For a detective anthology, True Detective contains some truly horrifying sequences. The first season is particularly dark, and it earned widespread acclaim for its unique blending of genres and themes. It was a detective story, but it was also a murder mystery, horror, action, drama, philosophical musing, and even, on rare occasions, a buddy cop comedy.
Many sequences were rooted in horror, and the entire show had a very foreboding atmosphere that often heralded tragedy and depravity. Some scenes were most visceral in their images and actions, others were more reserved in their horror, generating dread through dialogue and atmosphere.
The Discovery Of Lange
The initial discovery of Dora Lange wonderfully sets the tone for the rest of the series. Lange was abducted and tortured before she was killed and placed in a field. Her nude body was found in a bizarre praying position, a mysterious symbol had been drawn onto her back, and she was wearing a horrifying crown made of deer antlers. The surrounding field had also been burned, giving the entire scene a very surreal, nightmarish, and borderline Hellish atmosphere.
The Cartel Story
A perfect example of the show's ability to generate horror through dialogue is found in Cohle's cartel story. Cohle recounts to Hart some of the most gruesome methods that the Mexican cartel utilizes to torture and dispose of its victims. This includes mutilating them before watching them slowly bleed to death. Luckily, the viewer never actually sees anything that Cohle describes. But the images he conjures are more than enough to startle and frighten.
More Of Cohle's Nasty Stories
Cohle is a very pessimistic man, and he doesn't hold much faith in the human race. Part of that stems from his very violent and tragic past, as he has encountered the very worst that humanity has to offer. He tells more horrifying stories, these ones about his time as an undercover police officer. Cohle reportedly saw a man inject his infant daughter with crystal meth. He also recounts a story of a man killing his fiancée in a drug-fueled stupor, hacking her into pieces, and attempting to glue her back together.
The First Glimpse Of Reggie Ledoux
Perhaps the most indelible image of the entire series is the first glimpse of an underwear and gas mask-clad Reggie Ledoux traipsing through the woods. Cohle eerily describes the sensation of encountering Ledoux, stating, "Like a lot of dreams, there's a monster at the end of it."
The viewer is then given a startling and somewhat surreal glimpse of said monster as he walks around in his underwear wielding a machete and donning a gas mask. And with that, even the most skeptical viewers were hooked.
Rust Investigates The School
The first season of True Detective is absolutely dripping with atmosphere, and one of the most atmospheric sequences involves Rust investigating an abandoned school. The school itself is horrifying, as it's been completely abandoned, it's linked to a depraved case, and it looks like something out of a horror movie. The creepy music only adds to the intensity, and viewers can't help but tense up in anticipation and fear.
Tuttle's Videotape
Tuttle's videotape is a truly horrifying and disgusting piece of work. In-universe, it's so terrifying that even the depraved and emotionally closed-off Cohle, who has seen the worst that humanity has to offer, can't bring himself to watch it twice. He shows it to a reluctant Hart, and viewers are given very brief snippets of its contents. It's shot in a very grainy black and white, and it shows a little girl being pinned down on a ceremonial altar while a masked man approaches with a knife. Viewers don't see the rest, but Hart's horrified reaction tells them all they need to know.
The Baby
It's not just Cohle who has seen unimaginable things. In the modern timeline, Hart has quit the police force over unknown circumstances. The horrific truth is finally revealed when Hart shares the story with Cohle. While investigating a "tweaker", Hart looked inside his microwave and discovered a dead baby.
Viewers never see the baby, but they are given an out-of-focus glimpse at its charred corpse, and it is not a pretty sight.
The Final Confrontation
True Detective goes out in a terrifying fashion with a climactic confrontation between Cohle, Hart, and Errol. The climax takes place in a creepy abandoned fort that is not only dark and cavernous but filled with depraved keepsakes. These include children's shoes, a mummy, and an effigy of The King in Yellow made of skulls and antlers. The scene is also punctuated by creepy quotes from Errol himself, including, "Come die with me, little priest!"
Crow
Season two of True Detective wasn't nearly as good or popular as its predecessor, but it still contained its fair share of creepy images. One of the greatest and most memorable images is that of the Crow - the creepy persona of Ben's murderer, Leonard Osterman. Crow has quite a distinct appearance, as he is clad all in black, wields a shotgun, and wears a creepy crow mask to conceal his identity. This was reminiscent of the surreal imagery found throughout season one, and it made for a great return to form for the series.
The Purcell Children
Season three of True Detective concerns the story of the Purcell children, and it is not a very happy story. Both Julie and Will Purcell have gone missing, which is a scary enough scenario for any parent to imagine. In the end, Will dies after being pushed by Isabel, and Julie is left scarred, both physically and psychologically, by the whole ordeal. Nothing turns out well for the children, and it doesn't exactly make for the easiest viewing.