The Most Terrifying Moments On 'The O.C.'

OK, maybe it’s because of the distinct lack of vampires, but among the myriad of teen melodramas, The O.C. isn’t really known for its horror credentials or any stand-out Halloween episodes. In fact, you may be looking at the headline and scratching your head because The O.C . wasn’t even very fall friendly; why would a bunch of sun-kissed California kids care about changing leaves and cozy knit sweaters? However, the big secret is that, with the series’ amped up intensity, there are plenty of fear-inducing moments in The O.C. , ones that keep you up at night to this day.

And again, how is this possible? As the ultimate teen soap, The O.C. dedicated plenty of time to the young, rich, troubled, beautiful ... and the Cohen family. It also had no qualms about killing off its characters, or at least putting them in incredibly risky situations that would have your heart pounding. So, yeah, you’d get your adorable pop culture references, your Seth Cohen sass, your love triangles, and so on, but it came with the price of character paranoia. I mean, not Games of Thrones character paranoia, but, you know, a growing concern nonetheless.

So, if you want to relieve some of the scariest points of the early 2000s this Halloween, look no further than the following O.C. moments.

1. When Ryan Gets Cornered In The Model Home By Luke And Then It Sets On Fire, And You're Just Like, "OMG"

That confrontation is super tense from the get-go, and then they start wrestling as the embers emerge. And it isn't a drop-a-cigarette-on-your-college-dorm-carpet fire; it is a straight-up disco inferno.

2. When Vampire Diaries Guy Pulls A Gun On Luke At A Party And You're Just Like, "OMG"

This is what happens when Ryan tries to befriend a fellow bad boy. Things go from 0 to 100 real quick. Not all of us can have a heart of gold underneath that tank top, babe.

3. When They Discover Marissa And It Seems Like She’s Dead In Tijuana And You’re Just Like, "OMG"

At the time, you were only calmed by the thought that they wouldn't kill a main character, they would never kill a main character.

4. When Oliver Trask Is Introduced And "You Come In Burned" Plays And You’re Just Like, "OMG"

This moment is a bit more low-key than other entrées on this list, yet still so worthy of the nod. When Oliver is introduced in Marissa's psychiatrist's office, he too calmly puts an understandably anxious Marissa through a line of questioning, culminating in "What's wrong with you?" With the underplayed warbling music in the background and their bizarre interaction, you know on a soul level that "Oh, this isn't the last we'll see of him." You're also pretty convinced that "Oh, this guy totally wants to murder Marissa and wear her as a skin suit."

5. When, Like Clockwork, Oliver Holds Marissa At Gunpoint And You’re Like, "OMG"

It's so horrifying that Marissa shows up with trauma bangs in the next episode.

6. When Marissa Has A Full Scale Meltdown Poolside And You're Like, "OMG"

She screams like a bikini clad banshee, and then throws a lounge chair in the water. Julie understandably looks very, very concerned.

7. When Kirsten Gets Into A Car Accident And You're Like, "OMG"

First of all, she's drunk driving, which can only mean bad things, even though fans are fairly certain that the show would never kill off a main character, I mean, even though losing Caleb was a hit. Then, she nearly gets into an accident, and viewers are palpably concerned for a half second, before she straight up gets mowed down by an 18-wheeler. Dude, it's pretty hard to bounce back from that, yet she only gets, what, a few bruises?

8. When Julie Almost Poisons Caleb To Death, But Then She's Like "Nah, Better Not" And Then Caleb Gets A Heart Attack And Dies Anyway And You're Just Like, "OMG"

The music and romantic junior prom feelings surrounding this incident make it feel a lot more sad than scary, until you think this over for a second: Julie Cooper almost killed a guy. She almost went from a campy MILF to a black widow real quick, and had she gone through with it, Murderer Julie would've added a whole new darkness to the show. Thank god she didn't go through with it, and extra points for the convenient heart attack that occurs instead.

9. When Trey Got Shot And The Blood Was Coming Out Of His Mouth And You’re Just Like, "OMG"

I think a decade of internet memes and the melodramatic use of Imogen Heap really make it hard to take this scene seriously in modern times. However, I am still eternally freaked out when Trey gets all bloody-mouthed. It is not a good look.

10. When Johnny Is Wasted On A Cliff And It’s Looking Like He Might Fall Off And You’re Just Like, "This Character Is Thoroughly Disposable But OMG"

It's more nerve-wracking because of the situation, and you're also pretty sure he might end up OK. Hard no, though.

11. When Volchok Ends Up Committing Vehicular Homicide And You're Just Like, "OMG, STAHP"

Fans know that death is officially fair game on the show, and that Marissa might even be in serious danger. This scene, though, with Ryan and Marissa getting slammed by her angry ex, is no less of an anxiety festival. And while the fiery follow-up leans towards "heart-wrenching," this might be the scariest thing to happen on the show because, from that point forward, no one is safe.

12. When There's An Earthquake And You're Just Like, "OMG"

Dude, what if I lose Seth Cohen? What if Ryan goes to join Marissa? What if — oh, no, wait, JK, everyone's fine.

I need a moment, you guys, because I'm terrified all over again. And you thought The O.C. wasn't scary.

Images: Warner Bros. Television; Giphy (11)