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The long-running show Supernatural has brought some of television's most haunting moments, combining horror, folklore, and dramatic storytelling in a manner that captivated viewers for 15 seasons. Although the show is full of frightening monsters, ghostly encounters, and demons from ages past, there was one episode that even surprised the actors themselves.
Jensen Ackles, who played Dean Winchester, revealed the one episode that, in his opinion, was the most harrowing of all. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ackles nodded to one scene in the show and said,
"You could be a changeling, a shapeshifter, a demon who's possessing somebody. Benders. The reason that that always kind of stuck with me as being pretty scary is because it wasn't a monster."
He added,
"It was real people. It was humans doing very bad things. (0:54) That, for me personally, could be much more real."
This it all about what the tone of the most terrifying Supernatural episode, according to him, was, and it wasn't because of the supernatural aspects, but because of its raw realism. The fear didn't stem from a ghost or a demon but from a human being. And that made all the difference in the type of fear that resonated with him.
Jensen Ackles' scariest episode choice in Supernatural
The episode Jensen Ackles spoke of was "The Benders," which appeared as Episode 15, Season 1. It broke away from the traditional creature-of-the-week format of the show and instead presented a human threat—a cannibalistic family of hunters who kidnap and murder individuals for the thrill of it. Ackles described how what made this episode genuinely terrifying was its real-world concept. There was no curse, no possession, no devil lore—only human cruelty.
Ackles said that although supernatural threats tend to possess a certain remove, because they're not of our everyday world, "The Benders" resonated differently. It was based on the type of horror that had the potential to occur anywhere. The lack of any otherworldly explanation provided a discomfiting air of realism, and as a result, it was much more frightening than the typical demon-of-the-week shows.
Why "The Benders" stood out
Perhaps the most important part of "The Benders" is that it approaches the idea of evil without any sort of mystical explanation. The villains aren't cursed or possessed—they're just individuals who make a choice to engage in awful behavior. This realistic take on horror made the episode different in the Supernatural world, where monsters typically come with some sort of explanation involving spells, ancient tomes, or mythological explanations.
Ackles pointed out that psychological horror or tales with human villains are more likely to stick in one's head.
According to Entertainment Weekly, he said,
"If I did watch more than one episode at once, it would give me really horrific nightmares. So I had to pace myself. I had to take a long time with it."
He also added,
"But the very beginning of the show had some really scary stuff. I even go back to Skin, the first episode, or the seventh episode of season one, where Dean was a shapeshifter. So you don't really know who your enemy is and who your friend is."
The uncanny setting of the rural location in this episode, along with the erratic antics of the Bender family, added to the tension. The notion that humans could be nastier than any demon or ghost was a running theme in this episode, and it's all the reason why Ackles found it so effective.
Audience reaction and critical perspective
Throughout the years, "The Benders" has been greatly mentioned by both critics and fans as one of the scariest episodes to have aired. It was praised for deviating from the usual formula of the show and providing a spooky, suspenseful plot. The deviation from the supernatural provided the audience with a glimpse into the Winchesters' battling evil that was based on human nature.
The episode also presented a narrative contrast—Sam and Dean, usually battling creatures from other worlds, were forced to rely on survival skills and quick thinking against humans with no supernatural vulnerabilities. This change in tone presented a new form of suspense that was at once unexpected and powerfully effective.
The legacy of the episode
While Supernatural is most renowned for its demons, ghosts, and apocalyptic threats, "The Benders" was a reminder that all horror doesn't have to be paranormal in origin. Sometimes the most frightening tales are the ones most grounded in reality. Jensen Ackles' response to this episode says a great deal about how powerful storytelling doesn't always involve special effects or mythological complexity.
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Years down the line, this episode still stands as a standard of grounded horror for the show. It reveals how Supernatural, even then in its infancy, wasn't hesitant to delve into other genres of fear. And that diversity is one of the reasons why the series was able to sustain its longevity and timelessness throughout the seasons.
Also read: How many seasons of Supernatural are there?
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