Growing up, one of my favorite television shows was ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? A Canadian anthology series about a group of friends known as "The Midnight Society" who would meet up every Saturday night to tell scary stories to each other. Each episode was a half hour long, depicting a protagonist or set of protagonists against an antagonist(s), with the antagonist being some sort of monster, alien, ghost, or demon. Some of the episodes were pure horror, as others deemed more suspense and mystery. Some even tackled inner battles on a more psychological level. Nevertheless, for what it was, a horror show geared towards pre-teens, teens and young adults, it produced a lot of quality television with well written scripts, decent to phenomenal acting, good directing and musical scores that enhanced each episode's mood and atmosphere.
Were there some turds among the episodes? Absolutely there were. "The Tale of the Hatching", "The Tale of Old Man Cocoran", "The Tale of the Crimson Clown" and "The Tale of the Sourcer's Apprentice" in particularly stick out in my mind as some of the weaker episodes. To be fair, I should also admit that while many episodes had a strong exposition and rising action, the climax could sometimes disappoint and some of the resolutions were absolutely ridiculous.
Year's later, as a wanna be professional story teller, I have to cringe whenever I think of an episode that ends with the antagonist yelling, "Don't touch that!" As those who have been held prisoner for 100's of years by an evil presence are suddenly set free by doing the simplest task that any two year old could complete.
So yes, I am well aware that not every episode of ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK gets a 5/5 star rating. BUT, there are some episodes among the original series that ran from 1992-1996 that both as a huge fan of horror, a huge fan of anthology series and as a wanna be writer I absolutely cherish.
Before I begin my top 10 listing, let me say that it was hard to leave some off the list. Therefore I have to include those that made honorable mention.
HONORABLE MENTION
"The Tale of the Dangerous Soup" - Guest appearance by SCREAM's Nev Campbell and the part with the Uncle coming back still gives me the willies!
"The Tale of The Final Wish" - Sorta corny all these years later, but fun concept and who doesn't love Bobcat Goldthwait? Well, other than the late Sam Kinison.
"The Tale of the Lonely Ghost" - Sticks out in my mind because my sister let me stay up with her friends and watch it with them. Look this episode up and tell me that the little girl isn't as every bit creepy as Samara from THE RING.
"The Tale of the Quicksilver" - This was a rather dark episode and I used to carry a piece of silver in my pocket in case a damn demon came out of my wall one night.
"The Tale of the Prom Queen" - Have to admit this episode has 1,000 plot holes, and the ending is extremely lazy and convenient (which is what keeps it off the top 10 list) but the characters were fun and well developed. I sort of loathe the internet at times for making the microfiche outdated.
NOW FOR MY TOP 10!!!
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| 10: The Tale of the Pinball Wizard |
On a personal note I enjoy horror films that have a touch of action to them. This episode about a young man that gets caught up in a never ending pinball game was as fast paced, exciting and energetic as it was scary. The ending of being trapped in the game for all eternity was quite frightening as well.
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| 9. The Tale of the Super Specs |
So yes, this was a blatant rip off of John Carpenter's THEY LIVE, but in my opinion it was way freakier! My good friend Jason Janes is not the only person to tell me that this episode legit makes them uncomfortable. The idea that there could be an alien species out to eliminate us is quite unnerving. And Richard Dumont as Sardo was always fun!
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| 8. The Tale of the Doll Maker |
Dolls and doll houses have always frightened me. So this episode about a doll house that lures people and slowly turns them into dolls is quite creepy. Where exactly the door in the attic leads to once the doll house is burnt is something I've been questioning for years.
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| 7. The Tale of the Dark Music |
An online poll rated this episode to be the most popular among fans. It is certainly one of my favorites and without question the darkest episode of the series. Although it is off screen, a character is actually killed, which was very rare for the show to do. I'm sure I'm not the only one who imagines what it would be like to have a demon (or whatever it was) living in my basement that would give me anything I wanted as long as I fed it. "Hey Paul Ryan, what are you doing tonight? I'd like to show you my basement."
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| 6. The Tale of The Dead Man's Float |
If I had to pick the scariest episode of ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK, it would be this episode. A vengeful and vindictive spirit drowning kids in a pool is something that freaks me out as much as a 31 one year old as it did when I was 10. It also stars Kaj-Erik Erikson from THE COMMISH. Lastly I'll say I appreciated how the main characters got together in the end. The first time I ever scored with a pretty girl, I actually thought about this episode.
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| 5. The Tale of the Vacant Lot |
In a way this episode is a great metaphor for being weary of con artists and clever schemes that seem to good to be true. It also stars Jean Marie Barnwell who to this day I consider to be the most gorgeous Hollywood actress along with Moira Kelly.
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| 4. The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle |
Structure wise, this may be the best episode that ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK PRODUCED. It sets a tone and attitude that delivers with the excellence of execution. Even though I've seen the episode numerous times, and I know that Ricky is a good, friendly, helpful spirit, a chill of terror still runs down my spine when I see a picture of him. Twist are overdone to death, and most of the time they fail. This one may be simple, but it is quite effective. Thinking that Ricky is out for revenge because Mike failed to save him, to suddenly realize that Ricky is actually back to help Mike because he feels he owes it to him since Mike tried to save him, is quite clever.
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| 3. The Tale of the Long Ago Locket |
I love stories of friendship and comradery. Especially when they're wrapped up in a historical fiction story full of drama, suspense and action. Starring BOY MEETS WORLD's Will Friedle (in what I consider to be his greatest role) this episode is one I never grow tired of.
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| 2. The Tale of Jake and The Leprechaun |
Ironically enough, this is one of the least favorite episodes among fans in the internet poll taken a few years back. Others didn't seem to like it, but it is my second favorite of all the episodes. And yes, if you are wondering, I have seen every episode. I've seen every episode at least twice. Some only twice, and some ten or more times. I enjoy this episode, because I value friendship and helping people. If a Banshee were trying to harm me, I'd like to think that a Leprechaun exist somewhere that would help me. I'd like to think that I was someone's Leprechaun that would help them. To me this episode is fun and exhilarating. I am glued to the seat every time I watch it.
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| 1. The Tale of the Dream Girl |
To give you an idea of how inspirational this episode is, M Night Shyamalan said it was the inspiration for THE SIXTH SENSE. This episode has it all. A flawless script, excellent directing, musical score and the lighting in particularly sticks out. The performance of Fab Filippo should have won him an award. He was beyond fantastic.
There are mine. What are your's?
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