Even for a series with pretty dated effects and occasionally overdramatic writing, Kolchak can get genuinely disturbing and uncomfortable when it wants to.
For every life she takes, it's a two-for-one deal.
- "The Zombie"
- Kolchak climbs into the back of a hearse to sew a comatose zombie's mouth shut, not knowing when it will wake up, and Kolchak having no special skills or weapons. Intercut to Mamalois chanting Kolchak's name. Then the zombie opens its eyes in mid-stitch. Kolchak screams and runs.
- "The Vampire"
- Catherine Rawlins clawing her way out of her shallow grave hands-only emerging from the dirt, while the traveler who inadvertently resurrected Rawlins looks on. All on a dark and lonely road.
- Catherine Rawling popping out, hissing at Kolchak while he explores the outside of her home.
- Rawlins in general, who doesn't act like the seductive vampire most of the time. But, rather, is a feral beast who claws and hisses.
- R.I.N.G. Uncanny Valley doesn’t even begin to describe him, and his mask and almost-human-but-not-quite mannerisms make him really creepy. By the end of the episode, though, it becomes clear he’s a Tragic Monster more than anything else.
- The climax of "Bad Medicine", where Kolchak has to face off against the Diablero in an abandoned high rise while the damn thing chants and cackles at the same time, even when he shapeshifts into animals that by all means shouldn’t be able to do that. There’s also the corpse of the dog he savaged to death, which is a rare aversion of the series’ usual Bloodless Carnage.
- In general the entire Diablero's presence, his lack of talking and imposing stature makes him all the more intimidating. Even without his powers, he's quite intimidating, Kolchak survives his first encounter with him by sheer luck that the flash from his camera stunned his eyes rendering his powers temporarily useless. Even then he's able to easily throw around police officers.
- "Horror in the Heights".
- The Rakshasha. A demon that can disguise itself as the one person you trust the most, and used this to ambush you and devour you. And while the corpses of its victims are never seen onscreen, what’s said about them makes it pretty clear their deaths were very messy. The glimpses shown of its true form are pretty damn terrifying too, especially since the costume looks really good.
- Harry and Kolchak are exploring the Indian restaurant, since Harry believes the owner is the murderer and a Nazi. Kolchak hops over a fence to look at more of the restaurant, while Harry stays behind because he’s an old man. And then Kolchak starts walking towards Harry from the front of the alley.
Harry Starman: Mr. Kolchak, what are you doing around here?
Kolchak: (calling over the fence) What are you talking about, Harry? I'm around here, not over there!
Harry: (sees the Rakshasha, in Kolchak’s form, continuing to walk towards him) MR. KOLCHAK! AAAAAH!- The rats scattered throughout the butcher shop.
- The Rakshasha devouring Officer Boxman, then turning towards Officer York with blood dripping out of its mouth.
- The implication that the Rakshasha had been killing people for a while, but had not been noticed because the conditions at Roosevelt Heights are just that bad.
- The Pére Malfait’s screaming in the climax of "The Spanish Moss Murders".
- Morris's death. He isn’t killed onscreen, he doesn’t scream, he just gets yanked away without a sound, and it takes Kolchak several seconds to register that he’s even gone.
- The Pére Malfait is creepy in general. The damn thing is always covered in shadows, it crushes its victims to death with its bare hands, and it will kill anyone that poses even a slight threat to its existence. Oh, and the longer it stays alive, the smarter it gets, since it learns to hide the bodies or anything that could connect it to the murders.
- Kolchak finding Spanish moss in his desk, and realizing the Pére Malfait is going to kill him to tie up loose ends.
- The whistling noise Kolchak hears while exploring the warehouse right before Baker appears in "Chopper".
- "Firefall":
- Frankie Marnoff taunting Ryder Bond and Kolchak by glaring at them and smirking through the church window. It gets worse when he starts doing it at night, rapping on the glass while a fire blazes behind him and he grins maniacally.
- Hell, Marnoff’s Evil Plan is terrifying. He plans to take over Bond’s life by killing everyone he holds dear or anyone that catches onto his plan so he can take over Bond’s body with no one the wiser.
- Oh, and he plans to take over Bond’s body while he sleeps. Just the idea of being harmed in your most vulnerable state is horrific, but Marnoff’s plan would essentially cause a Kill and Replace at best, and an And I Must Scream situation at worst.
- Marnoff’s victims burning to death. Not helped by the fact that the effects on the burnt corpses hold up really well.
- "The Devil's Platform":
- Senator Talbot's corpse, which is a shocking and horrific aversion of the series' usual Bloodless Carnage.
- Palmer killing his secretary by fiddling with her IV tube while she's helpless and unable to do anything but watch, causing her to have a stroke.
- "The Energy Eater"
- One victim is killed in her hospital bed, where she's strapped to a framework and in the hospital to be treated for her ailment, in a place of healing. It proves to be her doom, instead.
- The slow reveal of the invisible Matchemonedo, as Kolchak and Elkhorn assemble the IR photo plates. All that's seen of it is one gigantic eye.
- "Legacy of Terror"
- There's more than one "monster", none of the cultists have powers, and they can get and sacrifice their victims anywhere, anytime, even on a public street and despite how blatantly they're dressed. Intercut with a shadow of one of them playing the flute while the others go about their grisly business. Except for the mummy at the end, the situaton could be real life, which makes it even more nightmatrish.
- Just as the danger is averted and the mummy is back in its display case, its eyes slowly open before the episode fades to black...
