The creepy television series Are You Afraid of the Dark? has found its way online. Every episode is now at your fingertips. This was brought to “the Internet’s” attention via a Reddit user who has created a guide for all of you. You can get started by clicking here.
The show was a series produced in Canada by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. Nickelodeon picked it up in the early ’90s and brought it to the U.S. Now, because this was a series presented to a generation of horror fans before my time, I’ll refer to the Wikipedia description of the show. But, before I do, I wanted to give you the heads-up that The Cinefamily in Los Angeles (if you happen to live in the area) is doing an Are You Afraid of the Dark? tribute on October 23rd. Head here for more details.
Both series of Are You Afraid of the Dark? revolved around a group of young people 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 a handful of “midnight dust” (in actuality, a non-dairy creamer[2]) from a leather pouch into a campfire to heighten the flames and produce an eerie white smoke. Creator MacHale wrote the line “submitted for the approval of” as a nod to the show The Twilight Zone, in which creator Rod Serling would, after introducing the episode, say “submitted for your approval.” The storyteller would continue by announcing its title (The Tale of…).
