Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992)
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 "If not, you're about to be!"
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Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992) is a horror anthology television series that airs on YTV and Nickelodeon. The original series aired from 1990 to 1996. It led to two revival series, with the first airing from 1999 to 2000, and the second debuting in 2019. The series was created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel and was picked up by Nickelodeon in 1991. MacHale, Kandel, and Nickelodeon teamed up with the Canadian company Cinar, and as a part of the deal the show was filmed in Richmond, British Columbia, and in the Greater Montreal area of Quebec. The production teams were respectively represented by the ACTRA and SCTVQ (Syndicat des techniciens du cinéma et de la vidéo du Québec) labour unions.
Why It Will Make You Afraid of the Dark
- The concept of a group of teens gathering in an area in the woods to tell scary stories together (all the while those stories are the main focus of the episode) is an interesting concept for a show and insanely well-executed.
- Similar to Goosebumps, it's one of those shows that greatly challenges what's acceptable to put in shows with a child demographic (especially for a kids show of the 1990s). As it regularly features creepy and unsettling themes. From more fantasy-like ones like zombies or killer clowns to more realistic ones like the death of a family member.
- The stories are not just interesting, but they are also based on events that occur in the midnight society members' lives, or situation they were currently going through at the time that they were telling the stories. Which only makes them all the better.
- Top-notch acting from both the midnight society, and the characters in the stories they tell.
- The special effects used to make the monsters are amazing, especially for the time this series was made and still looks great to this day. Shout-out to the vampire from The Tale of the Night Shift, the swimming pool zombie from The Tale of the Dead Man's Float, the Ghastly Grinner from The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner.
- All of the members of the midnight society, in spite of how little screen time they generally get per episode, are still all likable characters and all have established but not too complicated (due to said little screen time they get) personalities. Which makes their characters pretty easy to follow and comprehend. Some of their personalities are even capable or understanding through the stories they tell.
- Gary is the soft-spoken, restrained leader of the group, and is Tucker's brother.
- Betty Ann is a girl who's shown a fondness for surreal, thought-provoking notions. As her stories tend to be the darkest.
- Kiki is an outspoken tomboy who has a playful, occasionally antagonistic brashness.
- Frank is a boy with bluff sense of humor and air of toughness hide a solemn reflectivity.
- David is a boy who tends to be the brains among the group.
- Kristen is a kind-hearted, cute, sweet girl.
- Eric is a boy with a habit of antagonizing the others, but despite that, still cares for those around him.
- Tucker is a free-spirited, fun-loving, reckless member who is also Gary's brother.
- Samantha is a girl who was implied to be Gary, as well as Frank before he left.
- Stig is a boy who's only true friend is Tucker and shows a jovially brash sense of fun.
- The series was revived twice, first in 1999-2020 and second in 2019-2022
- The episodes range from being good to great to deliciously dark and incredible. Some Examples Include:
- The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner, where a young comic book artist, beset by rejection and lazy parents who don't support his dreams, buys an unfinished copy of a rare comic book -- and accidentally unleashes its villain who turns his victims into drooling, giggling zombies.
- The Tale of the Dead Man's Float, where Zeke and Clorice reopen their school's pool, only to discover that a sinister spirit is lurking around in the waters of the pool.
- The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark, where a boy named Josh decides to prove that a fun house isn't haunted by stealing the nose of Zeebo, the clown who is supposed to haunt it.
- The Tale of the Dark Music, which follows Andy Carr who finds out that something is hiding in the basement of his new house.
- The Tale of the Night Shift, a story where a night shift hospital volunteer named Amanda discovers that a vampire is lurking the halls and feeding off the staff and patients.
- The Tale of the Midnight Madness, a story that has the eccentric Dr. Vink help a struggling movie theater gain more patrons with a copy of the classic vampire film, Nosferatu. But when Dr. Vink gets cheated out of what was promised to him in saving the theater, he curses the famous movie monster, Count Orlok to step out of the movie and haunt the theater and it's up to two teenage ushers to help break the curse.
- The Tale of the Watcher's Woods, where after campers Sarah and Kelly get lost in the woods, they discover the terrifying truth behind the legend of "Watcher's Woods".
- The Tale of the Lonely Ghost, which follows Amanda who must spend the summer with her snobby cousin and her friends, and discovers the ghost of a little girl haunting the house next to her Aunt's home.
- The Tale of the 13th Floor, that has siblings Billy and his adopted sister Karen like to spend their free time playing hockey on the 13th floor of their apartment building, but this stops when a strange toy company rents out the thirteenth floor to store their new products and has picked Karen to test them out.
- The Tale of the Dollmaker, that features a girl named Melissa coming to the country to visit her aunt and uncle, excited to see her friend Susan. Where they tell Melissa though that she moved back to the city a few months ago. Melissa decides to explore her friend's now vacant home and discovers a dollhouse in the attic along with a mysterious door.
- The Tale of the Silver Sight
- This is one of the few dark and serious nick shows.
The Only Bad Quality
- Stig is arguably the most unlikable member of the midnight society.
Reception
Are You Afraid of the Dark? received mainly positive reviews, with critics and audiences alike praising it for its plots, effects and characters.
Trivia
- D.J. MacHale wrote a feature-length screenplay for a movie version of the series, which was purchased by Paramount Picures, but never made for unknown reasons.
- To pay homage to Rod Serling, show creator D.J. MacHale had the kids say "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society" at the beginning of each story. To introduce each episode of The Twilight Zone (1959), Serling would say to the audience, "Submitted for your approval..."
- On November 13, 2017, it was announced that Paramount Players would make a live-action feature film adaptation. However, the film was later removed from Paramount's schedule. On February 14, 2019, it was announced that the series would be revived again for a limited series, which premiered on October 11, 2019. On February 19, 2020, this revival was renewed for a second season titled Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows, which premiered on February 12, 2021, featuring a different cast. In March 2022, the revival was renewed for a third and final season, which premiered on July 30, 2022.
- On March 28, 2024, the revival series was removed from Paramount+ as part of a "strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal". It has not been available through legal means ever since, so it is considered lost media.
- The original series and 1999 revival were produced by Cinar. The 2019 revival's first season was produced by WildBrain, with ACE Entertainment taking over for the second season.
- In Canada, the original series was first broadcast on the Family Channel before switching to YTV for the remainder of its run. After that, the Family Channel broadcast the series' 1999 revival.
- While most dubs of this series translate the title literally, there are a few that gave it a new name:
- In French, it is called Fais-moi peur! (Make Me Scared!).
- In Brazil, the series is known as Clube do Terror (Club of Terror).
- In Germany, it aired with an alliterative title: Grusel, Grauen, Gänsehaut (Horror, Dread, Goosebumps).
- In Spain, it was given the title of El club de medianoche (The Midnight Club), named after the Midnight Society.
- DJ McHale has admitted that he felt "The Tale of the Phone Police" didn't do justice to the script written for it, and that "The Tale of the Hungry Hounds" had a "soft script".
- DJ McHale cites "The Tale of the Midnight Madness" as his favourite.
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