10 Deadliest Spells In The Harry Potter Universe

The wizarding world isn't really known for its dark side. The eight Harry Potter films and seven Harry Potter books are very clearly aimed at families and young teenagers, and as a result, the content of each entry has to maintain a certain amount of family-friendly appeal.

And that's a shame, because if you properly delve into the wizarding lore and look at the amount of evil witches and wizards J.K. Rowling's world has given us, there's a lot of darker material there that would've been interesting to explore a little more.

From Bellatrix Lestrange torturing Neville Longbottom's parents to the point of insanity to Fenrir Greyback munching on magical children and turning them into werewolves, the Harry Potter universe is packed to the brim with some pretty brutal stuff.

And chief among it all are the spells - the incantations that can maim, destroy, disintegrate and even kill. We never got to witness any truly savage acts throughout the Harry Potter novels and subsequent film adaptations, but if the following few curses are any indication, the characters were more than capable of it.

Here are 10 of the deadliest spells in the Harry Potter universe...

What does it do? Shoots out a snake from the tip of the caster's wand. Indiana Jones's worst nightmare.

Nobody really likes Draco Malfoy - he's arrogant, selfish and a bit of an a-hole. And as if we needed more evidence of this, our feelings were reaffirmed considerably in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when he cast Serpensortia, and fired a live snake into a room full of inexperienced children.

Who does that?! Luckily for the vast amount of students present, the snake was quickly dispatched by Severus Snape and no harm befell anyone. But on another day, the outcome could've been much worse; Serpensortia is meant to be an offensive spell, and that means the animals it conjures are primed and ready to strike.

And while the snake would prove to be no trouble for wizards like Snape, it would almost certainly be deadly to a less-skilled opponent, or an unaware opponent. In an all-out battle Serpensortia wouldn't be the wisest choice, but for a stealthier, lower-key attack on an unsuspecting enemy, it's as good an option as any.