A new member of "The Midnight Society" named Frank is about to join the group if he can tell a good Scary story, is it Scary? "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE PHANTOM CAB
Two boys get lost in the woods, but come across a mysterious man and a crazy doctor who won't let his victims go unless they can solve his riddles. Can the boy's solve it?
The episode started off creepy as we are introduced to "The Midnight Society", the kid actors who play the members of the society are good and can be really creepy at points. When the story started, the acting began to stink. The kid actors who play the two boy's are annoying and act like they haven't acted before. The actor who played Dr. Vink (For some reason looks like the inspiration for Hagrid from "Harry Potter") was just as annoying as the kid actors, but I will admit there were a few scenes of him that made me feel uncomfortable like the scenes when he shows dead body parts including a fake looking hand.
The actor who played The mysterious man, however, gave me the creeps. Sure, he can be over the top like most of the actors in this story, but that's the fun of his character. Without giving away what he is in the ending let me just say he knows how to bring a good mix between being scary and fun to watch at the same time. Is it just me or is his performance similar to Thomas F. Wilson's performance in the "Back to the Future" Trilogy?
Aside from the lame acting from the main characters, the episode knows how to be scary. It's got a nice creepy setting, has good build up to the ending, and has a good story. It was not what I think should be the first episode of the series, but it was satisfying.
RATING 3/5
Tonight it's Betty Ann's turn to tell a scary story....a scary clown story. Kristen is afraid of clowns. Can she sit through it? "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on.....
THE TALE OF LAUGHING IN THE DARK
A kid named Josh goes into a haunted fun house to steal the nose of a clown who haunts the place named Zeebo. He succeeds by stealing the nose from the dummy clown of Zeebo, but one night, Zeebo pays the kid a little visit to get his nose back.
This episode I personally think should have been the pilot for this show. The story is amazingly scary from beginning to end. The idea that the story mostly takes place in a cheesy theme park haunted house that actually is haunted is very cleverly because kid's when they are younger are afraid of those cheesy attractions, but having the attraction actually being haunted makes the younger viewers even more afraid to enter one. A part of the story I really enjoyed even though it's told in dialogue instead of being shown is Zeebo's backstory and why the Funhouse is haunted. The story also leaves the audience (including "The Midnight Society") into thinking.
One of my favorite things about the episode is the cinematography. When our main character enters the Funhouse the cheesy dummies that pop out of the shadows catches you off guard, almost as if you're really in there. The scene when Josh is about to steal Zeebo's nose is thrilling because you're seeing through the eyes of the clown and his nose sticks out like a sore thumb. The best part that tops all of those scenes is when Zeebo enters Josh's house. You don't see him, but you see the evidence that tells you he's there, which makes the episode thrilling. The creepy clown music to the episode also sends out chills.
How's the acting? Better than the pilot episode. The kid who plays Josh is believable and is one of the reasons the episodes so scary because he helps make the audience believe that Zeebo is after him. His acting isn't the best, but he did a very fine job. I also love the performance of the guy who plays the Carney being over the top and mysterious and the less you know what's so scary about him, the better. All I'll say is he did a better job in this role than he did as Dr. Vink in the pilot episode.
One of the best episodes of the season and is probably one of the best one's in the whole series.
RATING 5/5
Next week is Kristen's Birthday and David has a little present for her, will she like it? It's David turn this week to tell a story at the campfire. "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on....
THE TALE OF THE LONELY GHOST
It's summer and Amanda Cameron has to stay at her snotty cousin's house. She wants to be friends with her cousin and her cousins friends, but the only way for her to be accepted is for her to spend the night in an old house next door. She agrees to spend the night there, but once she does, she meets a ghost of a little girl died in the house.
The girl who played Amanda started out as a boring character, but as I let the episode play on she became a character I was attached to. Like most of the acting in this show she isn't great, but she did enough to make the main character believable and likable. As for the actress who played her cousin, she played the role so well that I just want stand up to her and yell "Hey, quick picking on your cousin, she's going to be with you all summer long, learn to live with her and if you two can't get along I'll destroy your beautiful stuffed animal collection". Let's just say, what happens to her in the end was something she had coming to her.
The woman who plays Nanny gives a really emotional performance. Even though we don't spend too much time with her, we do know that something is bothering her, and her acting and facial expressions really show it. The other best performance goes to the little girl who plays the lonely ghost. Out of all the characters in this story, I felt most of the emotion from her. Instead of her being scary, she looks sad and depressed and looks like she's looking for someone to love her. She has no dialogue at all and still has me moving throughout the entire episode. Her backstory, even makes me shed at least one tear drop. Her performance sort of reminds me of Robert Duvall's performance in "To Kill a Mockingbird" as Boo Radley. Doesn't have much screen time; only shows up towards the end; has no lines; and when you see him you feel for the character and love him right away.
The episode isn't one of those scary episodes, it's actually one of those episodes about a lost spirit who wants something. The story is heartwarming, the characters are likable, the acting's emotional, and the special effects are decent.
RATING 5/5
Eric just told a story that wasted the first few seconds of the episode filled with a kid who can't act for Pineapples; A monster who looks like a guy dressed up; a plot twist that wasn't scary; and ends with a freaking cliff hanger, all in a minute. It's so bad that it's not worth rating. However, David has a story to tell and I hope it's not as lame as Eric's story."Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on....
THE TALE OF THE TWISTED CLAW
Two boys who pranked an old lady on "Mischief Night" receive a magic claw from her on Halloween night that can grant them three wishes a piece. However, whenever they make a wish something awful happens.
This story is obviously a twist of the story "The Monkey's Paw", that uses its own creativity, such as having two boys instead of a married couple; get three wishes a piece, instead of three wishes for both of them; an old woman gives the claw to them, instead of a British armed Forceman; and it's a wooden vulture claw. The story does have a lot of similarities to the original story, such as their wish coming true with consequences; A boy's parents get killed in an accident like the son in the original story; and the ghost of a loved one comes to their door as the climax of the story.
The stories good, but is the acting good? The two boy's are good at showing their characteristics, one being good, and the other one being adventurous, but in the scene when they're being dramatic about a ghost coming to them and are fighting over the claw, I didn't feel the fear they had, but still they're better than the kid in the first 36 seconds of the episode. The actress who plays the old lady is one of the reasons why I enjoy this episode. She acts like a regular old lady, but there's something about her that gives you the creeps. When she invites the boys into her house you know she's going to give them the claw, but you can't help but feel that something's not right with her. Without giving away the ending let me just say it was a bit predictable. By the way, she also has an insane laugh, that's not only creepy, but also hints what she is at the end of the story.
The cinematography is good and brings the atmosphere of the episode. My favorite scenes with the cinematography are when the boys meet a bunch of creepy punks on Halloween; the scene with that unfriendly looking tree; and when the ghost walks to their door. The effects however, are lame. Whenever the monkey paw turns green or moves it looks like an added effect; and the fact that we never see the ghost seems like they're being lazy with the effects.
The episode has its flaws, but it's good retelling of a classic horror story.
RATING 4/5
The member's of the "Midnight Society" are hearing strange noises in the night. Kristen has brought her dog Elvis to help her with the sound effects for her story."Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE HUNGRY HOUNDS
Amy is visiting her cousin Pam. Pam wanted to learn how to horseback ride, but her mother forbids her too. One day Pam opens a box that's been locked for years and tries on a horse-riding uniform that belonged to a dead relative. Pam is now possessed by the spirit and takes Amy to a ghostly dimension to feed the hungry hounds in order for her to rest in peace.
The actress who played Amy started out as the only interesting character in the story, but once I got to the middle of the story she stops being interesting and becomes annoying. She may be good looking, but that didn't hide the fact that she can't act. The actress who played Pam started out as a boring and uninteresting character, but once she was possessed, she stopped being boring and became the only actress in this story that can act. With that being said. I didn't really believe she was really being processed, but I can see that the actress is trying to make the audience believe she is by changing from being extremely boring too weird, and to me that's enough to pass her on the acting. The acting's bad, but at least it's not as bad as the few seconds from the beginning of "The Tale of The Twisted Claw" or the kids in "The Tale of The Phantom Cab".
The story didn't really grab me or made me feel scared. I didn't feel for the spirit that has possessed Pam; the build up to the hungry hounds didn't catch my suspense; and the hungry hounds themselves are not scary and don't look hungry either. The only scene I found chillingly realistic, but was only shown in the episode for a short time is when the two girls contact the ghost with the Ouija board.
This was a very boring and not scary episode and if it wasn't for the Ouija board scene and the effort from the actress who played Pam it would have gotten a lower rating.
RATING 2/5
Gary hasn't told a good story in a while (Even though he hasn't told one yet this Season), tonight, it's his turn to tell a story around the campfire. Can his story make up for his other stories (What Stories? I haven't heard one from him yet. Were his stories worse than Eric's short story? We're they so bad that they couldn't be aired?)? "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on....
THE TALE OF THE SUPER SPECS
A prankster named Weeds buys his girlfriend Marybeth a pair of "Super Specs" from a Magic shop owner named Sardo. Whenever Marybeth puts on the glasses, she sees mysterious people from another dimension. Meanwhile Weeds is having fun pranking everybody on April fools day, but also has a bag of Magic Dust, which he doesn't know is really Magic.
Most of the acting is over the top, but in a good way because it helps gives the April first feel to it. The actor who plays Sardo gives a bit of a Willy Wonka performance by being weird and funny at the same time. Every scene you see him in is fun to watch, especially when he constantly corrects his customers about his name. Even when something's scary he still manages to be funny. The kid who plays Weeds is just as funny as Sardo, every time he pulls a prank or messes with the magic dust is something you can't help but laugh. When I first met the character already he's pullin pranks and I'm laughing my butt off. Those two characters are funny, but is this episode scary?
The girl who played Marybeth is the only serious character in the episode. Her performance is believable, well acted and is as likable as Weeds and Sadro. My only problem with her performance are the scenes when she's wearing the glasses. Whenever she screams when she sees the mysterious people, the glasses make her look goofy instead of scared. I bet she has a great scared face without those glasses, but whenever she's wearing them it hard for me to take her seriously or be scared with her. Another problem with the glasses is when see right through them it feels like an acid trip then something scary.
The episode is goofy, but it still has a good plot and scary moments. Even though the glasses are dumb looking they're still creepy in a way, especially when they keep coming back to Marybeth no matter how many times she tries to get rid of them. The Mysterious people from another dimension are a bit frightening, especially the leader of the group, but what makes the Episode totally scary is the ending and without giving it away, let me just say it's totally different then the endings we are use too in this series.
A good mix between being funny and scary.
RATING 4/5
Kiki is taking various pictures of the "Midnight Society". Tonight is her turn to tell a scary story."Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society", here's my review on....
THE TALE OF THE CAPTURED SOULS
A girl named Danny and her family stay at an old small house for the summer. They befriend a kid who stays at the house for the summer while his parents are on a cruise. As the family stay in the house, Danny's parents are ageing and are getting weaker by the second.
The girl who played Danny is a lot different from most of the girls in this series. Instead of her being just a frightened curious character she's more tough. The fact that she doesn't like to be called Danielle already shows that she's going to be different than most of the female characters in this series. She's brave, wants to save her parents and doesn't take any crap.
The actors who played her parents are also good. At first they act over the top like most adult characters in this show, but one they start ageing they become believable and make you worry about them. They act totally different then they were in the beginning of the episode. The old make-up they put on them also makes you believe they are aging and sometimes made me wonder if they're played by the same actor.
The best performance out of all the characters in this episode is the kid who plays Peter Kirlan the third. When you first see him, he looks nice and welcoming, but there's still something not right about him. When we get near the ending we get to see his true colors. His performance and the character itself is kind of similar to Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Being friendly but yet creepy at the same time; owning a place for people to stay; has a weird obsession; spy's on people; having a huge secret; and having a creepy smile.
The actings good, the stories creepy, and the effects are nice.
RATING 5/5
Kristen asks one of the worlds dumbest question. Her question is "Why do we tell scary stories at night? If they're scary, they should be just as scary during the day right?" Here's a better question, "What the Hell is Goofy?" Well it's Betty Ann's turn to tell a story around the campfire tonight. Eric however, says her stories are "Kind of gross and they all live happily ever after". First off Betty Ann only told one story so far this season and her story "The Tale of Laughing In The Dark" in my opinion is the best story in the whole season. Second, what was Eric's story again? Oh yeah the one that only lasted a few seconds. In fact, he didn't even finish his story, so Eric SHUT UP! However, his comment does speak for most of the episodes in the whole series. Is Eric right, is this story going to be predictable?"Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE NIGHTLY NEIGHBORS
New Neighbors move into Emma and Dayday's Neighborhood. The family that moved in are from Eastern Europe, wear black clothes, and only come out that night. Emma suspects that they are vampires, not only by their appearance, but also a mysterious disease has spread around the Neighborhood ever since they moved in.
The Plot for the episode is very cliche. The story has been overdone a million times, it's predictable, and the plot twist at the ending didn't surprise me. In fact, it's not even scary, it's all played out in an extremely dull way. There was no atmosphere, no character development, and no suspenseful build up.
The actors who play the kids match their characters alright, they're boring, predictable, and bland. The actors who play the weird family are lifeless, not scary, and have very bad accents. I will admit I found some scenes seemingly frightening, but at the same time predictable, such as Emma's nightmare and the part when they're hiding in the most obvious hiding spot from a guy who's dumb enough not to notice that they're right in front of them.
Sorry Betty Ann but your story is poor and Eric is right, her story is predictable only this time without a happy ending.
RATING 1/5
Frank and Kiki had just pulled a freaky prank on the "Midnight Society". Tonight it's Betty Ann's turn to tell a story around the campfire (It better be better then her last story). "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
Not that one.
That's more like it.
A school outcast named Dean looks at a snake staff brought in by Archaeologist Dr. Oliver and Hypnotizes him and the people around the school to bring back an evil Sorcerer named Goth. It's up to Deans only friend Alix to stop Dean from releasing Goth.
When the episode started, it had a bit of a dark beginning. The story starts out with a flashback of the school in 1966 with a dark person with snake tattoos on their arms and hides something that the audience can't see, plus you got guards chasing that mysterious figure around. With an opening like that, not only does it give you chills, but also makes the audience eager to know what's going on, who is that person, and what was that thing the person was hiding. After that creepy opening we then bounce forward to the present where the story really takes place.
The actress who plays Alix makes the character likable by showing her feelings by sticking with her friend even when he's turned bad. Instead of being scared with over the top facial expressions, her scared faces look realistic. Still, there's something about the character I found kind of either boring or uninteresting, but I can't really think of the reason why. The kid who plays Dean, however, is not interesting. Betty Ann (Narrator) explains his character, but the actor doesn't really show it, he just looks like someone you'd see as an extra. When he becomes hypnotized, he stops from being uninteresting to an actor who looks confused with his role. Yeah, he's bad, but I do think he did a decent job in the climax, but that's up until the real villain appears.
The build up to the villain was good, but I felt like it was sort of rushed. When you first see him when Dean's contacting him, he looks like he's going to be a cool and scary villain. When we see the villain again, he looks a bit threatening, but to be honest, he really wasn't as villainous I hoped he'd be. He's not scary; he focuses on stopping Dean then stopping the hero Alix; he doesn't do much with his powers; and his acting is a bit off especially when he says "Stop her." The actors that play the hypnotized people are creepy, but at some points they look like they're about to shout out "Just kidding, we're just acting", like in the scene when we find out the teacher is hypnotized too. I'm not going to say much about the actress who plays Dr.Oliver because she shows up for a short time, but let me just say she's not what she appears to be.
Even though the story does have a few gaps, it's still written well.The acting's ok, it could have been worse.I think what brought out the episodes darkness are the visuals.The dark setting for the secret room in the school is awesome; the special effects for the cauldron scenes are cool; and the design for the snake staff is neat. The ending also hints a sequel and "The Midnight Society" thinks there might be one, so maybe the sequel will be better than this episode.
RATING 3/5
Frank agreed to let Eric tell a story around the campfire tonight since his grandfather just died. His grandfather gave him a hat that he got from the pixies and he's going to tell a story that his grandfather told him. "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society" here's my review on...
THE TALE OF JAKE AND THE LEPRECHAUN
First minute of Eric's story, already we're seeing an over the top low budget background, a goblin who's not scary and looks like a dude in a costume, a clumsy kid who can't act and we're right smack in the middle of the story. Wow, this is worse than Eric's first story...actually this was a rehearsal for a play (Thank God). The real story is about a kid named Jake who wants to be an actor is in a play about Leprechauns and goblins, but during rehearsal weird things are happening to him. Jake and a little man named Sean must find out why this is happening.
The kid who play's Jake is a decent enough actor...well with the exception of his performance from the first minute of the story. There are times when I believe he's feeling weird like the scene when his voice changes, or when he see's he has pointy ears. There are however other times when I don't feel like he's in trouble. In the scene on stage at the climax of the episode when he's yelling for help, I didn't believe he was in trouble.
The man who played Sean is the one I found more believable. In the scene when he finds out the ingredients Jake needs for his play director's(Who's also in the play) tea his voice makes you nervous as he tells Jake to leave. He can also be funny and over the top at some points like the character Sardo from "The Tale of the super specs". I think his best scene is at the climax of the story when we find out who he really is(Which by the way is pretty obvious).The Villain in the story is scary enough to frighten the younger viewers and when you first meet him he's the last person you'd suspect to be the Villain.
The story for the episode is good, but is very predictable, but it does a better job on catching your suspense than the other predictable episode "The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors". The characters are likable, the special effects are passable, but my real praise goes to the climax of the episode and the scene when our characters sneak into the villain's room.
RATING 3/5
It is revealed that some members of the "Midnight Society" are afraid of the dark. Tonight it's Eric's turn to tell a scary story around the campfire. "Submitted for the approval of the "Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE DARK MUSIC
A boy who lives with his divorced mom and bratty little sister move into a house that was inherited by his weird uncle. Andy finds something hidden in the basement, which is a monster who only appears when music is playing.
I found this episode completely terrifying. The fact that a monster behind a door in the basement who only appears when music is playing is very creative. Before the monster appears we see the door's lock shaking and then the door opens up by itself, and every time that happens, you can't help but be petrified because you don't know what the monsters going to do. Another cool thing about the monster is, it changes its form to try to lure Andy to it. It can even hypnotize Andy to its trap. The thing I found scary about the monster is we never see it, all we see of it are its red eyes and the forms that the monster changes into. The monsters deep voice sounds friendly, but also sounds like something from Hell. My only criticism is, we don't what the monster is or where it came from, all we know is it's there. A bit of lazy writing there, but is still a creative monster.
The Music in the episode adds to the atmosphere of it. Whenever the monster becomes something, it plays music that blends in with the character it's become. The music for the scenes when Andy enters the basement are eerie and makes your heart pound. Every time we meet the punk neighborhood bully Koda we hear heavy metal rock that help adds to the character's personality.
The kid who plays Andy shows the character's fear of the dark and his struggles to face his fears to help his mom. His facial expressions when he gets hypnotized or gets tempted by the monster, do look a little bit awkward, but makes you believe he's under the monsters control. The kid who plays Koda is very convincing, he looks like someone you better not mess with unless if you have a plan. Sometimes he can be funny and sometimes he can just look like an average everyday person who looks like he's being bad for a reason. What I really loved in the casting is they got the girl who played the lonely ghost to play Andy's little sister. In "The Tale of The Lonely Ghost" I want to hug her, but here I want to spank her for being such a naughty little girl. That girl is a good actress, I really wish she did more.
The special effects in the episode are cheesy, but still look frightening. One of the many examples of that is when the skeleton tries to grab Andy, it looks like a plastic skeleton wearing clothes, but the voice, the strong wind blowing, the skeleton hand that's reaching for Andy's leg and the idea itself is scary. Let me just say the ending to the episode is scary and is one of the rare times when they actually show someone getting killed on the show.
Great Episode, this totally made up for Eric's short story, and not only am I going to give this episode a good rating, but I'm going to stop making fun of Eric's short story for the rest of the review.
RATING 5/5
Kristen is in a Prom dress as the character of the story she's about to tell. "Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society" here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE PROM QUEEN
Two boys befriend a girl named Dede to help them find the legend of The Prom Queen ghost that comes every once a year.
The boys who play Greg and Jam are just as fun as the two boys from "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" and basically have the same characteristics as them, one being good (Greg) and the other one being adventurous (Jam). The kid who plays Greg acts like a regular person and isn't over the top like most of the actors in the show. When he gets scared you actually believe he's scared. The kid who plays Jam is another one of those over the top fun characters that we enjoy watching on the show. I enjoy the scenes when he keeps frightening our main characters, it shows what a fun loving jerk he is and how much fun the actor is having. With that said I still thought his acting is a bit off. The Girl who plays Dede (Who you might recognize her voice as Raye from the anime show "Sailor Moon") does an outstanding performance. When you first meet her, she acts like your average everyday person, but once we get to the middle of the episode there's something weird about her. The scene that gave me goosebumps is when she tries to contact the spirit with Greg and Pam.
The story is written well, my favorite part in the story is the Prom Queens backstory on how she and her date died, making it tragic and having a spooky ending to their backstory. The only flaw I noticed however is the ghost only comes out on prom night, but yet the ghost has been seen for two days in a row? The story also has great build up to the ending, it just makes you want to know if the legend is true.
There are some thrilling scenes in the episode, my favorite is the bubbles popping out of the river because the characters and the audience assume it's the Prom Queen's Date ghost driving his car under the water where he died. As the characters try to row away the bubbles are following them. The idea is scary, but if you listen carefully to the last bubble you can hear a fart like noise. The ending to the episode was heartwarming and brought a smile to my face, but I did find it a little bit predictable. I was happy that they at least ended the story with a classic 50's song "In the Still Of The Night" by The Five Saints to bring its romantic feel when you see the two ghosts.
RATING 4/5
The "Midnight Society" members are hooked on a video game except for Gary. Tonight it's Gary's turn to tell a story to close the season. "Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society", here's my review on...
THE TALE OF THE PINBALL WIZARD
Wish it was that Pinball Wizard
A teenage boy named Ross watches over Mr.Olson's store at the Mall. He finds an unusual Pinball Machine that Mr.Olson clearly warned him not to play and when he starts playing it, he's in the game. Can he survive and win the game?
This is another creative story, but yet again kind of reminds me of the Disney movie "Tron". I like that the game characters are resemblance to people Ross has encountered such as the Bag Lady is the witch in the game; a waxed executioner that is seen in the window of Mr.Olsens shop is a villain in the game; and the girl Sophie, whom he briefly met, is the princess. I also love the colorful sets and cheesy sound effects because that's what help make the audience believe he's in a game. The only downside is it takes place at the Mall then in a fictional world.
Ross, however, is a bland character and doesn't really show too much emotion or personality. I just felt like the actor was only doing this to be on TV. Sophie same feeling, but when she became the princess that's when I started liking her stereotypical damsel in distress game character. The actors who play the game characters are creepy, villainous and fun to watch. The person who I thought was creepy and was enjoyable from beginning to end is Mr. Olson. He seems like a regular weird over the top store owner (Like Sardo from "The Tale of the Super Specs") but there's something about him that doesn't feel right. You don't know if he's planning on making Ross play the game, or if he's just a friendly shop owner who's just trying to stop Ross from playing it. We don't for sure until the ending.
I thought this episode concluded the season very well, it has a good moral about Video Games, has a good storyline, visuals and effects and ends with Gary breaking the fourth saying Goodnight to the audience.
RATING 4/5
The show does use cheap effects and sometimes have either bad or over the top acting, but it's still scary. The monsters are scary, the actors for the "Midnight Society" are good and are likable and the stories are not only scary, but are very creative and ends with a moral or an ending to make you want to change the channel. I miss this show and I wish they would show this show on Nickelodeon again or at least show it during the month of Halloween.
THE SEASONS RATING 5/5
"I DECLARE THIS MEETING OF THE MIDNIGHT SOCIETY CLOSED"
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