The 10 Scariest Cartoon Episodes From the '90s, Ranked (2025)

Any 90s kid worth their salt can practically cite Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network's animated lineup verbatim. The decade's children's programming often serves as a source of nostalgia, with many former viewers fondly reminiscing about joyful mornings in front of the TV, watching their favorite shows. But not every cartoon episode showcased a childlike sense of wonder.

Certain episodes of kids' programming, particularly in the 90s, ventured into dark territory. Some of these spooky episodes utilized scare tactics in order to deliver a moral lesson. Others have no obvious explanation other than their creators possibly hating children. But they all had the potential to traumatize their young audience. Here are the most terrifying cartoon episodes of the 90s, ranked from, "hide under the covers," to, "scarred for life."

10 "Doug's Nightmare on Jumbo Street"

'Doug'

Nickelodeon's Doug wasn't exactly a haven for horror fans; typically, the scariest thing Doug had to deal with was bully Roger Klotz. But Doug's mild-mannered timidness made him susceptible to an easy fright. Such was the case in "Doug's Nightmare on Jumbo Street," where one scary movie drives Doug into a series of genuinely terrifying nightmares.

In his dreams, Doug enters a distorted version of his town, where everyone he knows is warped with monstrous qualities. He's also chased by shadowy figures through a landscape that keeps shifting and changing in unsettling ways. Though Doug eventually faces his fear and watches the rest of the movie, his disturbing nightmares likely caused the young viewing audience to have their own sleepless nights.

Doug (1991)

TV-Y7

Animation

Adventure

Drama

Release Date

August 11, 1991

Creator

Jim Jinkins

Cast

Billy West , Constance Shulman , Alice Playten , Becca Lish

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

5

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9 "Ghost Bride"

'Hey Arnold!'

Hey Arnold! was typically one of the more grounded cartoons, particularly for Nickelodeon, but this episode made a spooky departure from Arnold's classic urban neighborhood. After hearing an urban legend about a ghost haunting a nearby mansion, Arnold and his friends decide to investigate. They discover that the legend is real when they encounter the Ghost Bride, still mourning her lost love.

Though the episode ultimately delivers a message about finding peace in the wake of great grief, the overall eerie quality of the Ghost Bride and her home and multiple jump scares inspire fear before the peaceful resolution. The supernatural departure from what was otherwise a relatively grounded show made the spooky quality of the episode even more unexpected.

Hey Arnold!

TV-Y7

Animation

Comedy

Family

Release Date

2016-00-00

Creator

Craig Bartlett, Steve Viksten, Joe Ansolabahere

Cast

Francesca Marie Smith , Jamil Walker Smith , Dan Castellaneta , Justin Shenkarow

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

5

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8 "Scaredy Pants"

'SpongeBob SquarePants'

In this Halloween episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, the easily frightened SpongeBob tries to turn the tables on Mr. Krab and Squidward, who gleefully scare him with the story of the Flying Dutchman. SpongeBob dresses as the ghostly Dutchman but fails to have any impact on his fellow sea-dwellers. But the would-be prank turns real when the Flying Dutchman appears and declares his plan to steal everyone's souls as revenge for dressing up like him.

The Dutchman steals SpongeBob's costume and discovers that SpongeBob shaved down his head so much in order to impersonate the Dutchman that his entire brain is exposed. The stomach-churning image causes everyone, even the ghost, to flee in terror. Between seeing the world through SpongeBob's frightened perspective early in the episode and the gross image of his exposed brain (sponges have brains?!) this episode stands apart from what is typically a lighthearted series.

SpongeBob SquarePants

TV-Y7

Animation

Comedy

Children's/Family

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 17, 1999

Creator

Stephen Hillenburg

Cast

Tom Kenny , Bill Fagerbakke , Rodger Bumpass , Clancy Brown , Carolyn Lawrence

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

14

Website

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants

7 "The Avenging Phantom"

'Tales From the Cryptkeeper'

Although the animated series didn't quite reach the horror level of its live-action counterpart, Tales From the Cryptkeeper stayed true to its roots and walked the line of what could be considered "kid friendly." No episode toed that line better than "The Avenging Phantom," which saw a young man unleash a ghostly avenger against his bullies.

When the phantom, a frightful presence on its own, begins to terrorize the bullies with hallucinations and entrapment, the young man experiences his own nightmares, picturing the bullies being punished in more grotesque ways. The episode delivers a lesson about taking revenge too far in the most disturbing way possible.

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6 "Collect Her"

'Powerpuff Girls'

In the Powerpuff Girls, it can be easy to forget that the crime fighters are also celebrities in their world. As with most people with a public persona, fame comes with fans who sometimes cross the line into obsession. Such was the case with Fuzzy Lumpkins, a hoarder of collectible items. Once he learns that he has collected all the available Powerpuff Girls merchandise, he decides he needs to collect the girls themselves.

Unlike other creepy episodes that deal with nightmares or the supernatural, "Collect Her" delves into a real world threat. The girls are captured by their stalker and held captive in his disquieting lair of collectibles--and they're not even the only living "items" there. The Powerpuff Girls ultimately escape, but young viewers were left to grapple with the dark consequences of obsession.

The Powerpuff Girls

TV-Y7-FV

Superhero

Animation

Action

Adventure

Release Date

November 18, 1998

Creator

Craig McCracken

Cast

Cathy Cavadini , Elizabeth Daily , Tara Strong , Tom Kenny , Tom Kane

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

6

WATCH ON NETFLIX

5 "House and Garden"

'Batman: The Animated Series'

Like all Batman content, Batman: The Animated Series wasn't known for being warm and fuzzy. But this particular episode, featuring a vengeful Poison Ivy, had elements that were particularly unsettling. While Poison Ivy seems to have settled down into a quiet, suburban life, Batman soon discovers that her idyllic family are actually plants disguised as people, and Poison Ivy plans to use her powers to usurp humanity and have a world dominated by plants.

A villain seeking world domination is nothing new in Batman's world, but Poison Ivy's plan had an added layer of creepiness. Her plant children had limits to how well they could impersonate humans, leading to an unsettling uncanny valley effect. When the children are revealed to be plants--disturbing enough on their own--they also turn violent in an attempt to protect their mother from Batman. While the ordeal was entirely supernatural, the young audience probably still side-eyed their houseplants after the episode.

Batman: The Animated Series

TV-PG

Animation

Action

Adventure

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 5, 1992

Cast

Kevin Conroy , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , Loren Lester , Mark Hamill

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4

4 "Awakening: Part 1"

'Gargoyles'

In the opening minutes of Gargoyles' first episode, the series makes clear that it would not be some cute and cozy children's cartoon. It begins with a double dose of destruction, both in modern day New York City and in the 10th century, where the Scottish castle the gargoyles are sworn to protect is attacked by Vikings. It's during this scene that the stone gargoyles are revealed to be monstrous living beings.

By the time the episode ends, the merciless Vikings have smashed the Gargoyles to bits, foreshadowing just how violent the series was going to be. Over the course of one episode, the series introduced the disturbing visual of the living Gargoyles, encouraged the audience to care about them, and then murdered them all. It served as a giant caution sign to the audience: Do not proceed if you're easily scared.

Gargoyles

Animation

Action

Adventure

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 24, 1994

Cast

Keith David , Salli Richardson-Whitfield , Jeff Bennett , Edward Asner , Frank Welker , Thom Adcox-Hernandez , Bill Fagerbakke , Jonathan Frakes

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3

3 "Ruthless Tommy"

'Rugrats'

What could be so scary in a show about babies? A lot, apparently. While Rugrats was typically light and fun, the show did not shy away from occasionally dropping some nightmare fodder. While many of these episodes derived their fear from the babies' underdeveloped understanding of the world, "Ruthless Tommy" told a story that would terrify young and adult viewers alike.

Unapologetically depicting any parent's worst fear, Tommy is kidnapped from his front stoop by two men believing they could use him for ransom. Their crime is only thwarted by Tommy's incessant crying and screaming, causing the kidnappers to decide that their plan simply isn't worth it and return him to his home. While many cartoon horror plots are supernatural or otherwise far-fetched, in this episode, it's the resolution that requires a suspension of disbelief, leaving many viewers to grapple with the chilling reality of alternative outcomes.

Rugrats

Animation

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 11, 1991

Cast

Elizabeth Daily , Kath Soucie , Cheryl Chase , Dionne Quan , Tara Strong , Joe Alaskey , Tress MacNeille , Jack Riley

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

9

Studio

Nickelodeon

2 "To Heck and Back"

'Rocko's Modern Life'

Rocko's Modern Life frequently ventured into the disturbing and weird, but the show took it to a new level when it sent Heffer to hell. Not only did the episode open with a chicken getting a job at a chicken restaurant (spoiler alert: it wasn't a cashier job), but Heffer choked on said chicken's bones and died right in the middle of the restaurant.

As if a dead character wasn't enough, Rocko falls into Heffer's stomach while trying to retrieve the chicken bone, and Heffer's guide in hell reveals himself to have a gross utter-shaped head. Even though the whole ordeal ended up being a dream, the young viewers had to watch this grotesque spectacle for real.

Rocko's Modern Life

TV-Y

Animation

Comedy

Family

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 18, 1993

Creator

Joe Murray, Stephen Hillenburg, Mr. Lawrence

Cast

Tom Kenny , Carlos Alazraqui , Charles Adler

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4

1 "It's a Dog's Life"

'Ren & Stimpy'

Pretty much all of was the stuff of nightmares, but "It's a Dog's Life" literally opens with the two main characters on death row, being led to a gas chamber. They're ostensibly rescued by a kindly grandma, only for her to emerge as a sadistic animal torturer that would immediately have her branded as a serial killer in the real world.

The episode depicts Ren and Stimpy having their limbs broken, breaking their teeth on a meal of gravel, and being forced to sleep in a graveyard. There's no happy ending here, as Ren and Stimpy are ultimately killed and stuffed as taxidermy collectibles. While many scary cartoon episodes contain some sort of lesson or thematic resonance under the frights, this episode seemingly serves no purpose other than to traumatize its young audience.

The Ren and Stimpy Show

TV-Y7

Animation

Release Date

August 11, 1991

Creator

John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, Jim Gomez

Cast

John Kricfalusi , Billy West , Cheryl Chase , Vincent Waller

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

5

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Keep Reading: 10 Creepiest Children's Show Episodes From the 90s