Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A children's horror anthology revived twice after cancellation.
Last updated
Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a children's horror anthology series from the United States, created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original run aired on Nickelodeon in the U.S. from August 15, 1992, to February 3, 1996, and also on YTV in Canada. A pilot episode first aired as a Halloween special on October 25, 1991. The show was later revived twice: the first revival aired from February 6, 1999, to June 11, 2000, and the second from October 11, 2019, to August 13, 2022.
Reruns of the original series continued until October 31, 2002, and later aired on Nicktoons from October 20 to 31, 2008. Nickelodeon picked up the original series in 1992. MacHale, Kandel, and Nickelodeon partnered with the Canadian company CINAR, and as part of that deal, the show was primarily filmed in Montreal, Quebec, with some additional filming in Richmond, British Columbia. The production teams were represented by the ACTRA and STCVQ labour unions.
The pilot re-aired five days after its debut alongside Mystery Magical Special as part of a Halloween block called "The Haunting of Nickelodeon." The series officially premiered the following year on Nickelodeon's SNICK block on August 15, 1992, and on the Family Channel on September 2, 1992. The series moved from Family Channel to YTV on September 6, 1993. The original series concluded on February 3, 1996.
In 1999, the show was revived for two more seasons, bringing back most of the original crew along with new directors, writers, and cast. Produced by Nickelodeon, it aired on the SNICK block from February 6, 1999, to June 11, 2000. In Canada, the revival moved to the Family Channel, as YTV held the rights to the original series. The only original cast member to return for the first and second seasons of the revival was Tucker (Daniel DeSanto), though Gary (Ross Hull) returned for the concluding episode.
On November 13, 2017, Paramount Players announced a live-action feature film adaptation, but it was later removed from the schedule. On February 14, 2019, a limited series reboot was announced, premiering 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, with a different cast. In March 2022, the revival was renewed for a third and final season, premiering on July 30, 2022.
Lore & Background
The series was created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The pilot first aired as a Halloween special on October 25, 1991. The original series was picked up by Nickelodeon in 1992 and produced in partnership with the Canadian company CINAR, with filming primarily in Montreal, Quebec, and some additional filming in Richmond, British Columbia.
The pilot re-aired five days after its debut alongside Mystery Magical Special as part of a Halloween block called 'The Haunting of Nickelodeon'. The series officially premiered on Nickelodeon's SNICK on August 15, 1992, and on Family Channel on September 2, 1992. It moved from Family Channel to YTV on September 6, 1993.
Reader's Guide
Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a children's horror anthology series revolving around the Midnight Society, a group of kids who meet around a campfire and tell a horror story. Its style has been compared to Dark Shadows, The Monkey’s Paw, The Twilight Zone, and works from Stephen King and George Orwell. A low-budget series, it is known for its use of practical effects. Each episode is set at a secret location in the woods at night, where one member tells a scary story to the group, with the actual story displayed to the viewer.
The storyteller begins by saying 'Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story (story name)' and tosses a handful of 'midnight dust' (actually Coffee-Mate) into the campfire. MacHale wrote the line as a nod to The Twilight Zone. The themes usually revolve around paranormal phenomena such as demons, ghosts, magic, haunted houses, curses, aliens, witches, vampires, and werewolves.
Many episodes were adaptations of public domain fairy tales, short stories, or urban legends; for example, 'The Tale of the Twisted Claw' adapts W. W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw. Sometimes stories were inspired by events in the storyteller's life. Most episodes had happy endings, though some had bad or twist endings. At the end of most episodes, a character would throw a red bucket of water onto the fire, stating 'I declare this meeting of the Midnight Society closed.'
More in American Television Series Revived After Cancellation
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Are You Afraid of the Dark? (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced