10 Most Chilling Doctor Who Moments
5. The Autons Attack (Spearhead From Space)
It's incredible that the Auton policeman in Terror of the Autons earned Doctor Who a telling off from Scotland Yard, but this moment in Episode Four of Spearhead from Space got a free pass!
As the Nestene Consciousness puts its plan into place, shop window dummies burst out onto the street and begin indiscriminately gunning down morning commuters.
The unblinking plastic faces of the Autons juxtaposed with the horrified faces of the ill-fated civilians gives the scene a nightmarish quality. It's very rare that Doctor Who kills off innocent bystanders who have no connection to the overall storyline, and certainly never as coldly as this. So the horror of Spearhead's commuter carnage stands out even more – especially as the killing is so wanton and merciless.
It's a frightening sequence that still chills the blood over 50 years later. Concerns about gun crime in America and homegrown terrorism on both sides of the Atlantic means that watching a bunch of humanoid aliens massacring innocent people in the street can feel a little too close for comfort.
This is further highlighted by the fact that the modernised sequence in Rose just can't compete. Despite being filmed in a real shopping centre, everything felt a bit too constructed, and the tone felt a little more comedic.
However, the simpler location and harsh daylight in Spearhead from Space makes the sequence feel very very real.