7 Terrifying Episodes Hidden In Unscary TV Shows

5. Freaky Fred - Courage The Cowardly Dog

Only '90s kids remember! Really, between streaming reruns and creepypasta-fueled revival online, fans of all ages can revisit the classic cartoons of the '90s and 2000s and thereby acquire f*cking brain damage. Apparently back in the day every cartoon was contractually required to have at least one episode of WTF nightmare fuel, presumably as some sort of conspiracy with the nightlight and rubber bedsheet industry. '90s kids and retro fans alike have been traumatized by everything from an assault on Ren’s exposed dental nerves (really) in Ren’s Toothache to Spongebob going straight-up slasher film (really! It was f*cked up!) in Graveyard Shift.

A standout in that regard was Courage the Cowardly Dog. Courage got pretty dark pretty often, using its easily frightened protagonist to explore childhood fears. In theory, that could be therapeutic!

In practice, Freaky Fred.

Freaky Fred, you see, was freaky. He liked to be… naughty. He spoke in rhyme about being… naughty. He was naughty to his fiancée in a way that got him committed to an asylum. On his vacation (there aren’t vacations from an asylum… there aren’t vacations from an asylum!) he holed up in Courage’s house, very… naughty. In a Karloff-worthy voice from Paul Schoeffler, Fred muses throughout his appearance about his desire to be… naughty with Courage. Against Courage’s will, he succeeds.

He shaves all his fur off. Fred is a barber.

Why? Were you thinking of something else?

Of course you were. You have a working subconscious. What the Hell, Cartoon Network?