Most of you remember my review on the first season of the show "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?"; well, I'm pleased and happy to announce that there will be a review On Season 2 during the month of fright. Before I review a new season of a show, I usually write a list of my top favorite episodes or least favorite episodes from the season I reviewed. Now it won't be in parts like my villains list, so I'm going to go through a whole list in one post. I'll only do part lists only if I think it's necessary. "Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society" here are my...
TOP 8 FAVORITE "ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?" EPISODES FROM SEASON 1
("AYAOTD" FOR SHORT)
NUMBER 8
WARNING:THERE WILL BE SPOILERS
NUMBER 8
"THE TALE OF THE PROM QUEEN"
This is one of the best Mystery episodes in this Season. It has a good set up, great characters, and nice writing. The back story of, the Prom Queen and her date are not just told in an eerie way, but also has a story that's a little violent for kids. The Prom Queen gets run over by a car and the date commits suicide by driving off a bridge. Just because they don't show it, it doesn't mean it's not violent. I also love how the mystery just builds and builds as the episode moves on. I also love how "Midnight Society" member Kristen tells the story. She comes to the campfire dressed as the Prom Queen with her face all covered up, scares the members of the group and speaks in a soft creepy voice. I even love that instead of seeing the title in the campfire, we see the title appear where Kristen is standing.
The characters, good god, I just love them. Grieg is not only a complete scaredy cat, but he also sees Dede as his love interest and, in the end when Dede reveals herself, you can tell by Grieg's face that something is dying inside of him. Dede throughout the episode is lovable, but gives me the creeps most of the time because of her weird personality and obsession with the mystery. Her best scene that always creeps me out is when she leads the seance to contact the spirit of the Prom Queens date. My favorite character out of all them is Jam. Every time I see him I just laugh. I love his pranks, I love his personality and I love his reactions to odd situations. I think his best jokes and pranks are the episodes opening that sort of parody's the opening to "Night Of The Living Dead" and his "I Love Lucy" reference. Just by watching him, I can tell the actor is having a lot of fun and to be honest, I have the same amount of fun watching him.
I put this episode low on my list for an amount of reasons. First off, the plot twist of Dede being the Prom Queen was very predictable. I think what truly gave her away was the whole seance scene, just by watching her, you can tell she is the ghost. The episode also has a few plot holes. For example, the prom queen only appears on the night of her anniversary, but yet she meets the two boys before the day of the anniversary. She also says she can't leave the cemetery unless she was accompanied by a live human being, but she tells them to meet her at a spot that's far away from the cemetery. The episode also lacks being scary and is more humorous. The only scary scene in the episode is when the characters are being chased by the date, that's it. Most of the time when you do get scared, you're just scared silly by a prank that Jam pulls.
To the episode's credit it is still really good. It also ends with one of the best endings I ever seen in a "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" episode. I get chills every time I see Dede reveal herself of being the ghost and see the ghosts drive away through a closed gate as the song "In The Still Of The Night" plays. Every time I hear that song I think of this scene. It's a really good episode, it has its flaws, but it's still good.
The characters, good god, I just love them. Grieg is not only a complete scaredy cat, but he also sees Dede as his love interest and, in the end when Dede reveals herself, you can tell by Grieg's face that something is dying inside of him. Dede throughout the episode is lovable, but gives me the creeps most of the time because of her weird personality and obsession with the mystery. Her best scene that always creeps me out is when she leads the seance to contact the spirit of the Prom Queens date. My favorite character out of all them is Jam. Every time I see him I just laugh. I love his pranks, I love his personality and I love his reactions to odd situations. I think his best jokes and pranks are the episodes opening that sort of parody's the opening to "Night Of The Living Dead" and his "I Love Lucy" reference. Just by watching him, I can tell the actor is having a lot of fun and to be honest, I have the same amount of fun watching him.
I put this episode low on my list for an amount of reasons. First off, the plot twist of Dede being the Prom Queen was very predictable. I think what truly gave her away was the whole seance scene, just by watching her, you can tell she is the ghost. The episode also has a few plot holes. For example, the prom queen only appears on the night of her anniversary, but yet she meets the two boys before the day of the anniversary. She also says she can't leave the cemetery unless she was accompanied by a live human being, but she tells them to meet her at a spot that's far away from the cemetery. The episode also lacks being scary and is more humorous. The only scary scene in the episode is when the characters are being chased by the date, that's it. Most of the time when you do get scared, you're just scared silly by a prank that Jam pulls.
To the episode's credit it is still really good. It also ends with one of the best endings I ever seen in a "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" episode. I get chills every time I see Dede reveal herself of being the ghost and see the ghosts drive away through a closed gate as the song "In The Still Of The Night" plays. Every time I hear that song I think of this scene. It's a really good episode, it has its flaws, but it's still good.
NUMBER 7
THE TALE OF THE TWISTED CLAW
Once you get past the first minute and cheap special effects for the claw moving, it's still a really good episode. First off, I love that it's set on Halloween because the whole episode brings that Halloween feel and has the three key points of Halloween, which are Mischief Night, Halloween, and the day after Halloween and each of those days play an important part to the story. Mischief Night is when they prank her and causes her to break her favorite vase; Halloween is when they get the claw and make their first wish; and the day after Halloween is where all the chaos starts. I also love that it's a twist to the classic story called "The Monkey's Paw", but I find it pointless to talk about the similarities to the original story since I analyzed it when I reviewed this episode. All I'll say is, it's a clever modern twist to the original story.
Another reason why I like the episode is the camera shots. The shots are one of the reasons why the episodes is so dark and memorable. The close up on the teenage punks faces when the kids are being attacked by them look creepy (Which sort of reminds me of the Halloween scene in the original "Karate Kid" film, only this time without Kesuke fighting the punks to save the kids asses); The intense slow motion of the kid breaking his leg during the race; the thrilling breathtaking scene of Dougie slowly walking to the door to let in a ghost, but my favorite shot out of all them is when we see through the ghost of Dougie's Grandpa's eyes slowly walking to the door, while we hear one of the most scariest wailing noise I ever heard. The episode also has the guts to kill off Dougie's parents, which makes it a lot scarier, even though they come back to life in the end. Who can also forget the Gothic design for the wooden Claw, it's something that I find unforgettable about the episode. Than you have the two boys Kevin and Dougie who share the same similarities as the characters Grieg and Jam in my 8th favorite episode. One is a prankster, while the other ones a nice guy, they're fun characters and each kid does a good job at portraying their character.
The number one reason why I love this episode is the performance of Ann Page as Miss Clove. I know she appears very little in the episode, but for me the less you see her the scarier she is. When we first see her, she gets sprayed in the face with shaving cream, but instead of seeing a mad woman going back inside her house, she just stands outside and starts cackling hysterically and acts if the shaving cream is not on her face. When the boys go "Trick or Treating" at her house, she goes from being weird to a kind old lady who lets them in to give the boys the claw. Even though she looks nice and acts sweet, she still comes across as a creepy character, which makes the scene very unsettling. The last time we hear about her is when she leaves the Vase that the kids broke in front of Dougie's porch with a little note that says "Trick Or Treat" and then we cut to her scary looking house as we hear an eerie wind blow and hear her cackling as the gate in front of her house closes by itself. Even though I didn't find the plot twist of her being a witch a surprise (Mainly because the kids call her a witch, she acts creepy and the kids receive a magical claw from her) it's still a creepy ending.
Another reason why I like the episode is the camera shots. The shots are one of the reasons why the episodes is so dark and memorable. The close up on the teenage punks faces when the kids are being attacked by them look creepy (Which sort of reminds me of the Halloween scene in the original "Karate Kid" film, only this time without Kesuke fighting the punks to save the kids asses); The intense slow motion of the kid breaking his leg during the race; the thrilling breathtaking scene of Dougie slowly walking to the door to let in a ghost, but my favorite shot out of all them is when we see through the ghost of Dougie's Grandpa's eyes slowly walking to the door, while we hear one of the most scariest wailing noise I ever heard. The episode also has the guts to kill off Dougie's parents, which makes it a lot scarier, even though they come back to life in the end. Who can also forget the Gothic design for the wooden Claw, it's something that I find unforgettable about the episode. Than you have the two boys Kevin and Dougie who share the same similarities as the characters Grieg and Jam in my 8th favorite episode. One is a prankster, while the other ones a nice guy, they're fun characters and each kid does a good job at portraying their character.
The number one reason why I love this episode is the performance of Ann Page as Miss Clove. I know she appears very little in the episode, but for me the less you see her the scarier she is. When we first see her, she gets sprayed in the face with shaving cream, but instead of seeing a mad woman going back inside her house, she just stands outside and starts cackling hysterically and acts if the shaving cream is not on her face. When the boys go "Trick or Treating" at her house, she goes from being weird to a kind old lady who lets them in to give the boys the claw. Even though she looks nice and acts sweet, she still comes across as a creepy character, which makes the scene very unsettling. The last time we hear about her is when she leaves the Vase that the kids broke in front of Dougie's porch with a little note that says "Trick Or Treat" and then we cut to her scary looking house as we hear an eerie wind blow and hear her cackling as the gate in front of her house closes by itself. Even though I didn't find the plot twist of her being a witch a surprise (Mainly because the kids call her a witch, she acts creepy and the kids receive a magical claw from her) it's still a creepy ending.
NUMBER 6
THE TALE OF THE PINBALL WIZARD
Yeah, aside from our horribly acted main character, it's still one of my all time favorites. I love that the beginning is sort of like "The Wizard Of Oz". Our main character goes to the Mall and looks at things he'll be needing when he plays the game and meets people who the characters of the game will be based off of. I think that's a very clever set up to the story. Once the kid puts his coin in that cool looking Pinball machine, things get real.
Even though the game doesn't take place in a fantasy world, it's still creative for what they did to the Mall. It's full of flashing colors like an old game; it has those great cheesy sounds that you hear in a game; and the escalator is for when Ross goes to a different level and the elevator that goes down is for reset, is just clever writing. I also love the game characters, there's guards that look like "The Blues Brothers"; the over the top crazy old witch; the games primary villain; and the game's damsel in distress princess. I also never thought I see the day when a water gun (That kills villains) would be so badass and threatening.
What really scares me is the ending. Just when you think Ross is safe and sound, he's still trapped in the game. Then we see the owner of the store that Ross was going to work for, looking down at the Pinball Machine with a vicious smile and laughing. It appears that Ross is stuck in the game forever and the last thing we see is a giant Pinball that's probably going to crush him. If the kid didn't play the game in the first place, he wouldn't be trapped inside the game, but it's his video game addiction that made him do it. Ross also mentions a kid who use to work for the owner and by the look on Mr.Olson's face, it's clear that he too is now trapped in the game. The scary thing about Mr.Olson is I can never tell if he's a good guy, a crazy old man or both. His character just creeps me. After the story, the "Midnight Society" members who were fighting over a gameboy in the beginning, are now too scared to play it. This episode just shows how much video games can get to you and to me this episode really sticks to me and I'm sure it sticks to a lot of kids who saw this episodes.
Even though the game doesn't take place in a fantasy world, it's still creative for what they did to the Mall. It's full of flashing colors like an old game; it has those great cheesy sounds that you hear in a game; and the escalator is for when Ross goes to a different level and the elevator that goes down is for reset, is just clever writing. I also love the game characters, there's guards that look like "The Blues Brothers"; the over the top crazy old witch; the games primary villain; and the game's damsel in distress princess. I also never thought I see the day when a water gun (That kills villains) would be so badass and threatening.
What really scares me is the ending. Just when you think Ross is safe and sound, he's still trapped in the game. Then we see the owner of the store that Ross was going to work for, looking down at the Pinball Machine with a vicious smile and laughing. It appears that Ross is stuck in the game forever and the last thing we see is a giant Pinball that's probably going to crush him. If the kid didn't play the game in the first place, he wouldn't be trapped inside the game, but it's his video game addiction that made him do it. Ross also mentions a kid who use to work for the owner and by the look on Mr.Olson's face, it's clear that he too is now trapped in the game. The scary thing about Mr.Olson is I can never tell if he's a good guy, a crazy old man or both. His character just creeps me. After the story, the "Midnight Society" members who were fighting over a gameboy in the beginning, are now too scared to play it. This episode just shows how much video games can get to you and to me this episode really sticks to me and I'm sure it sticks to a lot of kids who saw this episodes.
NUMBER 5
THE TALE OF THE SUPER SPECS
First off, I love how the episode starts. Instead of being with the Midnight Society at the beginning of each episode, we're instead with Kristen and Gary at a magic shop that his father owns. It's not only the place where Gary gets his inspiration from, but it also symbolizes one of the main places where his story takes place. He also shows Kristen the shops Super Specs, which will be in his tale. After that, we then cut to the campfire and the story begins. This is one of the best openings to an "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?" episode that I have ever seen.
This episode has a perfect mix of comedy and horror and instead of feeling that any of the genres are out of place in the story, it actually flows very well. Let's start with the horror. The horror in this episode plays like an episode from "The Twilight Zone". A girl gets an unusual item and the item does some unusual things. The Super Specs show creepy dark looking people who only the girl can see and stuff that can only appear whenever she's wearing them. The idea is scary, the mysterious people are scary and the visions and special effects may look like an acid trip but they're still scary. The Super Specs themselves also look very weird and creepy, they may be goofy looking at some points with the scared face, but it still flows with the episode's creepy tone and atmosphere. What I think really makes the episode scary is the music, it just makes the episode very thrilling and suspenseful with that odd sound. It just really builds up the tension.
The comedy comes from our two main characters Weeds and Sardo. Marybeth is the only main character who's serious, but I still find her as lovable as the other two and on a personal note when I first saw this episode, I had a bit of a small crush on her. With the character Weeds and Sardo, there's never a dull moment with them. They're always funny and over the top even during a scary scene. I just love the energy that these two have because it really shows that the actors are having fun and as a result makes the episode fun. I may as well point out that this is the first episode when we meet Sardo, who will also make many more appearances in the show. However, I do wonder if these next appearances take place after or before this story.
Finally, we have the climax, which is very thrilling and intense. The characters get Sardo to close the window that lets these mysterious people into their universe and the climax begins. So it starts out with a funny and ridiculous seance lead by Sardo, but once he throws the magic dust, things get real. The room goes dark, they're surrounded by the mysterious people and just when you think they closed the window, they see evil eyes and hear a demon voice and then they become trapped forever in a small Crystal ball in the palms of a powerful woman from the other world. Many people think that the crappy and cliched episode "The Tale Of The Nightly Neighbors" was the first one to have a scary ending, but actually this one is the first. The episode also ends with the ultimate April Fools prank that's pulled by Gary.
The episode is funny, scary, creative and the first one to have a non happy ending.
This episode has a perfect mix of comedy and horror and instead of feeling that any of the genres are out of place in the story, it actually flows very well. Let's start with the horror. The horror in this episode plays like an episode from "The Twilight Zone". A girl gets an unusual item and the item does some unusual things. The Super Specs show creepy dark looking people who only the girl can see and stuff that can only appear whenever she's wearing them. The idea is scary, the mysterious people are scary and the visions and special effects may look like an acid trip but they're still scary. The Super Specs themselves also look very weird and creepy, they may be goofy looking at some points with the scared face, but it still flows with the episode's creepy tone and atmosphere. What I think really makes the episode scary is the music, it just makes the episode very thrilling and suspenseful with that odd sound. It just really builds up the tension.
The comedy comes from our two main characters Weeds and Sardo. Marybeth is the only main character who's serious, but I still find her as lovable as the other two and on a personal note when I first saw this episode, I had a bit of a small crush on her. With the character Weeds and Sardo, there's never a dull moment with them. They're always funny and over the top even during a scary scene. I just love the energy that these two have because it really shows that the actors are having fun and as a result makes the episode fun. I may as well point out that this is the first episode when we meet Sardo, who will also make many more appearances in the show. However, I do wonder if these next appearances take place after or before this story.
Finally, we have the climax, which is very thrilling and intense. The characters get Sardo to close the window that lets these mysterious people into their universe and the climax begins. So it starts out with a funny and ridiculous seance lead by Sardo, but once he throws the magic dust, things get real. The room goes dark, they're surrounded by the mysterious people and just when you think they closed the window, they see evil eyes and hear a demon voice and then they become trapped forever in a small Crystal ball in the palms of a powerful woman from the other world. Many people think that the crappy and cliched episode "The Tale Of The Nightly Neighbors" was the first one to have a scary ending, but actually this one is the first. The episode also ends with the ultimate April Fools prank that's pulled by Gary.
The episode is funny, scary, creative and the first one to have a non happy ending.
NUMBER 4
THE TALE OF THE LONELY GHOST
This episode is scary, tragic, sad and heart warming. It's really an episode I really adore. First off, I really like all the characters. Our main character Amanda is really an innocent character and every time I see her, I feel bad for her because she always gets bullied by her cousin. She's just a character that you want to see happy and the fact that she helps the ghost at the end really shows how kind hearted and innocent she is.
Her bratty cousin Beth, good god is the biggest teenage bitch, I ever seen by far. There's nothing to like about her, she's just stone cold. Not only does she hate Amanda, but she also hates everyone else as well. She treats her Nanny like garbage; bosses her friends around; doesn't respect her mother; and cares more about her stuffed animals, then anyone else. I think her most lowest thing she ever pulls on her cousin, is by making her spend the night in the haunted house next door just like her friends did to be part of her group. However, none of her friends slept over at the house and she's not going to put her in the group even if she does, what a bitch! When she gets trapped in the mirror at the end, you don't feel bad for her, you're actually enjoying it because she's getting what she deserves. It's too bad she doesn't stay in there forever, but if she did, the episode would lose all that warmth you get. Kind of like if Clarence was going to haunt Mr. Potter at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life".
The Ghost doesn't really appear that much in the episode and if she did, it would probably ruin the episode. The first half, is just build up to the Ghost. We hear noises in the old house; the "For Sale" sign keeps falling down; and we hear a really sad and tragic back story about her, complete with chilling sounds. When we first meet the Ghost, Amanda is in the room where she died, then she sees writing on the wall with the words "Help Me" written backwards. Once she figures it out, we then see the Ghost appear out of the darkness. That scene is just scary and very thrilling because of its dark setting and unexpected appearance by the Ghost.
The second time when the characters visit the house, it is day time, but it's still scary. Amanda and Beth walk into the ghost's room and see "Help Me" written backwards all over the walls. After that, Beth sees a colorful room through the mirror filled with stuffed animals. To her amazement, she walks through the mirror and out pops the Ghost and locks the door leaving Amanda cornered. Another scary moment, but after she stops screaming, the Ghost doesn't look scary anymore and looks very sad and alone, which makes me feel very depressed and sad for her. She doesn't even say anything, she's just as moving as Robert Duvall as Boo Radley in "To Kill A Mockingbird".
When she gives Amanda her locket with Nanny's picture on it, she finds Nanny, takes her to the Ghost, and it appears that they're Mother and Daughter. The scene with them together is so heartwarming that it makes me cry and also has one of the best happy endings I've ever seen. As for the "Midnight Society", the storyteller David gives Kristen a locket that looks exactly like the one in the story.
Her bratty cousin Beth, good god is the biggest teenage bitch, I ever seen by far. There's nothing to like about her, she's just stone cold. Not only does she hate Amanda, but she also hates everyone else as well. She treats her Nanny like garbage; bosses her friends around; doesn't respect her mother; and cares more about her stuffed animals, then anyone else. I think her most lowest thing she ever pulls on her cousin, is by making her spend the night in the haunted house next door just like her friends did to be part of her group. However, none of her friends slept over at the house and she's not going to put her in the group even if she does, what a bitch! When she gets trapped in the mirror at the end, you don't feel bad for her, you're actually enjoying it because she's getting what she deserves. It's too bad she doesn't stay in there forever, but if she did, the episode would lose all that warmth you get. Kind of like if Clarence was going to haunt Mr. Potter at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life".
The Ghost doesn't really appear that much in the episode and if she did, it would probably ruin the episode. The first half, is just build up to the Ghost. We hear noises in the old house; the "For Sale" sign keeps falling down; and we hear a really sad and tragic back story about her, complete with chilling sounds. When we first meet the Ghost, Amanda is in the room where she died, then she sees writing on the wall with the words "Help Me" written backwards. Once she figures it out, we then see the Ghost appear out of the darkness. That scene is just scary and very thrilling because of its dark setting and unexpected appearance by the Ghost.
The second time when the characters visit the house, it is day time, but it's still scary. Amanda and Beth walk into the ghost's room and see "Help Me" written backwards all over the walls. After that, Beth sees a colorful room through the mirror filled with stuffed animals. To her amazement, she walks through the mirror and out pops the Ghost and locks the door leaving Amanda cornered. Another scary moment, but after she stops screaming, the Ghost doesn't look scary anymore and looks very sad and alone, which makes me feel very depressed and sad for her. She doesn't even say anything, she's just as moving as Robert Duvall as Boo Radley in "To Kill A Mockingbird".
When she gives Amanda her locket with Nanny's picture on it, she finds Nanny, takes her to the Ghost, and it appears that they're Mother and Daughter. The scene with them together is so heartwarming that it makes me cry and also has one of the best happy endings I've ever seen. As for the "Midnight Society", the storyteller David gives Kristen a locket that looks exactly like the one in the story.
NUMBER 3
THE TALE OF THE CAPTURED SOULS
This is a very creepy, creative and well acted episode. I enjoy it and find it creepy from beginning to end. By the way, did you know the actress who plays the storyteller Kiki is Francine in the TV show "Arthur". Our main character Danny is the toughest, smartest and bravest hero in the whole season and maybe the whole series. She's not one of those characters that keeps getting scared until the end, no, she's tough and brave all throughout the episode. There's never a scene where she goes over the top scared, she'll be frightened or stunned, but then she'll run out and get to the bottom of what she just saw. She just keeps finding and looking for more and more clues until they come together. She has really great intelligence for a young girl and what makes her cool is she doesn't take none of the villains crap. You spy on her, drain her soul, mess with her loved ones or so much as call her Danielle, your ass is going down. She even destroys the villain in a very cold blooded way, she's really just an awesome character.
The villain Peter, good heavens does he give me the creeps in every scene he's in. There's never a suttle scene with him, no, all of his scenes are all unsettling. He goes from being weird, to a very twisted and scary mad boy. I'm glad he doesn't go over the top like most villains do on this show; his evil smile, weird behavior and friendly approach are what makes him scary. I think what truly makes him scary is the fact that he's a twisted old man in a kid's body. Not only is that weird, but some scenes hint that he likes, maybe even loves Danny which makes him even more frightening. Even the pictures and short glimpses of him as an old man is scary. The way he takes peoples souls to make him younger and how his old self is exposed is very creative and really matches to one of the themes to the story and the fact that he's killed more children than adults, make him an even more insane villain. Peter is a villain I won't soon forget.
To me, the main reason why I love the episode is the moral "Enjoy your youth while you still can". That moral really sticks out in this episode. When we first meet Danny's parents, they're very active and always moving. Once their souls get taken, they start aging and become so old that they can't do anything, but rest. The acting, the makeup and the writing for it really make it effecting. Another thing I love in the story are the themes on why people or Indiana tribes don't like to get their picture taken. Indiana tribes feel pictures takes people's soul while other people don't like looking at their selves because it might show something you can't see with the naked eye. When Peter takes a picture or has the family look into his mirrors, he literally takes their souls and whenever Peter gets his picture taken, it shows what he really is, while we see him as a young boy when we see him in person. It's really clever writing. This is an episode that not only continues to creep me out, but also gives me a good outlook on life itself.
The villain Peter, good heavens does he give me the creeps in every scene he's in. There's never a suttle scene with him, no, all of his scenes are all unsettling. He goes from being weird, to a very twisted and scary mad boy. I'm glad he doesn't go over the top like most villains do on this show; his evil smile, weird behavior and friendly approach are what makes him scary. I think what truly makes him scary is the fact that he's a twisted old man in a kid's body. Not only is that weird, but some scenes hint that he likes, maybe even loves Danny which makes him even more frightening. Even the pictures and short glimpses of him as an old man is scary. The way he takes peoples souls to make him younger and how his old self is exposed is very creative and really matches to one of the themes to the story and the fact that he's killed more children than adults, make him an even more insane villain. Peter is a villain I won't soon forget.
To me, the main reason why I love the episode is the moral "Enjoy your youth while you still can". That moral really sticks out in this episode. When we first meet Danny's parents, they're very active and always moving. Once their souls get taken, they start aging and become so old that they can't do anything, but rest. The acting, the makeup and the writing for it really make it effecting. Another thing I love in the story are the themes on why people or Indiana tribes don't like to get their picture taken. Indiana tribes feel pictures takes people's soul while other people don't like looking at their selves because it might show something you can't see with the naked eye. When Peter takes a picture or has the family look into his mirrors, he literally takes their souls and whenever Peter gets his picture taken, it shows what he really is, while we see him as a young boy when we see him in person. It's really clever writing. This is an episode that not only continues to creep me out, but also gives me a good outlook on life itself.
Now these next two episodes aren't just my favorite from this season, these two are actually my all time favorites that scared me as a kid and held up the most. I wanted to save those two for this month because its my favorite month. What are they, lets find out.
NUMBER 2
THE TALE OF THE DARK MUSIC
This episode use to scare the living daylights out of me as a kid and it still kind of does. It's really an episode that I have not forgotten nor do I think I ever will. The characters, I just enjoy them all. Our main character Andy, Koda the bully, and Andy's annoying bratty sister (Which I still can't get over that it's the same actress who played the "Lonely Ghost"), they're all written well. The soundtrack is really amazing and I wish that they made a CD with the music from the episode in it. The darkness, the back story, the set up, and the cheap and simple, but scary special effects are what really make the episode good and scary.
The monster good god is it scary. Surem we don't know its back story, nor do we see it much, but the less you see it or know about the monster, the scarier it is. It's deep godly demon voice, its evil red eyesm and the noise and image of the door opening by its self, are all very terrifying. I think what makes the monster truly scary is the fact it can change into different forms and find ways to lure Andy to his doom.
The monster good god is it scary. Surem we don't know its back story, nor do we see it much, but the less you see it or know about the monster, the scarier it is. It's deep godly demon voice, its evil red eyesm and the noise and image of the door opening by its self, are all very terrifying. I think what makes the monster truly scary is the fact it can change into different forms and find ways to lure Andy to his doom.
Its first attempt was to change into a creepy life size doll. The image, the doll like movements, and her friendly voice that echoes whenever she speaks is scary as hell. She even asks Andy to play with her and when you see a weird girl or doll that wants to play with you, you're in deep trouble. The doll also hypnotized Andy to take her hand and what really scares me is the thought of what she would look like and what she would do if Andy took her hand.
It's next attempt is to change into a Carney and turn the room it lurks inside, into a carnival full of rides and games. At first, it sounds like a friendly invitation, in fact, Andy almost goes in; but once Andy stops, the Carney grabs Andy and turns into a skeleton. As a skeleton it speaks in a crazy dead voice, has the wind to pull Andy into the room and the skeleton's hand reaches out to grab his leg. That scene really frightens me and the idea and writing for the scene is not just creative, but really scary.
The episode's ending is the darkest ending I ever seen on the show. Andy tricks the bully to go into his basement, then he locks him in there, turns on the music, and has the monster scare him. However, the bully is gone and Andy gets a new bike from the monster. The monster then tells Andy to feed him people in order to give Andy anything he wants. After knowing this, his sister comes home and Andy sees old dusty trays and smiles villainously. This is the first time that one of the main characters actually gets killed in the episode and instead of the boy learning a lesson, he becomes evil at the ending. The sister doesn't die, however, that doesn't mean that the monster didn't do something evil to her. This episode is thee darkest episode out of the whole series. It's scary, eerie, creative, and doesn't go with the shows traditional formula.
The episode's ending is the darkest ending I ever seen on the show. Andy tricks the bully to go into his basement, then he locks him in there, turns on the music, and has the monster scare him. However, the bully is gone and Andy gets a new bike from the monster. The monster then tells Andy to feed him people in order to give Andy anything he wants. After knowing this, his sister comes home and Andy sees old dusty trays and smiles villainously. This is the first time that one of the main characters actually gets killed in the episode and instead of the boy learning a lesson, he becomes evil at the ending. The sister doesn't die, however, that doesn't mean that the monster didn't do something evil to her. This episode is thee darkest episode out of the whole series. It's scary, eerie, creative, and doesn't go with the shows traditional formula.
AND MY NUMBER 1 FAVORITE EPISODE FROM SEASON 1 AND OF ALL TIME IS...
THE TALE OF LAUGHING IN THE DARK
I think you'd find this episode on the top list of anyone's favorite episodes from "Are You Afraid Of The Dark", its really a great episode and to be honest I wish this was the shows pilot instead of that cheesy corny episode "The Tale Of The Phantom Cab". Everything in the episode works, and it never stops building the tension and the suspense. There's never even a dull moment, the episode is scary from beginning to end. Here are some of the main reasons
The haunted house attraction (that's actually haunted) where the evil clown Zeebo is, good heavens, what clever writing and set up it is. The haunted house is just full of crap your pants surprises such as Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, a headless guy and a dragon that actually breaths fire (A safety hazard, but still cool). There's even another Zeebo in the haunted house, which I guess is there in case if kids don't get to see Zeebo at the end, but didn't they say there's only one Zeebo in there? A little flaw, but still awesome! I even find the dummy of Zeebo very creepy and the fact that you have to pick a door to leave the attraction is really cool and thrilling. This is the best Haunted House attraction I have ever seen on film or TV, and the fact that its in a park called "Playland" (Named after the famous theme park where films were shot at called "Rye Playland") makes it even more cool.
The clown Zeebo is very scary, why, because we never see it. Sure, we see it's dummy at the haunted house, but we don't see it when the actual Clown goes into the kids house. All we see and hear are the evidence of his presence, such as the smell of cigar smoke; cigars in the microwave; his foot prints; his voice on the phone; trying to open a door; and a balloon that says "Give It Back". It's thee most suspenseful scene in the whole entire show. It also makes you wonder who was in the house? Could it be that the dummy was possessed by Zeebos spirit; could it be the creepy Carney; or could it be Zeebos ghost? A lot of people believe (Including the "Midnight Society) that it was the Carney who's Zeebos ghost, however, there are hints that the dummy could be possessed by Zeebos ghost, such as the bright light and mist coming out of the door and a shadow of feet moving. It really leaves me and a lot of people into thinking.
This episode without a doubt is the best episode in the entire show. The characters are fun and likable; there's decent comedy; the visuals are amazing; the music's creepy; the writing is scary; the clown is frightening; and it did things you wouldn't be able to do today on a kids show such as Cigar smoking (Where can a kid by a box full of cigars, by the way) and sticking out the middle finger. Also, every scene is memorable such as The Haunted House; the creepy Carney; Zeebo's back story; the clown Zeebo; Zeebo sneaking into the kids house; and the ending. It's my all time favorite episode and as long as I live, it will always be my number 1 favorite "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?" episode.
and those are my all time favorite episodes from season 1 of "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?". Tune in for my review on season 2.
"IT'S ALL THE FUN IN THE PARK, WHEN YOU'RE LAUGHING IN THE DARK" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
No comments:
Post a Comment