While most shows suffer when they have too many filler episodes and take their eyes off the main story,Supernaturalwas arguably at its best when it leaned into the “monster of the week” format. Throughout the show’s 15 season run, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared PadaleckiandJensen Ackles) went through several overarching stories ranging from saving a damned soul to stopping the obliteration of all of creation. But the spooky one-offs were the heart ofSupernatural.
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Though the high-stakes main stories were great, the weekly monster hunt served as excellent compressed horror films for fans of the genre.The Winchester family businesswas “saving people and hunting things,” after all.
Thinman From “Thinman” — Season 9, Episode 15
Inspired by the creepypasta/modern urban legend of Slenderman, this episode focused on an entity with no face who stalked victims before closing in for the kill. Sam believes Thinman is responsible for the killings while Dean argues that it must be a ghost. In the end, they find out that Thinman was made up by one of the Ghostfacers, a group like theGhost Hunters, to keep the other member from leaving the team. As his story spread, copycat killings resembling Thinman’s M.O. spread with it.
In the end, the killings were committed by regular humans. This is one of many episodes ofSupernaturalthat remind you that humans can often be the worst monsters of all.
Shojo From “Party On, Garth” — Season 7, Episode 15
When Sam and Dean investigate brutal killings in which some people can see the creature while most cannot, Garth (DJ Qualls) points out that this entity operates more like a monster than a ghost. Eventually, they learn they are hunting a Shojo, a Japanese vengeful spirit that someone set loose to get back at his enemies. The difference between a Shojo and a regular vengeful spirit, however, is that a Shojo can only be perceived by a drunk person and can only be killed by a blessed katana.
The Shojo may not have haunted your dreams after the credits, but it made for a hilarious episode since the brothers had to fight under the influence to know where to strike.
Grim Reaper From “Faith” — Season 1, Episode 12
When Dean suffers a severe heart injury in a hunt, Sam searches far and wide to find a cure. They skeptically follow a friend of their father to a faith healer. The healer chooses Dean for a miracle and his powers prove legitimate. However, every time a person gets healed, another person dies of similar symptoms at the exact same time. The brothers discover that the healer’s wife has bound a Reaper, and she uses him to save people she deems worthy while punishing those she deems wicked.
Though Reapers would go on to feature prominently inSupernatural, this first episode laid the groundwork for the oft explored theme of how people try to fight death and the consequences that ensue from refusing to accept it.
Rugaru From “Metamorphosis” — Season 4, Episode 4
Another hunter calls the Winchesters for help with a case. The case centers on a man named Jack (Dameon Clarke) whose father was a Rugaru, a creature similar to the Wendigo that eats humans. As long as Jack doesn’t give in to his urge to feed, he can remain human and live a normal life.
Sam, dealing with how he has been tainted with demon blood, advocates for Jack. But when the other hunter threatens Jack’s family, he eats the hunter and transforms into a monster. He can’t get regain control and the Winchesters are forced to kill him in self-defense. The episode is a poignant exploration of whether people can be fated toward darkness and the harmful effects of assuming the worst in people.
The Ghost of H. H. Holmes From “No Exit” — Season 2, Episode 6
The Winchesters investigate an apartment building where women are going missing and discover that it’s being haunted. They try to identify the culprit so they can burn the body and get rid of the ghost, but the ghost’s identity is real-life serial killer, H. H. Holmes (Stephen Aberie). Holmes was buried in concrete to prevent anyone from messing with his remains.
When the brothers’ friend and aspiring hunter, Jo (Alona Tal) gets taken by Holmes, they race to rescue her and permanently trap the ghost since he can’t be destroyed.
John Wayne Gacy From “Lebanon” — Season 14, Episode 13
“Lebanon” is one of the most touching episodes of the series. For a short time, a magical item allows the Winchester family to be whole again. But tucked away in this sweet episode is one of the most memorable one-off monsters: the ghost of John Wayne Gacy. A teenager steals the Impala and carries Gacy’s cigar box into a cabin where she’s hanging out with her friends. Gacy’s ghost manifests, but the Winchesters arrive in time to save the teens.
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Thisabsurd huntmay be short, but it’s both creepy and hilarious as Sam stands petrified before his greatest fear. Dean captures the moment perfectly when he says, “This is, like, the best worst thing that’s ever happened to you…‘cause you love serial killers, but you hate clowns.”
Tulpa From “Hell House” — Season 1, Episode 17
When people begin dying in a haunted house with some local fame, the case looks like a cut and dry haunting. But the Winchester brothers cannot find proof that the ghost from the local legend, Mordechai Murdoch, ever actually existed. They figure out that a symbol in the house that also appears on a website about the legend is causing believers in Mordechai to conjure up a tulpa, a manifestation of thought.
When the website story changes, the real-life haunting changes as well. The brothers use this to create a weakness for Mordechai, but the site goes offline before it can take hold. So, they torch the house instead. The tulpa episode demonstrates the power of collective belief to fabricate danger as well as the powerof changing the narrative.
Scarecrow From “Scarecrow” — Season 1, Episode 11
When people are murdered in an orchard in an isolated town, the culprit turns out to be the creepy scarecrow. Sam and Dean are unable to wound the creature, and eventually learn that it’s an ancient fertility deity. The scarecrow consumes human life and blesses the town with a good harvest. The brothers eventually destroy the deity by burning a sacred tree that it draws energy from.
A well-made scarecrow at night is a creepy thing to come across.Supernaturalbrought this common and unsettling experience alive in a great way.
Possessed Television From “Scoobynatural” — Season 13, Episode 16
If you loveSupernatural, chances are you grew up also watchingScooby-Doo. This episode was the ultimate crossover for lifelong fans of horror. After stopping a haunting at a pawn shop, the owner rewards the brothers with a free TV. They get sucked inside and find themselves in the world of Dean’s favorite childhood show,Scooby-Doo. This hysterical clash of the darkSupernaturalwith the lightheartedScooby-Dooresults in thegang of Mystery Incbeing traumatized by a gruesome haunting by a real ghost.
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The brothers find out it’s a ghost who has been weaponized by being put into objects to cause trouble. They promise to free him, and he lets them go. But first, they put on a show of the ghost being a human so that the gang can return to normal.
Woman In White From “Pilot” — Season 1, Episode 1
In the very first episode ofSupernatural, Dean pulls Sam back into the hunting life when he needs help investigating this vengeful spirit. A woman in white hitchhikes and when men stop to pick her up, she lures them to their doom. The brothers learn that the ghost belongs to a woman who killed her family upon discovering her husband’s unfaithfulness.
When they can’t find a way to stop her, Sam tricks her into entering her home where the ghosts of her children drag her to the netherworld. The first episode may have been a basic ghost story, but it was the perfect choice to set the spooky tone for the show.
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