Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Creepiest Villains in the TV Show, Ranked

The creepiest, crawliest, disgusting villains that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has ever faced down.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains a pop culture and entertainment staple, despite the controversy surrounding the show. It is a series that features a laundry list of villains of the week and overarching big bads throughout the show's 144-episode, seven-season run. Ranging from demons to witches, big bugs, and of course vampires.

The show provided an entire generation with new fears, presenting some of the creepiest villains ever put on screen and using its monsters as metaphors. Here are ten of the creepiest villains Buffy the Vampire Slayer has to offer.

After the gang's science teacher is found dead under suspicious circumstances, he is replaced with a new, younger and attractive teacher, Natalie French. The boys in the class, particularly Xander and his classmate Blayne begin to become infatuated with French. Little do they know that the new teacher is secretly a She-Mantis, luring them in as mates with her pheromones. Sure to make the skin crawl of anyone even slightly afraid of bugs, one of Buffy's earliest villains is one of the creepiest.

Sporting an angry and terrifying grimace, Mandraz is a demon unknowingly summoned by Willow during her magic binges. Possessing slayer-like strength, this horrifying baddie hunts down Willow and Dawn Summers throughout the episode, and was eventually taken down by Buffy and Willow.

"Nightmares" is one of the most complex and in-depth episodes of the series. When a young boy, Billy Palmer, begins manifesting creatures from his own fears, they begin hunting those closest to Billy. One of these creatures is known as The Ugly Man. A tall figure with a burnt and deformed face, his power was quite the match for Buffy before she of course ultimately took him down.

The parasitic demon Bezoar is found living beneath Sunnydale High School. After taking control of the school's health teacher and forcing him to distribute the demon's eggs to students and future host bodies for the offspring. Boasting a slimy exterior and one eerie eye, Bezoar is sure to send shivers up your spine.

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Another manifestation from the "Nightmares" episodes appears as the tried and true horror classic, the scary killer clown. It is Xander this time who manifests a clown from his sixth birthday party, albeit much more evil. While the killer clown in Buffy the Vampire Slayer might not reach the heights of terror that a Pennywise might, he is nevertheless one creepy villain.

This season six episode finds Buffy getting a job at a local fast food restaurant, Doublemeat Palace. With the continued mention of a "secret ingredient" and the disappearances of several of her coworkers. Buffy begins to investigate the strange goings-on at the restaurant. Confronted one night by a seemingly kind old woman, a regular customer at Doublemeat.

It is revealed that the woman is in fact a worm-like demon who has been feasting on the burger joint's employees. Wig Lady meets her demise as she is eventually taken down by Willow and ground into slop by the restaurant's meat grinder. Take a second thought the next time you bite into your fast food hamburger.

All you have to do in order to understand why the Queller Demon makes an appearance on this list is simply look at the creature. Summoned by one of the big bads of season 5, considered by many to be the best season of the series. This extraterrestrial demon is taken down by the Slayer when the creature sets its sights on Buffy's mother.

With a name that literally translates to "child dead", Der Kindestod stands tall as one of the creepiest and scariest villains in the entire series. Seen only by children suffering from fever and illness, this Der Kindestod would pray on sick children and suck out their life force through fanged stalks emerging from his eyes. Like most villains in the series, Der Kindestod meets his demise at the hands of the Slayer, but not before inducing audiences with some memorable fears.

Related: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Funniest Episodes, Ranked

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Again, much like many villains on this list, one look at Gnarl, and it is easy to understand why he is one of the creepiest in the series. His sunken eyes and fanged smile combined with a skin and bone-like body make Gnarl a visual nightmare to look at. His flesh-eating actions on Willow also add a layer of creepiness any fan will be pressed to shake anytime soon after watching this episode.

The season four episode "Hush" is one of the most praised episodes of the entire series. Due in large part to the risks the episode takes in the way the story is portrayed, primarily through silence. The praise also comes from the villains of the episode known as The Gentlemen, a group consisting of a long history and fantastical backstory. Gliding through the streets with terrifying smiles,

The Gentlemen set out on a mission of collecting their jar of hearts from the residents of Sunnydale. Any potential Slayer reboot should without a doubt feature these iconic villains.

"Blue Haired"