I have always been a fan of “scary” TV and movies. I say scary because it's not full blown horror. Honestly unless its very obviously fake, I’m not a fan of realistic blood and gore type shows. I also tend to be like all other casual fans and watch these kind of shows around Halloween. However as many of you know, nostalgia tends to get the best of me, and out of nowhere I started watching my DVD set of the 90’s Nickelodeon classic, Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Are You Afraid Of The Dark? was considered by many as a horror show designed for a younger audience. However don’t let that fool you, because after watching several episodes just the other day, I was impressed with how well they held up. Sure the majority of these shows are super cheesy and not really scary, and some aren’t even close to being horror. The real draw for me is how completely strange everything is in this show. The stories draw from classic horror themes as well as a ton of supernatural elements. There are some really memorable characters, with some making appearances in multiple episodes. A couple that come to mind would be Dr. Vink, who is a mad scientist of sorts. I also liked Mr. Sardo, who is very eccentric magician. There are also memorable stories such as when a boy is trapped in a mall that becomes a life size pinball machine.
The other awesome thing about these shows is that they scream 90’s! From the clothing styles and slang terms, to the the random product placement items, such as the original Gameboy. Are You Afraid Of The Dark was a staple on Nickelodeon’s Saturday night block of programming called SNICK, which featured shows aimed more towards a early teens crowd. Are You Afraid Of The Dark was always the final show of the block and ended at around 10pm. This was surely by design to try and give kids nightmares with impressions of the shows lingering in their minds as they went off to bed not long after. As I mentioned, the show wasn’t exactly scary or gory, but featured so many weird things. The weirdness of the show is what would make it a bit “scary.” This weirdness I’m referring to could also be compared to what exists in similar shows such as Beyond Belief and The Twilight Zone.
I would highly recommend seeking this show out. I have seen the show available on dvd here and there around the web. The website I purchased mine on is no longer in service. I assume they were shut down due to copyright reasons, because they had a lot of Nickelodeon shows available that weren’t available anywhere else. There are also several of the shows lurking around on YouTube. So go ahead and give these shows a view if you dare...or you can wait until closer to Halloween.
Do you have any memories of watching Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Please share them below in the comments. Also if you liked this article, as well as all the other content on the site, please spread the word on social media and consider Showing Your Support.