Rewatched: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

I loved the combination of fun and suspense of the stories and, thus, Are You Afraid of the Dark? became my Friday night habit since then and for several years. I liked the idea of the Midnight Society and their love for sharing horror stories. 

I loved horror stories since I was a kid, and I wished that we had a Midnight Society in my small hometown. I mean, the episodes were mostly set in small towns. I was excited for Friday evenings because of Are You Afraid of the Dark? I think I only stopped watching it when I left home for college. However, on some weekends, I would watch some episodes on YouTube from time to time.

Fast forward 25 years after I first watched Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I began watching it again, just because we were at a period when we were told to just stay at home, and we had a lot of time on our hands. 

It was a time when we were all navigating our new life, and because of the circumstances, we either had to go back to the things that we loved or explore new hobbies. I was one of those who opted to go back to the things that I used to love; I watched 90s movies that I didn’t get to watch, I went back to watching the cartoon series that I used to enjoy as a child, and I also started to watch old episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? It turned out I missed the Midnight Society, and I still enjoyed the stories that glued me to the TV set as a kid.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? centered on The Midnight Society, a group of teens who met in the woods at night to tell scary stories around a campfire. Each tale began with the ritual phrase, “Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story…” followed by tossing “midnight dust” into the fire to create eerie smoke. The stories, presented to viewers rather than told, explored paranormal themes such as ghosts, curses, witches, vampires, and aliens, often set in abandoned houses, schools, or libraries.

Many episodes drew from urban legends, fairy tales, or even the storytellers’ personal experiences, blending supernatural suspense with relatable conflicts. While most ended on hopeful notes, others delivered dark or twist endings. Each meeting closed with Gary or Tucker dousing the fire and declaring it over, sometimes hurriedly if real-life events mirrored the story. The show remains a nostalgic classic of childhood horror storytelling.

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