9 ‘Criminal Minds’ Episodes That Still Haunt Us
Some cases stay with you long after an episode ends.
Such is the case with some of the UnSubs throughout Criminal Minds‘ 15 seasons, whether they’ve been responsible for inflicting pain on one of the members of the BAU or committed such horrifying acts against their victims, you can’t help but shudder just thinking about it.
Thanks to streaming and constant episode marathons on WEtv, fans get to relive the series anytime they want. And now is a better time than any for a catch-up or a rewatch — a revival has officially been ordered at Paramount+! Wondering where to even begin? We’re looking back at some of the more memorable investigations of the procedural drama. Scroll down for TV Insider’s picks for the most haunting cases.
Criminal Minds, Streaming Now, Seasons 1-15 on Paramount+, Seasons 1-12 on Netflix, Seasons 13-15 on Hulu
"The Boogeyman" (Season 2, Episode 6)
It’s always worse when a case involves kids. It’s downright terrifying when the UnSub is a kid. The BAU traveled to a small town to investigate the murders of children, only to find out the person responsible was a child himself. They managed to intervene just in time to save his next intended victim.
"North Mammon" (Season 2, Episode 7)
This has to be up there in terms of the most horrifying episodes of the series, considering the UnSub not only made three friends choose who among them would die, but also made them commit the murder.
"Revelations" (Season 2, Episode 15)
Every Criminal Minds fan knows the name Tobias Hankel (James Van Der Beek). The UnSub abducted and tortured — and almost killed — Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler). The team could only watch the live video until Reid himself gave them clues to his location.
"Scared to Death" (Season 3, Episode 3)
Imagine being so scared of something, you turn to a psychiatrist for treatment, only for the therapist to use those fears against you? That was what the UnSub did in this episode.
"About Face" (Season 3, Episode 6)
“Have you seen me?” The UnSub put up these “Missing” posters with his victims’ faces prior to abducting them.
"100" (Season 5, Episode 9)
While this episode might not have been as scary as others, there was something so horrifying about Hotch (Thomas Gibson) being unable to do anything as he had to listen to recurring serial killer George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell) terrorize his family and kill his ex-wife Haley (Meredith Monroe). Really, it’s hard to forget any episode with the Reaper.
"200" (Season 9, Episode 14)
It’s always worse when the victim is one of the BAU, as was the case in this milestone episode. JJ (A.J. Cook) was kidnapped and tortured, and flashbacks revealed a heartbreaking secret.
"Mr. Scratch" (Season 10, Episode 21)
Peter Lewis (Bodhi Elfman) is one of the most chilling UnSubs in the whole series, but nothing is as disturbing as when he made Hotch think he’d just watched his entire team die at the end of this episode.
"Saturday" (Season 15, Episode 4)
On what was tech analyst Penelope Garcia’s (Kirsten Vangsness) day off, one of the women in her hacking competition turned to her for help with a stalker. He’d been sending her disturbing messages online, but those (including one that read “I will gut the living hell out of you”) weren’t the worst of it. As the team discovered, he’d carved a hole out in her floor and had been living under her bed!
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