The Legend of Zelda series has been host to a great variety of enemies and monsters. Some appear as goofy cartoon characters while others are the terrifying creations of nightmares. These unsettling monsters have become staples of the series and often are fan-favorites as well. So, let’s celebrate the spookiest month of the year by looking at 10 of the spookiest enemies from The Legend of Zelda! The enemies on this list are in no particular order and are either common enemies or mini-bosses.

10. Redeads

Even though the ReDeads only make a few appearances throughout The Legend of Zelda, they are one of the series’ most iconic enemies. This is because every player who encounters one of these zombie-like creatures will never forget them. When left alone, a ReDead will remain eerily still, gazing into the void through its empty eyes. If anyone approaches the beast, however, it springs to life and lets out an ear-shattering screech that will freeze all life in place.

ReDeads first appeared in Ocarina of Time, where they acted as a way of telling the player the game is not messing around anymore. A swarm of these beasts awaits Link right after he turns into an adult, showing that the fun adventure is over, and it’s time to get serious. ReDeads also notably appeared in The Wind Waker, where they are found in places like the Earth Temple and let out a screech even worse than in Ocarina of Time.

9. Death Armos

Despite most of its assets being borrowed straight from Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask has a few original enemy designs that match the game’s dark tone. One of these enemies is the frightening Death Armos, which can be found in the Stone Tower Temple. With a sword and shield, this variation of the classic Armos enemy will chase Link all over a room while dealing massive amounts of damage. The bird beak, bull horns, and knights’ armor might seem like an odd combination, but that does not stop it from being well beyond creepy.

What makes these statues scary, however, is that they are almost indestructible. The only way to defeat a Death Armos is to hit the emblem on their chest with a Light Arrow and then let them continue to attack and hurt themselves. Light Arrows take up a lot of magic, and the high speeds of the Armos make them hard to hit. So, it is likely that a player will run out of magic while battling multiple Death Armos. And even after one is hit, players must avoid oncoming attacks until it finally falls.

8. Dead Hands

After almost an entire game of wondering what is under the well of Kakariko Village, the answer does not disappoint. This horrifying, blood-stained, beast with endless hands was more than likely the cause of nightmares for many players. When first entering Dead Hand’s lair, Link is greeted with a host of hands coming out of the floor. If Link approaches a hand, he will quickly find out these hands are a larger part of a whole, as the hand will grab Link, prompting the beast to reveal itself.

If a player thought that things were going to be lighthearted after returning to the child era of Ocarina of Time, boy, were they wrong. Why was Ocarina of Time rated E in America again? Dead Hand is truly a remarkable sight, and those who do witness better hope the Goddess of Courage is with them.

7. Wallmasters

Originating from 1986s’ The Legend of Zelda, Wallmasters have remained a constant throughout the series. Each time, these freakish boney, floating hands are the bane of Link’s existence. In earlier games, such as A Link to the Past or Link’s Awakening, Wallmasters float out of the wall and stalk Link around the room. In Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, they hid in the ceiling while their shadow follows you around, then they drop down to attack.

The amount of anxiety caused by seeing the shadow of a lone hand fall over Link is stunning. It is the type of anxiety that makes a player want to freeze in place, but doing so leaves them vulnerable to being sent back to the beginning of the temple. Wallmasters might look spooky on their own, but some can create fear before even being spotted.

6. Gibdos

A close cousin to the ReDead, Gibdos are another reoccurring enemy in the Zelda franchise. Originally, these enemies were mummy-like reskins of ReDeads, but Twilight Princess got creative when reintroducing the classic enemy. Now in freaky realism, Gibdos drag around a claymore, searching the darkest corners of Hyrule for something to attack.

Much like a ReDead, if something does enter their territory, the Gibdos will let out an ear-piercing scream to freeze adventures and then swing their sword to deal a whole heart’s worth of damage. Even though these Gibdos generally show more intelligence than ReDeads, they are extremely slow and very inaccurate with their swords.

5. Guardians

The Guardian is a mechanical nightmare that towers above Link. Corrupted by the Malice of Calamity Ganon, the Guardians scour the fields of Hyrule looking for any sign of Hylian life to target and attack with extreme precision. A single misstep in a tangle with one of these will cost Link a handful of hearts in a second. If a player hears that iconic piano rift start to play, they better be pressing that sprint button and getting ready to dodge. That is right, this enemy is so scary that it warrants its own theme song.

Visually ominous, insanely smart, frustratingly accurate, and able to defeat Link in a split second, the Guardian works its way into the fans’ hearts — and nightmares — as one of Zelda’s scariest enemies.

4. Achemans

Generally speaking, older Zelda enemies are not that frightening. There might be the enemy here or there that stands out, but either the graphics don’t do the enemy justice, or the creature looks so cartoonish and comical that any spookiness is removed. Then there is Zelda II, where every monster looks like something out of a Zelda creepy-pasta. This includes the Achemans, who can stand up to the scariest of all enemies.

These red, vampiric creatures fly around the stage like a bat before transforming into its larger, demon-like form to breathe fire at the player. When they are in their bat form, Achemans are extremely hard to hit, and when they are in the demon form, they can use powerful attacks. A fire-breathing demon that can turn into a bat? Maybe we should let Zelda continue her nap, surely the return of Ganon can’t be any worse than an Acheman.

3. Phantoms

Stealth missions always elicit a sense of anxiety and fear in players. And a stealth mission with giant, undefeatable, terrifying knight creatures? Yeah, that’s definitely going to leave players panicking as they run from safe zone to safe zone. There is not much to the Phantoms that reside in the Temple of the Ocean King or Tower of the Spirits.

They are living suits of armor that protect their temples without fault. The patrol around the empty rooms of each dungeon, waiting and listening for an intruder. They are perfect bodyguards, or in other words, perfect nightmares. A regular sword can only briefly stun a Phantom with a blow to the back, offering little time to find shelter. Strong, silent, smart, and nearly invincible, Phantoms are an unearthly force that Link probably wants to avoid.

2. Cursed Bokoblins

Bokoblins are one of the most recurring enemies in the Zelda series. These pig-like creatures are pretty easy to defeat and are cartoonish in design, which makes them extremely unintimidating. The Ancient Cistern from Skyward Sword, however, introduced a new variety that will send shivers down a spine.

The Cursed Bokoblin is a zombie version of Skyward Sword’s most common enemy. Their body is decaying, their eyes glow yellow, and they latch onto Link and choke him to death in the same style as a ReDead. They mindlessly attack Link and are easy to defeat, but they are chilling nonetheless.

1. Death Sword

Once again returning to Twilight Princess, but this time with the Arbiter’s Grounds mini-boss, Death Sword. Link enters the dark chamber in the back of the temple, where the only noise to be heard is his footsteps. In the center of the room is just the lone sword, covered in little papers that appear to be sealing away a dastardly beast. The stage has been set for the awakening of Death Sword, a terrifying mage creature with razor-sharp teeth, a beast’s head, and an ominous black cloak.

This ghostly figure moves with inhuman speed around the room, carrying his giant black sword in a single hand. Death Sword by itself is already horrifying, but when combined with the masterfully crafted atmosphere, it makes the whole experience potentially the scariest in the entire series.