The Scariest Monster In The Witcher Season 2 According To Fans
Being on Netflix means that "The Witcher" is able to show audiences whatever it pleases without worrying about television censors, and it takes full advantage of that leeway, more than earning its TV-MA rating. Throughout its long-awaited second season, the high-fantasy show is every bit as gory and raunchy as before, while it follows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavil), the titular witcher, on his quest to protect his young protégé, Ciri (Freya Allan), from both monsters and men alike.
The production design team outdid themselves this season, treating viewers to a wide array of hideous monsters for Geralt to slay. From fearsome tree beasts to cunning witches who call out through dreams, the imagination on display truly is something to behold. However, among a season crammed full of magic and mayhem, one dark creature particularly stood out to fans as being extra creepy — with one viewer claiming the monster was "utterly disturbing in the best possible way" and others echoing that sentiment wholeheartedly.
(Spoilers for a portion of "The Witcher" Season 2, Episode 1 to follow)
Vereena the Bruxa activated Witcher watchers' fight or flight response
In Episode 1 of "The Witcher" Season 2, Geralt seeks refuge at the home of an old friend, Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju). But when they arrive, Nivellen is different. He has been cursed by a priestess to walk the Continent alone in the form of a boar-like beast. While this arrangement does provide Nivellen with the power of conjuration, which he uses to make a feast fall out of thin air and later a set of magic daggers, it also means he can never find companionship.
When a chance at love does come, it's in the form of a bruxa — hideous vampiric creatures who take the form of young women to seduce their prey. This particular bruxa, Vereena (Agnes Born), feeds on Nivellen in the night. In exchange for not draining him to the point of death and providing him with company, Nivellen allows it.
From the moment Vereena appears, she is uniquely grotesque. In human form, she lags and skips like a broken video game, and when she goes in for a bite, her jaw unhinges to reveal a maw of razor-sharp teeth. As if that weren't creepy enough, she can also turn into a winged creature that looks straight from hell.
Fans took to Reddit to let each other know just how much nightmare fuel Vereena provided, and to pay their respects to Born for her terrifying performance. "She started moving and I went 'nope nope, don't like that, don't like that at all,'" said u/sephone_north, continuing, "She's the only creature to viscerally activate my fight or flight response in this show."
u/hanna1214 concurred, writing, "She was perfect and doesn't get enough credit for it. Every single gesture and movement was pure acting art. Totally unnerving though."