The colorful cartoon Adventure Time captured attention with its adorable friendships and action-filled journeys. However, as the years went on and the fanbase expanded/aged, the show started to dive into darker territories. Whether it's with surreal dream-scape imagery, existential crises, or classic horror tropes, Adventure Time's moments of dread grew ever-present from episode to episode.
The show proved that it wasn't going to shy away from very complicated and adult concepts. And yet, what made this palatable was that if the characters kept their friends close (along with a good sword and a shape-shifting dog by your side) they were always going to be okay.
Updated on November 9, 2021, by Jake Koran: Some of the scariest Adventure Time episodes are among the most memorable. One reason the show was so beloved was that the creators were not afraid to challenge the audience with deeper themes. As a result, the series crafted some chilling tales centered around the main protagonists, expanding the Land of Ooo into a much more complex world that viewers grew to adore.
10 "No One Can Hear You" - S3, Ep15
"No One Can Hear You" is infamous among fans for being atmospheric and extremely unsettling. The episode follows Finn after a struggle with a Stag, wandering the candy kingdom in a wheelchair and wrapped in a lower body cast, only to find that everyone is missing.
Where is everyone? Why is Jake babbling on about a surprise birthday party that Lady Rainicorn has supposedly orchestrated for him? Whatever happened with the Stag? How much time has passed? This episode is a great example of Adventure Time showcasing its ability to shock very early on in the series.
9 "Red Starved" - S5, Ep38
Any viewer who has a fear of being confined in a deep underground city completely made of sand while their vampire friend slowly goes into a feeding frenzy should avoid this episode. "Red Starved" pins the task of finding some food for Marceline the Vampire Queen on Finn while Jake stays with the starving vampire. Marceline is one of Adventure Time's best characters and is beloved by the audience, making this transformation all the more terrifying.
Watching Finn explore the tight quarters of the dangerous cave as calmly as possible, then cutting back to Jake growing more and more nervous about Marceline's condition, is nothing short of suspenseful.
8 "The Creeps" - S3, Ep12
In another early episode, the viewer is given the classic haunted house scenario, complete with a costume party and a whodunit mystery. Funny nicknames like "Prince Hotbod" (Finn) put aside, this episode quickly spins out of control as the house starts to warp and change around Finn.
Although everything turned out to be a prank, there was definitely something wrong with the house. This episode was able to quickly introduce a mysterious character that had fans curious for more. Who was that ghost lady in the house?
7 "The Vault" - S5, Ep34
A character that debuted in "The Creeps," known to fans at the time as the "Mysterious Ghost Lady," made her major appearance in "The Vault." Here, Finn is tormented by night terrors in which he's being overtaken by a large green ghost he dubs the "Scary Lady" (also known as Shoko).
Shoko's life was nothing short of unkind. Although night terrors are scary, how Shoko came to meet her end is arguably more terrifying than a bad dream. This episode is filled with personal conflict and self-observation — bittersweet for sure, but also spine chilling.
6 "King Worm" - S4, Ep18
Adventure Time is well known for its surreal imagery, but "King Worm" specifically deals with the concepts of hypnosis and fear itself in a way that leaves viewers just plain creeped out. It also shows that King Worm may be cute, but he is a surprisingly dangerous character on Adventure Time.
The audience is tossed around multiple faux-realities along with Finn, as it is revealed that Finn is dreaming. This episode is a fine example of how willing the show is to put its main characters into horrifying dreamscapes, where they inevitably have to look inward or suffer no way out. This is a story-telling device that turns into a major plot point as the seasons go on.
5 "Food Chain" - S6, Ep7
This episode is a change of pace. "Food Chain" dives into the circle of life in a psychedelic and disorienting way as it's not only surreal but filled with concepts such as death and reincarnation.
Filled with light-hearted moments and subtly disguised heavy emotional scenes, this episode stuns and frightens with first-hand experiences moving through the circle of life. The result is beautiful and horrifying.
4 "Finn The Human" - S5, Ep1
"Finn the Human" is filled with terrifying imagery. Villages on fire, violent gangs terrorizing helpless people, the effects of a magical crown — what isn't there to be scared of during these 12 minutes of horror?
With the presence of impending doom looming over this episode, suspense isn't even the correct term to use for the thriller. This episode is shocking for sure, but nothing outweighs the emotional moments here, and that's what is truly scary. It also had effects on some of the best Adventure Time episodes, making its disturbing elements even more impactful.
3 "Blank Eyed Girl" - S7, Ep18
Many kids experience the sharp stab of fear when getting home after a slumber party filled with talk of urban legends and spooky stories of ghosts in the mirror. Although Adventure Time is a children's show, "Blank Eyed Girl" takes viewers right back to that childhood fear.
This episode tells the story of the "Blank Eyed Girl", mentioned on a radio show that always seems to be on in the pizza place Finn and Jake frequent. As the episode progresses, the girl with the blank eyes only gets creepier.
2 "All Your Fault" - S5, Ep9
The Lemon Kingdom in Adventure Time, is ruled by Lemongrab and the Earl of Lemongrab, one of the best Adventure Time characters introduced after season 1. It's filled with body horror and skin-crawling sounds. This episode showcases how truly abused and malnourished all of the lemon people are.
Finn and Jake encounter the most unsettling lemons while navigating the kingdom. The scariest visual, by far, is when Finn & Jake stumble upon Lemon Head — a small, hunched-over lemon screaming in a room, that spins its head towards the camera and sheds its peel slowly. No Adventure Time episode captures body horror this well.
1 "Mortal Folly" - S2, Ep24
"Mortal Folly" is the first major episode with the Lich. The largest villain in the show, who has tried for hundreds of years to destroy all life, gets freed from his prison in this episode.
This starts the major over-arcing storyline of war and struggle that is the main subject of the series finale. "The Lich" is referenced in dozens of episodes throughout the show, and the presence of death itself proves to be the scariest thing of all.
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