RELAOne of the most iconic series to premiere as part of Cartoon Network’s all-star turn-of-the-century lineup, Courage the Cowardly Dog is one of the most beloved animated comedy-horror series of all time. Likey having inspired many of today’s hardcore horror hounds, it’s fondly remembered by many, and the show still haunts the nightmares of those who grew up during the late 90s.
Though lighthearted in many aspects, some episodes took things a bit too far. From an unhinged barber unable to control his urge to shave both people and pets to claymation jumpscares that remain every bit as terrifying as they were twenty years ago, here are fifteen of the scariest episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Update July 17th, 2021 by Tanner Fox: Set to release in September of 2021, Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog is set to introduce the pink pooch to an entirely new audience. Teaming up with Mystery Inc., fans can’t wait to see what kind of hijinks and horrors the special will have in store. While it’s unlikely to beat the scare factor of episodes like “King Ramses Curse” or “Demon In The Mattress,” it proves that the cultural relevancy of courage won’t be waning any time soon.
15 “The Quilt Club” (Season 3, Episode 12)
Many animated children’s shows played on the idea of evil and twisted older women who use crafts as an evil ploy. Courage the Cowardly Dog was no different in the episode “The Quilt Club.” Elisa and Eliza Stitch (Fram Brill) were conjoined twins who dressed like Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.
In reality, they use their quilting club as a ruse to deceive women into joining so they can physically stitch their bodies to their quilt. This way, they trap their souls forever with no way out—it’s every child’s worst nightmare about their least favorite aunt.
14 “The Clutching Foot” (Season 1, Episode 7)
This episode made fans afraid of feet for a long time. Eustace wakes up one night with an odd sensation in his left foot. His foot turns out to be swollen, purple, and with bright green pimples throughout, and, to makes matters worse, it’s growing.
Eventually, the foot fungus consumes Eustace whole and is now its own living entity with a voice and all. The episode gave fans the heeby-jeebies because of how gross Eustace’s foot was, along with the disgusting fungus gangasters.
13 The Great Fusilli (Season 1, Episode 13)
The second half of the final episode of the first season of Courage, “The Great Fusili” sees an eponymous traveling performer arrive in Nowhere who has the mysterious power to turn those who act in his shows into puppets. Fusili conscripts Eustace and Muriel into his performance, successfully transforming them.
In the end, Fusili himself is turned into a puppet, and Courage rescues Eustace and Muriel. However, things end on a grim note, as, unable to return them to their natural states, Courage must puppeteer his adoptive family in order to feign normal life.
12 “The Mask” (Season 4, Episode 7)
Not to be confused with the Jim Carry film of the same name, “The Mask” remains haunting thanks to its titular character. In the episode, Courage is awoken from a nap by a mysterious and bizarre figure dressed in a flowing white gown. What makes it creepy is the ominous mask the figure wears.
The eyes on the mask starred into fans’ souls and haunted their dreams. The figure would also repeat the mantra “dogs are evil,” over and over again. Cue the scary organ music, and it made for a chilling episode.
11 Windmill Vandals (Season 4, Episode 3)
Season 4’s “Windmill Vandals” delves into the rarely-discussed history of the Bagge family and farm. Centuries ago, the owner of the farm angered a band of Viking-like warriors by erecting a windmill. They sought to destroy it, but the farmer warded them off by carving mysterious symbols into the windmill’s blades.
However, during the episode, the windmill stops, and the now-undead vandals return to exact vengeance. It’s up to Courage to repair the windmill before the Bagge farm is totally destroyed.
10 “Courage In The Big Stinkin’ City” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Who would trust a sketchy cockroach to begin with? This episode effectively gave fans the creeps for many reasons, and one was due to the main foe called Schwick (Paul Schoeffler), a sleazy and evil cockroach who offers Courage and the family a place to stay.
The word “help” that’s written out on their dust-covered window makes matters worse. Courage has no choice but to do his bidding and opens a door to the most terrifying moment of the episode. There is a young girl playing the violin, but she then turns around and morphs into a screaming and scary claymation creature.
9 “Car Broke, Phone Yes” (Season 2, Episode 10)
In this episode, the Bagge family is visited by a secretive and mysterious entity apparently only capable of saying the phrase “car broke, phone yes?” All of a sudden, the alien entity uses a long purple tentacle to go inside Eustace’s nostrils to his brain.
He does the same to Muriel and is later revealed to be an alien brain with tentacles for a body. As silly as it sounds, the episode terrified fans and made them second guess coming to the aid of complete strangers.
8 Perfect (Season 4, Episode 13)
Released in 2002, season 4’s “Perfect” was the final episode of the Courage the Cowardly Dog series. In it, Courage is berated by an elderly school teacher for his supposed fallibilities, which leads to the poor pup enduring a series of vivid and particularly terrifying nightmares.
During these nightmares sequences, Courage envisions a warped, blue being fans have dubbed the “Bugle Monster” who whispers the phrase “you’re not perfect.” The unsettling voice and uncanny CG, along with the creature’s abrupt appearance, make for one of the scariest sequences in the series.
7 Everyone Wants To Direct (Season 1, Episode 9)
This episode sees the zombified film director Benton Terentella arrive at the Bagge residence, pretending to have an interest in using the farm as a set in his new movie. Tarantella casts Eustace and Muriel in the film, who are actually made to act out a ritual that resurrects the filmmaker’s partner who was buried under the farmhouse.
Courage saves the day by amending the film’s script, re-writing it in such a way that the two zombies must free the Bagge family and then re-bury themselves. The episode’s undead filmmakers were easily two of the freakiest characters featured in the Courage the Cowardly Dog series.
6 “King Ramses’ Curse” (Season 1, Episode 7)
One of the top episodes that people can unanimously agree they remember from their childhood as giving them the creeps was “King Ramses’ Curse.” The episode’s titular character was easily one of the creepiest villains in any episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog.
He manifests from his resting place when Eustace refuses to return his sacred tablet. The CGI image of a flowing and mystifying figure in the middle of nowhere made the hair on viewers’ arms stand up. The added effect of an echoed voice gave the scene an even eerier vibe.
5 “Demon In The Mattress” (Season 1, Episode 4)
One of the main reason’s why this episode was so scary as a kid was because, as per IMDb, the episode was inspired by the 1973 film The Exorcist. When Muriel gets possessed by an evil green spirit coming from her new mattress, she behaves similarly to Reagan from the classic horror film.
Muriel’s voice is replaced by a gruff, deep growl, and any semblance of her kind and caring personality is completely abscent. Spinning her head completely around and vomiting on Eustace, there’s no denying the similarities between this episode and The Exorcist, which is a movie most children wouldn’t be able to sit through.
4 “The House Of Discontent” (Season 2, Episode 12)
The image of a floating white human-like head permeated many children’s dreams because of this one Courage the Cowardly Dog episode. In ” The House of Discontent,” the farmland where the Bagge family resides has been bare for a long time, unable to grow crops.
The Spirit of the Harvest Moon (Fred Melamed) appears demanding the family to leave and haunts them. In the basement appears a giant white floating head with black eye sockets and a black mouth. It was the thing of children’s nightmares. The demonic spirit threatens the Bagge family in a dark and rough voice, and the live-action head clashes with the animated background in an eerie and purposefully unnatural way.
3 Queen of the Black Puddle (Season 1, Episode 9)
The first season of Courage featured some of the series most memorable frights, and the titular monster from the “Queen of the Black Puddle” episode certainly stands out. After a thunderstorm, courage discovers that a strange entity is lurking in the puddles outside of the Bagge home.
After entrancing and capturing Eustace, Courage is forced to swim into the Queen’s underwater domain and rescue him. Eustace was very rarely nice to Courage, but, after this, he hopefully had at least some small change of heart.
2 “Heads Of Beef” (Season 1, Episode 11)
After watching this episode, fans likely never looked at meat the same way. Muriel is sick in bed, so Eustace takes Courage to get a burger at a local diner. For some odd reason, the group of suspicious-looking pigs who run the restaurant doesn’t raise any red flags for Eustace.
The episode gets even more bizarre as Courage comes to the realization that the meat has the face of a customer who went through a door moments ago. Courage suspects that the diner may be serving up human meat, but that notion is fortunately disproven during the episode’s conclusion.
1 “Freaky Fred” (Season 1, Episode 4)
Courage the Cowardly Dog fans aren’t told much about Muriel, though they are treated to an unfortunate appearance from her strange newphew Fred (Paul Schoeffler). Fred freaks out anyone the minute you see him on screen. He has a certain evil and murderous persona about him. His furrowed brows, green eyes, and evil Cheshire smile will scare the wits out of anyone.
What makes Fred even scarier is that he narrates his inner monologue in an eerie tone, continually referencing all of the “naughty” things he’s done in the apst. Fred escaped an asylum because he has an obsession with his job as a barber. He traps Courage in a bathroom and shaves him bare. The episode is inspired by Sweeney Todd, so you can guess why Fred is the way he is.
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