5 Savage Episodes That Prove Doctor Who Is No Kids' Show, Ranked

Some stories are so violent that no kid should be allowed to watch them. Here are the five most brutal episodes of the sci-fi drama.

5. Silence In The Library & Forest Of The Dead

The Doctor first (last?) meets River under the gravest of circumstances – when a flesh-eating shadow takes over an empty library.

The story holds you in suspense until the very end, and what happens is bloodcurdling and heartbreaking on so many levels (if you know, you know).

4. Listen

This is easily one of the greatest episodes of the Twelfth Doctor's era. There's no evil monster or pissed-off ghost.

Instead, you are confronted with a terror of a psychological nature, and you find yourself wondering whether you want to leave the light on when you go to bed tonight. After all, we don't know what's lurking in the dark…

3. Night Terrors

The name speaks for itself, really. If you are a child (or an adult) with a fear of dolls, you should take this Doctor Who episode off your watch list.

This alien entity can turn people into dolls and our dreams into nightmares tonight. The dolls' look is on another level of disturbing, by the way.

2. Blink

This gem of an episode is the reason some of us still try not to close our eyes around statues.

It might not have jump scares, but the way angels slowly but steadily appear in the blink of an eye is more than enough to make you hide behind the sofa.

Lives broken, time stolen, people missing – it all makes Blink one of the best episodes that are hard to rewatch.

1. The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances

Say what you will, but this story arc is still the scariest one. Gas masks? Scary. Children? Can be scary for those who can't handle them.

Children in gas masks asking, "Are you my mommy?"? Absolutely terrifying. Steven Moffat knows how to combine the best of the horror genre in a way that will keep you awake for several nights in a row.

What are you watching before bed tonight? We've given you a few ideas.