This article contains mentions of murder, sexual assault, and other horrific crimes.
Years after its original series finale,Criminal Mindsremains at the forefront of the crime procedural genre. The show is arguably the most popular episodic police drama in modern history, with hordes of viewers constantly seeking newalternatives toCriminal Minds. ThoughCriminal Minds: Evolutionis already on season 3, the original series lingers as the gold standard to compare it against. From the unforgettable cast to the unsettling cases,Criminal Mindscaptured something magical that can’t be easily replicated.
Over the15 seasons ofCriminal Minds, the most iconic, and perhaps infamous, part of the show was the“unsub”(or“Unknown Subject”). Each episode began by displaying the unsub’s modus operandi as they claimed their newest victim, setting the stage for the rest of the story.The original series had over 300 episodes and over 300 unsubs to boot, but some stick out more than othersfor reasons ranging from their sickening killing style to the all-star actor that played them. For a select few, there’s no explanation other than the unsub being disturbing.
10Stanley Howard
“Scared to Death” (Season 3, Episode 3)
A psychiatrist treating people with extreme phobias, Michael O’Keefe’s Stanley Howard used his patients’ fears against them. From trapping a claustrophobic woman in a box to letting an aquaphobic man drown,Howard drew a perverse pleasure from watching people succumb to fear. What makes his abuse of power even more frightening is the reveal that he’s a husband and father, and his child is afraid of the dark. Howard could have posed a greater risk to his family were he not caught.
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Most episodes ofCriminal Mindsuse quotes as bookends to tie the episode together thematically, with iconic post-case musings being renowned as some of thebest quotes inCriminal Mindsentirely. Season 3, episode 3 begins with a quote by philosopher Lao Tzu and ends with Eleanor Roosevelt, telling the journey of how fear can be conquered, just like evil (in this case, Howard) has been before.
9Benjamin Cyrus
“Minimal Loss” (Season 4, Episode 3)
Tons of iconicCriminal Mindsepisodes are based on real cases, but“Minimal Loss”is an early and obvious example. Based on the devastating 1993 Waco siege, thisCriminal Mindsepisode followed a religious cult suddenly threatened by local law enforcement, catching agents Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) in the crosshairs. The hostage situation involving two undercover agents is still regarded as one of the best Criminal Minds episodes ever.
The hostage situation involving two undercover agents is still regarded as one of the best Criminal Minds episodes ever.
The most memorable aspect of this episode, however, was the cult’s leader, Benjamin Cyrus (Luke Perry). Cyrus was personable with a clear darkness lurking beneath the surface,a convincing cult leader and child predator. The unsub, unique to others in that he wasn’t a serial killer but a serial abuser, married and had children with a young girl who he had used religion to brainwash.
8Tobias Hankel
“The Big Game” (Season 2, Episode 14)
Tobias Hankel (James Van Der Beek) was an unsub over two episodes, haunted by his abusive father and carrying out murders in his name.Hankel’s clashing thoughts originally led the team to believe it was multiple perpetrators killing people, but Tobias reveals all three voices are him after abducting Reid and torturing him.
Aside from the dark religious persecution Tobias unleashed on innocent people, he also permanently affected Reid and Jennifer“JJ”Jareau (A.J. Cook). His stint included a majorReid-centricCriminal Mindsepisodethat traumatized the young genius and left him addicted to the narcotic drug Tobias used to numb him. Meanwhile, JJ temporarily developed a fear of dogs after being attacked by Hankel’s pack.
7John Curtis AKA The Replicator
“The Silencer” (Season 8, Episode 1)
John Curtis (Mark Hamill)used his inside knowledge as an FBI agent to kill people while perfectly mimicking the styles of past killers. Driven by a perceived betrayal, Curtis stalked the main cast ofCriminal Mindsand loomed over their investigations for most of the eighth season. Though Curtis was still employed as a member of the government, he had no issue brutalizing and mutilating innocent people.
Curtis was a rare, long-running unsub, no doubt thanks to his actor. Out of all ofMark Hamill’s roles, The Replicator is one of the darkest. TheStar Warsalum made a great impact on the show and its audience through his performance, taunting every member of the team with no remorse. His continuous work in law enforcement during his methodical killing makes him even more unsettling.
6Adam Rain
“The Lesson” (Season 8, Episode 10)
Another iconic name,retired horror legend Brad DourifofChild’s Playfame portrayed Adam Rain inCriminal Minds. Rain awakes from a coma at the start of “The Lesson” with significant brain damage, forcing him to view the world the same way he did as a child. Driven by the memory of witnessing his father’s murder, he kidnapped and made his victims into puppets to reenact the murder, a robbery gone awry.
The most disturbing part of the process is thatthe victims were alive while being used as puppets, their limbs dislocated, and their faces covered in masks. Rain lacked the professional psychiatric help he needed and dehumanized people before they died due to their injuries over and over before being caught by theCriminal Mindsprofilers.
5Sera Morrison
“All That Remains” (Season 8, Episode 14)
While many of themost memorableCriminal Mindsunsubsstand out because of their actor or unusual killing method, season 8’s Sera Morrison (Sophi Bairley) is distinct for her age.Sera Morrison was a teenage girl who murdered her own mother and sister out of jealousy. Sera appeared to be an intelligent young adult, with a stellar academic record and admission to a top university awaiting her. However, she was hiding psychopathic tendencies while plotting murder.
To shift blame, Sera abused her father by depriving him of his medication for Dissociative Identity Disorder and called in false reports of child abuse. With an eerily calm demeanor, Sera killed her younger sister and almost convinced investigators it was their father. Even during her ploy, she couldn’t pretend to mourn her sister, revealing her lack of empathy for her victim.
4George Foyet AKA The Reaper
“Omnivore” (Season 4, Episode 18)
One of the most legendary killers inCriminal Mindshistory, C. Thomas Howell’s George Foyet terrorizedthe Behavioral Analysis Unitacross multiple seasons.Foyet, known as The Reaper, loosely echoed the real-life crimes of the Zodiac Killer. He was especially cruel and derived gratification from taunting his victims as he stalked, tricked, and killed them. An early scene perfectly describes his character: he holds a gun to a person’s head and promises not to shoot them before slashing their throat with a knife.
While his violence was atrocious enough on its own, Foyet is extra frightening due to his relationship with unit chief Aaron“Hotch”Hotchner (Thomas Gibson). After 100 episodes of Criminal Minds, Foyet brutally murdered Hotch’s wife and planned to murder his young son before dying by Hotch’s hand to end The Reaper’s reign of terror.
3Anita & Roger Roycewood
“Mosley Lane” (Season 5, Episode 16)
A husband-and-wife killing team, Anita (Beth Grant) and Roger Roycewood (Bud Cort) are impossible to separate for their heinous crimes. In the infamousCriminal Mindsepisode directed by Matthew Gray Gubler,the Roycewoods abduct a child annuallyand bring them home. As the children grow, they’re murdered once they get too old or stop being docile. The couple operated for over a dozen years before eventually being stopped by the BAU.
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What’s truly horrific is how the children were killed. Anita Roycewood drugged the children and put their unconscious bodies into a crematorium. She would burn the children alive without any sense of guilt, immediately prepared to move on to the next victim. Despite being caught by the FBI, their motives remained unclear.
2Billy Flynn
“Our Darkest Hour” (Season 5, Episode 23)
Tim Curry’s run as Billy Flynn inCriminal Mindswas one for the history books. HisPrince of Darkness killerwas as nightmare-inducing as Curry’s Pennywise in Stephen King’sIt. Flynn was worse, however, because he was a real person who would attack in the dead of night.Inspired by the Night Stalker, Flynn was a notorious serial rapist and killerwho boasted over 200 victims.
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The Prince of Darkness had another signature move in that he always left someone alive to witness his crime. This horrific fact means that for every person he killed, there was at least one person traumatized after being forced to watch. Though he is eventually shot and killed by Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Billy Flynn left a lasting impression.
1Peter Lewis AKA Mr. Scratch
“Mr. Scratch” (Season 10, Episode 21)
Though manycast members leftCriminal Mindsby season 10, the remaining actors pulled no punches in later cases. Bodhi Elfman’s unsub, Peter Lewis, despite being a late entry to the series, had one of the most spine-chilling modes of operation in the show’s history. Lewis doesn’t kill at all during his major episodic run; he instead is a killer by proxy, with the actual perpetrators being unwilling accomplices to his schemes.
Lewis is one of the most disturbing killers in all police procedurals, but certainly one not to overlook inCriminal Minds.
Lewis was a genius who was scouted by the National Security Agency (NSA) after attending Harvard, but he was afflicted by memories of his defamed father.Peter Lewis would hypnotize his victims into seeing“Mr. Scratch”before compelling them to kill their loved ones. Nothing is quite as terrifying as having no control over your actions and being forced to harm the people you hold dear. Lewis is one of the most disturbing killers in all police procedurals, but certainly one not to overlook inCriminal Minds.
Criminal Minds
Cast
Criminal Minds follows an elite team of FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they analyze the nation’s most complex criminal minds, led by experienced agent David Rossi. The team works to anticipate and prevent crimes by understanding the behavior of these dangerous individuals.
