6. Billy on a Rampage
Season 3 Episode 4 “The Sauna Test”
Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) is young, bad, and dangerous as hell. We know this because we’ve seen some of his uniquely brutal reactions by this point in the series, but when Billy gets possessed by the Mind Flayer, the kids have to trap him in a sauna to confirm just how dangerous he is. We soon find out when he snaps and gives us one of the show’s most distressing moments. Shifting from pleading to a violent rage in a heartbeat, he smashes through the sauna door with terrifying superhuman strength. The claustrophobic atmosphere of Billy’s test, combined with his innate unpredictability, has this season three moment dialing our fear up to eleven.
5. Joyce and the Demogorgon
Season 1 Episode 2 “The Weirdo on Maple Street”
One of the most successful tactics in the horror genre is to keep your monster hidden for as long as possible. An unseen threat is way more effective than one you can actually physically process, and season one experiments with this tactic by having Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) come very close to real contact with the Demogorgon in the perceived safety of her home. As her wallpaper bulges and ripples and the Demogorgon stretches reality, Joyce understands that something is nearly breaking through from the Upside Down, and that, really, she’s not safe anywhere. And neither are we.
4. Shadow Monster
Season 2 Episode 3 “The Pollywog”
In one of season two’s rather rare standout moments, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) encounters part of his monster in a field after glomming onto advice from his mom’s new boyfriend, Bob, who thinks he should confront it. The monster appears to him as a swirling black smoke tendril (if you’re a Lost fan, you know how deadly that can be!) and then envelops him, entering his body as he screams.
