Now that Little Nightmares 2 has been released, I thought it might be fun to rank every monster from the first and second games in order of least frightening to most nightmare-inducing (with a number next to their name to signify from which game they originate).  This list will include the Secrets of the Maw DLC from the first game, but not Very Little Nightmares, since I never played that one.  Spoiler warnings ahead…  Oh, and I only have screenshots of the second game!

18: Leeches (1) – Nah, the leeches from the first game are not scary.

17: Fleshy Mass (2) – As seen in the Signal Tower, this…mass of flesh is gross, but not that scary.

16: Dismembered Hands (2) – I mean, they’re kind of creepy, and they can climb up certain surfaces pretty fast.  But I’d honestly rather be chased by a reanimated hand than the tarantulas they somewhat resemble.  (Yes, I’ve put serious thought into this, and I stand by this assessment.)

15: Shoe Monster (1) – Still not super scary, but bonus points for being the one monster we never actually see.  Just the mystery of what this thing is makes it at least a little spooky.  (In case you’re unfamiliar, this monster hides underneath a bunch of shoes.  It is not a monster made of shoes.  Which would just be funny.)

14: The Hunter (2) – Ah, we’ve come to the first major monster, and the dishonor of least scary “boss” monster goes to the Hunter.  This guy wears a burlap sack over his head, so we can only assume he has an ugly mug indeed.  But since we never get to see it, we can’t tell how scary his appearance truly would be.  To his credit, he is pretty relentless with that shotgun of his, but being shot at from afar is not as scary as a monster physically grabbing you.

13: The Guests (1) – The Guests in the Maw are ravenous and will eat anything that comes within reach, including Six.  Being chased by a whole pack of these buggers is pretty scary indeed, but I also find the sheer absurdity of these guys to be rather amusing, as well.

12: Monster Six (2) – Six’s monstrous form inside the Signal Tower somewhat resembles the Janitor with her long arms, except the joints are in all the wrong places.  She’s a pretty creepy girl indeed, though I was mostly just sad to see her like this.  Perhaps knowing this was a former ally was the scariest thing of all…

11: The Viewers (2) – Boy, do these guys love watching TV.  Their deformed appearances, paired with the inhuman noises they make when you interrupt their favorite shows (usually just static…), is pretty chilling.  Fortunately, they are very easy to elude, as you simply must find them another TV source, after which they’ll happily return to their TV-viewing and leave you in peace.

10: Twin Chefs (1) – I hated dealing with these guys, as there are two of them, and they will really freak out if they spot you.  They may even use you as an ingredient in their cooking if they catch you, which is…unpleasant, to say the least.  On the other hand, they’re also pretty dumb, and they can’t reach you in high places, so that dials down the scary factor a bit.

9: Shadow Children (1, DLC) – In the final DLC chapter of Secrets of the Maw, you’ll find the Shadow Children, who can only be defeated by shining your flashlight on them for long enough.  They’re not exactly the most horrific thing out there, but…I just don’t do well with creatures lurking in the shadows like that.

8: The Granny (1, DLC) – The Granny roams the flooded Depths of the Maw and drowns anyone who enters her murky waters.  She can also be distracted by fish heads.  Yum.  The Granny is scary because you don’t see a lot of her (not until her defeat anyway), mainly an arm or the top of her head coming out of the water when she’s about to snatch you.  She’s a good example of “less is more”.

7: The Doctor (2) – The Doctor is a pretty freakish dude.  He’s massive and has the unnatural ability to crawl around on the ceiling.  And let me tell you, it is pretty frightening when he spots you and is able to lift up furniture in order to reach your hiding spot!  The only thing that kind of ruins him for me is the fact that…I couldn’t help but look at this guy…in his big white coat clinging to his corpulent body…crawling around on all fours…and think he resembled a huge toddler (the way his coat clung to him made me think of a diaper, I gotta admit…).  Then again, a giant, malicious baby would be pretty frightening….

6: The Bullies (2) – The Bullies in the school are mean, and they are fast.  Made of porcelain, with many of them missing half of their heads, these vicious little buggers seem oddly bent on pouncing on anyone that enters their territory.  And seeing as you must defeat a lot of them with a heavy weapon that’s difficult to wield, they might have very well given me the most trouble out of anything else in the second game.

5: The Janitor (1) – This might seem a bit odd, but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Roger the blind, long-armed Janitor.  I mean…he was our first monster encounter, after all.  There were also some theories floating around online that he might not totally be evil and could be simply watching over the children rather than harming them, further supported by the workshop where he appears to be making toys.  Whatever the case may be, just because Roger happens to be my favorite monster doesn’t mean he’s not kind of horrifying, as well, the way his skin sags halfway down his face, not to mention his freakishly long arms, which grants him the second longest reach in the series!  There’s no escaping his noodle arms!

4: The Lady (1) – The owner of the Maw, the Lady is an interesting character with mysterious powers, including the ability to turn children into Nomes.  She’s not scary in the same sense as the other monsters, but she’s so relentless when we encounter her both as Six and the Runaway Kid that facing her is still pretty terrifying.

3: The Thin Man (2) – Hinted at once you finish the Secrets of the Maw, the Thin Man, like the Lady, is an interesting and enigmatic character.  He also manages to be a bit scarier, and his original appearance in the second game when he comes through the TV is one of my favorite moments of the entire series.  It’s just so scary and memorable!  The way he slowly walks after you, while also being able to close the gap between himself and you due to slowing down time the closer he gets…and being able to almost glitch his way forward, makes him so much scarier than if he were to chase you like any other monster.  I mean, the fact that this guy sees no need to rush after you makes him seem all that more confident that your escape is futile….

2: The Teacher (2) – The Teacher is easily the most terrifying major monster character in the entire series, and boy does she put the Janitor’s reach to shame, thanks to a neck that can stretch, well, pretty much forever, as far as I’m concerned.  From her eerie grin even as she’s chomping down on Mono and a penchant for slapping student’s desks with a ruler with such violence that even Baldi might object, the Teacher is probably responsible for the most nightmare fuel this game has to offer…except for one more.

1: The Patients (2) – The Patients shambling about the hospital consist of living mannequins (though it is unclear how much of them might still be flesh…), which appear to have been brought to life by the Doctor (AKA giant ceiling-dwelling toddler…).  While the Teacher in the previous chapter is extremely creepy, this was the first part of the game where I really freaked out.  Things that move about in the dark, and which only pause in their relentless pursuit when you face them with your flashlight, have always been terrifying to me.  They’re akin to the Weeping Angels from Dr. Who, and I just can’t handle that, thank you very much.

What monster scared you the most, dear readers?  And while we’re at it, you can also let me know what your favorite monster is, as well.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!