The Fantastic Beasts series, especially the recent Secrets of Dumbledore, has introduced some darker themes compared to the original Harry Potter series. Gellert Grindelwald is a villain of a different caliber, and some of his most despicable actions, such as murdering the Qilin, have left audiences feeling uneasy.

This is not to say that Harry's story was never dark and creepy. Despite being targeted at younger audiences, the Harry Potter series, especially the books, contained scenes that caused many young readers to close the book in fear, unable to continue reading without a break. Fans on Reddit have shared which moments freaked them out the most and cast their upvotes to rank the creepiest book scenes in Harry Potter.

Note: This Reddit thread is still active, and posts continue to accrue upvotes or downvotes. Rankings may have changed since the time of this publishing.

10 Barty Crouch's Murder

As if pretending to be Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire wasn't enough, Barty Crouch Jr. really freaked out one Redditor when he murdered his father. This scene was technically included in the movie but didn't include some of the darkest details.

In the book, Barty Crouch Jr. had been controlling his father with the Imperius Curse for the entire school year, but when his father started to fight it, he killed him and "turned [him] into a bone." Later, when he confessed to the crime, he said it with relish. It might not have been the scariest of Harry Potter scenes, but a fair 11 upvotes still put it in the ranking.

9 Harry At The Graveyard

When one Reddit user first read the graveyard scene in Goblet of Fire as a child, they said they knew the dangers of Harry's journey were "getting real." While the movie successfully created a terrifying scene, Harry's inner dialogue in the book drove the moment home.

The descriptions of Voldemort's resurrection differ significantly from the mood of the books up to that point, and the drastic shift left readers wondering if Harry could get out alive. In addition, several more of Voldemort's murders escaped his wand, resulting in a scene that would stick with young readers for years.

8 Death Eaters At The Quidditch World Cup

Harry's first time seeing Voldemort's Death Eaters needed to have an impact, and both the Goblet of Fire book and movie achieved this. However, while the film showed them marching ominously, the books included one more horrifying detail.

The property where the Quidditch World Cup took place was owned by a family of Muggles, who the Death Eaters chose to be their victims. They hoisted the mother, father, and young children into the air by their ankles, and paraded them through the camps, humiliated and terrified. The scene caused Redditor Roanin to need to "put the book down," and 27 upvoters agreed.

7 Dolores Umbridge's Lust For Torture

Dolores Umbridge is summed up in Harry Potter by her disgustingly cruel nature. She may try to act like a kind, sweet, and innocent woman, but her blatant prejudice and sadistic actions reveal her to be anything but. Hands down, she is everyone's least favorite villain.

For many, this was solidified when Umbridge threatened Harry with the Cruciatus Curse. In the movies, she acted as if she had no other choice, but in the book, she is described as having a "nasty, eager, excited look" that Harry had never seen. To make matters worse, Redditor Lurker628 was troubled that the teenage Slytherin students "had absolutely no problem with their peers being tortured."

6 Fenrir Greyback's Interest In Hermione

While the Harry Potter movies made Fenrir Greyback's bloodlust clear, they removed some of the most disturbing elements of his character. The books describe how Greyback had a particular affinity for young girls, which made Hermione a target.

This led Redditor BadLuckNovelist to site the Snatcher scene in Deathly Hallows as the most "alarming," referring to the "implications" made about what would be done to Hermione if Greyback got her for his own. It was enough to make anyone's skin crawl, and the post earned 45 upvotes.

5 Ginny's Reveal In Chamber Of Secrets

Since Harry and his friends were so much younger, it's easy to forget about the first two Harry Potter books when considering dark and creepy moments. However, Redditor DoctoTaeNy reminded others of the frightening impact they felt when they first learned that "Ginny had been used to open the Chamber of Secrets."

Of course, this major revelation was in the movies, too, with some key details left out. First, Harry learns that Voldemort had told Lucius Malfoy that the Diary would open the Chamber of Secrets and eradicate Muggle-borns in the school. So, Draco's father knew exactly what he was doing when he passed it on. It was a nasty plot, and the first moment readers learned just how evil Lucius really was.

4 Harry And Ron Hearing Hermione's Torture

The Malfoy Manor scene in the Deathly Hallows movie provided many of Harry Potter's most sinister quotes, and Bellatrix carving "Mudblood" in Hermione's arm was a startling touch. But for Redditors like Brolympia, the book scene was still far more unsettling.

"It was very desperate," they said. "I really didn't know what was going to happen." This was partly because readers could not see what was happening between Hermione and Bellatrix. Instead, from Harry's perspective, they saw Ron screaming out in sobs as he pounded on the walls for Hermione. It was raw and devastating, earning the post 106 upvotes.

3 Molly Weasley's Boggart

In Order of the Phoenix, the reality of the impending war was starting to settle on Harry and his loved ones. In the book, this is especially seen when Molly Weasley attempts to get rid of Boggart in Grimmauld Place but is devastated when it takes the form of each of her loved ones dead on the floor.

Redditor Fifthdayofmay called it "disturbing," and 111 upvotes show that fans agree. The scene was made even worse by the fact that when Harry walked in on the scene, he didn't realize Ron's dead and staring body was a Boggart. For a jolting moment, he thought it was real.

2 Bathilda Bagshot In Godric's Hallow

The Deathly Hallows scene in which Nagini attacks Harry and Hermione in Godric's Hallow is another that just couldn't be adequately adapted to screen. The film certainly created a frightening moment, but seeing everything through Harry's eyes in the book made it even worse. For example, it wasn't until later that Harry and the readers knew that he had been speaking Parseltongue, which added to Nagini's surprise.

Redditor Lord_Xp also noted that the book was far more terrifying since Nagini didn't just disguise herself as Bathilda Bagshot but wore the woman's corpse to conceal herself. It was so deeply shocking that 203 voters couldn't help but agree.

1 Harry And Dumbledore In The Secret Cave

Since the Half-Blood Prince movie was short on time, it couldn't spend quite as long as the book on the scene within Voldemort's cave. The result had slightly less impact, especially regarding Dumbledore's reaction to the Emerald Potion.

Redditor Delinquent_turnip said that this moment was alarming in the book since Dumbledore "was supposed to be this invincible super wizard" and that he was reduced to whimpering like a child. The performance from Michael Gambon was powerful, but the drawn-out torture of Voldemort's biggest rival in Harry Potter had a far greater impact — enough that this poster earned 276 upvotes.

NEXT:10 Biggest Pet Peeves Redditors Have About The Harry Potter Movies