The great thing about Love, Death, + Robots is the wide range of its storytelling capabilities. Variety of animation side, its stories range from hilariously silly to action-packed. However, what the series probably does best is create terrifying tales that stretch the imagination.
Some contain soldiers. Others merely scour the depths of space for alien encounters straight out of our nightmares. Either way, Love, Death, + Robots does not shy away from bringing terror through animation. It embraces as much blood, gore, and violence as it can. Here’s a list of some of the top episodes that embrace all things horror.
10 Pop Squad
Pop Squad is a unique entry on this list as its scariness isn’t derived from some creature or horror from beyond. Instead, it’s scary because of the situation humanity finds itself in the future. It’s essentially a “what if?” story that asks, “what if humans found a way to prevent themselves from aging?” The answer is that humanity bans humans from also giving birth.
After all, resources are scarce, and population growth would drain them all if humans were immortal. Unfortunately, this means that any babies born are illegal and need to be executed. It’s a very scary thought.
9 Swarm
It’s funny how many stories have fun and loving aliens. The truth is that aliens in the depths of space have probably evolved to be absolutely horrifying creatures. As one of the show’s best, Swarm embraces this idea by imagining a sort of hive-mind creature that assimilates other species into its colony.
Of course, humans can’t resist exploiting this being for their own purposes. Unfortunately, the swarm has been around for millions of years before humanity even existed, and it will continue to exist long after humans are gone. Even if that means assimilating them too.
8 Sucker Of Souls
For all the crazy sci-fi settings and characters that this series often portrays, sometimes it’s best just to go back to the classics. This episode features a fairly rudimentary plot that involves explorers uncovering the tomb of Dracula.
They then have to escape the monster through narrow passageways and monstrous encounters. What makes the episode stand out is its fairly simple and almost childlike animation. It gives the episode a softer tone that is a startling contrast to its horror and nightmarish situation.
7 All Through The House
This episode is a unique entry on this list as it also has elements of comedy. The basic premise is that two children try to stay up late on Christmas to catch a peek at Santa Claus delivering the best presents. Unfortunately, their midnight intruder isn’t Santa Claus at all.
It’s actually a monster eager to kill them. The episode embraces the Christmas spirit and is so over the top that it actually can generate a few laughs. Unfortunately, the monster is so horrific that it’s hard not to view it as scary too.
6 Life Hutch
Life Hutch might have the most simple and straightforward premise of all. But that doesn’t mean it can’t generate suspense and danger. The idea is that an astronaut crash lands and needs to seek help. Unfortunately, he stumbles upon a robotic creature that wants to eliminate his presence.
What makes the episode so scary is the tense atmosphere around the confrontation. The astronaut is desperate to be saved, to the last thing he wants to do is have to deal with this enemy that is set to kill him at a moment’s notice.
5 Shape-Shifters
Werewolves as soldiers. That’s the idea behind this episode. It’s as simple as that. And yet, it manages to capture so many nuances about the situation that it’s hard not to get sucked into this world and its characters. Of course, the horrors of war are well documented, and they are on full display here.
Like a true horror video game, the scariness in this episode comes from the monsters that emerge when the sun goes down. In terms of werewolves, fiction has depicted them in many different ways. This episode does not shy away from their violent tendencies.
4 The Secret War
There’s something about the show’s depiction of the Soviet Union that emanates horror. The place is so dark and cold that its soldiers often reflect that. It becomes doubly as terrifying when the forest wilderness and black magic are thrown into the mix. This story is about Soviet occultists that summon demonic creatures to control.
As things usually go, the situation gets out of hand and Soviet soldiers are tasked with rectifying the mistake. In addition to a story about action and horror, it’s also a poignant tale that shows how the search for power can often lead to disastrous results.
3 Bad Traveling
This episode is definitely the least futuristic on the list, choosing to lean more into fantasy than science fiction similar to a pirate video game. The episode starts off with terror right off the bat as a giant crab monster attacks a ship of sailors.
The crab takes residence inside the ship’s hull and makes a deal with one of the sailors to take it to an island in exchange for their lives. The suspenseful horror of an epic story takes off from there, as the sailors turn on each other in order to keep the monster fed.
2 In Vaulted Halls Entombed
This episode has the perfect combination of warfare action and cosmic horror, which would make it a great video game. The basic premise is that a group of modern soldiers enter a cave that is actually a prison for a large and unthinkable monster. First, the soldiers encounter strange robotic creations, most likely guardians of the prison.
Things then take a horrific turn when the monster is revealed. It takes after Lovecraft, with the ability to induce insanity in its victims. The episode ultimately ends as the soldier chooses to cut her own eyes out rather than set the monster free.
1 Beyond The Aquila Rift
Sometimes the scariest episodes don’t start out that way. This episode is extremely sci-fi heavy. It’s about an astronaut that is lost in space and saved up by an old lover. However, he feels something has gone amiss. The true terror of the story comes at the end when it’s revealed that the astronaut was never saved.
He crashed and landed on an isolated asteroid, home to a sentient spider creature. This creature had put the astronaut in a dreamlike hallucination in order to keep him happy and compliant. It’s a horrifying ending that stays with viewers long after it’s over.
