With Pokemon Sword & Shield on the horizon, we know that we’re definitely looking forward to some of the adorable critters that GameFreak has revealed so far. Wooloo? Yes. Yamper? Hell yes. However, true fans will know that underneath the cotton candy exterior of Pokemon lurks some pretty terrifying stuff. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine when you’re a Pokemon Trainer, and catching every last monster also means taming some real creepers. Just in time for Halloween, check out our list of the top 10 spookiest Pokemon (if you dare).
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Gengar
Gengar might be a bit of a predictable pick, but come on. We all remember when Gengar and Haunter spooked the pants off Ash in the original series, and honestly, what’s not to be terrified of when it comes to this purple menace. Gengar is basically 60% mouth – have you seen the size of that thing? On top of that, part of Gengar’s lore is that it was once human, which in turn compels it to try and kill other humans. What?
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Jynx
This is another pretty obvious choice. While we’ve got to admit that Jynx’s robes are pretty darn fashionable – they could easily dethrone Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh in a goth girlfriend-off – everything else about this Pokemon is just scary. The vacant expression recalls some of our most feared foes from zombie horror games. It feels like Jynx is hiding something, but that they’re either only going to tell you on your deathbed, or in the voice of the talking baby from P.T.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Mr Mime
Potentially problematic interactions with the mothers of Pokemon trainers aside, there’s something just a little creepy about Mr Mime being, well, Mr Mime. Those of us who watched Detective Pikachu are already disturbed by how this mostly fleshy-creature is actually *gulp* fuzzy. Did anyone say body horror? This is the peak of it.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Duskull
Now we’re taking it back to horror basics. We’re talking ghosts, ghouls, and well, skulls. Duskull is literally a floating skull with blazing infernos for eyes. If this isn’t something that will scare the crap out of you in a dark alley or a haunted house then honestly, you’re inhuman.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Houndoom
Houndoom is a literal, well, hound dog from Hell. Sure, it may not have three heads, but it’s definitely got the bone armor and the manacles to look right at home in one of the many circles of Hell. Houndoom shoots hellfire out of its mouth (this is basically canon), and it sounds like a burn that’s been caused by one of these bad puppers never goes away. How’s that for scary?
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Garbador
Garbador is just a huge pile of trash. Scary on its own? Not really. However, peer a little closer at this thing. It looks like the majority of its body is comprised of shiny things that look like interior design knick-knacks, and scrunched up toilet paper rolls. Now, the horrifying realization sets in. How did Garbador grow to that size? The answer’s staring you right in the trash pile: it ate a family of four and all of their belongings.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Mimikyu
Mimikyu just doesn’t look right. Sorry, everyone. Yes, it’s adorable, but at what cost? Absolutely everyone is unsettled by Mimikyu, and we’re talking other trainers and Pokemon too. This is a Ghost Pokemon whose true form once scared someone literally to death. Now, we’re glad that it never takes off its makeshift mask, because we’re not quite sure that we’re ready for that but honestly. Looking so horrifying that it literally murders another person? That’s metal and spooky as hell.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Drifloon
Now we’re doubling back to some terrifying Pokemon that are awful because, well, they do objectively reprehensible things. Don’t let the adorable look of Drifloon deceive you; we’re already on the alert since the thing appears to have no mouth. However, why this little puffball is problematic is because it abducts kids. Drifloon is solely responsible for a whole raft of Amber alerts, and that’s messed up. It lures kids in with its unassuming appearance then bam! Awful.
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Phantump
Phantump belongs in the “looks like a literal Halloween prop” camp of spooky Pokemon monsters. Forget Jack-o-lanterns. Tree stumps are in this year, especially if they’re haunted and have tiny little t-rex arms. The worst part about Phantump, however, is its lore; Phantumps are created when regular ol’ tree stumps are possessed by the spirits of kids who died in the forest. Cool! Happy Halloween!
Top 10 Spookiest Pokemon – Ditto
Well, Dittos are terrifying because they’re the most unpredictable of the lot. Also, every single Ditto form of a Pokemon has looked like some sort of horrible uncanny valley concoction that’s begging to be put out of its misery. Ditto Pikachu? Good god, come on. Ditto is the true horror game nemesis: you can never be sure of where it’s lurking, never sure of whether or not one of your allies is this cursed fiend itself. The only warning you’ll get is the flesh appearing to melt off this apparition’s bones until it stands before you in all of its purple-pink glory, stare empty and accusing. You’re next.
Now that you’ve got our list of the top 10 spookiest Pokemon to hand, do you reckon we’ve left any crowd favorites out? Sure, we could have put Haunter on there, but ghosts being scary is so last century. If you’ve been enjoying our Halloween content as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it out, check out our list of the top 10 retro horror games.
