“Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society…”
Those words remain etched in the memory of anyone who grew up watching Nickelodeon in the ‘90s. Airing from 1990-1996 and 1999-2000 (a revival run) for 91 episodes, spooky anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark? delivered chills and thrills to the younger horror fan. Every episode, a member of the Midnight Society would present a tale of terror to their fellow members gathered around a campfire in the woods, beginning with the aforementioned catchphrase that was initially conceived as a tip of the hat to Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone.
With a new three-episode miniseries poised to revive the Midnight Society once more on October 11th, we look back at 10 of the creepiest, most nightmare-inducing episodes!
The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle
Told by David, the 10th episode of season 2 is as eerie as it is tragic. As a teen, Mike still suffers night terrors about the fateful day 5 years prior when he failed to save his best friend Ricky, who slipped and fell to his death in the river below. First, he begins seeing Ricky’s red bicycle everywhere, followed by the haunting whispers of his name. Then he sees Ricky’s ghost, though everyone thinks he’s losing his grip. Ricky is haunting Mike in earnest, which is effectively spine-chilling, but it turns out this ghost has a far more benevolent reason for returning; a warning to prevent another tragedy.
The Tale of the Super Specs
For the most part, the Midnight Society’s tales ended on a happy note. That wasn’t the case in this season 1, episode 6 story. Borrowing from They Live, Gary tells the group a story about an aspiring magician named Weeds who drags his unwitting girlfriend along with him to a magic shop. He buys a magic dust and accidentally spills some on a pair of glasses, which the shop owner Sardo then talks him into buying as well. When his girlfriend puts them on, she (and the viewer) is startled to spot all figures in all black lurking in plain sight. Though, they disappear when she removes the glasses. The more she uses them, the more the figures appear, until it reaches a not so happy conclusion.
The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner
This fourth season episode, told by Betty Ann, sees an aspiring comic book artist accidentally unleash his villainous Ghastly Grinner, a sinister Joker-like character that turns others into cackling, mindless zombies that drool blue ooze. The teen has to learn confidence in his artistic abilities if he has any hope to thwart this manic enemy. It’s more lighthearted and favors irony (and a happy ending), but the imagery of both the Ghastly Grinner and his victims makes for some spine-tingling moments.
The Tale of the Midnight Madness
This second season, episode 2 story is also told by Gary, and revolves around an alternate version of Nosferatu. An old theater is in danger of closing, and the mysterious Dr. Vink comes to the rescue by presenting a unique film to screen; “Nosferatu the Demon Vampire.” Business turns around, but the two teens at the center of the story start noticing strange things, like bite marks on their fellow theater workers’ necks. Turns out, the creepy Count Orlock in the film is able to escape into the real world. And that door works both ways. It’s a cool concept, not unlike Demons 2, with one unnerving foe.
The Tale of the Water Demons
The moral of this season 4 episode is simply, don’t steal. Tucker tells the Midnight Society of a teen who got more than they bargained for when they steal an object from a former sea captain. An object that happens to be cursed. Every time the teen falls asleep, he’s tormented by the watery demons trying to track his location to reclaim what’s been stolen. When they find him in his waking life, it’s terrifying. Water is everywhere, and these water demons are not to be messed with. If the teen learns his lesson on stealing, maybe all isn’t lost.
The Tale of the Lonely Ghost
In episode 3 of the inaugural season, David tells the group of a girl who wants to fit in with her cousin so badly she agrees to spend the night alone in a haunted house. Of course, paranormal activity ensues. Taking it a step further, we find out just how dark this ghost’s origin is- in life this ghost was a deaf girl bullied so badly she died of starvation in her home while her mother was away tending to her sick husband. Bleak stuff. Luckily, it ends on an uplifting note, but what a doozy of a ghost story.
The Tale of the Frozen Ghost
Melissa Joan Hart stars in this season 2 tale, told by Kristen, of one seriously frightening ghost. Hart plays babysitter Daphne, who heads off with her spoiled ward to his aunt’s house in the country. Which happens to be haunted, naturally. The ghost itself is scary, with a frozen appearance reminiscent of Santi in The Devil’s Backbone, but the first-person perspective of the wind rushing though is a nice atmospheric touch.
The Tale of the Dollmaker
This season 3, episode 5 story by Betty Ann revolves around a dollhouse. For teen Melissa, she longs to reconnect with her old friend Susan when she visits her aunt and uncle. But Susan’s family have moved away after her strange disappearance. When Melissa finds a dollhouse in the attic that looks identical to Susan’s home, well, it gets trippy from there. It’s when she actually finds out what happened to Susan that the scares come in this episode.
The Tale of Laughing in the Dark
Midnight Society member Betty Ann gets it; clowns are creepy. In the second episode ever, a teen decides to prove his mettle by stealing the nose of Zeebo the Clown from a funhouse. Understandably, the clown wants it back. What makes this episode so freaky is that it bides its time showing Zeebo. You see his wafting cigar smoke, the footprint of his shoe, or even hear his laugh. Knowing that he’s lurking in the teen’s home unseen creates some seriously unsettling suspense.
The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float
This season 5 opener, which marked Midnight Society member Stig’s initiation, benefited from one fantastic creature design. When a pair of teens push to have a long-abandoned pool reopen, they soon discover the hard way why the pool was boarded up like a dark, dirty secret for 40 years. It’s a creepy water zombie haunting this particular pool, and the build-up of its appearance through Jaws-esque underwater shots as it hunts its victims enhances the fear. It’s one of the most menacing looking creatures to ever plague the Midnight Society bunch.
