Top 10 Creepiest & Scariest Pokemon Around
Palossand
You’ll have to pardon the preponderance of Ghost-Type Pokemon on this list, but it’s hard to deny that they really suit the theme particularly well. They have a tendency to take on the most innocuous of forms, from candles to swords and everything in between, though we’re still anxiously awaiting the debut of Hatori.
Palossand comes to be when its pre-evolved form, Sandygast, is able to possess enough people to build up its form, from a mere mound of sand into a grand castle. Once this task is complete, it will set about eating small Pokemon as it “siphons away their vital essence while they’re still alive.” Put quite simply, don’t take your Rockruff to the beach unless you’re ready for an upsetting conversation with the kids when you get back home.
As one final morbid detail, Moon adds that “buried beneath the castle are masses of dried-up bones from those whose vitality it has drained.” This conjures up all kinds of distressing imagery, like for example what happens when Palossand is lifted into the air by a Pokemon using Sky Drop. Do the bones just come raining down? Or does it land painfully on them with a sickening crunch?
We do like the seashells adorning its face, however. That’s a festive touch.
Sableye
Just one look at Sableye and you know that something is not quite right. It has the feel of an obscure extra from the Dark Crystal, and it’s always hunched over like it’s carrying a naughty little secret with it.
Most of its Pokedex entries describe its affinity for eating precious gems, which frankly sounds quite wasteful and is frightening to begin with. But of course, it does have the familiar tendency to collect a few souls as well, should the opportunity arise.
Ruby warns that “they are feared, however, because these Pokemon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness.” Nearly all of us had a fear of eyes glowing in the dark as kids, and lo and behold, Sableye also happens to moonlight as a Dementor.
Once it Mega Evolves into Mega Sableye, it looks just that little bit creepier, its crystalline eyes now a searing red as it peers out at you from behind its enormous gemstone. In this form, it boosts its defenses in exchange for suffering an abysmal speed statistic of 20. Its slow, methodical approach, eyes beaming brightly, could be the last thing you ever see.
Parasect
Though not outright scary in the “swallow your soul like a Deadite” sense as so many of the Pokemon we’ve seen, Parasect is its own little horror show that is worthy of a mention.
Its previous form, Paras, is a cute little squirt, infected by a parasitic mushroom that saps most of the nutrients from its food. Once it evolves, considered to be the highlight for most Pokemon, the mushroom grows to an enormous size and takes over the host’s brain, leaving the creature below in a zombified state.
Over the years, we have learned that the bug itself is “mostly dead,” and that “if the mushroom comes off, the bug stops moving.” If you think that this suggests that there is some sort of longterm symbiotic relationship that benefits Parasect’s lower half, think again, because “when nothing’s left to extract from the bug, the mushrooms on its back leave spores on the bug’s egg”.
That’s right, as soon as the egg is laid, the next generation is just as doomed to eternal servitude as the one that preceded it. There’s no happiness for Parasect, and there’s no glory. There is only Spore. On the plus side, though, that happens to be the best Sleep-inducing move in the metagame, so that’s a definite plus.
Lampent
As the old man laid there, dying, he requested only three things. For his beloved daughter to hold his hand, for his pipe, which he loved to clutch between his teeth as he read his books, and for his trusty companion, Lampent, to stay by his side until he passed.
He would not live to regret that last one.
We’ve talked extensively about how fragile souls are in the Pokemon world, and in the case of Lampent, not even the sweet escape of your demise can save you from its clutches. In fact, that’s when it’s at its most potent, as it “arrives near the moment of death and steals spirit from the body,” and it “hangs around hospitals waiting for people to pass on.”
Effectively, this makes Lampent the Pokemon world’s answer to Death itself, but whereas the latter is simply guiding you towards the next life, Lampent has far more dire intentions. As is noted, “the spirits it absorbs fuel its baleful fire,” so your last gasp of humanity is doomed to be burned within the wicked clutches of a sentient lamp.
There’s sure to be some symbolism of the fires of hell wrapped up in that little nugget.
Haunter
As part of the OG trio of Ghosts, Haunter is remembered fondly as being the lovable specter that taught Sabrina how to laugh again in the Pokemon anime. If you dig a little deeper, however, you’ll find that there’s more to this story than fun and giggles, and Haunter will very happily escort you into the afterlife should you let it.
There are tidbits of sinister goings on as early as Gastly, as it can purportedly “envelop an opponent of any size and cause suffocation,” and 5% of its body is made up of — you guessed it — souls. Meanwhile, getting licked by a Haunter will cause violent convulsions that will eventually result in death.
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire go so far as to warn you that “Haunter is a dangerous Pokemon. If one beckons you while floating in darkness, you must never approach it”.
It sounds like the boogeyman for crying out loud, and to extrapolate matters, it lurks within the walls as it stalks its prey. Why, there could be one skulking behind you right now, for all you know.
Good luck with that!
