Criminal Minds was one of the most successful crime dramas for over a decade, running for 15 seasons, and there have been recent talks of a reboot. However, it was also one of the darkest shows, with some fascinating yet disturbing moments that left a permanent mark on viewers' minds.
The brilliant and lovable characters of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit were part of what made this show so successful. However, most of the appeal for fans was the shocking and often grotesque nature of the crimes the serial killers committed.
This article contains spoilers for Criminal Minds and topics that may be disturbing for some.
10 A Serial Killer Used Blackouts As A Cover For Decades
In the season five episode "Our Darkest Hour," the BAU went to Los Angeles to investigate a series of rapes and murders during city-wide blackouts. After some sleuthing, the team discovered that this "unsub" (unknown subject), played by the iconic Tim Curry, had been committing these crimes during blackouts for almost three decades.
In general, a criminal in the dark is a naturally ingrained fear for most; therefore, it was scary that this murderer used the cover of darkness to commit his terrible crimes. Everyone should feel safe in their homes, and this creepy, disgusting man took that and much more away from his victims.
9 A Child Trapped And Killed His Classmates
In the "The Boogeyman," the team headed to a small town in Texas where young children were showing up bludgeoned to death. Initially, the agents believed the crimes were the work of a trusted adult, like a coach or a counselor.
However, they soon learned the horrible truth when they discovered 12-year-old Jeffrey Charles' dad with a victim's baseball hat. They caught the young boy just before he killed another victim, Tracy Belle. The thought of a child committing these horrific acts was so awful that this episode left a mark on most fans.
8 Two Friends Were Forced To Sacrifice The Third
"North Mammon," focused on three high school soccer players abducted from a sleepover. Kept in a bunker, one of the girls got sick, almost dying before the "unsub" could complete his plot. So instead, he told the three girls that for him to let two out, they had to pick another to sacrifice.
Not only did the young girls have to choose, but the kidnapper also gave them hammers and forced them to kill their third friend themselves. The "unsub" released the remaining girls as promised, but they would never be the same. Watching this impossible situation play out for these young girls was incredibly disturbing.
7 One Couple Abducting Kids Undetected For Years
"Mosley Lane" was the first of many directed by cast member Matthew Gray Gubler, and it stuck in viewers' minds, like most involving children. The BAU began investigating a string of years-old unsolved child abductions in public places, which led to a couple who owned a funeral home.
As the BAU closed in, the young kids banded together and killed the wife before she could put them through their crematorium, and the husband hanged himself to avoid consequences. The haunting imagery of a child being cremated and then used as rose fertilizer was enough to give some nightmares, yet it was one of the most captivating cases the BAU solved.
6 The Teacher/Student Relationship Was Disturbing Enough On Its Own
"I Love You, Tommy Brown" focused on a teacher desperate to have a child and her highly inappropriate relationship with a student. On the hunt for a baby to call her own, the "unsub" murdered parents on the emergency foster list execution-style.
She kidnapped a baby from the foster mother and convinced the young boy they would run away together and raise the child. The "unsub" who murdered parents trying to help kids was disturbing enough, but adding in a completely inappropriate and manipulative teacher/student relationship with a minor made it even worse. It was an episode many wouldn't forget.
5 Mr. Scratch Showed Hotch His Worst Nightmare
Peter Lewis, aka Mr. Scratch, was a recurring "unsub" who frequently escaped the BAU. Lewis was a proxy killer who got into ordinary people's minds and forced them to kill their loved ones. So when Hotch found him in "Mr. Scratch," he dove into the agent's mind.
Lewis forced Hotch to hallucinate and watch Mr. Scratch kill agents Rossi, Reed, and Morgan. He then tried to get Hotch to shoot his team in real life, but it was unsuccessful. Lewis continued to stalk the BAU for years, and his hands-off approach to murder, forcing innocent people to become killers, was scary. Unfortunately, he also terrorized Hotch, who had already seen too many loved ones hurt or killed.
4 Victims Became Part Of A Live Puppet Show
In "The Lesson," people were found dead in what the BAU believed to be ritualistic murders, as they had their hair dyed black and their joints dislocated. However, after a father and son went missing, the team discovered something even more sinister.
This "unsub" used live people as marionettes in puppet shows for an audience. He would break their joints and string them up to control their movements, cycling through victims until he found his perfect stars. The thought was inconceivable, and this disturbing episode, again directed by Gubler, permanently scarred viewers.
3 A Search And Rescue Team Was Unknowingly Eating The Victim
The season three installment titled "Lucky" was perhaps one of the most stomach-churning episodes. When the bodies of mutilated women with ten fingers, all belonging to different people, in their stomachs surfaced, the BAU headed to Florida. When they arrived, a search party for the latest victim, Tracey Lambert, was already in full effect.
The BAU tracked down the killer, a maniacal man nicknamed Lucky, who believed a flesh-eating demon possessed him. Lucky then revealed a dark and disturbing secret: the stew he brought to the search party contained Tracey's flesh. That fact alone was enough to make any viewer's stomach turn, and this cannibalistic serial killer haunted the BAU and fans for a long time.
2 A Sadistic Psychiatrist Used Patients' Fears To Kill Them
In "Scared to Death," the team investigated a series of murders in Portland connected to different anxiety disorders. The BAU tracked the killings to a psychiatrist who treated the victims and, via intense immersion therapy, used their biggest fears to kill them.
One victim with claustrophobia was left in a wooden chest and suffered such extreme panic attacks that she died. This episode was frightening for many reasons, one of which was the idea of therapists betraying their patients' trusts. Using victims' deepest, darkest fears to kill them was so disturbing that many viewers were left shell-shocked.
1 Haley's Death Left Many Emotionally Drained
"100" emotionally devastated viewers more than any other episode. Hotch's nemesis, George Foyet, targeted Hotch's ex-wife Haley and their son Jack, who went into Witness Protection. Foyet, one of the most interesting yet evil characters, pretended to be a WitPro agent and broke into their home, holding Haley at gunpoint.
While Hotch and the rest of the BAU raced to the home, he pled with Foyet to let his family go. Instead, Foyet shot Haley with Hotch and the team on the phone in one of the most devastating moments of the show. Viewers watched the reactions of everyone listening, and their looks of utter despair were enough to break fans' hearts. This life-changing moment for Hotch, Jack, and the rest of the team was arguably the most terrible episode of all 15 seasons.