Are You Afraid of the Dark?
From Nickelodeon
Are You Afraid of the Dark is a science fiction/horror-themed children's television series. The original series was a joint production between the Canadian companies YTV and Cinar, and the American company Nickelodeon. The show was filmed in Montreal, Quebec. The episode "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" was aired as a pilot on the evening of October 31, 1990. The series was aired from January 16, 1991 to February 3, 1996 on Nickelodeon's SNICK. A revived series with new directors, writers, and cast was produced by Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2000 and also played on SNICK. Reruns of the series have since been broadcast internationally, including airings in the United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, and the Czech Republic. SciFi veteran David Winning directed ten episodes, including "Tale of the Dream Girl", "Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle" and "Tale of the Long Ago Locket".
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[edit] Background
Both series revolved around a group of adolescents who referred to themselves as "The Midnight Society". Every week, at a secret location in the woods, one member would tell a scary story to the group. The actual story, rather than the telling, was displayed to the television viewer. The story was shown between the group's arrival at the site and their departure. Each storyteller would begin their story by saying "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story..." at which point he or she would toss plain sugar into a campfire to heighten the flames and produce an eerie white smoke. The storyteller would continue by announcing its title (The Tale of...).
The themes of the stories usually revolved around paranormal phenomena, such as ghosts, magic, haunted houses, magical curses, aliens, witches and the like coming into contact with normal teenagers. Usually, the episodes were either filmed in the woods, in abandoned houses, or in public places like schools or libraries.
Sources of these tales varied; many were adaptations of public domain fairytales and short stories or urban legends. For example, "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" is considered to be an adaptation of W.W. Jacobs' short story "The Monkey's Paw".
Many of the horror stories had somewhat "happy" endings; for example, in the episode "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost", a dead child and her elderly mother were reunited. Nearly every story focused on ending with a resolution and the main character's safe escape.
At the end of every episode (with the exception of "The Tale of the Crimson Clown", "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", "The Tale of the Night Shift", "The Tale Of The Zombie Dice", and "The Tale of the Silver Sight (Part 1)") one character would throw a red bucket of water onto the fire, and the group would leave the campsite.
[edit] Cast members
[edit] First series (1990 – 1996)
| Actor/Actress | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ross Hull | Gary | 1990 – 1996 |
| Raine Pare-Coull | Betty Ann | 1990 – 1996 |
| Jodie Resther | Kiki | 1990 – 1996 |
| Jason Alisharan | Frank | 1990 – 1994 |
| Daniel DeSanto | Tucker | 1992 – 1996 |
| Joanna Garcia | Samantha | 1994 – 1996 |
| Rachel Blanchard | Kristen | 1990 – 1992 |
| Nathaniel Moreau | David | 1990 – 1992 |
| Codie Lucas Wilbee | Stig | 1995 – 1996 |
| Jacob Tierney | Eric | 1990 – 1991 |
[edit] Second series (1999 – 2000)
| Actor/Actress | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kareem Blackwell | Quinn | 1999 – 2000 |
| Elisha Cuthbert | Megan | 1999 – 2000 |
| Vanessa Lengies | Vange | 1999 – 2000 |
| Daniel DeSanto | Tucker | 1999 – 2000 |
| David Deveau | Andy | 1999 – 2000 |
[edit] Recurring characters
One of the more significant recurring characters was Sardo (Richard Dumont), owner of "Sardo's Magic Mansion" (a magic shop). He would often attempt to sell a character a "prized" item, rarely succeeding. He often had items in his shop that contained real properties of magic, yet did not know until it was revealed in the story. One of the most memorable recurring jokes in the series occurred when someone would address him as "Mr. Sardo". He would then get irritated and exclaim: "No 'mister'; accent on the 'doh'!" Although he rarely got what he wanted, he would often end up helping the characters, often intentionally. He appeared in Gary's stories.
Another recurring character was Dr. Vink (Aron Tager). He was a physically imposing man who would often appear as a mad scientist, sorcerer, and the like. He would also get his name mispronounced. When this happened, he would respond "Vink. With a va-va-va." Often, the protagonist would call him a "nutbag" behind his back, assuming he could not hear him, only to have him reply later, "...and I am not a nutbag." He appeared in Frank's stories. Aron Tager also played the carnival worker who stands in front of the Funhouse and invites people to go inside in "The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark".
Both of these characters appear in the double episode "The Tale of Cutter's Treasure", which was told by both Frank and Gary.
[edit] Episode List
[edit] Season 1
1. The Tale of the Phantom Cab
2. The Tale of Laughing in the Dark
3. The Tale of the Lonely Ghost
4. The Tale of the Twisted Claw
5. The Tale of the Hungry Hounds
6. The Tale of the Super Specs
7. The Tale of the Captured Souls
8. The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors
9. The Tale of the Sorcerer's Apprentice
10. The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun
11. The Tale of the Dark Music
12. The Tale of the Prom Queen
13. The Tale of the Pinball Wizard
[edit] Season 2
14. The Tale of the Final Wish
15. The Tale of the Midnight Madness
16. The Tale of Locker 22
17. The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor
18. The Tale of the Dream Machine
19. The Tale of the Dark Dragon
20. The Tale of the Whispering Walls
21. The Tale of the Frozen Ghost
22. The Tale of the Full Moon
23. The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle
24. The Tale of the Magician's Assistant
25. The Tale of the Hatching
26. The Tale of Old Man Corcoran
[edit] Season 3
27. The Tale of the Midnight Ride
29. The Tale of Watcher's Woods
30. The Tale of the Phone Police
31. The Tale of the Doll Maker
32. The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter
33. The Tale of the Carved Stone
34. The Tale of the Guardian's Curse
35. The Tale of the Curious Camera
36. The Tale of the Dream Girl
37. The Tale of the Quicksilver
38. The Tale of the Crimson Clown
39. The Tale of the Dangerous Soup
[edit] Season 4
40. The Tale of the Renegade Virus
41. The Tale of the Long Ago Locket
42. The Tale of the Water Demons
43. The Tale of Cutter's Treasure (1)
44. The Tale of Cutter's Treasure (2)
45. The Tale of the Quiet Librarian
46. The Tale of the Silent Servant
47. The Tale of the Room for Rent
48. The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner
49. The Tale of the Fire Ghost
50. The Tale of the Closet Keepers
51. The Tale of the Unfinished Painting
52. The Tale of Train Magic
[edit] Season 5
53. The Tale of the Dead Man's Float
54. The Tale of Station 109.1
55. The Tale of the Mystical Mirror
56. The Tale of the Chameleons
57. The Tale of Prisoner's Past
58. The Tale of C7
59. The Tale of Manaha
60. The Tale of the Unexpected Visitor
61. The Tale of the Vacant Lot
62. The Tale of a Door Unlocked
63. The Tale of the Night Shift
64. The Tale of the Jagged Sign
65. The Tale of Badge
[edit] Season 6
66. The Tale of the Forever Game
67. The Tale of the Misfortune Cookie
68. The Tale of the Virtual Pets
69. The Tale of the Zombie Dice
70. The Tale of the Gruesome Gourmets
71. The Tale of Jake the Snake
72. The Tale of the Hunted
73. The Tale of the Wisdom Glass
74. The Tale of the Walking Shadow
75. The Tale of Oblivion
76. The Tale of Vampire Town
77. The Tale of the Secret Admirer
78. The Tale of Bigfoot Ridge
[edit] Season 7
79. The Tale of the Silver Sight (1)
80. The Tale of the Silver Sight (2)
81. The Tale of the Silver Sight (3)
82. The Tale of the Lunar Locusts
83. The Tale of the Stone Maiden
84. The Tale of Highway 13
85. The Tale of the Reanimator
86. The Tale of the Time Trap
87. The Tale of the Photo Finish
88. The Tale of the Last Dance
89. The Tale of the Laser Maze
90. The Tale of the Many Faces
91. The Tale of the Night Nurse
[edit] DVD Releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Region | Release Date | # of Episodes | Bonus Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 1st Season | 1 | April 18, 2006 | 13 | Episode Synopses |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 2nd Season | 1 | November 28, 2006 | 13 | Episode Synopses |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 3rd Season | 1 | April 24, 2007 | 13 | Episode Synopses |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 4th Season | 1 | November 13, 2007[1] | 13 | Episode Synopses |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 5th Season | 1 | February 26, 2008[2] | 13 | Episode Synopses |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Complete 6th Season | 1 | April 29, 2008[3] | 13 | Episode Synopses, Season 6 Photo Gallery |
Compilations
| DVD Name | Region | Release Date | # of Episodes | Bonus Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Freaky Favorites | 1 | October 24,2006 | 8 | Episode Synopses |
[edit] External links
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? at the Internet Movie Database
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? at the Internet Movie Database
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