The Pokemon games are generally made to be family-friendly and aimed largely at children. But, some really spooky things are brought to light in every generation since the very first games. In a world where Ghost-Type Pokemon run amok and human ghosts haunt mansions and abandoned office buildings, one would need a Silph Scope to see how terrifying the Pokemon games can really be at times.

While the in-universe science behind Pokedex entries is dubious at best, it’s the only insight players get into the personalities and feel for their favorite pocket monsters. These are some of the creepiest Pokemon based on their Pokedex entries.

Updated August 5, 2022 by Stephen LaGioia: As time goes on and a growing roster of Pocket Monsters make their way to the fold, more are noticing just how scary some of them can be. Even when looking beyond the usual suspects of the ominous Ghost and Dark-Types, there are a number of creatures that can present an unsettlingly odd, eerie aura, especially when looking into some of their Dex entries.

One need only look at the crude Ghost-fish Basculegion from 2022’s Pokemon Legends for a recent example; a ferocious salmon that’s a conglomerate of several restless spirits. And with so many Pokemon that come with some unsettling qualities, it seemed time to revisit this list of some of the scariest Pokemon fans may have neglected.

17 Chandelure

One would expect a Ghost/Fire-Type combo to make for a pretty daunting Pokemon. Yet Chandelure is particularly spooky and intimidating. This flailing monster is able to drain the life force right out of its victims, like a soul-sucking demon. It’s been described as “burning opponents’ spirits rather than bodies; a rather intense concept to ponder.

The purple flames and haunting, lifeless eyes only add to the chilling nature of this strange anthropomorphic chandelier.

16 Dragapult

This predatory reptilian Pokemon from Gen 8 is fairly strong, but also jarringly fast. These qualities and its intimidating Dragon-Ghost combo only add to its creepy image, with its intense yellow eyes, protruding head spikes, and whipping ghost tail.

Added to this is the fact that the swift beast can use its unevolved kin Dreepy as missiles from its triangular head, which he does with an almost unsettling excitement.

15 Gourgeist

This plant-based Ghost from Gen 6 is unique in its ominous aura and jack-o-lantern lower end, which gives way to a ghostly top half. Mischievous and often evil, these spooky apparitions drift about the streets when it’s particularly dark and moonless, singing chilling melodies to spook listeners. They wrap up their helpless prey in their vine-like arms, enjoying the process of this prolonged strangling.

But that’s not all—legend has it that the ghastly sounds that call from Gourgeist are the cries and howls of suffering souls in the afterlife. When it comes to grim, intense Poke-lore, it’s hard to top Gourgeist.

14 Guzzlord

This Dark/Dragon-Type strikes an intimidating appearance to say the least. The Ultra Beast from Gen 7 can utterly overwhelm and terrify opponents with its huge presence, sharp teeth, and gluttonous ways. The Pokemon is an embodiment of a shark-like monster fused with a black hole, consuming all in its wake.

Fans of the psychological horror-adventure Eternal Darknessclaim that this beast may be inspired by the dark god-like ancient being in that game, Chattur’gha, as it’s somewhat similar in appearance.

13 Gengar

As the first fully evolved Ghost-Type Pokemon in the franchise, Gengar holds an irreplaceable part in people’s minds and hearts as one of the most dangerous pocket monsters for battle and lore-related reasons.

Not only can they obliterate many opponents with powerful special attacks like Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave, but, according to multiple Pokedex entries, Gengars are also said to enjoy stalking people while disguised as their shadow and will possibly lay a curse upon unsuspecting victims.

12 Drowzee

Based on the Japanese myth about a supernatural creature called a Baku which consumes the dreams of sleeping people, Drowzee represents their origin by performing similar feats. It is mentioned in multiple Pokedex entries that this Psychic-Type Pokemon is not picky about whether it eats good dreams or nightmares, however.

It also disturbingly seems to favor the nightly thoughts of children as Drowzees apparently find them to be tastier. This yellow tapir-like monster also eats dreams in a terrifying and bizarre way; it stands above a sleeping victim and will suck the dreams out through a person’s nostrils.

11 Mawile

Also based on creepy Japanese folklore, like many others on this list, is Mawile, which originates from the mythical monster known as a futakuchi-onna, a woman with a hungry mouth upon the back of their neck.

From the front, this Pokemon looks quite friendly, though, don’t get too close as its rear maw full of massive teeth can chomp down on foes to deal huge damage. Even more intimidatingly, when Mawile mega-evolves, it gets another hideous mouth to ravage victims with.

10 Drifloon

Imagine being a simple-minded child, setting out on an adventure to be the very best (like no one ever was), and carelessly grab a balloon that’s just floating in the air. It abruptly lifts that person, and they float off, never to be seen again.

But, that’s not all. Drifloon’s Pokedex entry for Pokemon Ultra Sun makes it even worse. “Its round body is stuffed with souls and expands each time it leads someone away.” Indeed, those who have seen this large, peculiar Pokemon know that it has carried away the lives of many victims young and old.

9 Yamask

While some Pokemon just embody the Ghost-Type, Yamask might just legitimately be a real ghost. The mask that it carries is supposedly the face it had when it was both human and alive. If they see the mask, they begin to cry. According to the Pokemon Omega Ruby entry of the Pokedex, they “each retain memories of its former life”.

Nothing is stopping them from being vengeful or holding a “Grudge” (which happens to be an attack it learns). One would do well not to make enemies in the Pokemon world, because they may come back to life as a Yamask and “Curse” or “Hex” a target (both of which also happen to be learnable moves).

8 Sandygast And Palossand

The Pokemon Sun Dex entry for Sandygast mentions they’re “born from a sand mound playfully built by a child, this Pokemon embodies the grudges of the departed.” Meanwhile, the Pokemon Moon entry explains that “it takes control of anyone who puts a hand in its mouth. And so it adds to the accumulation of its sand-mound body.”

This means that any Sandygast can be born from any sandcastle and and those that get bit become absorbed into it. This makes beach trips potentially terrifying in the world of Pokemon. Palossand, which is the evolution of Sandygast, drags Pokemon to their deaths and devours their targets even more aggressively.

7 Cubone

No lineup of creepy Pokemon is complete without featuring one that wears the skull of their dead mothers. So, it’s perhaps best to get Cubone out of the way here as they have a very complicated relationship with fans.

On one hand, it’s adorable and evolves into the powerful Marowak (or the even more potent Alolan Marowak). On the other hand, one has to wonder if it personally pried the skull off of its mother’s corpse or waited for the local Mandibuzz population to feed off it first. And does it happen to be born with a bone in its hand or does it take it as an extra farewell souvenir from its mother? One can’t help but wonder…

6 Spoink

Spoink is the living incarnation of the old Keanu Reeves movie, Speed. Stop moving and see one’s life come to a halt. The most thorough Pokedex entry about this comes from Pokemon Omega Ruby. “Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing—if it stops, its heart will stop.”

This means that, from birth, Spoink is constantly on the move. Imagine a world where an animal comes directly out of the egg and has to start bouncing on its tail or it will perish. It’s a rather cruel and brutal fate, to say the least.

5 Mimikyu

There’s an old thought process in horror movies that not getting to see the monster makes it more terrifying. No one knows what Mimikyu actually looks like under its handmade costume, but it’s supposedly horrifying. The appearance is left to one’s imagination, which can be scarier than any precrafted image.

And what’s spookier, those who gaze upon it will perish. According to the Pokemon Ultra Moon Pokedex entry, “a gust of wind revealed what hides under this Pokémon’s rag to a passing Trainer, who went home and died painfully that very night.” The Pokemon Sun entry confirms a second kill to this cute, but deadly Pokemon: “A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock.”

4 Banette

Banette might be the plot of Toy Story 2 in Pokemon form. According to Pokemon Black, it’s a “doll that became a Pokémon over its grudge from being junked. It seeks the child that disowned it.” While Yamask is mentioned earlier as having that potential, Banette is outright looking for revenge.

While it was just a discarded plush doll, it has made itself into a voodoo doll by pushing pins into itself, according to Pokemon Omega Ruby. This allows this doll of hatred to generate curses even better on the child that discarded it, which is just disturbing.

3 Shedinja

When real-life insects shed their exoskeletons, they leave a haunting shadow of what once was, frozen in time. When a Nincada evolves and sheds its skin, it (similarly) leaves behind a Shedinja. In a world where plush dolls and sandcastles sometimes come to life, it’s no wonder that the discarded shell of a bug might do the same.

It doesn’t move or breathe, nor does it fly using its completely still wings. But, it does float in the air, unprompted. This entirely empty shell has no science behind what makes it tick. In fact, trying to look inside to see the hollowness will allow Shedinja to steal one’s soul! It’s best to not look inside it…

2 Parasect

Parasect can be considered creepy in its own unique way—given that it’s based on a creepy scenario that happens in real life. Without getting too much into the science, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is known as the zombie-ant fungus. It takes over a host carpenter ant and grows inside it, taking over its mind and telling it to head to an optimal spot for it to grow.

Eventually, the fungus sprouts out of the ant’s head and allows it to release spores to keep the cycle going. That pretty much sums up Parasect; a fungus zombie that wants to spawn other fungus zombies. Look into its dead, soulless white eyes and know that Nintendo likely wants fans to forget about how terrifying it really is.

1 Froslass

Froslass may not seem too creepy at first glance. She’s classy; elegant even. Don’t let her looks decieve, though. She’s a Dawn Stone-cold killer—pun intended. Froslass is based on the old Japanese ghost legend of Yuki-onna. According to multiple Pokedex entries, whatever body Frosslass has might just be hollow—but that’s not even the creepy part.

She apparently freezes her victims in ice, surely killing them, only to keep them as decorations in her home. In the Pokemon Moon and Ultra Sun entries, players learn that its favorite food is the “souls of men”, but only if they’re handsome. Finally, Ultra Sun gives a dire warning: “It’s said that on nights of terrible blizzards, it comes down to human settlements. If you hear it knocking at your door, do not open it!”

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