10 Most Terrifying Moments From HBO's Chernobyl

While it’s taking the second place position here, the scene where the three men drain the basement of Chernobyl to prevent further disaster is probably the show the ever got to mimicking a horror movie.

The final scene of the second episode sees three souls delve into the radioactive depths below the disastrous plant, and the show makes clear in no uncertain terms that this may be a fatal mission.

The crowd of potential divers are reluctant to risk their lives, but Shcherbina’s ‘you will do it because it has to be done’ is enough to stir them into action.

Once down there, the Geiger counters begin to first click, then screech incessantly as the invisible radiation engulfs them. The batteries in the torches get fried too, and the men are left scrambling in the toxic water.

With each banshee click of the counter, with each footstep, it feels like we’re witnessing three men amble ever closer to their own deaths.

Thankfully, the factual information revealed at the end of the series includes confirmation that despite their widely reported deaths, all three men survived, with two still alive to this day, which is a huge relief.