8 Scary Doctor Who Episodes That Will Make You Sleep No More (PHOTOS)

Doctor Who-rror

The TARDIS is set to dock on the Le Verrier Space Station this Saturday for a special episode of Doctor Who, penned by none other than Richard Lazarus himself, Mark Gatiss, who's written episodes for all the newer doctors.

His latest story, titled "Sleep No More," is inspired by the found footage genre and set during the 38th century, and it promises plenty of hair-raising scenes. We decided to look back and pick some other heart-pounding episodes from the past eight seasons.

"The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" (Season 1)

Fear Factor: This two-parter series had the Ninth Doctor him traveling to 1941 London, during the height of World War II. There, he meets a young boy (really an alien inhabiting a body) searching for his mother while wearing a gas mask that's actually fused to his face. If the image itself isn't enough to cause a deep sense of unease, the child repeatedly asked the unnerving question, “Are you my mummy?”

"The Girl in the Fireplace" (Season 2)

Fear Factor: Even clocks can't be trusted in this fairytale-like romp that has the Tenth Doctor crossing a time portal into the bedroom of a young girl named Reinette living in 18th Century France. When the Doctor realizes something unsettling ("If all the clocks are broken, why is there a ticking noise?"), he comes face-to-face with mercenary clockwork droids. Years later, the Doctor meets a grown-up Reinette (AKA Madame du Pompadour, the real-life mistress of King Louis XV) and must save her once more from being killed by the droids.

"Blink" (Season 3)

Fear Factor: You'll never close your eyes again after watching this episode, which introduced one of the Whoverse's scariest villains: the Weeping Angels, statue-like aliens that move when you’re not looking. The heroine, Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) finds herself in a dilapidated old house full of the statues, but it's only by watching messages pre-recorded on random DVDs that she hears the Doctor's now famous warning: “Whatever you do, don’t blink.”

"Midnight" (Season 4)

Fear Factor: A sightseeing trip on a space shuttle ends in horror when it becomes stranded, and an unnamed, bodiless knocks repeatedly before (somehow) possessing different inhabitants—first rendering them speechless before they mimick what others say, word for word. Eventually, the invisible creature takes over the Doctor and makes him powerless. As the rest of the travelers decide whether to kill the Doctor, it becomes clear that what's truly terrifying is human nature itself.

"Waters of Mars" (Season 4)

Fear Factor: Staying well-hydrated may not be such a good thing, as this episode points out. The Tenth Doctor arrives on a space station in Mars to learn that an intelligent and patient water-borne virus, called the Flood, has infected members, making them zombies with cracked lower jaws. The base commander ultimately orders: "Don't drink the water. Don't even touch it. Not one drop."

"Night Terrors" (Season 6)

Fear Factor: The Eleventh Doctor answers a cry for help in one of the scariest places in the universe: a child’s bedroom. Coming to his rescue, Amy, Rory and the Doctor find themselves facing real monsters in the closet that turn out to be murderous, life-sized peg dolls with empty-eyed sinister faces and giggles that give goosebumps.

"The God Complex" (Season 6)

Fear Factor: When the TARDIS lands the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory at a labyrinthian hotel, they soon realize each room contains someone’s greatest fear. Almost every person who's "checked in" to the hotel has succumbed to a catatonic death, and with a Minotaur roaming the hallways, it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds their own room. Nothing is worse than watching each character examine their beliefs before giddily saying "Praise Him!" and losing their minds.

"Listen" (Season 8)

Fear Factor: What happens when monsters under the bed...end up on the bed? The Twelfth Doctor and Clara confront a childhood fear when a mysterious creature rises and takes shape beneath the blanket in young Danny Pink's bedroom. Things get spine-chilling when the Doctor confesses he's also paralyzed with fear by the unknown creature. And even more alarming: the Doctor never learns what (or who) is hiding under the covers.