and you’re dead.” This episode operates under the premise that many of the concrete statues we have around us are actually aliens able to kill us. There is a catch though. They can only attack when you are not looking at them. I don’t know about you, but I blink often. To me the Weeping Angels will always be one of the most terrifying monsters on Doctor Who.
I will tell you this, when they are ready this is a must see! I LOVE this episode more than many of the others out there. (Come on, “Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey!”)
Midnight
This is one of the few episodes I don’t rewatch because it genuinely freaks me out. It isn’t all gore as most Doctor Who episodes aren’t. However it gets in your head. The Doctor is on a sight seeing trip on a planet. The vessel he is on is in the middle of nowhere. Then something knocks on the outside of the ship. Inside, things turn creepy quick. One of the passengers starts mimicking the other passengers. This woman rates right up there with Idiot’s Lantern for me. I haven’t even tried showing this one to the kids because I can’t stand it.
Silence in the Library
This episode takes something common and makes it truly terrifying. After all, everyone has a shadow. In this episode there is a monster hiding in the shadows that can kill you almost instantly. Let me clarify. The monster is a shadow of sorts. If you have a child who is easily scared, skip this one. When they are older, this is an episode that should not be missed though. It has two of my favorite Doctor Who women in the same episode.
The Almost People
The Almost People focuses on a series of dopplegangers who are hoping to keep their own life. This can quickly get scary when you can’t tell which one is real and which is the ganger. It also doesn’t help that they melt into ooze. Their faces are also very reminiscient of Voldemort as their faces are not quite complete in certain scenes. If you choose to show this episode to your children, they may get easily afraid. I know mine begged me to turn this one off almost immediately.
As with anything parenting related, a lot of this will depend on the child you are parenting. They may absolutely love it. What would be on your list? Leave me a comment and let me know if I skipped your pick for the scariest episode.
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I’m surprised not to see The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances on this list – those kept me up at night! Still, I think, the best payoff of any episode in New Who, and bonus points for a depiction of Blitz-era London, but the gas mask zombies are terrifying and the fact that it’s a four-year-old puts it over the top in my book. Great episode, really scary when you don’t know the ending.
I could add, too, Waters of Mars (my husband disagrees, but they make *water* scary…bathtime is hard enough…) and The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, especially with kids to whom Satan is more than a mythical monster. No desire to rewatch those, myself.