After the release of Pokémon Legends Arceus, there are over 900 Pokémon of all shapes and sizes. While the series is well known for promoting themes of cooperation and its tagline of "gotta catch 'em all," it harbors a darker underbelly that compromises these things. Many of the Pokémon that players and audiences bond with have strange lore written about them in the Pokédex which reminds you that Pokémon means "pocket monster."
With Halloween just around the corner, dark images of ghosts and monsters become more commonplace. As such, it's worth taking a look at some of the spookiest and creepiest Pokémon in the franchise thus far based on their designs and Pokédex entries. Consider catching some for your own festive team, or be sure to avoid them lest you meet a nasty end.
Houndoom
Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced dark-type Pokémon to the franchise as a means of countering the overpowered psychic type. Among these were Houndour and its evolution, Houndoom. Its design combines a Doberman and demonic features, alongside its secondary Fire typing, to give Pokémon its iteration of the Hellhound.
Houndoom's fiendish tendencies are exemplified in its Pokédex entries. Their fire is a mixture of flames and toxins: if you get burned, the pain will never go away. Fortunately, Houndoom is very loyal to its pack members, and with a strong enough bond, trainers can help them achieve Mega Evolution.
Shedinja
When the bug-type Pokémon, Nincada, finally evolves, it sheds its old skin and beats its wings as it takes to the air as the speedy Ninjask. However, sometimes the exoskeleton rises with a life of its own, especially if a Nincada's trainer has a spare Pokéball on hand. This results in the birth of the floating Ghost-type, Shedinja.
Along with its body having stiff, lifeless movements, it's said that if you look through the hole in Shedinja's back, it will steal your soul. If that wasn't creepy enough, Shedinja's ability, Wonder Guard, means that unless a super-effective attack hits it, Shedinja can't be hurt. Thankfully, it's incredibly frail, so one hit is guaranteed to take it down.
Cacturne
Scarecrows are creepy all year round, but especially during the fall when their uncanny posture is framed against tall cornfields and gray skies. This unsettling nature is captured in the Scarecrow Pokémon, Cacturne. While they relied on ambushing prey in their pre-evolved form of Cacnea, Cacturne has a more terrifying strategy.
Capture spend their days standing perfectly still to not lose any of the moisture they've collected. As the sun sets, they begin stalking after travellers, waiting until they grow tired in order to descend upon them. Thankfully Cacturne dwells in deserts, but imagine the sight of a humanoid cactus stalking after you as the sun sets.
Banette
Have you ever wondered what would happen if one of those old toys you threw away came to life? If so, Banette has you covered. Evolved from Shuppet, who feeds on negative energy, Banette hoards all of those negative feelings inside and uses them as fuel to find the person who threw them away.
The concept of haunted dolls became more popular in the 19th century when toy manufacturers were able to create lifelike dolls that invoked the uncanny valley. Fortunately, Banette's design has a more charming sock-puppet feel, which makes it easier to warm up to. This is good because if Banette is shown kindness, they can move past their grudge and find peace.
Mismagius
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl gifted several overlooked Pokémon with new evolutions. One recipient was Misdrevous, the franchise's first pure ghost-type who enjoys playing pranks and scaring people for sustenance. Once exposed to a Dusk Stone, Misdrevous evolves into Mismagius, and its power to cause mischief increases tenfold.
Mismagius lives up to its wicked witch design by appearing in front of people without warning to mutter incantations that can curse others with terrifying visions. However, just as not all witches are evil, some Mismagius use their incantations to bring good fortune to those they like. Alongside witches, Mismagius' powerful voice takes inspiration from the Banshee, an Irish spirit who could kill with a scream.
Chandelure
Pokémon Black and White introduced many Pokémon based on inanimate objects. While some, like the Klink line of living gears, were lackluster, others took full advantage of their concepts. The best of these was the Litwick line of sentient candles and lamps, which culminated into the haunted chandelier Pokémon, Chandelure.
Haunted houses are a staple of Halloween entertainment, but if a Chandelure is haunting a house, expect death to be in the near future. While Litwick and Lampent focused on collecting souls, Chandelure uses its ghostly flames to burn the soul out of a person's body. The victim is then forced to wander the earth as a lost soul while the Chandelure lies in wait for another.
Zoroark
Part of what makes Halloween, so fun is the spectacle of it all. It's a chance to hang out with friends and family and explore your creativity with fun costumes and spooky decorations. However, one must be careful not to lose sight of reality, especially if a Zoroark is about.
Inspired by the Japanese trickster fox, the kitsune, Zoroark uses powerful illusions to confuse and trap its enemies, or anyone who gets too close to its den. Finding one can also be difficult, as their illusions allow them to perfectly blend in with other Pokémon and humans, and even mimic human speech. Pokémon Legends Arceus also introduced a new Zoroark, who trades being a hidden prankster for a wrathful spirit of vengeance.
Gourgeist
Introduced in Pokémon X and Y, Pumpkaboo and its evolution, Gourgeist, encapsulates everything people love about picking pumpkins. They come in various sizes, with small ones being faster and large ones having bulk. Pumpkaboo also only evolves by trading it with another person, which mimics sharing the joy of picking and carving a pumpkin with loved ones.
Unfortunately, the Pokédex says Gourgeist travels in groups, singing eerie songs as they wrap their hair-arms around prey to drag them into the afterlife. Anyone who hears their song is cursed, which is just vague and creepy enough to fit a jack-o-lantern ghost. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl revealed that different-sized Gourgeist hunt with different strategies: the creepiest being large ones who pretend to be adults to lure children to their doom.
Trevenant
As the shadows of night creep in, a walk through the woods can feel like stepping into a new and terrifying place with no hope of escape. In the Pokémon world, lost children who die in the woods rise again as Phantump. Some of them manage to evolve into Trevenant and go from wandering souls to vicious avatars of nature.
With such a dark backstory, it's no wonder Trevenant are willing to trap individuals who threaten their forest home in a near-inescapable dark maze. They can even use their roots to control trees and unleash the full wrath of the forest upon its enemies. And yet, to its friends and fellow forest dwellers, Trevenant shows a hint of the child it used to be through acts of kindness.
Marshadow
There are many superstitions about our shadows, usually linked to a person's soul. Some beliefs say that shadows are windows into our souls and that, if you damage the shadow, you can damage the soul. With that context, the idea of a Pokémon that can slip into your shadow and learn all your secrets is terrifying.
Marshadow was able to keep itself concealed until Pokémon Sun and Moon thanks to its ability to hide inside people's shadows. While inside a shadow, Marshadow can copy a person's skills and emotions, and with time and practice, can surpass them. This makes Marshadow Pokémon's equivalent to a Doppelgänger: a creature or spirit that is able to perfectly copy another person's looks and skills and seeks to replace them.
