5 Doctor Who Episodes Which Would Make Amazing Sci-Fi & Horror Films

The latest Doctor Who episode, Dot and Bubble, has become one of the best stories of the new Russell T Davies era, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Set in the happy city of Finetime, where young people socialize via a sentient social media, the episode, wrapped in a bright candy foil, contained some dark and disturbing messages that could easily make for a great sci-fi horror movie.

In fact, Dot and Bubble is not the only such episode. Throughout its long history, the creators of Doctor Who have penned many stories that could easily be adapted into amazing standalone movies. Here are five notable examples.

1. Blink (S3E10)

For many Whovians, the Weeping Angels still hold the title of the show's most terrifying villains. These eerie creatures, inspired by the fear of graveyard statues, move only when unobserved, stealing their victims' life force with a single touch and sending them to live and die in the distant past.

With the constant suspense of not being able to blink when around the Weeping Angels, and numerous scenarios for how to escape them, this concept is perfect for a horror-thriller masterpiece or even a whole franchise.

2. Midnight (S4E10)

Few things ignite our fear of the unknown as effectively as the Midnight Entity from Doctor Who Series 4. This sinister shadow steals a human identity in stages: it starts by mimicking its victim's speech, then progresses to speaking simultaneously, and finally, it anticipates and speaks the victim's words before they do, leaving the victim mute.

In the episode, the tension was heightened by the claustrophobic setting of a tourist train, creating the perfect backdrop for an Agatha Christie-style supernatural mystery.

3. The God Complex (S6E11)

Even without Matt Smith's Doctor, Amy and Rory, the concept of a simulation disguised as a 1980s hotel, from which no guest escapes alive, is utterly captivating. Picture a Minotaur-like alien stalking the maze-like hotel corridors and feeding on those who have been brainwashed by rooms harboring their deepest fears.

This scenario is pure nightmare fuel, blending psychological horror with a relentless predator in a setting that's both nostalgic and terrifying.

4. Eve of the Daleks (2022 Special)

The first of the Thirteenth Doctor's specials introduces an intriguing time-travel twist that would enhance any sci-fi movie. When the Doctor and her companions arrive at a storage facility, they come face-to-face with an Executioner Dalek that kills everyone.

Luckily, resetting the TARDIS after the Flux initiates a time loop, allowing the Doctor to relive those crucial hours over and over again, giving her the chance to gradually work out a strategy to defeat the Dalek.

5. Under the Lake / Before the Flood (S9E3/4)

In this chilling episode, the crew of a futuristic underwater mining facility discover a mysterious, seemingly empty black ship. However, as crew members start dying one by one, a terrifying truth emerges: the ship wasn't empty at all but carried hollow-eyed, murderous ghosts to the facility.

This horrifying scenario is the perfect foundation for an Alien-like thriller, blending the claustrophobic tension of deep-sea exploration with the relentless horror of supernatural threats.

Doctor Who Series 14 Episode 6, Rogue, airs on Disney+ on June 7th and on BBC One on June 8th.