HBO pioneered modern pay television upon its launch on November 8, 1972, becoming the first television service offered directly to individual cable systems without traditional advertising. Because the network wasn’t beholden to sponsors’ preferences, most programming was aired without thorough editing for objectionable material. The creative minds behind the small-screen projects were allowed to include gritty subject matter featuring high amounts of violence, profanity, and sexual matter that basic cable channels were reluctant to air.
Over the years, other networks began to copy HBO’s TV-MA model, and in the age of streaming services, proper filters are nonexistent. Still, the network that started it all remained the leader in that particular department. Viewers have always known that HBO is where they are likely to be hit with the most unsettling moments. Some go overboard, leaving everyone wondering whether it was necessary, but they make for iconic TV moments.
Here are the most disturbing scenes from HBO shows.
Ralph Kills Tracee
‘The Sopranos’ Season 3, Episode 6 – “University”
Ralph, the highest earning capo in the DiMeo crime family, tries to act cool when his girlfriend Tracee, a Bada Bing dancer, insults him in front of his fellow mobsters at the strip club. A few moments later, he follows her outside, calls her a “c***-sucking slob” and promises never to help her. Tracee reacts by slapping him and making fun of his masculinity. Furious, Ralph repeatedly punches her and bashes her head against a highway guardrail before leaving her corpse lying there.
Cosa Nostra Psycho
The Sopranos has many shocking murders (including Tony strangling a former informant), but none tops Ralph killing Tracee, aware that she is carrying his child. His actions reek of senselessness and impunity. Even worse, he acts remorselessly when Tony assaults him in retaliation, arguing that he is a “made man,” hence he shouldn’t be touched. Ultimately, he gets away with murder, but Tony never forgives him for his actions. Tracee’s murder is part of the reason the mob boss doesn’t hesitate to kill the capo when the Pie-Oh-My horse incident emerges later on.
The Reactor Explosion Aftermath
‘Chernobyl’ Episode 1 – “1:23:45”
At 1:23:45 am on April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 explodes at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR. First responders mistake it for a normal fire incident. Slowly, we see blisters forming on their skin. For the firefighters who climb the roof, their faces redden and melt from radiation burns. In the control room, technicians throw up and collapse. In the morning, the camera lingers on skin peeling, people coughing blood, and body parts dissolving.
The Cruel Hand of Fate
It’s hard to believe that Chernobyl was created by the same person who wrote for the Scary Movie and Hangover franchises. Whatever one thought of Craig Mazin’s earlier brazen and not-so-sober-sided works, one could see that his creative choices meant a great deal — he knew how to create the perfect mood, comfortably sustain a style, and subversively invert several clichés. Here, his style feels a little arbitrary and somehow eccentric, but he evokes horror even better than he does in The Last of Us. What we see here isn’t sensationalism. It happened. The Chernobyl disaster is one of only two nuclear energy accidents rated at the maximum severity on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The Red Wedding
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3, Episode 9 – “The Rains of Castamere”
After breaking a marriage pact with Lord Walder Frey by marrying Talisa Maegyr instead of one of Frey’s daughters, Robb Stark arranges for his uncle Edmure Tully to marry one of Frey’s daughters as a way to repair the insult. All seems well at the wedding, only for Frey’s men to attack. Robb’s pregnant wife is repeatedly stabbed in the stomach, Robb gets shot with crossbow bolts, and a few throats get slit.
Betrayal Is Never Forgotten
Ordinarily, there tends to be nothing but merriment and bliss at weddings, so no one sees this moment coming. Each of the brutal acts causes you to clamp your eyes shut, but nothing’s more horrific than watching Robb’s pregnant wife repeatedly get stabbed in the stomach. Viewers can sense something is wrong when the band begins to play “The Rains of Castamere,” the song associated with House Lannister’s brutal victories, but it’s hard to really tell that a bloodbath is minutes away. It always seemed like Robb Stark would be the only one to pay the price for the betrayal, not his entire family. Interestingly, the sequence was based on a few real historical incidents, including the Black Dinner hosted by King James II of Scotland.
Ruby Peels Off Her Skin
‘Lovecraft Country’ Season 1, Episode 5 – “Strange Case”
After drinking a potion given to her by William, Ruby Baptiste becomes a white woman named Hillary. He decides to keep using the potion for its privileges and gets a job as an associate manager. In one instance, the potion wears off, so her white skin begins to tear in a grotesque manner. As she staggers through the apartment, blood seeps from Ruby’s flesh. She then claws until all the white skin rips away.
An Unusual Form of Ectysis
Here, we are prepared for what’s to come. True to the ever-disturbing laws of body horror, we wait for the potion to wear off. When that happens, the proceedings are so extreme that one can’t quite tell whether showrunner Misha Green is still pursuing a logical narrative or just torturing us. The moment is made even more disturbing by the camera’s stability. Every peel, splash of blood, and gasp is covered to the tiniest detail. The peeling sequence also has metaphorical value. It proves that you can never really survive long by being someone else, even if it feels good. You’ll pay a huge cost eventually. To be liberated again, you have to endure some form of pain.
Cohle in the Murder House
‘True Detective’ Season 1, Episode 8 – “Form and Void”
Louisiana State Police homicide detective Rustin “Rust” Cohle tracks serial killer Errol Childress to his estate, Carcosa. He stumbles upon a labyrinth of tunnels and is taunted by Errol to enter. As he walks in, he sees skeletons, children’s clothing, latticework, and other bizarre props. As he is distracted, Errol surprises him and stabs him in the abdomen. Thankfully, Rust’s partner, Marty, arrives in time and shoots the killer.
The Evil Eventually Falls
It’s the moment viewers had been waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint. Unlike what we ordinarily see in popular cop shows, there is a sense of cinematic thoroughness here. Errol’s creepy voice is the only sound we hear. No unnecessary music. Evil is presented as something filthy and decaying, justifying the protagonists’ choice to exterminate it. The meticulous and bizarre scene composition seems like something drawn from a Hieronymus Bosch painting, and director Cary Joji Fukunaga constructs tableaux vivants in a way that effortlessly heightens the lingering sense of artifice.
Cyril O’Reily’s Execution by Lethal Injection
‘Oz’ Season 6, Episode 8 – “Exeunt Omnes”
Cyril, the mentally impaired younger brother of the manipulative Ryan O’Reily, is sentenced to death for killing another prisoner during a boxing match. It’s obvious that he doesn’t understand his crime, but all the appeals fail. Ryan’s frantic attempts to save him on the execution date are also blocked by bureaucratic obstacles. Viewers are thus forced to watch as one brother slowly succumbs to the effects of the lethal drugs while the other watches in pain from the other side of the partition.
The Real Horrors of Capital Punishment
Several deaths happen at the Oswald State Correctional Facility across the six seasons of Oz, yet no moment accentuates life’s unfairness better than Cyril’s execution. The unfortunate development punches you, not because of the brutality, but because of the regret and lack of humanity. In addition to that, it tackles two thorny topics at once: mental health and the flaws of the justice system. Ryan wishes he had taken care of his brother, but it’s too late. Besides that, it’s sad watching a mentally challenged inmate get punished for something he did while in prison, yet the system never bothered to offer him better healthcare.
Wallace’s Death
‘The Wire’ Season 1, Episode 12 – “Cleaning Up”
Wallace (portrayed by Michael B. Jordan), the 16-year-old low-level drug dealer working for the Barksdale Organization, moves to the countryside after helping the police. When he shows up in the Pit again, Stringer Bell issues a “whacking” order, and the people tasked with it are none other than his two friends, Bodie and Poot. “I ain’t do nothing!” Wallace pleads inside the abandoned building as his voice trembles and tears run down his face. Sadly, he still gets killed.
Crime Eats All Its Children
Whilst the critics weren’t always as kind to him as they were to the other stars of The Wire, a young Michael B. Jordan was one of the most popular screen actors of his generation and would ultimately leave an indelible impression on HBO. He is incredible in this particular moment, his face accurately showing the anxiety and regret that often haunt those who find themselves in similar situations. Away from Jordan, the scene claws at you because it exposes the physical cost of street violence in the most brutal way. With a lot of life ahead of him, Wallace is forced to bow out for simply trying to do the right thing.
The Baptism
‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 1, Episode 12 – “A Return to Normalcy”
Prohibition Agent Nelson Van Alden, a zealot, forcefully decides to baptize his partner, Agent Sebso. The latter has been secretly taking bribes from bootleggers, so Van Alden convinces himself he is doing God’s will by “cleaning” the man. As the crowd sings hymns, Van Alden becomes almost possessed, keeping Sebso under the water even when he gasps for air. Unsurprisingly, the agent dies. Without any remorse, Van Alden lifts Sebso’s lifeless body and proclaims, “I have baptized him!”
Law Enforcement Officer Breaking the Law
The song, the views of nature, and Van Alden’s religious euphoria all contrast bizarrely with the act of murder. We are reminded that there are no morally superior people in the show. Even those who consider themselves holier-than-thou are capable of the worst actions. Beyond that, the murder is somewhat of a turning point. Before that, most fans had behind Van Alden, appreciating his role as a wearied and disillusioned agent maintaining a slow-motion pursuit. After what he does, there is no coming back.
Al Swearengen Kills One of His Employees
‘Deadwood’ Season 1, Episode 4 – “Here Was a Man”
The situation at Al’s saloon gets a little complicated when Trixie shoots and kills a customer who had assaulted her. Another woman, severely wounded by the same man, lies upstairs. Her suffering becomes somewhat of an inconvenience for Al, so he goes upstairs and speaks to the girl in a compassionate tone, only to smother her with a pillow.
Worst Employer of All Time
If you thought Al was scary in the more recent and memorable episodes, here he will freeze your blood to the lowest degree. His character looks as if he has Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees in his DNA, while still being an admirer of Leatherface. Despite Al’s nature, we’d expect him to be more caring to someone who has brought him a lot of money in the past. Instead, he simply discards her like she is an item, knowing he will easily replace her. We’ve seen such scenes in westerns before, but all the others don’t feel as weighty as this.
Rue’s Meltdown
‘Euphoria’ Season 2, Episode 5 – “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird”
Rue goes crazy when her mother, Leslie, confronts her about her relapse and boasts about throwing away her hidden suitcase of drugs. She starts yelling, smashing furniture, insulting everyone, and even tries to break down a door to get the suitcase back. Additionally, she lashes out at her girlfriend Jules and friend Elliot when they try to help. Sweating and shaking, Rue then storms out of the house and dangerously dodges traffic.
Say No to Drugs
If anyone ever needs a reminder of how bad drugs are, this is it. The scene authentically captures the pain and anxiety that’s often brought about by withdrawal. And Zendaya gives one hell of a performance, making the suffering feel painfully real. She suppresses her natural jauntiness, becoming a disorderly mistress of chaos. On the brighter side, one still has the feeling that, down the road, she will be back to her usual self. As viewers, we cannot help but observe her harrowing plight from a distance.
