Which ‘Black Mirror’ Episode Is The Scariest Ever? Reddit Picks The Top 5

Fans of Charlie Brooker’s haunting anthology series Black Mirror came together to determine the most horrifying episode of all time and the top answer is bound to upset a few devotees. Why? Well, it’s an episode from the latest season and, within the fandom, there’s been a long debate about whether the show dipped in quality in its latter seasons. Judging by these results, I’d say: No, it hasn’t. Or perhaps it did, but the series slapped down an Uno reverse card with Season 6. 

On Reddit, a user asked the Black Mirror community, “Which episode of Black Mirror did you mistakenly watch at night and immediately regret going to bed?” The subreddit has 381K members and has been active since September 2012, which is less than a year after the release of the first season. The original poster revealed that the episode that spooked them was the Season 3 episode “Shut Up and Dance,” starring Alex Lawther and Jerome Flynn — but that episode didn’t even make the Top 5 cut. 

Decider combed through all the responses and calculated the episodes with the top votes. Please note that some users nominated multiple episodes, and a chunk of the comments were users going back-and-forth over their answers. At the time of reporting, there were 210 comments, only 57 of which were legit nominations.

Continue reading to find out what Reddit considers to be the five scariest episodes.

Top 5 Scariest Episodes of Black Mirror

1. “Men Against Fire” (Season 3, Episode 5)

   Coming in at #5 with three passionate votes is “Men Against Fire,” a twisty episode that offers relevant commentary on the military-industrial complex. Malachi Kirby plays Stripe Koinange, a military soldier who works on a team that hunts violent humanoids, referred to as roaches. Suddenly, Stripe begins to investigate the mission and finds that he may not be on the right side. But what’s so scary about the episode? The zombie-like creatures are horrific, with beady eyes and sharp teeth, and the psychological torture that Stripe goes through is bound to stick with you for ages.

3. “White Christmas” (Christmas Special)

   Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas! Just kidding, Black Mirror’s version is less than jolly. Receiving five votes, this Christmas special features murder, suicide, and ultimate betrayals as it explores how advanced technology and surveillance pose a threat to civilization. The episode follows three stories, each of which ends in a violent death, surrounding outsiders Matt (Jon Hamm) and Joe (Rafe Spall), who abused new technology that allows people — and clones of people — to communicate via lowkey devices. It’s basically the movie Her, but as a horror flick.

4. “Beyond the Sea” (Season 6, Episode 3)

   Coming from the latest season is the emotional episode “Beyond the Sea,” which concludes with… much, like the others… murder!  Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett play two astronauts, Cliff and Paul, who embark on a six-year space mission. Due to technological advancements, they are able to visit their homes on Earth using replicas of their bodies. One of the two suffers a major loss as a cult that’s against the replica technology breaks into their home and murders their family while they are visiting. The astronaut returns to the spaceship in utter despair. To help them cope, their colleague offers them the opportunity to use their replica and visit with their family. Though, the man grows weary of his offer after he finds that his grieving teammate is growing vindictive and possessive.

   This episode received six votes.

5. “Playtest” (Season 2, Episode 3)

   Buckle up: “Playtest” fully commits to its psychological horror genre with horrific imagery and sinister intents. Starring Wyatt Russell as the lead protagonist, Cooper, the everyman signs up to test the gameplay of a new augmented reality program that uses neural data to target his greatest fears. Cooper is slowly driven into madness as he explores further levels of the game, resulting in a tragic demise. The episode is intense and strangely personal, culminating in a one-hour episode that will revisit you in your greatest nightmares.

   This episode garnered a whopping nine votes from scaredy-cats!

6. “Loch Henry” (Season 6, Episode 2)

   “Loch Henry” is a standout episode that nearly topped Decider’s ranking of the latest season. Dangerously realistic, the episode offers smart commentary on the exploitative nature and the victims of true crime obsession. Two young filmmakers Davis (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha’la Herrold) return to Davis’s hometown to make a documentary on an egg collector, but after a colorful conversation with a local bartender, they decide to pivot their focus to a local murder. The situation begins to hit close to home and the couple finds themselves in a sticky situation. While not particularly gruesome, the episode will leave you questioning those who are closest to you and the actual intent of true crime fans.

   Hitting double digits, “Loch Henry” earned a total of 13 votes.

These Black Mirror Episodes Are Also Scary…

On the Reddit thread, there were several episodes that received two votes. The following episodes might also offer a scare:

• “White Bear” (Season 2, Episode 2)
• “Fifteen Million Merits” (Season 1, Episode 2)
• “San Junipero” (Season 3, Episode 4)
• “The National Anthem” (Season 1, Episode 1)
• “Shut Up and Dance” (Season 3, Episode 3)
• “Bandersnatch” (Interactive Film)
• “Crocodile” (Season 4, Episode 3)

And then, there were episodes that received one nomination from fans. Since different things spook different folks, these episodes might also be worth a watch:

• “Black Museum” (Season 4, Episode 6)
• “USS Callister” (Season 4, Episode 1)
• “Demon 79” (Season 6, Episode 5)
• “Hated in the Nation” (Season 3, Episode 6)
• “Arkangel” (Season 4, Episode 2)
• “Be Right Back” (Season 2, Episode)
• “Mazey Day” (Season 6, Episode 4)

What Episodes of Black Mirror Are Not Scary?

Ladies, gents and others, this is a judgment-free zone! Were you perusing this list to know which episodes to skip for your spook-free viewing? Here is a list of episodes that didn’t get a single nomination:

• “The Entire History of You” (Season 3, Episode 1)
• “The Waldo Moment” (Season 2, Episode 3)
• “Nosedive” (Season 3, Episode 1)
• “Hang the DJ” (Season 4, Episode 4)
• “Metalhead” (Season 4, Episode 5)
• “Striking Vipers” (Season 5, Episode 1)
• “Smithereens” (Season 5, Episode 2)
• “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” (Season 5, Episode 3)
• “Joan Is Awful” (Season 6, Episode 2)

There you go, something for everybody. With this thorough breakdown of Black Mirror episodes, you’re fully prepared to organize your next binge! 

Black Mirror is currently streaming on Netflix.