10 Terrifying Batman: The Animated Series Episodes That Gave You Nightmares

Batman: The Animated Series spoiled an entire generation. A more mature show, it was a brilliant amalgam of what had worked for the live-action Batman movies in the preceding years and what could be generously considered a children's show. The art style was dark, even drawn on black backgrounds, and the writing did not hide the fact that Batman was a very dark concept.

Criminals would use firearms that looked and sounded like actual guns, characters were actually put in harm's way with blood and even death occurring on more than one occasion, and there were some very intense themes to boot.

In short, this was a children's show unlike any before it, and that meant there were times the series would stray into genuinely scary territory, for both the young and old.

With creepy clay-men and terrifying tales that would pass for horror, here are the most unnerving episodes from BTAS...

Werewolves are scary, plain and simple. When done properly, they can be absolutely petrifying and this just so happens to be one of those times. It begins with the classic "man walking his dog alone" trope to introduce the Wolf Man in a violent and primal way, though Batman does come in and an all-too-standard fight scene ensues.

One of the benefits of animation is that the transformation sequences aren't hindered by budget, for the most part, and the censors are a bit more lenient about showing it. When Romulus the Wolf Man first transforms, the screams and horror - shown both in the shadows and straight to camera - is frightening in an old school monster movie way.

While the quality of the episode itself has placed it on several worst lists, the Len Wein penned script brings a good, if standard, Universal-esque horror feeling to the series.